Thattai or Nippattu

Ingredients:

• Besan flour – 125 g
• All purpose flour – 275 g
• Rice flour – 250 g
• Dry roasted peanuts – 25 g
• Dry roasted channa – 25 g
• Grated coconut – 3 Tablespoons
• Red chili powder – 1 Tablespoon
• Asafoetida – ¼ Teaspoon
• Melted butter – 2 Tablespoons
• Salt – 1 Tablespoon
• Water as needed
• Canola oil for deep frying

 Method: 

• Grind peanuts and roasted channa into coarse powder (or use mixie pulser for grinding).
• In a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients together except oil and water. Mix well with required amount of water (this should be like chapathi dough).
• Take a small lemon sized ball, smear little oil on a parchment paper and shape the ball into ¼ inch patties and deep fry in oil.
• Fish those out and drain oil on a paper towel. Do the same for the remaining dough.
• After they are completely cooled store them in an air tight container. 

Lemon Pickle

I got this recipe from our friend Mrs. Mangai Rathanaswami who is living here in Canada for about 20 years. She is very good in cooking.
Ingredients:

• Lemon – 7
• Salt – 5 Tablespoons
• Red chili powder – 4 Tablespoons
• Turmeric powder – ½ Teaspoon
• Asafoetida - ¾ Tablespoon
• Fenugreek powder (dry roasted and powdered) – ¾ Tablespoon
• Canola oil – 150 ml
• Mustard seeds – ½ Teaspoon

 Method:

• Wash all lemons, pat dry and squeeze juice from one lemon and keep aside
• Cut them into one inch pieces and remove seeds.
• In a large mixing bowl, add cut pieces of lemon, salt, chili powder, turmeric powder and juice together and close with a lid.
• Keep this in room temperature for three days, occasionally stir this mixture thoroughly.
• On the fourth day, heat oil in a frying pan. When it is in medium heat add mustard seeds, when they pop up turn off heat.
• To this add asafoetida and fenugreek power. Let this cool.
• Then add this on lemon pieces. Mix thoroughly and adjust seasoning.
• Store this in a clean, dry glass container.

 Note:

• While frying fenugreek seeds, the heat should be low and if you feel the aroma, just turn off the heat, let it cool and grind in a mixer to a fine powder. If you over fry fenugreek, it tastes bitter. 

Chocolate chip - Pistachio Biscotti

Ingredients: 

• All purpose flour – 250 g
• Granulated sugar – 150 g
• Semi sweet chocolate chips - a handful
• Pistachio (dry roasted, shelled, chopped into small pieces) – a handful
• Baking power – 1Teaspoon
• Vanilla essence – 2 drops
• Egg – 2
• Salt - pinch

 Method: 

• Using an electric egg beater, beat eggs with sugar until fluffy (for about 10 mins) and add vanilla extract.
• Mix all purpose flour, baking powder and salt together then mix with egg mixture. To this mixture add chocolate chips and pistachios.
• Dust your hands with some flour, roll out the mixture (dough) and make into two equal logs (about three inches wide) on a parchment lined baking sheets. Make sure that there is enough space between the logs.
• Pre-heat oven at 350 degree F and bake them for about 20 minutes (or it should be firm while touching).
• Remove baking sheet from oven and let it cool for six to eight minutes.
• Then cut the logs diagonally into one inch slices.
• Place the cut slices in the baking sheet (cut side down) and bake at 325 degree F for eight to ten minutes and turn the slices over and bake for another 10 minutes.
• Allow them to cool and store in an air tight container.