Shankarpali

My Hubby and I love sweets very much so for the Christmas Kuswar preparations I decided to make Shankarpali and as it was my first Christmas after marriage I was filled with enthusiasm to make many sweet dishes! It's great fun decorating the house, making sweet dishes and attending the Christmas eve mass......We actually experience the presence and the love of the Lord as we are so much involved in the celebrations......It was a memorable Christmas Celebration! It was for the first time I made Shankarpali and my husband liked it...:)


Makes about 3/4 kg Shankarpali

Tools Required:

• Rolling pin,
• Rolling board,
• knife or a pizza-cutter
• Skillet/Karahi
• slotted spoon for frying,
• Dish for fried Shankarpali.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup oil or Ghee (I used oil.)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup sugar
• a pinch of Salt
• 3 1/2cups all-purpose flour.
• Oil or Ghee for deep-frying (I used oil)

Method:

• Mix the first three ingredients in a pan and heat.
• Turn the gas off, as soon as the mixture comes to a boil.
• Pour it into a shallow dish. Once it is moderately hot wherein you can touch the mix, add the salt.
• Add the flour, a little at a time. Please do not add all the flour now.
• We are going to add only as much as the oil-sugar-milk mixture takes in.
• Go on kneading and adding the flour till you have soft dough which is smooth, pliable and not sticky.
• Keep this dough aside,covered for about 30 min.
• Pour oil/Ghee into the skillet to deep fry the shankarpali and heat it
• Knead the dough lightly. Take a fistful of it and roll it.
• Oil the rolling board lightly and roll the ball on it into a circle.
• Do not dust the rolling board with flour.
• Cut this rolled out dough into small diamonds with a knife or a pizza cutter.
• Deep-fry these pieces.
• Please make sure that the oil is not too hot or else the Shankarpali will be fried dark brown on the outside and uncooked from inside.
• You can fry as many as you want at one point. It depends upon the size of the skillet.
• Take them out of the oil, when they look light brown. They will continue cooking a little even after they are taken out of the oil.
• Continue the procedure for rest of the dough.

Cool the fried Shankarpali completely. Then store them in a dry container with a tight lid.
Enjoy it!

Samosas

Samosas are perhaps one of the most popular Indian appetizers. Be it a party,function or any occasion everyone loves to grab it......My hubby is no exception, he used to order samosas from out whenever he used to feel like eating and that motivated me to try the Samosa recipe at home...

Serves: 2 to 3 people

Ingredients

Dough

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (Maida)
• 1 tsp sooji
• Pinch of salt
• 11/2tbsp oil
  
• 1/8th cup of luke warm water

Stuffing

• 2 larged boiled Potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 cup green peas (frozen)
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp corriander powder
  
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds(coarsely ground)
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 1/2 tsp red chilli
• 1/2 tsp Garam Masala (I used homemade Garam Masala)
• 2 medium sized chillies
• 1 tsp amchoor powder(optional)

Method

Dough

• Mix the flour, sooji, oil and salt together.Add water as needed
• Knead for a minute or two to make the dough smooth
• Set the dough aside for atleast for 20 min and cover it with damp cloth.

Stuffing

• Heat the oil in a frying pan on a medium high heat
• Add cumin seeds as cumin seeds crack, add ginger paste, green chillies, coriander powder and stir.
• Add green peas and stir until tender.
• Add the potatoes and stir-fry for about 3- 4 minutes.
• Add salt to taste
• Add fennel seeds(coarsely ground)
• Stir in garam masala.
• cool the stuffing to room temperature.

Making Samosas

• Knead the dough again. Divide the dough into 4 equal parts and make into balls.
• Roll each ball into 6 to 61/2" diameter circles and cut each circle in half.
• Make the half into a cone by sticking seam together with a little water, stick the sides of this cone so that it is completely sealed.
• Fill the cone with 21/2 tablespoons of filling.
• Press this filling down with your fingers. Now close the top of the cone into a triangle shape, stick the top edge so that it is completely sealed.
• Continue filling the rest of the samosas.

Cooking the Samosas

• Heat about 1-1/2 inch of the oil for deep frying over a medium-low flame. (You may use a wok or Indian karhai ).
• To check if oil is hot enough, place a small piece of dough in oil and the dough should sizzle and come to the surface slowly
• Carefully put in as many samosas as it fits.
• Fry slowly, turn the samosas until they are golden brown and crisp.
• Do not fry the samosas on high heat or else the samosa crust will become too soft and it won't be crispy.

Serve it with green Chutney or Tomato ketchup...:)