NANKATAI / NANKHATAI / CARDAMOM FLAVOURED COOKIES

Nankhatais are basically shortbread biscuits flavoured with cardamom originating from the Indian subcontinent and very popular in India and Pakistan.
Nankhatais are very popular in Sindhi homes too. We usually make them during Sataen / Satam festival in the month of Shravan along with many other goodies.

Ingredients:
Maida ............. 1 cup
Icing sugar ..... 1/2 cup (if you like it too sweet add 1 tbsp more)
Desi ghee ....... 1/2 cup
Cardamom powder ... 1/4 tsp
Baking soda ...... 1 pinch
Salt .............. 1 pinch (optional - it actually balances the taste of all the sweet dishes)
Pistachios ..... 1 tbsp (sliced)

Method:

Collect all the ingredients and bring to room temperature.

In a bowl mix together Desi ghee and icing sugar.

Keep whisking until they are well blended.

Now tip in the cardamom powder, salt and baking soda.

Spoon in the maida little by little and keep whisking until all the maida is used up.

Knead the mixture lightly with your hands.

Take a small portion and make a round ball. Flatten it. Put the sliced pistachios on it and press lightly. Make all the nankhatais and place them on a greased baking tray.

Bake them in a pre-heated oven at 200 C for 18 to 20 minutes.

Remove the tray from the oven and allow the nankhatais to cool well. Store them in an air tight container.

MITHYUN TIKKYUN / DEEP FRIED SWEET FLAT BREADS

Mithyun Tikkyun are deep fried sweet flat breads made specially for Sataein / Thadri. You can use only maida or mix wheat flour in any proportion you like. Even the shapes also vary.. some prefer round while some cut into quarters. These days using the cookie cutters you can even make a fany shape. I have made the Traditional shape which is round with the pinched edges.

Ingredients:
Maida .... 1 cup
Wheat flour ... 1 cup
Fine semolina .. 2 tbsps
Sugar ......... 1/2 cup
Water ........ 3/4 cup
Cardamom powder .. 1/4 tsp (optional)
Sesame seeds ........ 1 tbsp
Desi ghee ............ 2 tbsps
Oil ............... for frying.

Method:

Add the sugar with luke warm water and mix it well until it melts. You can also soak it for few hours and keep mixing it a few times in between.

Now take the maida, wheat flour and semolina. Add the sesame seeds and cardamom powder.

Mix together and make a well. Add melted ghee.

 Mix until it resembles crumbs. It should form a lump when pressed in your palm which means the ghee is sufficient.

Now add the sugar syrup little by little and make a stiff dough. Use only as much is required.

Roll out a portion of it into a thick roti. You can make it round or pinch the edges as shown in the picture,

Heat oil. Lower the flame and deep fry the tikkyun until crisp and golden brown in colour flipping them carefully a couple of times to fry evenly.

Remove them in a plate and let them cool down before boxing them.

KANBHO / KHATTO BHATH

Kanbho or khatto Bhath is the Sindhi version of curd rice. It is a traditional dish prepared usually on Shitala Satam (Satain / Thadri) when we eat the cold food prepared the previous day. This is just seasoned with crushed mustard which helps in fermenting the dish and gives the tangy flavour. I prepare it the way I have seen my grandma doing it, ie add lukewarm milk to the cooked rice with a spoonful of curd and crushed mustard seeds and mix everything together. Some people also add Sundh (Sonth / Dry ginger powder)
 This was done at night before sleeping and by morning you have the khatto bhath ready.
Alternately you can also make it by mixing the curd and the cooked rice together and then season with crushed mustard seeds like we usually prepare the curd rice. But remember that we have to leave this for few hours at least to enhance the mustard flavours.

Ingredients:
Cooked rice .... 1 cup or as needed.
Milk ................ 2 cups (boiled and cooled)
Curd ............. 1 tbsp
Salt .............. to taste
Mustard seeds .... 1 tsp (crushed coarsely)
Sonth / dry ginger powder ... 1/4 tsp (optional)

Method:
1. Take the rice in an earthenware or glass bowl.
2. Add lukewarm milk.
3. Stir in the crushed mustard seeds and mix well.
4. Cover it with a lid and place a cloth napkin over it.
5. Leave it overnight to set.
6. In the morning stir the kanbho and check the consistency. Add a little water and salt if required.
(Remember the rice is already cooked with salt)

DUDHA JA VARA / DAHI VADAS

Perfect dish for summer ! ..

Ingredients:
Urad dal .... 1 cup (soak for few hours )
Yogurt ...... 2 cups or more if needed
Raisins ..... handful
Baking powder ... 1/8 tsp
Salt ......... to taste
Sugar .... little to add in the yogurt.
Oil ..... to fry
Roasted and ground cumin powder and red chilli powder (for garnishing)
Sweet Date and tamarind chutney (for garnishing)

Method:
1. Wash and soak the urad dal for a few hours.
2. Grind to a thick batter adding very little water.
3. Mix the raisins, salt and baking powder to the batter just before frying.( the salt leaves water and it will make the batter watery)
4. Heat oil in a kadai / frying pan and fry the vadas.
5. Drop them into water for soaking.
6. Churn the yogurt adding salt to taste and sugar to balance it.
7. Squeeze out the water carefully with light hands and put them into yogurt and let them soak again.
8. When you are ready to serve add some more churned yogurt if needed. Garnish with cumin and chilli powders and sweet chutney.  

BOONDI JO RAITO / DAHI BOONDI / DUDHA MEIN BOONDI / BOONDI RAITA

This is a simple accompaniment with a meal.. love it.

Ingredients:
Boondi ..... 100 gms
Yogurt ..... 200 gms
Roasted and crushed cumin powder ... 1/4 tsp
Crushed black pepper ...... 1/8 tsp
Salt ..... to taste
Sugar ........ 1/2 tsp (optional)

Method:
1. Soak boondi in water for 10 minutes.
2. Churn the curd adding all the things mentioned above.
3. Drain the water from the boondi and stir it into the curd.

GUR JO LOLO / SWEET ROTI WITH JAGGERY

This is another version of Sindhi lolo made with jaggery instead of sugar. Using jaggery is a better
option too. We usually make this as a prashad on Poonai (Guru Poornima ) day to break our fast.

Ingredients:
Wheat flour ... 5 cups
Jaggery    .  250 gms  (about 1 and 1/2 cups after crushing)
Ghee / oil ... as needed (you can use half and half too mixed together if you think only ghee will be heavy )

Method:
1. Crush the jaggery. Cook it adding about 2 cups water on low flame until it melts. Remove the impurities. Strain and set aside to cool.
2. Take the flour in a big bowl and add about 1/4 cup ghee or oil and mix well. When you take a small portion in your hand and press it like a muthiya it should be firm and not crumble. This is the test that the ghee (moin ) is sufficient.
3. Now add the melted jaggery syrup little by little and make a stiff dough.
4. Divide the dough into 5 or 6 portions. Roll each portion into a thick roti.
5. Shallow fry it on a griddle spooning a little ghee or oil on low flame until it is crisp and done.

See the procedure of making lolo in the video

AESEE SAI BHAJI / NIJJI PALAK

This is another palak preparation in Sindhi Cuisine. Some call it Nijji Palak. Unlike sai bhaji in this we do noy add any dal or vegetables. It is made plain with little onion and garlic tadka.

Ingredients:
Spinach / palak ... 1 bunch
Onion ... 1 small (chopped finely)
Green chillies .. 2-3
Ginger ... 1 tsp (grated)
Garlic... 1 tbsp ( chopped or crushed coarsely for tadka / tempering )
Turmeric powder ... 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder ... 1/2 tsp
Salt ........ to taste
Cumin seeds ... 1 tsp
Oil or desi ghee .. 2-3 tbsps

Method:
1. Clean the palak leaves well and cut them
2. In a pan heat oil or ghee and tip in the cumin seeds.
3. When they crackle, add the ginger and green chillies.
4. Now add the onion and saute for a minute.
5. Add the spinach and coriander, turmeric powders. Add salt carefully as this sabzi reduces a lot in quantity.
6. Simmer it to cook. No need to add any water as the spinach leaves water and it will be enough to cook.
7. Once the sabzi is cooked and the water is dried up heat a little ghee in a small pan and saute the crushed garlic and make it golden brown.
8. Mix it to the prepared sabzi and mash a little with the spoon to mix well.
This is usually made in Satai / Satam with mitho lolo. It also goes well with jowar or bajre ki roti.

BREAD JA PAKORA (Bread Pakoras)

Ingredients:
Gram flour ........ 1 cup
Baking soda ....... a pinch
Salt to taste
Oil to fry
Bread slices ........ cut into cubes
Tomato ketchup
Mint chutney (see chutneys )

Method:
1. Make a smooth batter with gram flour, salt and baking soda, adding water.

2. Cut the bread slices into cubes.

3. Spread the chutney on one piece, place the second one on top of it and spread tomato ketchup.Place the third piece on top.

4. Now dip the entire thing in the batter and deep fry.
5. Cut into two pieces lengthwise.
Serve hot .

SATPURA (Sindhi Sweet)

This is a Traditional Sindhi sweet and is prepared in the month of Shravan for the Satai / Satam ( Saptami ) Festival. The process is a bit tedious and tricky how to roll and fry these with perfection controlling the heat without making them brown. They have to be white and crunchy. I have learnt this from my grand mother. Those days everything was prepared at home in large quantities to be shared with friends and neighbours. She used to make me sit next to her to observe how she made them. It will always be my favourite because I have memories of my grandmother attached with this dish. 

Ingredients:
White flour .......... 2-3 cups
Oil ........................ for frying
Sugar .................. (for sprinkling)

For Garnishing:
Cardamom powder
Pistachio powder

Method:

1. Knead the flour with water. (nothing else to be added)

2. In a bowl mix 2 tbsp. oil and 2 tbsp. white flour.

3. Roll a small portion of dough, without using flour to roll. You may use oil to roll if needed.

4. Cut into strips. Now stretch each strip and apply the flour-oil paste and join all the strips to make a round roll.


5. Roll this lightly, again using oil if needed.

6. In a frying pan, heat the oil and fry this. Using the tongs, open it up lightly. It has to be fried on a very low flame, taking care not to make it brown. It should be crisp.

7. Drain the oil from the satpuras and let them cool.

8. Sprinkle sugar, cardamom powder and pistachio powder on top.
(Do not sprinkle sugar while hot)

BEEHA / BEA JA PAKORA ( Lotus Stem Fritters )

Beeha / bea  ( lotus stem / kamal kakdi ) is one of the delicacy in the Sindhi Cuisine. We have a variety of preparations with this vegetable like daag wari bhaji, seyala bhaji, palak mei beeha, beeha ji tikki, chutney wara beeha etc etc... When in season we add it to almost all the curries and meats.Cleaning this is the toughest part because it is covered with mud and kept fresh by sprinkling water over it. We have to wash it very well before using. Scrape the outer skin and cut into slanting slices. This way it will not be very hairy when you bite it. Today's recipe is pakoras / fritters made with the boiled lotus stem slices.

Ingredients:
Lotus stem slices .. 10 - 12  or as needed
Amchoor powder .. 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder .. 1/4 tsp
Cumin powder ..... 1/4 tsp
Chaat masala or garam masala .. 1/2 tsp
 Besan / gram flour ... 1 & 1/2 cups ( or as needed )
Baking soda ... a pinch 
Salt ...... to taste
Oil ...... to fry

Method:
1. Boil the lotus stem slices in a pressure cooker adding a little salt. Drain and set aside.
2. Mix all the dry spice powders and sprinkle on the slices.
3. Make a smooth and thick batter with besan, salt and baking soda.
4. Dip the slices in the batter and fry them until half done.
5. When you are ready to serve, press each pakora to make it little flat and fry again until crisp. ( double frying makes them nice and crisp )
Serve with any chutney or sauce.

Note: You can also stir-fry them with mint chutney instead of the dry masalas and make pakoras in the same way.

SANNA PAKORA (Sindhi Pakoras)

Sindhi Sana Pakoras are a bit different than the normal ones. Here we double-fry them. First the thick batter is fried into big chunks. These are broken into smaller pieces and fried again until crisp and crunchy.

Ingredients:
Besan / Gram flour .... 2 cups
Onion ................. 1 (finely chopped -  about half cup)
Green chillies .... 2-3 (finely chopped)
Coriander leaves .. handful
Mint leaves ........ few
Whole coriander seeds .. 1 tbsp
Anardana .......... 1 tsp (crushed) - optional
Baking soda ..............  2 pinches
Red chilli powder ..... 1/4 tsp
Salt ............................ to taste
Oil ............ to fry

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients except oil to make a thick batter.

2. Heat oil in a kadai and drop big chunks of this batter. Fry on medium flame to half done.

 3. Remove and set aside.

4. Just before serving, cut these into smaller pieces.

5. Heat oil and fry until crisp.

6. Remove them on a kitchen tissue.
Serve hot with mint chutney or any sauce of your choice.