Thursday, November 05, 2009

Jeera Biscuit -- Whole Wheat Eggless Cumin Cookies




After the thekua episode I was on a high. This was easy I thought. I didn't have to fish out menacing contraptions to whisk, mix etc. as in regular baking. I didn't have to follow measures diligently, I could still throw things around. I didn't even have to roll out perfect rounds like chapati !!! Why not make something more I thought.

Jeera Biscuits, savory cookies spiced with cumin, has always been a favorite. So that was it largely based on this recipe. Mine had no eggs and were made of whole wheat. They were delicious, lovely accompaniment to the evening tea. The recipe lets you experiment a lot, next time I am going to add some other spices and see the result





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Whole Wheat Eggless Jeera Biscuits


In a bowl mix with the tip of your your fingers 1 cup whole wheat flour(atta), 1/4 cup oil, 1/2 tbsp Ghee/melted Butter, a pinch of baking powder, 1 tsp & little more of salt, 1 tsp of cumin seeds, 1/4--1/2 tsp of sugar and some ground pepper powder. The result should be like a crumble. Note: Adjust salt to your taste. Now I think ajwain/carrom seeds would have tasted great in this.You can add other spices too.

Mix 2 tsp of yogurt in 1/4 cup of water and add it gradually to the above, mixing with your hands to make a dough. Knead gently with your hands to make a stiff dough that does not stick. If you need more/less water adjust accordingly

Wrap the dough in a wet kitchen towel and let it sit for 15-20 minutes

Roll it out thick with a rolling pin and cut out shapes with a cookie cutter or just cut out rounds with a bottle lid. Prick them with a fork.

Place on a greased baking tray

Pre-heat oven to 375 F

Bake for about 30 minutes till they are light brown in color. In my toaster oven, these took about 30 minutes after which I flipped and baked for 10 more mins to make them cripser. Note: These are my toaster oven settings, time may vary and should ideally be done in 25-30 mins in regular oven. Check to see if they are nicely browned and that should be it.

Drawback: They weren't as crisp the next day but they still tasted great.



Now Reading:

Here is some more update on the Food Memoirs I have been reading for the last few months.

Comfort me with Apples -- Ruth Reichl. This is a sequel to Tender on the Bone. Wish I had a life like her, almost, would have had so much to write about. Sometimes when I read her I am not sure if it is pure fiction, everything in her life is so vastly different from a life I am used to. Still reading...

Miriam's Kitchen -- Elizabeth Ehlrich. After this drop me in a Jewish kitchen and I will dance away in there smoothly. I know all about kosher, paerve, "kosher style" and how difficult it is to maintain a Kosher kitchen. The author's journey from "ambivalent Jew to a woman who observes tradition and teaches her children about their ethnic heritage" is definitely interesting. I know very little about the Jewish life and this book opened up a window to a culture and traditions that were very interesting. Almost done.

Kitchen Confidential -- Anthony Bourdain. Though I am smitten by this guy, the book hasn't touched a chord yet. But then I am not even half way through this book.
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38 comments:

  1. nice easy recipe. yes I think the ajwain will go really well! amar oven ekhono thik hoyni, can't wait to make this.

    love the pictures.

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  2. Cumin biscuit are my fav, u made it healthy too. I will bake soon this one!
    Only thing why those cookies are baked so long? because of atta?

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  3. they look really yummy. There are so many of the baked cookies I want to try. Thanks for the cooking memoir post. I read the Tender on the bone and enjoyed it immensely. The Language of baklava was a great as well.

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  4. ahh...my fave!! reminding me of home...with ginger tea :)

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  5. looks good and I agree ajwain would be a great addition as well. Pics are lovely.

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  6. Cham

    I think something with my toaster oven too. I am not sure.

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  7. love your writing style .. just wondering if these can be made with regular flour instead of atta ?

    sarah

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  8. Sarah

    All purpose flour would be better. I have use whole wheat flour as a healthier option

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  9. Sandeepa,you are a genious! Made them and they are yum,and so easy to bake too.Always wondered how they are made.Goes so well with Cha,na?

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  10. Ki moja na cookies banano ... ami toh cake banano chereyi diyechi. :-) Ami Somar Onion cookies ta khub banayi ... ota ekbar kore dekho ... you will get addicted to it. :-)
    Egulo ki ektu mota rekhecho bole flip korecho ... ami kokhono flip korini tai joggesh korchi.

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  11. Delo

    That was quick. Thanks for trying

    Sharmila

    I am not sure why. After 30 mins one side was browned but it wasn't crisp to my liking so I flipped.
    I wanted it thick like a mathri, you say thinner would have made them quicker ?

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  12. ami anekdin theke bhabchi cookies banabo even Sharmila'r banana cookies tao bookmark kore rekhechi kintu samay hoye uthche na. tomader baking dekhe amio ebar inspired hoe banieyei felbo.
    pics ta awesome hoeche Sandeepa. ami to jeera biscut er gandho pachchi ekhan theke :-)

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  13. I love the earthy flavor of cumin .. I love these biscuits

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  14. Nice recipe. Sooji might add some crispness . Yogurt and buttermilk tends to give slightly soft texture.

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  15. Khub easy recipe - banatey hobey . Tor thekuar recipe was marvellous . Had super thekua from 3 different kitchens this year - each tasted different somehow !

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  16. I baked something similar from Sunita's blog, but with all purpose flour.

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  17. My only attempt at biscuits was a disaster. I just tried one recipe and it flopped - well, it flopped for someone else who tried it too, so I guess there was something wrong with the recipe. There's something v satisfactory about baking but the preparation, the creaming, the implements etc puts me off. And if you don't do it steadily, the results are hit and miss.

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  18. I used to love those cookie type biscuits you get at the chaier dokan. Your cookies made me remember those biscuits :).

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  19. Jeera biscuits are lovely with evening tea. Simply delectable. I gorge on these in evenings. ANd now as the winters are coming, I need to have a complete stock of them filled in my jars.

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  20. Loved that second picture. Nice and easy recipe of cumin biscuit, need to try it.

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  21. This would be so good right now with a cup of tea!

    trupti
    the spice who loved me

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  22. I admire anyone who can bake. these cookies reminded me of jeera bicuits of Calcutta tea shops. fabulous.

    Pity you didn't like K C. I love Bourdain and the book. Am reading a book called Eat My Globe by Simon Majumdar who has styled himself on Bourdain. A riveting read

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  23. i love zeera, i will definitely try this recipe- smthg to have with a good cup of tea.
    thanks for your comment on my blog- i have yet to write the recipe for Kabuli Palao, I want to do it when my mum is visiting- so i dont make any mistakes. look forward to reading more interesting recipes on your blog. best wishes, shayma

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  24. Sandeepa, this note is long pending. I made Kalakand following your instructions and came out just perfect. Thanks for sharing such easy and delightful recipe.

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  25. I'm going to make these this weekend - looks absolutely delicious and so easy to make! Thanks.

    Thanks for the book recommendations too - am going to find them...

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  26. Yes Sandeepa ... quicker and very crispy too.

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  27. I love cumin cookies, have one on my blog too (http://sunitabhuyan.com/?p=167)- easy to make and tastes great too :-)

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  28. planning to make these today with ajwain n pepper!

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  29. these turned out great! next i am planning to bake some with jeera and also white sesame seeds!

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  30. Glad you liked them. Next time I am going to add ajwain too

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  31. My husband tried this recipe yesterday and they turned out perfect. NIce recipe. They even remained crisp the next day also. We kept them in an air tight container. Thanks for the lovely recipe.

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  32. Anon

    Good to hear you liked them. Your husband sure is a good cook

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  33. the jeera biscuits look yumm...I've been looking for the recipe of an authentic bengali chicken curry...can you help???

    do check my space when time permits

    Cheers,
    Binitha
    yourstastefully.blogspot.com

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  34. Made them... super yummy! Thanks... just added some ajwain and kasuri methi too... and lil more than 1 cup atta...Yumm! Thanks for the recipe.

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  35. Best for tea time thanks for posting

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