OVEN COOKED NIMKI

 

I DO NOT GO TO WORK; YET SOMETHING OR THE OTHER KEEPS ME OCCUPIED!

That I think is good; else I eat up T's head, also call the son a hundred times or keep texting! Neither of the two would take me seriously, I get restless! I never discuss all these with the mother, at this age they need not be bothered in every matter, neither over phone you can make people understand your worries! Certain worries are entangled with some pleasure, those are the most difficult feelings to explain to people, even to your own mother or in-laws. I am happy the son is attending an university of choice; also worried to the hell about his wellbeing! The elderly beings have their own physical challenges, we should bother them less! This morning I thought let me finish off some pending jobs, trivial but required! I had to go to the Hougang area to get rid of my grey excess hairs, I was looking unkempt for the past fortnight! I was determined I would not walk to the Hougang Central today! I wished to carry some home cooked food for the staffs there, I am going to Kushi's at Hougang for 12 years now. Each time the Indian staffs leave, I feel sad! Bhavna, Bhumi, Aruna suddenly left; the ongoing month they served me, then the next month I get to hear they left for India or elsewhere! Because I always walk there, I take for them some fruits, store bought cakes they refuse as most of them have eggs! Today, I cooked for them "Porota o Sujir Halwa"; danced for some 40 minutes, shampooed my limp hair, did the afternoon prayer a bit early and took the MRT to Kushi's. The bubbly Punjabi girl Monica wasn't there, I asked her flatmates to take a portion for her! She is the one left from the old batch of Indians, the rest are Tamil-Indian Islanders or Malaysian Indian, also nice!

This attachment thing kills me, is it only the weaklings who have it? Then, I keep watching the crime thrillers; but the Indian ones are not that severe! Yesterday, we were watching Duranga and the night before Akshaykumar's Cuttputlli! Duranga is a series, I think there would be a season-2 of it! I do not like to be left at an excited juncture! We hardly party these days, both of us do not like too much of crowd around us but at intervals we enjoy calling friends!

I CAN ALWAYS DISCUSS FOOD WITH YOU!

If yesterday, I told my readers the fresh Hilsa I got from Rajdhani may not be good, I have to take back the word; we had our lunch with "ilish-begun er kancha jhol & gathi kochi diye ilish mach er mathar torkari"; the later tasted like our mother's and I was happy! She would do taro root with prawns more that would taste lovely. The brother did not have seafood allergy earlier; yet prawns keep coming to our home! Even Bhai gets prawn for his wife and our mother! In T's parental home too, prawn comes for the rest although T's father has an allergy! 

Last night, I cooked some dosa & we had with pickles of choice, my mind was fixed at Duranga, going on at Zee5! I wish to talk more about it in a public post!

Although I made flatbread at home today and wished to have it too; I had to go out of home and had a hearty bowl of Tomyam Ban Mian soup which had meat, eggs, fried ikan Bilis fish, noodle. I love the tomyam flavour!

I am feeling a bit tired at this time, the mother made this hopeless out of me; pampering too much! People are doing many things at a time today; earning, gymming, cooking, partying! I enjoy only the internet and my couch! But we have to hold ourselves together firm, our feet cannot slip off! Untimely deaths hurt me too much! Do not stray or let negativity overpower you, my beautiful youth generation! What is hurting you, tell me!

WHAT IS THIS OVEN COOKED NIMKI?

Bengali Nimki is a fried salty refined flour biscuit snack kind which was always stored in our family! The mother did it in bulk and stored in a Horlicks or Viva or Bournvita or Complan's empty jar! For few years, I have this plan to prepare a healthier version of nimki / Bengali snack in the oven! The idea was to avoid deep frying in excess of oil! Some two years back, I tried it with gluten-free Ragi / Finger Millet Flour but they were not crisp enough! Yesterday, I used a combination of rice, finger millet, pearl millet, Sorghum flours in the dough, and got these oven cooked, crisp snacks; OVEN COOKED NIMKI! It is a vegan, gluten-free, vegetarian snack using oil as less as possible! See, I am having it with a sweet & spicy Bengali Mango Pickle at this time!

INGREDIENTS :

RICE FLOUR : 1 COFFEE MUG

RAGI / NACHNI / FINGER MILLET FLOUR : 1/2 COFFEE MUG

JOWAR / SORGHUM FLOUR : 1/4 COFFEE MUG

BAJRA / PEARL MILLET : 1/4 COFFEE MUG

RED CHILLI FLAKES : 1 TSP

CRUSHED BLACK PEPPER : 1 TSP

NIGELLA SEED / KALOJEEREY : 1 TBSP

SALT : AS REQUIRED

OIL : 2TBSP + 2 TBSP

PROCEDURE :

At first, we would dry roast the rice flour for 3-4 minutes and add 2 coffee mugs of hot water in it!

We would stir a few times and take it down in a bowl! We would add the pearl+shorgum+finger millet flours +the red chilli flakes+the crushed black pepper+the nigella seeds +2 tbsp oil+1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt to it!

We would knead a dough when the rice flour water mixture is still warm!

Do not add too much of water, the dough would get unmanageable! Remember, we are working with gluten-free flours! Also, I forgot to add the nigella seeds in time; it emanates the very Bengali flavour from a fried snacks!

We would cover the dough for some 10-12 minutes; uncover and knead again for 2-3 minutes!

While rolling a portion taken from the dough, we need to dust the uncooked stuff with good amount of rice flour and also the knife!

I was finding it difficult to give them a shape, managed somehow!

We are to grease an oven proof plate generously with oil and place the uncooked cut pieces in a single layer! Placing them in a single layer is a must!

Thereafter, we would brush some oil atop them!

Mine is a convection mode microwave oven; I had placed the low height wired stand inside and the oven proof plate atop it, closed the oven door!

I cooked each batch for 10 minutes at the microwave+ grill combination mode!

Remember, each machine is different, the time required may differ!

Once done, we would keep them onto a tissue paper before keeping in a sterilised, dry container! It would remain crisp for a week, never to refrigerate it!

Have it with a choice of pickle alongside tea or coffee!