Gollbhai

For the first time I am paired with Sara's corner and created a recipe from my partner's blog.

Saraswathi is my cousin and is a housewife. She comes up with one or the other recipe every two days once, i selected one of her dish hallbhai and tweaked a little and prepared it on this saturday, Oct 24th 2009.

Ingredients:

• Rice - 1 cup
• Jaggery - 2 cups
• Cinnamon Powder (Elaichi) - 1/2 tspn
• Clove - 1
• Poppy Seeds - 2 tspn
• Fresh Grated Coconut - 1 1/2 cups
• Ghee - 1 tsp for greasing & 3 tsps for mixing
• Milk - 2 tbsp
• Cashew and Badam - 5 to 6 - (cut into small pieces)

Method:

• Soak the rice for 4 hours.
• Add cinnamon powder, clove, poppy seeds with rice and grind for 3 rounds.
• Add grated coconut to the grinded mixture and finely grind them.
• Add jaggery to the grinded mixture and grind again.
• Heat 1 tsp of ghee
• Fry the cashews and badam till golden brown separately in hot ghee. (Kindly note badam will take more time to get fried than cashews). Keep it aside.
• Pour the grinded mixture and keep stirring it continuously by adding the milk and ghee without allowing them to form loops in low flamed heat
• Put the fried cashews and badam
• Grease a plate with ghee
• Pour the mixture onto the plate and leave it for half an hour or till it gets cooled
• Cut the mixture into the desired shape.

I have cut into square and then rolled them into small balls so that it will be more in quantity and I can distribute to many.

Just for a change, I named this as gollbhai (sister of hallbhai). It is also called as "Amruth Palam" in Telugu.

Greatest thing of this dish is it could make my husband remember his childhood days and his grandmother. Infact, my mother-in-law could remember this sweet after 15 to 20 years.

Thanks to Saraswathi and her hallbhai which brought back the sweet memories.

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Raisin Muffins

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup plain flour
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 tsp. soda bi-carbonate
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1 tbsp. orange squash
• 1/3 cup cream
• 1/3 cup castor sugar
• 1/2 cup condensed milk
• 1 tsp. orange rind, grated (optional)

Method:

1. Sieve the flour, with the soda and keep aside
2. Mix the butter, orange squash, orange rind and sugar till smooth
3. Add the condensed milk, raisins, cream and flour and mix well
4. Put the mixture into 10 greased and dusted muffin moulds.
5. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degree Celsius (or 360 degree Fahrenheit) for 15 to 20 minutes or till muffin comes out clean.

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Rice Pancakes

Mix two cups cooked rice, some grated carrot, chopped spring onions, cabbage with half cup wheat flour and half cup bengal gram flour.
Add a pinch of asafoetida to this mixture.
Add two tablespoons curds and some coriander.
Add salt and press one portion onto a damp cloth to form a circle.
Turn onto a griddle and cook with some oil till golden brown.
Serve pancakes hot and crisp!

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Quick Quesidillas

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup plain flour
• 2 tsp oil
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup baked beans (canned)
• 1/4 cup cooking cheese or mozzarella cheese, grated
• 1 tbsp. chilli sauce
• 1 tbsp. chopped coriander
• butter or oil for cooking

Method:

1. To make the tortillas, mix all the ingredients to make a soft dough by adding enough water.
2. Knead and divide into 6 portions.
3. Roll out into thin rounds.
4. Cook lightly on a griddle and keep aside.
5. Now, divide the filling into 3 equal portions.
6. Spread one portion of the filling on a tortilla.
7. Cover with another tortilla.
8. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling to make 2 more quesidillas.
9. Heat griddle and using a little butter, cook the prepared quesidillas on both sides until golden brown in colour.
10. Serve hot with salsa or tomato ketchup.

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Pretzels

Pretzels:

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp. yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 tbsp. honey
• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tbsp. salt

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 325degree Fahrenheit (or 165 degree Celsius)
2. Put the yeast in a small bowl with water and honey.
3. Stir a little and leave for 5 minutes.
4. Mix the flour and salt together in a bowl.
5. After the 5 minutes is up, check on the yeast mixture. It should be bigger than before and a little bubbly.
6. Add this mixture to the flour.
7. Stir everything together. Use a spoon to start.
8. Finish with your hands. The dough is ready when it is still a little crumbly and flaky.
9. Put the dough on the cutting board and knead it into one big bal.
10. Break off a piece of dough about the size of a big gumball.
11. Use your hands to roll it into a skinny snake.
12. Twist the snake into a medium-size-pretzel shape and put it on a baking sheet.
13. Do this with all the dough, making 12 pretzels.
14. Bake your pretzels for 10 minutes.
15. Let them cool and become ready to serve.

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Orange Chill

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup cold orange drink
• 1/2 cup orange sherbet
• 3/4 cup cold ginger ale

Method:

1. Pour 1/4 cup of orange drink into each glass.
2. Add 1/4 cup of the sherbet into each glass.
3. Add half of the giner ale to each glass.

A drink is ready to enjoy over and over again.

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Nut Cake

Ingredients:

• 350 gms. flour
• 200 gms. sugar
• 200 gms. butter
• 350 gms. chopped dates ad nuts (walnuts)
• 300 mL apple puree
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp. soda bi-carbonate
• 200 tbsp milk
• 1 tbsp. chopped dates, nuts
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon powder to top

Method:

1. Put flour into a bowl and rub in butter till it reaches the consistency of breadcrumbs.
2. Add sugar, dates, nuts and cinnamon
3. Make a well in the centre and add apple puree
4. Dissolve soda in milk and add to the mixture mix well.
5. Pour into a prepared cake tin.
6. Mix the topping ingredients and sprinkle.
7. Bake at 375 degree Fahrenheit till done (takes more than 1 hour)

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Nachos - Snacks

Nachos:

Ingredients:

• corn tortilla chips
• 1 can refried beans
• small jar mild salsa or taco sauce
• few olives 6 oz., cheese

Method:

1. Arange the chips in a single layer on a baking sheet.
2. Top each chip with 1/2 tsp. of refried beans and then 1/2 tsp. of salsa
3. Add a small amount of cheese (grated or cut into small chunks) to top of each.
4. Put the baking sheet in an oven watching carefully, until cheese melts and bubbles.
5. Serve hot.

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