Bringing back childhood memories.

This post is dedicated to my Bapama (paternal grandmother).

She filled my childhood with these soft, crispy, flaky, melt in the mouth, sweet pastry... lovingly called as "Phenori".

You have to eat one & tell me if you can stop at that or you need one more!:0).

 Phenori / Chiroti-

Servings- makes 12 phenoris of medium size            Cooking time-  1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients-

                     1 cup/ 1 pav of all purpose flour/ maida.

                     1/2 cup of vanaspathi ghee.
                     1 cup of sugar.

                     1 tbsp of ghee/ clarified butter.

                     2 tsp elaichi/ cardamom powder.
                     Oil for deep frying.

                     

Procedure-

• Measure 1 cup of all purpose flour/ maida. Add 1 tbsp of ghee & rub with your fingers to get a bread crumble consistency. Add water as required & make a dough as for puris.
• Make small portions of the dough & roll out small puris. Keep one beneath the other with a gap of 1 cm each; upto 5 to 6 puris.
• Keep applying vanaspathi ghee on the rolled out side of each puri before placing the other on it. Roll it as you would roll a traditional indian mattress.
• Cut into equal portions & roll out the cut pieces into small puris again.
• Deep fry in hot oil & place them aside.
• Now start making the sugar syrup using 1 cup of sugar & 1/4 cup of water. The sugar syrup should reach 1 to 2 strand consistency. Add elaichi/cardamom powder.
• Once the phenoris are completely cooled; dip them one by one in hot sugar syrup & arrange on a plate. 
• Delicious sweet phenoris are ready to relish.

Tricked treat!- Happy Diwali/Deepavali..

A Very Happy & Prosperous Diwali/Deepavali to all the readers of my food blog.

I prepared Theek tukdi/ Namak pare  this Diwali. It turned out quite well, but gave me a lot of backache & fatigue. Try preparing this savoury only if; you have a lot of time, patience & help at hand.

 

Theek tukdi/ Namak pare- 

Servings-  2 cups/200 gms                   Cooking time- 1 & 1/2 hrs.

Ingredients-

• 1 cup / 1 pav of all purpose flour/ maida
• 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp of red chilly powder
• 1/4 tsp of table salt
• 1/4 tsp of ajwain (optional)
• 1/4 tsp of jeera (optional)
• 1 tbsp of hot oil
• 1/2 cup of water
• oil for deep frying

 Procedure-

• In a large bowl, mix the maida, turmeric powder, red chilly powder, table salt & the spices. Add a table spoon of hot oil & mix well with fingers. 
• Add water in parts to the above mixture & knead into a firm dough.
• You can keep it aside for 30 minutes & continue or start immediately rolling the dough to make chapatis.
• Using a rolling pin & flat board; roll the dough into thin chapatis. Make it as thin as possible.
• Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter; cut it into small squares or diamond shaped pieces.
• Collect the pieces on a plate.
• Heat oil in a kadai to smoking point & deep fry the tukdis in hot oil on medium flame.
• Spread it out on a paper towel to absorb extra oil.
• Store in air tight container, after it cools down to room temperature.
• Stays good for a month.
• Enjoy with a cup of tea as a snack.