Peanut Candy/ Peanut Brittle/ Peanut Chikki with roasted sesame seeds

I was never a big fan of chikki until quite recently. The month of February changed it all. I ate nuts candy from St.Maarten, almond candy from China and sesame candy from Dubai. Not that I traveled to China and St Maarten, let's just say it is simply the benefit of staying in a country with so many nationalities. This was a trigger enough to try making this candy myself.

The resolve was made stronger at Dubai Mall last week with the sample of peanut candy coated with sesame seeds that we got to sample at one of our office lunch outings.

The candy looks complicated and anyone might think twice before even looking up this recipe.My assumption was the very same till I actually tried it out. Making a chikki ,as it is commonly called in India is just a 10 minute job if you have all your ingredients in place.

Here is your ten minute recipe.

Ingredients

1. Roasted peanuts -1 cup
2. Sugar/grated jaggery - 1 cup( I used sugar, you may substitute it with jaggery)
3. Butter - 2 tbsp
4. Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
5. Sesame seeds - 1/4 cup

Method

Roast and peel the peanuts in case you do not get to buy roasted ones. Halve the peanuts, spread onto a flat surface and crush it lightly using a rolling pin. Lightly roast the sesame seeds till the color starts changing lightly.

Grease a flat surface -could be your cutting board, kitchen slab or inverted steel plate with butter. Spread half the roasted sesame seeds on the greased surface evenly.

Heat a thick bottomed pan. Add sugar and cardamom powder to this and stir it using a ladle till the sugar melts and the color changes to brown.

Switch off the flame and add the crushed peanuts.Mix this well and quickly, it will harden very fast. Transfer this mixture from the pan to the greased surface and roll it out using a rolling pin. Sprinkle the remaining sesame seeds on the top.

Let it cool for 15 minutes, cut and serve in sizes of your choice.

Now, did I not say that it was a ten minute job.

Mangalore Buns/ Banana Poori

A small tea shop in front of our college campus was the favorite hangout place during our free hours in college at Brahmavar. This is where we have feasted on the Mangalore Buns as it is popularly called. Do not go by the name Buns! It is nowhere similar to the normal buns baked out of the oven. It is deep fried in oil and usually served as tea time snack along with chutney. It is sweet, hence can be eaten without a chutney also. That is precisely what I did roaming around with a piece in my hand and preparing for our trip to Al Ain Zoo. That is a long awaited trip and we finally did it this weekend Yay!

Guess what we were lucky too! Got to see the majestic White Tiger and White Lion in all its glory and majesty. I had packed a few buns for our evening snack time which we gorged on after the visit to the Zoo. I hope you guys too try out this recipe, you could make it a tiffin box recipe for your kid too:) A simple way to use the overripe bananas which you do not feel like eating! 

So here is my version of the recipe. Though generally made with Maida/ All Purpose Flour, I chose the healthier Wheat Flour.  Hence ate it guiltless:)

Ingredients

1. Wheat Flour - 2 cups + 3 tbsp for rolling the dough
2. Banana - 5 ( I used elaichi bananas)
3. Sugar - 5 tbsps
4. Jeera - 1/2 tsp
5. Yogurt/Curd - 3 tbsp
6. Baking soda - 1/2 tsp
7. Ghee - 2 tbsp
8. Salt - 1 pinch
9. Water as required

Method

Mash the bananas along with the sugar in a bowl. Riper the bananas, the easier to mash. You could user a blender or a spoon would also suffice. To this add the wheat flour, salt, baking soda, jeera(lightly crushed) and mix it well using a fork. Add the yogurt and roll it into a dough. Generously rub ghee on both your hands and fold in the dough once again. Keep it covered for atleast two hours or refrigerate it overnight. In case you refrigerate, make sure that you keep it out for atleast two hours before you make it.

Make balls out of the dough. Roll it out using a rolling pin using the flour when required so that it doesn't stick. Avoid overusing the flour as it leads formation of residue in the oil.

In a skillet heat the oil. Once the oil is hot, slowly slip in the rolled out sheet one at a time.  Using a spoon, keep splashing oil onto the top as it raises. Ensure that the flame is on medium. Flip over to the other side once it is uniformly brown in colour. Once both the sides are done. Transfer this to a tissue paper so that the excess oil seeps onto it.  

Buns do not absorb much oil and hence you can be judicious while pouring the oil into the skillet.

Serve it hot with chutney of your choice.

Boli/Holige/Puran Poli/Indian Sweet Flatbread

I am not much of a sweet tooth, neither is Soumya, my sister. Despite this, one sweet dish that both of us would love to snack on is Boli or Holige as it is called in Karnataka. Boli and a splash of warm milk is just beyond yum. 

My sister often comments on my good memory, be it with the dates or my ability to connect different incidents and the day it happened. My memory with food is not bad either. That gives me the right to comment on my Boli memories as well. Boli is a snack that my father often buys from local bakery and I loved taking it to Bangalore during my college days. More recently on our visit to India, my sister introduced this to Shibin as well. He loved it too which inspired me to try out this snack.  

Boli is made of All Purpose Flour/Maida. To make it more healthier, I tried out the with wheat flour. Not much of a difference in recipe, just replace maida with wheat flour.

There it is the recipe -

Ingredients

1. Wheat Flour/ All purpose Flour - 1 cup
2. Bengal gram dal/kadala parippu - 1 cup
3. Jaggery - 1 cup grated
4. Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
5. Ghee - 3 to 4 tbsp
6. Rice Flour - to roll
7. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
8. Salt
9. Water

Method

Pressure cook the Bengal gram dal in a little water till soft. Do not overcook. Drain the water and grind it till a smooth paste. 

In a saucepan, heat 2 tbsp ghee and add the gram paste, grated jaggery and cardamom powder. Roast it till the water drains out, the color changes and the mixture holds together. Roll this into lemon size balls and keep aside.

In a separate bowl, add the flour, pinch of salt, turmeric powder and slowly pour warm water. Use a fork to mix this gently. Keep it covered for 15 minutes till the moisture holds together. Uncover and make dough out of this. Roll this also into lemon size balls. Rub your hands in a little ghee, in case you find it difficult to make the dough.

Lightly roll the dough balls into sheets and place the gram mixture balls onto this. Bring together the edges of the sheet using water to hold this together until the gram mixture balls are completely covered.

Flatten this with your hand and turn it over on rice flour. Using a rolling pin roll out sheets like chapati, apply more rice flour in case the dough sticks on.

Heat a pan and place the rolled out sheets on the pan on medium heat for a minute. Flip it over and let the other side also get cooked. Add ghee to either sides and flip it over twice more. Transfer to a plate and serve with a cup of milk.

Generally. Boli is served along with payasam/kheer. But trust us milk is an excellent replacement!