Healthy snacks form an integral part of nutrition loaded foods but many of us tend to munch on those items that are either deep-fried or loaded with calories.
While bajjis, pakoras top the list of Indian snacks, we also often choose biscuits or chocolate wafers to fulfill those midday hunger pangs. And if you are bored with biscuits and thought they are ‘westernized’ foods, let us introduce you to our super healthy ‘desi cookies.’
These Indian version cookies are not only easy to make but also serve as a snack item for school going children or at the teatime.
Here Are The Recipes:
Nankhatai
Ingredients:
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp besan
½ tbsp semolina
2 tbsp ghee
2 tbsp powdered jaggery
A pinch of salt
3 tsp cardamom powder
Crushed pistachios, for garnish
Method:
Take a large-sized bowl and thoroughly mix the ghee and jaggery using a spoon.
Transfer the besan, maida, semolina, cardamom and salt to this bowl and keep kneading with some ghee, to form a dough.
Now, take equal fistful portions of this dough, roll and flatten them to form circles.
Sprinkle some crushed pistachios on each portion and place them on an idli plate.
Add some salt at the base of the pressure cooker, align the idli maker in the centre, remove the gasket and cook on a medium flame for 10 minutes.
Switch off the flame, take out the nankhatai and allow them to cool.
The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to one week.
Nutrition:
Ghee provides fats for vital metabolic functions, as well as vitamins A and E for healthy vision and skin. Semolina and jaggery contain ample carbs, supplying calories for instant energy. They are also rich in iron, which helps ensure proper blood supply. Pistachios abound in proteins provide muscle strength. Along with cardamom, they are a powerhouse of dietary fibres that promotes digestion and vitamin C for enhanced immunity.
Jeera Biscuit
Ingredients:
1 cup wheat flour
¼ cup of sugar
2 tsp jeera
¼ cup butter
¼ tsp baking powder
3 tbsp milk
Salt, to taste
Method:
Mix the wheat flour, baking powder and salt in a big bowl.
To this, add the butter and sugar and combine thoroughly.
Now, add jeera, milk and knead at regular intervals, to form a dough.
Wrap the dough and refrigerate it for 15 minutes.
Flatten the dough and cut it into small, even squares.
Preheat oven at 180 degrees celcius for 10 minutes and bake the squares until edges begin to turn brown.
Take out the jeera biscuits, allow them to cool and store in a sealed box.
Nutrition:
Jeera is an excellent source of B vitamins for augmented metabolism and nervous system function. Wheat flour is packed with dietary fibers, with no cholesterol and thus helps promote digestive and heart health. Butter is abundant in beneficial fatty acids that are absorbed easily and provide energy for vital activities like maintaining electrolyte (salt) balance. Milk has copious amounts of calcium, that fortifies bones.
