Bajre ki Tikki | Pearl Millet Cookies

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A very Happy New Year to all my readers. Starting the new year with one of the traditional recipes which are made by mom every year in winters, Bajre ki Tikki aka Pearl Millet Cookies. Bajre ki tikki, is a simple 3 ingredient tikki or cookie made using Gluten Free Bajra, Jaggery and Sesame seeds. Traditionally it is fried but I added a bit of a healthy twist to this by baking it so that I can enjoy this guilt-free.

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Winter Special Food – Bajra, Jaggery, Sesame

Come winters and there are many special foods being prepared. Many of this food helps our body to keep warm as well as fight with some common ailments like cough and cold. All the three ingredients Gluten Free Bajra flour, Jaggery and Sesame are winter special food. Bajra rich in Iron and when combined with Jaggery and sesame gives the body its required nutrients. I have already described much about bajra in my earlier post on Stuffed Bajra Paratha, which is another gluten free and traditional recipe of my family.

Bajre ki Tikki – one of the lost traditional recipe

So this time when our Shhh Cooking Secretly Challenge group is virtually making a tour of UP, my native and my parents birth place. I decided to make this Bajre ki tikki which is a favourite of my parents and a common dish being prepared in north or UP.  Unfortunately this recipes are getting lost in time. Such local foods are being replaced by foods that are sourced from places far off in the name of health. Secondly people think it does take a lot of time to make this. Yes some recipes do take time, but then everything takes time. Do not want to start my rant here :-).

The Secret Ingredients and the Challenge

You will not get such traditional and regional recipes online. So I had saved this recipe to make it for this challenge. Sujata Ji from Batter Up with Sujata, was my partner in this challenge and I asked her if She is okay if I can make this. She happily agreed and gave me 2 secret ingredients Jaggery and sesame. I gave her Cumin seeds and Turmeric and she made a delicious vegetable.  Do check her blog for some yummy and delicious recipes and specially some regional Bengali food.

Food of Uttar Pradesh…

UP being my native, was a must-visit every year or 2 years in summer during our school vacations. We had endless visits to the Taj Mahal, Red fort, River Yamuna, Janmabhoomi in Mathura, Vrindavan etc. And yes how can forget the mouth-watering food. Bedai , Dal puris dunked in Aloo Saag, hot and crunchy Jalebi, Mathura ka peda (I can give anything for this), Gajak and one of my most favourite Lassi in kulhad (Earthen pots). Healthy ladoos such as Atte and Gond ke Ladoo and delicious desserts as Gajar ka Halwa and Kheer… oh my gosh I am drooling and now I have to stop reminding me of the dishes. 

Being a vegetarian I have listed few dishes which are my favourite but UP has a rich cuisine. Being a large state it has a lot of common recipes shared with neighbouring states like Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi etc apart from its two most famous cuisine of Mughlai and Awadhi. I can go endlessly on this but have to stop.

Bajre ki Tikki Recipe

So coming to today’s recipe of Bajre ki Tikki. It is a simple recipe and made using a few ingredients. The dough needs to be made using a bit of lukewarm water or syrup as it is made using gluten-free Bajra Flour. A lump-free dough is made by kneading it with the heel of your hand.  Small tikkis are made and then deep-fried. I have fried as well as baked them. I loved both the baked and fried versions. Fried will be fried, but I have no complaints towards the baked. And next time I would be making only the baked version. 

Texture and taste of Bajre ki Tikki

These cookies are a bit dense and someone eating for the first time might not like it due to Bajra. It has a nutty texture and a mild sweetness due to jaggery. They are not overly sweet and are crunchier for a few evening bites. They stay good in an airtight container for a month. 

Also keep in mind that these tikkis may be a little hard as compared to normal cookies. They are not very soft or melt in mouth types.

So here goes the recipe of Bajre ki Tikki | Pearl Millet Cookies

Ingredients

• 250 grams Bajra Flour (I forgot to take cup measurement will update next time, Should be approximately 1 cup)
• 150 grams Jaggery / Gud
• ½ Cup Lukewarm Water or as required
• 20-23 grams, 2 tablespoon Sesame seeds 
• Oil for frying (Not required if baking)
• 1 tablespoon Ghee/Clarified Butter for brushing (Optional)

Preparation

• Powder Jaggery or cut into thin strips and put it into a bowl.
• Add ½ Cup Lukewarm water and mix everything. (Do not add more water at this stage, we can adjust the consistency later)
• Let it sit for 30 minutes and let the Jaggery melt.
• Now in a wide plate or a bowl, add the Bajra and 2 tablespoons Sesame seeds. Give it a quick stir.
• Slightly warm the jaggery syrup and use this to make a smooth and a semi stiff dough.
• Let the dough rest for 30 mins. 
• After 30 mins, knead the dough one more time. If you feel the dough too smooth, add some flour, ½ tablespoon at a time.
• One should be able to make smooth balls from this. 
• Take a tablespoon of mixture in your hand. Roll it into smooth balls and slightly flatten it.
• If frying, fry them on medium stove until golden brown on both sides.
• For baking, preheat the oven to 180 Deg C.
• Bake them for 10 minutes on one side.
• Brush the top with a bit of ghee. This is an optional step, but helps the tikki/Cookies in not dry and also giving them a slight golden colour. 
• Bake for 10 minutes
• Flip, brush ghee on the other side and again bake for 5 minutes.
• They should be done when they are firm on the edges. For me it took around 25 minutes. 
• Let them cool and store it in an airtight container.

Notes

• Frying on medium is essential or else they would not cook from inside.

Few More Regional recipes

• Baked Shana Jhieg | Meghalaya Starter/ Snack
• Sana Thongba | Manipuri Paneer curry (No onion, No Garlic)
• Chakki ki Sabji |Ate ki Sabji (Tangy and Spicy Gravy with whole wheat flour dumplings)
• Idli Podi
• Akki Roti
• Kashmiri Dum Aloo (No Onion, No Garlic)
• Authentic Pakodi/Pakoda Kadhi
• Mizoram’s Panch Phoran Tarkari
• No Oil Tomato Chutney from Nagaland
• Odia’s Sapuri khatta | Pineapple Sweet & Sour Chutney
• Dal Makhani | Indian Style Creamy Black Lentils
• Moong Dal Pakoda (Fritters)
• Thukpa | Vegetable Noodle Soup
• Kongu Thakkali Kuzhambu | Coimbatore Style Vegan Tomato Curry
• Vellulli Karam podi (Spicy Garlic & Red Chilly Powder)
• Tripura Tomato Chutney – Mosdeng Serma

If you tried this recipe, please comment and rate the recipe. Tag me at @cookwithrenu_ad on Instagram.

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