Coffee flavored Wheat & Almond Biscotti

It was one fine afternoon last week, I was munching some almonds and reading when it stuck that I had never really baked anything with almonds. Oh how wonderful it would be to get some baked goodies with almonds fresh from the oven. I tried googling for some butterless recipes since I ran out of butter and came across these wonderful and flavorful Coffee and roasted almond biscotti at Deeba's

Vegetable Cous Cous / Cous Cous Kichadi

Cous Cous is a type of semolina obtained from hard wheat. This colourful vegetable cous cous is prepared based on the recipe of rava kichadi. The preparation method is same for both rava and cous cous but you can find the taste distinct between the two varieties. Try this fusion recipe at home and no one says 'NO' to it after tasting it.

Ingredients:



Cous Cous - 2 cups

Onion - 1 small size , finely sliced

Finely chopped carrot, beans and peas - 1 cup, microwave or steam cooked

Green chillies - 3 nos, sliced long wise

Ginger garlic paste - 1 teaspoon

Curry leaves - 1 string

Coriander leaves - 1 string, for garnishing

Salt - To taste

Oil - 2 teaspoons

Water - 4 cups

Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon

Method:



1) Heat oil in a wide pan in a medium flame.

2) Add mustard seeds and allow it to pop out.

3) Add curry leaves and green chillies.

4) Add onions and saute them till they turn translucent.

5) Add ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell of it goes off.

6) Add vegetable mixture and salt to taste. (Pressure cook or microwave the vegetable)

7) Add 4 cups of water. If you are using raw vegetable mixture, increase the water quantity to 1/4 cup and cook vegetables before adding cous cous.

8) Allow it to boil.

9) When water is boiling, add cous cous and keep stirring the mixture simultaneously.

10) Cook for few minutes till the water is absorbed by cous cous.

11) Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

12) Tomato sauce or any pickle goes well with this vegetable cous cous.

Cous Cous Masala

Cous cous is a type of semolina which is made from the hard / durum wheat. This type of wheat is used in preparing pasta and breads. Cous Cous is high in protein and gluten. It is served with meat stew or spicy vegetables around the world. The recipe shown below is prepared based on the spices available in India in a traditional desi style.



Ingredients:



Cous cous - 1 cup

Water - 2 cups

Onion - 1 small size, finely  sliced

Tomato - 1 large size

Red chili powder - 1 teaspoon

Ginger Garlic paste - 1 teaspoon

Mustard seeds and urid dal - 1/2 teaspoon

Salt - To taste

Oil - 2 teaspoons

Method:



1) Cut tomato into small slices; grind them with red chili powder and keep this aside.

2) Take a wide pan and heat oil in it.

3) Add mustard seeds,urid dal when it is hot.

4) Once mustard seeds start to splutter, add onion and fry them.

5) Add a pinch of salt to cook onion quickly.

6) When onions turn half translucent, add ginger garlic paste and saute them well.

7) Now add ground tomato,red chili paste which we prepared in step 1.

8) Keep stirring to avoid the mixture getting burnt. Flame of the stove should be kept in medium level. Keep cooking till the raw smell of tomato goes off.

9) Add 2 cups of water and salt as per your taste.

10) Allow it to boil.

11) Add cous cous slowly and stir the contents using the other hand when the water is boiling.

12) Stir well and cook for few minutes.

13) When the water in the pan is absorbed by cous cous, turn off the flame.

14) This cous cous masalsa can be served directly or with any side dish of your choice. We enjoyed it with potato chips.