ROSE COOKIES

ROSE COOKIES
Ingredients

½ kg refined flour or maida
250 grams rice flour (optional)
1 cup coconut milk
200 grams sugar
6 eggs beaten well
½ teaspoon salt
1 litre oil for frying
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 teaspoon baking powder

Mix all the ingredients together to form a smooth slightly thick batter.
Heat oil in a deep pan till it reaches boiling point. Now place the rose cookie mould into the oil to get hot. When the mould is hot enough dip it half way only into the batter and put it back immediately into the boiling oil. Shake the mould to separate the cookie from it. Heat the mould again and repeat the process. Fry rose cookies till brown. Continue in this way till the batter is finished.

Note: The batter will stick to the rose cookie mould with a hissing sound only if it is sufficiently hot otherwise it will just slide off the mould

CHEESE TWISTS

200 grams plain flour / maida
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white pepper powder
2 tablespoons butter
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
½ cup milk
Oil for frying

Sift flour, salt, baking powder, and pepper into a medium size mixing bowl. Cut in butter or margarine and cheese with a pastry cutter until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle cold water over mixture; mix lightly with a fork until mixture holds together and leaves side of bowl.
Roll out on to a floured board about 12x4 inches. Cut crosswise into strips about ½ inch wide. Lift the strips carefully and twist each one gently. Heat sufficient oil in a pan and deep fry the strips till golden Or place twists 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 425° for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Carefully transfer cheese twists to wire racks to cool

My New Cookery Book... THE ANGLO-INDIAN SNACK BOX

THE ANGLO-INDIAN SNACK BOX
THE ANGLO-INDIAN SNACK BOX is a collection of simple and easy to follow recipes of tasty snacks, short eats, nibbles and finger food. The repertoire covers a variety of vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian snacks which includes savouries, sandwiches,wraps, rolls, pastries, sweets etc and can easily be prepared from ingredients commonly available at home.

CHICKEN FRITTERS

Ingredients
½ kg boneless chicken cut into small pieces
3 tablespoons chillie garlic sauce
3 tablespoons corn flour
3 tablespoons plain flour (maida)
salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

Make a batter with the corn flour, plain flour / maida and salt with sufficient water. The batter should be slightly thick. Mix the chicken pieces with the sauce and mix into the batter. Heat oil in a pan and drop in spoonfuls of the mixture a little at a time and deep fry till golden brown. Use kitchen absorbent paper to remove excess oil. Serve hot with tomato sauce.

TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS CAKE

500 grams refined flour or maida


300 grams soft brown sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons spice powder

500 grams mixed dried fruits (equal quantities of currants, raisins and sultanas) chopped well and soaked in rum before hand

100 grams chopped orange / lemon peel

500 grams butter

3 eggs beaten well

4 tablespoons milk

½ teaspoon baking powder

Sift the flour, salt, baking powder and spice powder in a bowl. Add the fruit, orange / lemon peel and brown sugar and mix well. Add the butter and mix with a fork. Add the beaten eggs and milk and mix well to give a stiff consistency. Pour the mixture into a greased and papered cake tin and smoothen the top. Bake in a moderately hot oven for about 1 hour or till the cake is cooked and the top turns brown. Turn out and cool

To prepare the Almond Icing, soak the 300 grams almonds in water overnight then grind to a thick paste. Add 500 grams Icing sugar, 1 egg yolk, 1 teaspoon almond essence and 2 tablespoons lime juice and cook with a little water in a heavy bottom pan till it solidifies. Remove from heat and cool. Knead it into a stiff ball.

To prepare the Royal Icing sift 200 grams icing sugar into a bowl. Beat two egg whites then fold them into the sugar. Add 3 tablespoons of lemon juice and ½ teaspoon vanilla essence. Mix to a stiff consistency.

Brush the cake with a layer of Jam or Egg white to help the icing stick to the cake. Add a thin layer of the Almond icing over the cake, pressing it gently to cover the whole cake. Using a flat spatula dipped in water spread the Royal icing over the layer of Almond icing. Decorate the cake as desired

EGGLESS TEA CAKE

Serves 6 Preparation time 1 hour
Ingredients

200 grams flour / maida
200 grams butter
1 tin condensed milk
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon soda bicarbonate / baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Sieve flour, baking powder and soda bicarbonate together and keep aside. Mix butter and condensed milk together. Add vanilla essence. Slowly add the flour. Beat lightly till well mixed. Pour into a greased baking tin and bake in a moderate oven for about 25 minutes.