Bundle of Joy - Arusuvai (six tastes) Feast

About Arusuvai Friendship

The Arusuvai friendship chain was started by Latha and Lakshmi of the Yum blog. This is the friendship chain where you send your surprise ingredient to two or more of your blogger buddies. The friends use the surprise ingredient in their cooking and blog about it. This chain was quite popular in India. And now Latha of Masala Magic started the chain in USA. Thanks to all for this wonderful concept.
Few days back, when Dhiv from Dhivya's cuisine food blog confirmed that she mailed the package. I was so excited and waiting the mailman for the friendship parcel. Once received, I just unwrapped the parcel like a small kid to discover the secret ingredient (I guess everyone who participated did the same). I just said: Wow seeing the “Ragi”, along with a personalized greeting card and to cheer up a Bunny! I opened the packet and felt the ragi was little coarsely! Bang, I realized, the flour is not only Ragi , there is something coarsely has been mixed. I confirm it with her…. She accepted sadly that I found the secret ingredient Ragi and rava (semolina) mix to just confuse me… he he he, better luck for next time sweety!
Dhiv, your bunny was starving!

She is just testing my skills how far I can go with the ragi flour other than Kanji and ragi roti, dosa ? Right!
Well, ragi (Finger millet) is not a discovery item in my kitchen. My husband hails from Karnataka. So definitely, his favorite dish is “Ragi roti”, but as a tamilian , I stick to my Ragi Kanji mixed with buttermilk and diced onion…. Well, I decided not to blog Kanji and Roti or Mudde with the secret ingredient…. I thought something different and probably kids friendly; the ragi biscuit/cookie idea bloomed. I decided not to add egg and bake it Indian style cookie. I picked my nankhatai recipe and made a twist with the ragi + semolina flour. Voila, I got a ragi Nankhatai/cookie.

Ragi Cookie

Ingredient:

Ragi: ½ cup
Maida: ½ cup
Sooji: 2 tsp
Milk Powder: 2 tsp
Baking powder: ½ tsp
Cardamon: 5 pods - crushed
Powder sugar: ½ cup
Vegetable shortening: ½ cup
Vanilla essence: ½ tsp
Cashew and almond: 10 numbers on each nuts (grind it 2 powder) Don’t worry about blanching the almond, the cookie will be ragi (brown) color.

How to Bake:

Mix the shortening and powder sugar, using a cake mixer beat slowly until it turns creamy, add the vanilla essence. Mix the dry ingredient together. Add slowly and mix it until u gets smooth dough. Grease a cookie tray, take little dough and roll between ur palm and flattened and arrange in the cookie tray. Preheat the oven, set it for 350 C and bake the cookies for 20 min.


Hope Dhiv, I have met all your expectations it was really fun to experiment with Ragi and Arusuvai..

The friendship Bundle moves from west to East coast.

Kalai: a rocking girl from Samaithuparkalam food blog – Hoping a “Arusuvai Virundhu” Kalai.
Namratha: A perfectly talented cook/baker from finger Licking food – will definetly bring a mouth watering dish.

Thank you once again both of u and wait for ur bundle of surprise ! I will send it both of u tomorrow and confirm it with e-mail.