LEMON SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Today was my birthday.  Another year went past.  Another year with good and bad moments.  Last year I was celebrating in another country surrounded with friends.  This year, it was just my family.  New country, little known people, but a heart ready to explore the newness of the place.

Birthday's are always special.  But as the years pass by, they loose their charm and other matters in life and yet more, other people in your life take priorities.  But still there's something about the day that makes it very unique.  A certain zing in the air, continuous phone calls and messages from friends world over.  It is enough to celebrate the fact that your are alive and there are people who care and lovey.  The very fact that you are alive and kicking is enough to thank the almighty, and thank I do for all that I am.

I am celebrating this day which is very special, and more so, coz its my husband's birthday too with these eye winking cookies.  "Eye winking" coz you'll certainly wink when you take a bit.

LEMON SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Prep Time - 25 minutes
Cooking time - 20 minutes
Cooling Time - 15 minutes
Makes about 30-36 cookies

Ingredients

1 cup atta / wheatflour
1 cup maida / refined flour
1/2 cup butter at room temperature (salted)
6 tbspn sugar
2 lemon - zest
1 lemon juice

Method

Cream the butter and sugar till light and fluffy
Add the lime zest and lemon juice and mix well
Slowly add in the flour and mix well
Knead into a smooth dough using milk at room temperature
Leave aside for 15 minutes
Take small balls and press into small cookies
Sprinkle with some more sugar on top
Lay them on a baking sheet lined with butter paper
Preheat the oven to 180deg and bake these for about 20 minutes

Allow to cool

Serve these with a wink and you'll love them.  Every time you open the box of cookies you are surrounded with a totally butterly and tangy smell that keeps lingering.  This a keeper of a recipe.

BAND GOBHI KE PAKODE - CABBAGE FRITTERS

In my whole life I have never seen cabbages as big as I have seen in Africa.  I mean really huge ones. Some of them are big enough to make 4 different curries for a family of 4!!!   And my experience of the eating habits of people here has revealed that they really love cabbage. My househelps favourite food is Ugali and Cabbage.  They can eat cabbage three times a day, seven days a week!! Thats how much they love cabbage. I think another reason is that it is available so abundantly and cheaply.  In India we had avoided cabbage because of rumors of cabbage spreading some infections to the brain.  I had to sadly quit the lovely vegetable.  But after coming here, it became a permanent in my grocery shopping and am happy to include it. I feel its quite versatile with a number of dishes that we can cook, and also low cal and full of health benefits.

I am sharing with you here a very simple snack made with cabbage.  It has a very unique taste and texture, and I really love these.

Prep time - 5 minutes
Cooking time - 20 minutes
Serves - 4-6 people

Ingredients

250 grms - finely shredded cabbage
100 grms - gramflour / besan
a pinch - hing / asofetida
1/4 tsp - turmeric / haldi powder
2 - green chillies (finely chopped)
a bunch - corriander leaves (washed and finely chopped)
1/4 tspn - ajwain / carrom seeds
1 tspn - amchur powder
1/4 tspn - saunf / fennel seeds 
salt as per taste

Method

In a big bowl Mix in all the ingredients and add just enough water to make a thick batter of dropping consistency.
Heat oil and drop these one by one not crowding the wok too much.
Let them turn a deep gold brown on a medium flame
Serve with chutney or ketchup or are good on their own.

I love them with chappatis and some daal

COCONUT CHERRY COOKIES

We had just  begun to settle down when its suddenly time to move on.  A sudden transfer for my husband called for us to pack our bags and move to a beach city.  Dar es salaam is  so different from Nairobi.  Nairobi is a beautiful town full of natures bounty, things that I love - huge big trees all around and lovely beautiful flowers in all, I really mean ALL colours and variations you can imagine.  I miss Nairobi real bad, but am trying to settle down.  Looking for whatever is best in this new city.

But I guess thats what life is all about.  When you think you've reached your destination, God wants you to see some more.  I was not ready to move but had to.  Leave friends back and look for new ones.  New purchases, a new house. I look forward to new beginnings.  Even though Dar es salaam is not as developed as Nairobi, with malls and shopping centers are cropping up everywhere.  I still want to experience the same thrill which I felt when in Delhi and new malls meant more choices in shopping about 15 years ago.

As we move on, am sharing this simple but delicious cookie recipe

Ingredients :-

2 cups - maida
1/2 tspn - baking powder
a big pinch - baking soda
a small pinch - salt
3/4 cup - vegetable oil
1 - egg
1 cup - sugar
1 tbspn - vanilla essence or cherry essence 
1/2 cup - dessicated coconut
some glazed cherries - halved (as per requirement)

Recipe :-

Preheat the oven to 180 deg cel
Mix the dry ingredients except the coconut well
Now in a separate bowl take the oil and beat in the egg till light and fluffy
Now add the sugar and beat well
Add the essence and beat well
Mix this liquid into the dry ingredients
With your hands mix everything together. 
If the dough is too dry or not coming together add in some milk (at room temp)
Grease a cookie sheet and make some balls of the dough and flatten them on the dessicated coconut
Top each cookie with a halved cherry
Bake for 10-12 minutes
Dont let it brown

You will get about 30-32 cookies