Tag: Snacks

Banana Bread.

This recipe was given to me by a friend in Washington DC, and since then I have made it many many times and it is a popular snack in my house . I have tried other Banana bread recipes too, but I find this one is the best. The sweetness is just right not too sweet and the taste is amazing. Walnuts add to the bread’s taste giving it a bite, and nutty taste. You can add other nuts if you so desire but walnuts go best in this bread.

There are always some bananas in the kitchen that become too ripe and nobody wants to eat them, just make the Banana bread with those. This is the best way to use those over ripe bananas. There are a few more things we can make to use up those ripe bananas of course, like Banana muffins, or Banana Pancakes, or even Kolar boda( Banana pakoras).

Just give this recipe a try, all the ingredients are probably in your kitchen.

INGREDIENTS

  • Large ripe bananas 3
  • Sugar 1 cup ( 240 g) castor sugar or just grind the regular sugar.
  • Egg 1
  • All purpose flour ( maida) 1&1/2 cups ( 180 g)
  • Melted butter 1/4 cup ( 120g)
  • Baking soda 1 teaspoon
  • Salt 1 teaspoon (or less if you are using salted butter.)
  • Chopped Walnuts 1/2 cup or a few more

METHOD

  • Grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan well with butter or oil.
  • Switch on the oven to 170 C ( 350 F) and let it heat while you mix the ingredients.
  • Mash the bananas with a fork in a plate and keep aside
  • In a mixing bowl add the dry ingredients, flour, baking soda, salt , and sugar, and stir well.
  • Add the melted butter, (I pop it in the microwave for about 10 seconds to melt it.)
  • Add the egg and the mashed bananas and mix well with a fork.
  • Add 1/2 teaspoon of flour to the walnuts mix it, and then add them to the cake mixture.
  • Pour the cake mixture into the greased loaf pan which is 9 x 5 inches.
  • Put it into a preheated oven and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, at 160 to 170 degrees C. or 350 F. Since all ovens are not exactly the same, you have to be careful that the cake does not burn. So I always keep the oven temperature on the lower side and bake on the middle shelf. If your the bread is browning too fast but still raw inside after 30 minutes, lower the heat to 150 C.
  • To check whether the cake is done insert a tooth pick into the center of the cake. If it comes out dry then your banana bread is ready.
  • Take it out of the oven and let it cool in the pan before taking it out and cutting it.
  • Enjoy with a cup of coffee, tea or cocoa. It is also great as a dessert with a dollop of Vanilla ice cream. This is a great snack to send to school too.
  • You can store the left over in an airtight box in your fridge for 3 to 4 days.

Rita's Recipes3 Comments

Authentic Nimki: Step-by-Step Guide to Perfectly Fried Crunchy Delight

Nimki, is a very popular snack that can be made easily with very few ingredients, Flour, Oil, Salt and Water. We make a dough , roll it out and deep fry it. Nimki is very crispy, crunchy and delicious and goes very well with a hot cup of Chai. Try it out it is very easy.

NIMKI

HOW TO MAKE NIMKI : Photos

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First we mix some salt with the flour, then add the nigella seeds / kalo jeera/ kalongi, and the ajwain/ joan/ carom seeds.

Then add the oil and the ghee and mix it really well till it looks like bread crumbs.

Now make a tight dough with some water, and knead for a minute or two, then cover the dough and keep for at least 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into small balls, about the size of a walnut.

Take a ball and roll it out into a thin round shape. Well almost round.

Cut into half, that gives you 2 semi circular pieces. Fold one half over to join the ends on the straight edge like in the pictur. do this to both the haves and keep aside on a dish.

once you have rolled out and readied 5 or 6 pieces you can start frying them. you can also roll them out as you are frying the Nimkis, but that would need a bit of practice.

Now that it is ready to be fried, heat oil in a wok or kadai drop the rolled out nimkis 2 or 3 at a time and and deep fry it on low heat till they are a little brown.

Roll out the remaining dough balls and fry .

Store in an airtight container only when the fried Nimkis cool down.

Recipe

Ingredients

  • Maida ( all purpose flour)                          2 cups
  • Noon (Salt  )  (namak)                           1 tsp approximately
  • Kalo jire ( Nigella seeds )  (kalonji)             1/2 teaspoon
  • Joaan (carom seeds )  (ajwain)               1/2 teaspoon
  • Ghee (Clarified butter)         2 Tablespoon .
  • Tel (Oil  )                              1 ½ to 2 Tablespoons
  • Oil for deep frying. Any vegetable refined oil. 1 cup
  • Jol (water) (paani) 1/2 cup approximately.

Ghee gives the nimkis an excellent flavour. (Crisco is a shortening you get in the US you can use that instead of ghee.)

method

  • Put the Maida (flour) in a mixing bowl or a big plate
  • Add the Noon (salt), Ajwain ( carom seeds), and the Kalo jire (Nigella seeds) (Kalonji) and mix it well with your fingers.
  • Add the Ghee and mix it into the flour till it resembles bread crumbs, or if you such that you can make a ball if you squeeze some flour together.
  • Now add just enough water to make a tight dough, you might need the 1/2 cup of water or maybe more or perhaps a little less depending on the weather. Cover the dough with a cloth and keep aside for aat least 10 minute.
  • After the dough has rested for 10 minutes, knead it for a few minutes, divide the dough into small balls the size of a Walnut. Keep the dough covered if the weather. is dry where you live.
  • Place 1 little dough ball on a rolling board and roll it out thinly into a round shape. It doesn’t really matter if it isn’t perfectly round. Take a knife and run cut the rolled dough through the middle, making it 2 semi circles.
  • Fold over 1 end of the cut side to join the other end making a triangle. Do the same to the other semicircle too.
  • Put a wok or a deep frying pan on the heater/gas stove and heat the oil in it. The oil should be very hot, drop a small piece of dough into the hot oil, and if it immediately comes to the surface of the oil then the oil is ready. Add the Nimki triangles and reduce the heat to low. Fry the Nimki on LOW heat till they are golden brown. Remove them with a slotted spoon and keep them on a dish lined with paper.
  • This way roll out and fry till all the dough is used.

The savory crunchy Nimki tastes best fresh, and goes very well with a fresh cup of Darjeeling tea or Masala chai.

These Nimkis can be stored for at least 4 days in and airtight container. The Nimkis have to be cold to store it. If you store warm Nimkis they become soggy.

  1. TIPS: Ghee give a nice crispy texture, using oil will not do that. You can use some type of Vegetable shortening too if you do not have Ghee.
  2. Fry the Nimkis on low heat otherwise they will not be crispy.
  3. Store them only when they cool down to room temperature.

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