Veggie Platter: Baked Snacks

Showing posts with label Baked Snacks. Show all posts

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Ooty Varkey

Today we are travelling to Ooty, a hill station in Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu for a baked delicacy called varkey. It is a rustic shaped, flaky, baked biscuit which is quite popular in the region. I have been to the place but don't recall even seeing them. My brother in law used to work as the director of 'Pasteur Institute of India' in Coonoor. The institute and their bungalow with an enviable garden used to be right in front of Sim's park. They have lived in the area for about a decade and half and I need to check with them later about these and to see if my sister in law knows the recipe by any chance.

There were not much authentic recipes online for us marathoners to try. Thanks to Gayathri, who came up with this perfect recipe after a couple of trials, I got to try and enjoy this utterly delicious biscuit from the comforts of my home. The Urdu word 'varq' means layer and the word 'varkey' probably is an allusion to the cookie's texture. This crispy, rich tasting biscuit is said to be originated in Nilgiris during the British era and the local makers of varkey are trying for a geographic location tag. According to the GI application submitted by the 'Ooty Varkey Producer's Association', these biscuits were invented in Ootacamund aka Ooty when it used to be the Summer capital of Madras presidency. Confectioners in the area employed several local and migrant laborers from Kerala to churn out large number of baked snacks to suit the tastes of British officials stationed there.

According to a 'Times Of India article', The Ooty varkey is said to be a local adaptation of the French puff pastry, which incorporates fat into the dough in stages. Varkey makers use homemade leavening agent called maavai which is basically the starter from the previous day's batch. This maavai is made from all purpose flour, semolina, sugar and banana. It is added to a bigger batch of flour, sugar and salt which forms the final dough for the fresh batch. They also set it for overnight fermenting according to Gayathri. Others in the plains use yeast in varkey production. No animal fat is used in the production of varkey.

The local varkey producers believe that the varkey turn out better only when the dough is kneaded by hand and baked in brick ovens with wood fire. Cooking these can take about 12 hours since the local weather is cold. They think that 25 deg C is the right temperature to make varkey and so the local summer weather suits best for the purpose. It seems to be also the reason why varkey's sales are more in summer than the cooler months in this hill station area.

The shapes of varky can vary. One can pinch portions out of strips into balls and bake. Or shape them into neat squares or rectangles which look like puff pastry when baked. The original version however is the one which looks like the bakers were in a hurry to even shape them. It is a rustic version where the strips are roughly shaped into a round lump and randomly pressed on top once with finger tips. They can also be fried instead of baking if one opts to do so but they are traditionally baked since the dish originated in the bakeries. They can be enjoyed along with tea or coffee. Or they are soaked in hot milk for about 10 minutes and eaten as a cereal.

Our local temperature was around 16 degree C when I prepared the dough last week and it went up to around 21 degree C by mid afternoon. I left out the dough at room temperature for about 8 hours but there was no way for my dough to rise as there was no leavening agent. Also the rectangle I made out of dough was no where perfect and the varkey shape may not have turned out as the authentic ones. However the cookies still turned out super good texture and tastewise. They were utterly crispy, somewhat crumbly and I could feel the buttery richness though butter is not part of the recipe. They have a very faint sweetness which made even my husband to enjoy them. I made a small batch thinking that there would be only me eating these but I regretted it after putting one in my mouth. I did not brown them much since they were done even before I removed them from the oven.

(I halved the original recipe and had to use less than 3 tbsp. oil.)
Ingredients for the cookie dough: (Yield 12)
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp. all purpose flour
2 tbsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 tbsp. oil
Water as needed (I needed about 2 or 2.5 tbsp. water)
Ingredients for the paste:
All purpose flour as needed
Oil as needed (I used about 2 tbsp in total.)

Directions:
* Add all the ingredients to a mixing bowl.

* Combine them to a crumbly mix.

* Add water only as much needed to form a soft, pliable dough. Let it sit for a couple of hours. Or the dough can be let to sit at room temperature overnight. (I left it at room temperature for about eight hours.)

* Generously oil the work surface that is going to be used. This is important when you need to lift the dough to fold. If not greased well, the dough is going to stick to the work surface. I used a 1 by 1 foot granite slab to work.

* Place the dough ball at the center and roll it into a thin rectangle, which should be transparent enough to see through.

* Pour 1 to 1.5 tbsp of flour and 1.5 tbsp. oil over the rolled out rectangle and make a spreadable paste.

* Add extra flour and oil if the paste is not sufficient enough to spread. Spread the paste evenly all over the rectangle.

* Starting from one of the longest side, lift 1/3 of the rolled portion and fold.

* Similarly fold one more time from the opposite direction.

* Again pour oil and flour over it and make a spreadable paste.

* Again spread and cover the entire surface with the paste.

* Lift from one of the short sides and fold up to the center point. Then do the same from the opposite side. Cover and let it sit for 10 minutes.

* Preheat the oven to 355 degree F / 180 degree C.
* Roll the rectangle thinly and cut into 5 vertical strips.

* Pinch 2 portions from each strip (or more if the rectangle is big), roughly make into a round shape pinching at the top.

* Shape the rounds from all the strips.

* Arrange the rounds on a baking tray. Bake them until they turn brown, about 40 - 45 minutes. (Mine took less time.)

So far my recipes in the series of 'Indian Snacks and Sweets' are below.

First week - Indian Traditional Sweets
Malaadu / Hurigadale Unde
Dry Gulab Jamun
Coconut Burfi / Kobbari Mithai
Almond Halwa / Badam Halwa
Elaneer Payasam
Godhuma Sojjappalu

Second week - Snacks from Gujarat, India
Damni Dhokla
Doodhi Muthia / Lauki Muthia
Dal Pandoli

Sev Khamani

Methi Khakhra
Pressure Cooker Khandvi

Third Week - Snacks
Bafauri
Soy Beans Guggillu / Sundal

Jhal Muri

Roasted Phool Makhana
Kalmi Vada Chaat
Spicy Corn Chaat

Fourth Week - Regional Snacks
Aakukoora Pappu Chekkalu
Millet Handvo (Baked Version)
Ratlami Sev

Jowar Kothimbir Vadi
Kalmi Vada

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#104.
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Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Baked Millet Handvo

Handvo, the second dish of the week comes from Gujarat. It is a traditional, savory snack that is made from a fermented rice and lentil batter. It is healthy, nutritional and quite filling. Traditionally the handvo was baked on coal. It can be prepared using a special handvo pan, baked in an oven or cooked in a wide, deep nonstick pan on stove-top as well. Like Andhra dibba rotte, it can be prepared in both thin and thick versions if using a pan.

The preparation is simple if local stores carry the handvo mixture. All one need to do is add yogurt and water mixture and let it ferment before adding the vegetables and seasonings. If one cannot source handvo mixture, then either the dry ingredients can be ground and soaked or the ingredients can be ground coarsely after soaking the ingredients. I follow the latter method and I have already posted a baked version of rice - lentil handvo recipe. I usually follow the bake method since it is fuss free and needs no supervision. I made a baked handvo this time using mixed millets and lentils to make it more healthier. Serve this delicious handvo along with tea or even as a meal since it is quite filling on it's own.

It is hard to mess a handvo recipe especially if you make idli or dosa batters. After grinding, ferment the batter overnight or about 7 to 8 hours in hot weather. Handvo batter doesn't rise like idli and dosa batters and it gets sour if kept longer than that. The resulting handvo would end up being sour. Eno's fruit salt is added to the batter anyway.

Ingredients:
1 cup mixed millets (See note below.)
1 cup mixed legumes / dals (See note below.)
3/4 cup sour yogurt / dahi
1.5 tsp. salt
2 - 3 tbsp. oil (divided)
1.5 cup grated vegetables (See note below,)
1 tsp. grated ginger
1 tsp. finely chopped green chillies / green chillie paste
1/8 tsp. turmeric powder
1 tsp. Eno fruit salt / 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1 tbsp. white sesame seeds
2 sprigs of curry leaves
2 pinches of asafoetida powder

Note:
1. I used kodo, fox tail and proso millets. Instead, a single variety of millet or rice can be substituted.
2. I used urad dal (split black gram), chana dal (Bengal gram), toor dal (yellow lentils / pigeon peas), yellow and green moong dal (mung beans).
3. Grated bottle gourd is the commonly used vegetable. I used finely chopped methi / fenugreek greens, grated carrot and cabbage.)

Directions:

* Rinse millets and legumes twice and soak them in water for about 3 to 4 hours, taking care that they are well immersed in water. Drain the water completely after the soaking period and grind the mixture adding yogurt and salt to a slightly coarse batter. Add a tbsp. of oil to the batter.

* The batter is on a thicker side and so there is no need to add any extra water to grind.

* Leave the mixture to ferment for about 7 to 8 hours or overnight if the weather is cold.
* When ready to make handvo, grease a round / square baking pan and preheat the oven to 350 deg F. (I used my 8 by 8 inch square pan.)
* Add grated vegetables. ginger, chillie paste, turmeric and mix well with a spoon.

* Heat a tbsp. oil and add mustard and sesame seeds. When the mustard starts to splutter and sesame seeds start to turn golden brown, add curry leaves and asafoetida. Turn off the stove.
* Add Eno's fruit salt to the prepared batter and give a quick stir to mix well.

* Pour the ground batter mixture into the greased pan.

* Pour the mustard and sesame seeds mixture over the top of the batter.

* Bake for about 30 to 40 minutes or until the surface turns light brown or a toothpick inserted at the enter comes out clean. Broil on low for a minute or so, until the surface evenly turns golden brown.

* Turn off the oven and remove the pan. Let it sit for a few minutes.
* Slice the handvo using a plastic knife and serve with any chutney or yogurt.

First week - Sweets
Malaadu / Hurigadale Unde
Dry Gulab Jamun
Coconut Burfi / Kobbari Mithai
Almond Halwa / Badam Halwa
Elaneer Payasam
Godhuma Sojjappalu

Second week - Snacks from Gujarat
Damni Dhokla
Doodhi Muthia / Lauki Muthia
Dal Pandoli

Sev Khamani

Methi Khakhra
Pressure Cooker Khandvi

Third Week - Snacks
Bafauri
Soy Beans Guggillu / Sundal

Jhal Muri

Roasted Phool Makhana
Kalmi Vada Chaat
Spicy Corn Chaat

Fourth Week - Regional Snacks
Aakukoora Pappu Chekkalu

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#104.
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Friday, December 14, 2018

Savory Semolina Loaf

There have been bookmarked recipes over the years that I have tried and loved so much that they have become a permanent part of my repertoire. This savory semolina loaf which is dubbed as upma loaf in my home is one such recipe that I have been making for nearly a decade now. It is my go to bread when I am packing snacks for our road trips. It is like upma served as slices and can be a great 'to go' snack for savory food lovers without all the mess or need of cutlery.

Fine or regular variety semolina can be used here without toasting. Today I used roasted variety which was closer to the one called in India as bansi rava. Other finely chopped vegetables like green beans and capsicum can be added as well. I omitted onions in this particular loaf and accidentally switched the quantities of water and yogurt. The bread with the yogurt quantity mentioned below usually yields me more porous bread.

Ingredients:
1 cup semolina
1 cup yogurt
1/4 cup water (or more)
1 tsp. salt
2 pinches of ground turmeric
2 tbsp. chopped cilantro
1 tsp. baking soda
Sesame seeds (optional)
For seasoning:
2 tbsp. oil
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1/2 tsp. grated ginger
1 finely chopped spicy green chillie
Few curry leaves, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped (optional)
1 grated carrot
A handful of green peas

Directions:
* Preheat the oven to 375 deg F. Grease a mini loaf pan.
* Combine the semolina, yogurt, water, salt, turmeric and cilantro in a mixing bowl and keep it aside.
* Heat oil in a pan and add mustard and cumin seeds. When they start to pop and sizzle add grated ginger, chilies, curry leaves and vegetables. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring frequently. Turn off the stove. Pour this seasoning mixture into the semolina bowl and mix well to combine. Add extra water if the batter appears too thick.
* Finally add in the baking soda and pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle white sesame seeds evenly over the top of the batter.
* Place in the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes.
* Remove from the oven and let cool a bit before slicing.

It goes to Bakeathon event.

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Friday, December 7, 2018

Eggless Zucchini Cranberry Scones

These zucchini based scones are inspired from KAF website and can be a great addition to your tea time / breakfast / brunch table. They are quite easy to make and quick to put together like any other scone recipe and a good one to try when one needs to put that zucchini in surplus to use. Zucchini adds moisture to the otherwise dry dough and the cranberries add a pop of color along with that welcoming sweet - tart flavor. The recipe yields tender and flavorful scones. Double the recipe for big sized scones or make rounds using tablespoon scoop if smaller scones are preferred. The smaller scones may take less baking time and check them around 12 to 15 minutes into baking.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup cold unsalted butter
1/4 to 1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries
1/2 cup grated zucchini
1 tsp. grated lemon zest
1 flax egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 to 4 tbsp. milk (I added 1/4 cup.)

Preparation:
* Combine 1 tbsp. flaxseed meal and 3 tbsp. water in a small bowl and keep aside.
* Peel and grate zucchini.
* (I usually) Freeze the required amount of butter beforehand and then grate it while mixing the ingredients. If not using the frozen butter, cut the cold butter until it's the size of peas.

Directions:
* Preheat the oven to 400 deg F / 200 deg C. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a greased aluminum foil or grease the moulds of a scone pan.
* Whisk together flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in a mixing bowl. Add the butter that is grated or cut into small bits and stir in the dried cranberries. Next add the zucchini and the lemon zest but don't stir them yet.
* Whisk the flax egg, vanilla and milk in another small bowl. Add it to the dry ingredients and stir until the dough is moistened. The dough will appear quite dry at first but zucchini will start to release water as you keep stirring.
* Stop stirring when the dough starts to hold together. Scoop it onto the prepared baking sheet and gently pat it into a circle of about 1/2 inch thick or scoop into the greased wells of a scone pan.
* Cut the dough into 8 wedges.
* Bake the scones until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean, about 22 to 25 minutes.
* Remove the scones from the oven and serve them warm.

These scones go to Bakeathon event.

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Monday, December 3, 2018

Eggless Carrot - Ginger Muffins

I was on a blogging hiatus again as I wasn't faring well this past month. What I assumed to be a slight reaction to something I ate tuned out be a case of hives and a viral infection that put me in bed for two weeks. Ironically, it took me another additional week or so of medication for the lingering effect of high doses of pain and allergy medications that I had consumed earlier to go away. Hopefully I am back and won't be on anymore blogging breaks until at least summer time. :)😌

I had signed up previously for blogging marathon and Bakeathon events for this month, not knowing how unprepared I was going to be for both the events. These muffins which I came across at KAF site suited my purpose well for today as they involve baking (for bakeathon event) and have a vegetable sneaked in (for 'Kids' Delight' event hosted by Vidyha this month with 'Vegetables sneaked in' theme). These muffins are really good according to my teenager though I wasn't that much sold as I usually do with KAF recipes though I could not pinpoint why. It maybe just because that I am not a fan of cinnamon flavor or partially maybe I deviated from the original recipe owing to the ingredients I didn't have on hand.

I had run out of wheat flour and used all purpose flour which shouldn't be a problem as such but one of the reviewers was mentioning that the all purpose flour one was a dud compared to the wheat flour version. I used about 1/2 tsp. ground ginger as I didn't have crystallized ginger. I added an egg substitute instead of an egg and threw in some sweetened, dried cranberries into the mix. I ended up adding a few tbsp. of extra liquid as my muffin batter appeared dry and also I had to bake a few extra minutes than the time mentioned originally.

Ingredients: (Yield 9 medium sized muffins)
3/4 cup + 2 tbsp. white wheat flour
1/4 cup oat flour
1/4 cup golden flax meal
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
2 - 3 tbsp. sweetened crystallized ginger
2 tbsp. chopped walnuts
1 egg substitute
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup grated carrot
2 tbsp. raisins / sweetened cranberries (optional)

Directions:
* Combine all the dry ingredients including ginger in a mixing bowl. Whisk together egg substitute, buttermilk and oil in another small bowl.
* Stir wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold in the carrot and raisins if using.
* Grease a muffin pan or add liners to muffin cups. Scoop in muffin batter, filling each cup almost full. Let it sit for about 10 minutes.
* Preheat the oven to 400 deg F while the batter is resting.
* Place the muffin pan in the preheated oven and bake until a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Bakeathon

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Thursday, December 24, 2015

Herb Oat Scones

This recipe comes from Chef Mireille, with whom I have been paired for this week's blogging Marathon. Mireille who blogs at 'The Schizo Chef' focuses on global cuisine and since she regularly participates in BM, I already had bookmarked recipes from her blog. I decided to settle with the theme of baked breakfasts for this week from her blog. The first one is going to be these herb oat scones, which turned out to be a hit in my home. I converted the original version into an eggless one and used curry leaves instead of rosemary leaves. To make it more Indianised and spicier, add chillies if preferred. They turned crispier on the outside and little softer in the inside. They make a great breakfast / brunch item or a teatime snack.

Source: Here
Ingredients:
1/4 cup lukewarm milk + 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 cup oats
3/4 cup all purpose flour or a combo of wheat and all purpose flours
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3 - 4 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup butter milk + extra for brushing
1 stalk of finely chopped curry leaves
2 tbsp. chopped cilantro leaves
1 tsp. finely chopped green chillies (optional)

Method:
* Combine milk and apple cider vinegar in a small bowl and leave it aside for five minutes.
* Preheat the oven to 400 deg F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil and spray with nonstick spray.
* Combine oats, all purpose flour, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl.
* Grate the cold butter directly into the flour bowl. Or cut the butter into flours using a pastry blender until it is crumbly.
* Add the herbs, milk - apple cider mixture, chillies if using and buttermilk to the bowl and mix until the mixture comes together.
* Transfer the dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Grease your hands and pat the dough into a disc of about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick. Slice the disc into 6 or 8 wedges. Brush the top with buttermilk.
(Or pat it into 1/2 inch thick disc and cut into rounds using a cookie cutter.)
* Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden.