Annapurna: December 2020

Monday, 21 December 2020

Kothambiriche Mutkule

Kothambiriche Mutkule is a very healthy and flavorful delicacy from the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is one of the forgotten recipes where small oval shaped dumplings prepared with fresh coriander leaves (kothimbir) , multigrain flour and spices are cooked in a thin spicy soup. A vegan, one-pot meal , Kothimbiriche Mutkule serves as a soulful meal during chilly winter nights. I have many fond memories of my childhood associated with this dish.

What is Mutkule ?

Mutkule is any oval dumpling that is either steamed or cooked in a dal or soup. Wheat balls that are cooked in lentil soup are called waranatle faal in Marathi. Then there is one more Maharashtrian delicacy, Kulthiche Mutkule, prepared with (kulith)- horse gram.

Kothambiriche Mutkule : Here fresh coriander is mixed with pearl millet flour, chickpea flour along with spices and a dough is made with it. Small oval shaped dumplings (mutkule) are made and boiled in a thin flavorful soup. There is a dry version also of Kothimbir mutkule , where the dumplings are first steamed and then cut into bite size pieces and finally tempered like Kothimbir vadi.

Is there any difference between Kothambir Vadi and Kothimbiriche Mutkule ?

Both Kothambir Vadi and Kothimbiriche mutkule are Maharashtrian delicacy and the key ingredient in both the dishes is fresh coriander leaves. Kothambir Vadi is a snack in which a dough log made with chickpea flour, fresh coriander and spices is steamed, cut into bite size pieces and then deep fried or shallow fried. Kothimbirche mutkule (dry version) on the other hand uses millet flour along with chickpea flour to make long oval dumplings which are steamed and then cut and stir fried.

What goes in to my version of Kothimbiriche Mutkule ?

I have used a mix of pearl millet flour (bajra), sorghum flour( jawar) and chickpea flour (besan) with fresh coriander leaves, green chilies, garlic, sesame seeds and cumin seeds to make the mutkule dough. A flavorful thin soup is made with tempered green chili garlic paste, water and roasted peanut powder. Prepared dumplings are added to boiling soup and cooked until tender.

In my family, i love to have mutluke with soup but Kiran and Chinmay like only mutkule, so what i do is remove the cooked mutkule from the soup and chop them into bite size pieces. These pieces are then tossed with caramelized onions and served with chapati. Either ways it is a healthy and delicious dish.

Let's have a look at the ingredients one by one.

Pearl Millet Flour / Bajra Atta : Pearl millet provides warmth to the body apart from the multiple health benefits it offers, hence making an ideal choice during winters. Use freshly milled flour for best results. If using store bough flour, always store the packet in refrigerator as pearl millet flour becomes bitter if kept for a long time at room temperature.
Sorghum Flour/ Jawar Atta: Many recipes call for use of only bajra atta and besan. But i add jawar atta also to make it all the more nutritious. You may skip it if you do not have it handy.
Chickpea flour / Besan : Serves as a healthy, delicious and gluten-free binder for the mutkule.
Coriander: Use fresh,green, blemish free coriander for best results. Avoid using yellow, withered or stale coriander. You may use tender stems that are very thin and juicy along with leaves for this recipe.
Sesame Seeds: I love sesame seeds and really do not need any reason to use them in my daily diet. From parathas, to puris, thalipeeth to bhakri, or baked crackers, i add a generous amount of toasted calcium-rich sesame seeds.
Turmeric powder and Salt: A fat pinch of turmeric powder and salt to taste added both in the soup and the mutkule dough.
Green chili garlic and cumin seeds crush: for the spice element. This crush adds lots of flavor and is added both in the mutkule dough and also in the tempering of the soup.
Oil: This dish requires just 1-2 teaspoon of oil for the tempering part.
Peanut Powder: Roasted peanut powder gives little body to the other wise thin watery soup and adds a lovely nutty flavor to the dish.
Asafoetida: A pinch of Asafoetida/ Hing is added to the soup tempering. Skip it for a gluten-free version.

Dietary Tips:

Vegetarian dumpling soup
Healthy Millet based meal
Vegan (egg and dairy free)
Diabetic friendly
Figure- friendly
Traditional Maharashtrian dish
Can be made gluten-free just by skipping Asafoetida
Nutritious one-pot meal
Under 30 minutes from scratch

Health Benefits of Coriander: Before moving ahead with the recipe, let's have a look at the health benefits of coriander. Coriander or cilantro is a flavorful herb used extensively in Indian cooking, in soups, salads, rasam, curries, dals etc. It not only lends an eye-appealing vibrant green color and a pleasant aroma to the dish but also has many health benefits. Coriander is a wonderful source of dietary fiber, manganese, iron and magnesium. It's leaves are rich in Vitamin c, Vitamin K and protein. They also contain small amounts of calcium, phosphorous, potassium, thiamine, niacin and carotene. Coriander helps in regulating blood sugar levels, it protects the liver and kidney and provide useful anti-oxidant properties.

Related Event:

One-Pot wonder is the 277th theme on Foodie Monday Bloghop, aFacebook gourmet group where a group of passionate bloggers share their food creations every Monday depending upon a pre-determined theme. Archana di who blog's @MadScientist'sKitchen was our hostess for the week and among the two themes she proposed, one-pot wonder won with maximum votes. Archana di suggested that we can share any dish for the theme be it appetizer or main-course or dessert, but the entire-cooking should be done in a single pot or pan. This healthy and nutritious, Kothambiriche mutkule is my contribution towards the theme. Meanwhile,docheckout Archana di's space for fuss-free dishes from around the globe. I have tried many of her dishes and all of them were a hit at my place. Her Easy Little Millet khichdi is next on my to-do list.

Preparation Time: 15 minute

Cooking Time: 15 minute

Serves: 4

Ingredients: Measurements used 1 cup = 240 ml

2 cups washed, finely chopped fresh coriander
1/4 cup Pearl Millet flour/ Bajra atta
1/4 cup Sorghum flour / Jowar atta
1/3 cup Chickpea pea flour / Besan
1 tablespoon toasted white sesame seeds
2 tablespoon roasted peanut powder
2 teaspoon oil
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
Pinch of Asafoetida
Salt to taste
3-4 green chilies
5-7 garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

Method:

In a chutney jar of grinder, pulse the green chilies, garlic cloves and cumin seeds and keep aside. In a mixing bowl take washed and finely chopped fresh coriander. Add pearl millet flour. sorghum flour, chickpea flour, 3/4 of the green chili garlic crush, sesame seeds, salt and turmeric powder.

2. Mix all the ingredients well. Now, add very little water at a time and make a soft dough . Pinch a gooseberry size portion from the dough and shape it into an elongated oval shaped dumpling using greased hands. Make all the mutkule (dumplings) similarly.

3. In a pan heat oil and add the asafoetida followed by turmeric powder and the remaining 1/4th green chili-garlic crush and give a good stir. Add around 3 cups of water to it. Add little salt and peanut powder to the water and allow it to come to a rolling boil.

4. Add the prepared dumplings to the boiling soup and cook for 8-10 minutes on medium flame. On cooking the mutkule should be tender but should hold their shape. the soup will become a bit thick and flavorful.

5. Serve the Kothambiriche Mutkule piping hot with soup and enjoy a soulful and nutritious meal on a chilly winter evening !

Recipe Notes:

Use fresh blemish free coriander that is green in color for a flavorful treat.
Use freshly millet pearl millet flour as it may turn bitter if stored for long at room temperature. Better to refrigerate the flour if using store bought.
Adjust the green chilies and garlic as per your spice tolerance.
Skip using asafoetida / Hing if looking for a gluten-free diet option.
For a dry version of Kohambiriche mutkule, steam the dumplings in a steamer for 10-12 minutes. Chop them to bite size, pieces upon cooling and then deep or shallow fry.
The left over dumplings from this soup can be chopped and tossed with caramelized onions and served as a delicious side-dish with chapati.

Would love to hear from you !

I hope you would love trying out this healthy and delicious Kothambiriche Mutkule. If you do so, feel free to share your feedback with use in the form of likes and comments in the section below this post.

All your suggestions are more than welcome. If you like my work, and feel that it is worth following, do hit the follow button on the top right corner of this blog. Your appreciation means a lot to me. It gives me the inspiration and motivation to keep doing my work and give my best each time.

If you like my work and want to be updated with new recipes, do follow us on various social media platforms. My social media handles for your kind reference are as follows.

Facebook Handle: https://www.facebook.com/poonambachhavblogspot
Instagram Handle: https://www.instagram.com/poonambachhav/
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Twitter handle: https://twitter.com/poonampagar_B

See you soon with yet another healthy and delicious creation from my Kitchen. Until then stay safe and eat right !

Happy Cooking !

Happy Eating!

Regards

Poonam Bachhav

For more Coriander dishes and other healthy one-pot meals, check out the following recipes from this blog. Click on the highlighted names of the dishes for the link to the recipe.

Kothambir Vadi

Coriander Rice

Bajra Khichdi

Quinoa Vegetable Khichdi

Peruvian Green Rice

Tomato Rasam

Monday, 14 December 2020

Karachi Fruit Biscuits

Karachi biscuits are the delicious and popular fruit cookies from the Indian state of Hyderabad. These egg-less, melt-in mouth cookies with a crisp texture are a healthy and guilt-free treat as they replace APF (plain flour) with whole wheat flour and are sweetened using jaggery powder. Moreover no baking powder is used. These slice-and-bake butter cookies are loaded with nuts and Tutti Frutti and mildly flavored with cardamom powder. Serve them with a glass of milk or enjoy as a tea time snack with family and friends. These Karachi bakery style fruit cookies make a wonderful festive treat and would serve a great edible gift this Christmas Season !

A little more about Karachi Biscuits.

Karachi Bakery is one of the popular bakeries in Hyderabad. It is known for its fruit biscuits and plum cakes. Karachi biscuits are a tea-time delicacy in India . These egg-less short-bread cookies are colorful sweet treats made with all purpose flour, butter, powdered sugar and Tutti Frutti. Tutti Frutti is a colorful confectionery containing candied raw papaya pieces. A dough is made using buttered sugar, plain flour and Tutti Frutti. The prepared dough is shaped into log, wrapped in butter paper or cling wrap and refrigerated until a bit firm. The solidified logs are then sliced and baked into cookies.

What goes into my version of Karachi bakery style fruit biscuits? The ingredients:

Whole Wheat Flour: These healthy fruit biscuits substitute plain flour with whole wheat flour. Look wise the cookies made with whole wheat flour may be not that great but they taste great and are far more healthier than the ones made using all purpose flour (maida).
Custard Powder: I have used vanilla flavored custard powder in small quantity. It gives a lovely flavor and color to the cookies. If you do not have custard powder, you may use cornflour instead.
Butter: I have used homemade white butter. You may use store-bought one instead. I have tried the cookies with ghee also but butter gives a better texture so i would recommend using it. Use coconut oil for vegan version.
Jaggery Powder: These fruit cookies are sweetened using powdered jaggery. You may use coconut sugar or other healthier sweetener if jaggery powder is not available. The color of the cookies is light brown and not cream or yellow like the store-bought ones because of the whole wheat flour and jaggery powder used.
Tutti Frutti: Tutti Frutti gives a delightful fruit flavor and sweet taste to these cookies apart from making them appealing and colorful. I have also used chopped almonds and cashew along with Tutti Frutti.
Salt : A bit of salt is used as i have used unsalted white butter.
Cardamom Powder: The cookies are flavored with green cardamom which compliments very well with the jaggery flavor.
Milk: A few teaspoons of milk is used if required to bind the flour together. Use any plant based milk for vegan version.

Related Event:

It is raining Xmas special sweet baked recipes at our Facebook gourmet group, Healthy Wellthy Cuisines. It is a bimonthly event where a bunch of passionate food bloggers share their culinary skills depending upon a pre-determined theme. Our hostess for the week was Vanitha di who blogs at curryandvanilla.com. Vanitha di is a versatile food blogger and has many wonderful recipes from around the globe on her blog. I am in love with her Mocha double chocolate chip cookies with candied grapefruit peel and walnuts that are just perfect festive treats.

Dietary Notes:

Vegetarian fruit biscuits
Egg-less cookies
Refined flour free
Refined Sugar free
Festive cookies
Kid Friendly
Baking powder free
Edible gift option

Preparation Time: 1 hour

Baking Time: 15 minutes per batch

Serves: 18 cookies

Ingredients: Measurements used 1 cup = 240 ml

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup custard powder, vanilla flavored
4 tablespoon white unsalted butter
3/4 cup jaggery powder
1/2 cup Tutti Frutti
1 tablespoon chopped almonds
1 tablespoon chopped cashews
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder
Few teaspoons of milk if required.

Method:

Sift the whole wheat flour, custard powder, salt and cardamom powder in a mixing bowl.

2. Add Tutti Frutti and chopped nuts to it. Give a good mix. Keep aside.

3. In another bowl take butter. Add jaggery powder to it and whisk until light and fluffy.

4. Add the flour and Tuuti Frutti mixture to the buttered jaggery in batches and mix using a spatula. Do not over-beat. Just try to combine the flour and butter into a dough. Do not knead as that will lead to gluten formation which makes the cookies cheewy. Add a couple of teaspoons of chilled milk and try to combine the mixture into a dough.

5. Cover the dough ball in a cling wrap or butter paper and shape it into a thick log. Cover and refrigerate the cookie dough log for around 45 minutes to an hour. In the last 15 minutes of refrigeration, preheat the oven at 180 degrees Celsius .

6. Remove the dough log from the fridge. We are looking for a solidified dough which is hard enough to handle and slice it using a knife. Cut the dough into 1/2 inch slices and arrange the slices on a greased or lined baking tray. Keep some distance between each cookie slice as the cookies spread a bit while baking.

7. Transfer the cookie tray in a preheated oven and bake for around 12 minutes at 160 Degrees Celsius. After 12 minutes increase the temperature to 180 Degrees and bake the cookies for another 3 minutes. The cookies will be a bit hard at the edges and soft in the center. Do not over bake. The cookies harden further on cooling. Allow the cookies to cool down completely on a wire rack before transferring them to an air-tight container.

8. Serve the cookies at tea-time or with a glass of milk at breakfast and enjoy with your loved ones.

Recipe Notes:

Karachi Fruit Biscuits stay good at room temperature for around 10-12 days when kept in an air-tight container.
Butter can be replaced with edible coconut oil and dairy milk with any plant based milk for a vegan version.
Custard powder can be replaced with equal amounts of cornflour or whole heat flour if custard powder is not available or handy.
Any chopped nuts can be used along with Tutti Frutti in these fruit cookies.
Do not over beat the cookie dough or knead it as doing so will create gluten formation which we do not want as it will make our cookies chewy and not crisp. Just try to combine the cookie dough using your hands.
Do not over bake the cookies as on doing so the cookies will turn hard.
Jaggery powder can be replaced with any other healthier sweetener like coconut sugar.

Would love to hear from you !

I hope you would love trying out these healthy and delicious Karachi Fruit Biscuits this festive season. If you do so, feel free to share your feedback with use in the form of likes and comments in the section below this post.

If you like my work and want to be updated with new recipes, do follow us on various social media platforms. My social media handles for your kind reference are as follows.

Facebook Handle: https://www.facebook.com/poonambachhavblogspot

Instagram Handle: https://www.instagram.com/poonambachhav/

Pinterest Handle: https://in.pinterest.com/poonambachhav/

Twitter Handle: https://twitter.com/poonampagar_B

See you soon with yet another healthy creation from my Kitchen . Until then stay safe and eat right !

Happy Cooking !

Happy Eating !

Regards

Poonam Bachhav

For more festive bakes, check out the following from this blog

Plum Bundt Cake

Eggless Christmas Plum Cake

101 Christmas Special Recipes

Vegan Figgy Pudding

healthy Gingerbread Cookies

Whole Wheat Nankhatai

Veggie Tots Skewers

These baked Veggie Tots made with the goodness of vegetables and oats serve a healthy and delicious alternative to the deep-fried calorie loaded Tater Tots. Here nutritionally dense vegetables like cauliflower, sweet potato, carrots and green peas replace the potatoes. The added cheese and herbs make it a delectable treat for all ages, especially the kids ! You can thread the baked tater tots onto skewers along with roasted bell peppers, the way i have done or simply serve the tots as it is. These veggie tots skewers are egg-free and gluten-free and oh so easy to make ! Involve your kids to shape the tots and thread them for the added fun. You can pair the tots with ketchup, sour cream or any dip of your choice. They make an excellent starter for kids' parties and get-together. What's more? You can make them ahead of the time and store in zip-lock bags in freezer, just thaw and bake before serving.

What are Tater Tots?

As per Wikipedia, Tater Tots are grated potatoes formed into small cylinders and deep fried, often served as side dish. The name "Tater Tot" is a registered trademark of the American frozen food company, Ore-lda, but often used as generic term. In United States, tater tots are common at School-lunch counters, cafeterias and fast-food restaurants. They are also sold in the frozen food section of grocery stores.

What goes into my version of tots? The ingredients:

There is no doubt, that these Veggie tots are far more better than the store bought Tater tots in terms of health and nutrition. The reason is that,

These tots are loaded with healthy goodness of fresh vegetables.
They are flour-free. Yes, you hear me right. These tots do not use all purpose flour/ maida. These are gluten free as we do not use bread crumbs either.
Whole some oatmeal is used as a binder.
The tots are filling and delicious as they have cheese apart from mixed vegetables and oatmeal.
These tots are baked, so make a low-calorie snacking option when compared to the deep fried potato tots.
As these tots are home-made, they are artificial flavor and preservative free.

Let's have a look at the ingredients one by one.

Mixed Vegetables: I have used fresh cauliflower, green peas, sweet potato, carrot, sweet corn and onion. You may use any fresh or frozen vegetable of your choice like zucchini, Broccoli etc. The vegetables are steamed and mashed to make these tots.
Oatmeal: I have simply powdered the oats in a grinder jar and used it as a binding agent. You may use any variety of oats.
Cheese: You can use Cheddar and Parmesan cheese in equal proportion in the grated form. For a vegan version and for the calorie-conscious people, use of cheese can be optional. But i would recommend its use, especially if you are planning to make these tots for kids.
Herbs and Spices: I have used garlic, ginger, green chili crush, powdered black pepper, fresh coriander and salt to flavor the tots. You may skip onion and garlic for a Jain version.
Oil: These tots can be made oil-free as i have used oil only to grease the baking tray and to lightly brush the tots before baking them, so that they do not dry out.

Can these veggie tots be made without Oven?

Off course yes ! you can simply shallow fry or roast the tots on a greased and heated pan on gas-top until they become golden brown from all sides.

You can alternatively, thread the shaped tots onto skewers and grill them until crisp.

You can also make these veggie tots in an air-fryer and enjoy a guilt-free treat !

Serving Suggestions:

You can serve the tots with tomato ketchup, sour cream or any creamy or spicy dip as per your preference. Onto the skewers they pair great with roasted bell peppers.You may click on any of the following dips for the recipe. Spicy Momo's Chutney, Coriander Chutney, Schezwan Sauce.

Dietary Notes:

Gluten-free
Egg-free
Guilt-free vegetarian snack
Side-dish
Healthy appetizer
Kid friendly

Related Event:

Kids' Treats @FoodieMondayBlogHop

Kid's treat is the 276th theme on our Facebook gourmet group, Foodie Monday Blog Hop where a bunch of passionate food bloggers, share their culinary skills every Monday, depending upon a pre-determined theme. Swaty who blogs at Foodtrails25.com was our hostess for the week and she proposed that we share some healthy snacking option for kids, parties. Swaty , a mom of 2 kids herself, is a versatile baker and her blog is full of healthy delicious food recipes from around the globe, I have bookmarked her, Healthy Sattu Cookies (roasted gram and oats cookies) and Nutritious flatbread bites to try out soon. This healthy and delicious veggie Tots Skewer is my contribution towards the theme.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 25 minutes

Serves: 2 dozen tots

Ingredients:

1 cup cauliflower florets (1 small head)
1 medium size sweet potato, peeled and chopped into chunks
1/2 cup sweet corn kernels, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup shelled green peas, fresh or frozen
1/4 cup Cheddar Cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
1 large carrot, grated
1 onion, finely chopped
2-3 green chilies
1/2 inch ginger
4-5 cloves of garlic
1 small bunch of fresh coriander leaves

Preparation:

Wash the veggies. Pat them dry. Peel the sweet potato and cut into chunks. Cut cauliflower head into florets. Shell the green peas if using fresh. Thaw the sweet corn kernels and green peas if using frozen. Peel and grate the carrots. Peel and finely chop the onion. Finely chop the coriander leaves.
Peel the garlic and ginger. Make a coarse paste of garlic, ginger and green chili in a grinder jar or using a mortar and pestle.
Powder the oats and keep ready.
Crush the black pepper corns.
Grate the cheese and keep ready

Method:

Steam the cauliflower florets, sweet potato chunks, sweet corn and green peas either in a steamer or [pressure cooker until tender. Allow the veggies to cool down and then coarsely grind them in a food processor or mash them using potato masher.

2. Transfer the veggies to a mixing bowl. Add finely chopped onion, grated carrots, grated cheese and garlic, ginger green chili crush. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Add finely chopped fresh coriander leaves and oatmeal and mix well to incorporate all the ingredients.

4. Preheat the oven at 180 degrees Celsius. While our oven is getting preheated, we will shape the Tots. Pinch small portion from the our prepared veggie dough and using greased hands, shape them into small cylinders. Place each tot onto a greased or lined baking tray. Prepare all the tots with the dough and arrange them on baking tray. I could make 25 tots.

5. Transfer the baking tray into a preheated oven and bake for around 20 minutes making sure your flip the tots mid way. On baking the tots should be crisp and golden brown in color.

6. Serve the tots as it is or thread them onto a skewer and serve with dip of your choice !

Recipe Notes:

You may use any fresh or frozen vegetable of your choice to make these Veggie Tots.
Left over rice can be used as a binding agent along with steamed veggies to make this tots.
You may try using cooked quinoa combination with veggies to make the tots as a variation. I have tried it and it tastes great.
You can use chickpea flour for binding instead of oatmeal.
You can roast or shallow fry the tots on a greased tawa over stove-top or grill the tots skewers or make the tots in air-fryer if you do not have a oven or you do not wish to use it for any reasons.
You may skip adding cheese in this recipe for a vegan, low calorie snacking option, however if making for kids, i would strongly recommend adding little cheese as it makes the tots delectable.
You can shape the tots ahead of time and store them in a zip lock bag in freezer. Just thaw the tots and bake or fry them before serving.
I have thread the veggie tots with roasted bell peppers. Wash and cut the colored bell peppers. Discard the seeds and dice the bell peppers. Season the bell peppers with olive oil, salt and black pepper and roast in an oven or on stove top until you see golden brown spots on the skin.

Would love to hear from you !

I hope you would love trying out this healthy and delicious Veggie Tots Skewers using fresh Winter bounty. If you do so, feel free to share your feedback with use in the form of likes and comments in the section below this post.

If you like my work and want to be updated with new recipes, do follow us on various social media platforms. My social media handles for your kind reference are as follows.