Biscuit Roti : Granny's recipe

Aaji's special : Granny, Grand ma, Aaji, Daadi, Amma, Daadi-amma, Dida... All different words but the feelings are always the same :LOVE !!! We all have some really sweet cherished moments with our grandparents. We Maharashtrians call our Grandmother "Aaji". 

The perfect symbol of how a granny should be, was our Aaji. She looked so, she behaved so and she was so. In fact, she was so lovable and caring that she was even loved by our neighbors and friends and they still remember her as "the ever smiling aaji".

Generous, kind, giving... all she gave was love and happiness to one and all. Active in her behavior, even in her old age, she lived with us for 92 years.. all healthy and walking on perfect two legs. She always used to tell us to eat well and eat healthy and explaining the importance of eating a balanced diet to have a healthy lifestyle.

Hand of God : I remember her as my childhood-mate... she was ever ready to play games with me, the board games of "Ludo", "Snakes and ladder", "Playing cards" and how can i forget, the tasty food she cooked !!!!She had the "Hand of God". She had a solution to all the problems of cooking. I remember once, when we had made Basundi (a milk-based dessert), for a get-together at home during the festive of Diwali, there was huge amount of leftover. My Mom was worried as to what to be done of the Basundi... and the next day, Aaji made some yummy Barfis out of it...We kids got to taste something different, and the Basundi was finished too !!! :)

Aaji used to love white...I didn't get to spend much time with my Grandfather ( Aajoba in our language ), as he left us to God when i was at the age of 2. So all i know about grandparents is our Aaji. She used to dress is a typical Navvari ( 9-yard) style sari and her white shiny hair always made up well into a bun. Her voice as sweet as a melody, she always spoke good words, and always had good to say about others. I had never seen her getting angry ever at anyone... There was so much to learn from her !!!!

Biscuit Rotis : One such thing to learn was her recipe of "Biscuit roti"... I didn't recall how she made it, so i made a call to one of my aunts and took the recipe from her. Tried to make it as Aaji did, i am sure my attempt was nowhere close to her taste. Yesterday, 30th Dec, was her Birthday and on that occasion, that she still lives in our hearts and memories, i dedicate this to her....

No one knows why it was called Biscuit roti... maybe because they look like small rotis, and maybe because they are crunchy as biscuits. They are like deep fried kachoris... but the main ingredient is the stuffing. I made around 8-10 of them...And me and hubby finished it as dinner :)) Yes, they taste super delicious...
Serve this as a snack or even as a main course. You can serve it with any favorite chutney but it goes well with the Garlic chutney...You can get it ready made or make one with red chillies, oil, lemon, garlic, salt,red chilli powder and corriander powder.

Ingredients :

Coconut - Freshly Grated 1 cup
Corriander leaves - 1/2 cup
Besan - 2 tsp
Red chilli powder - adjust according to taste
Salt - to taste
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Corriander powder - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Maida / All purpose flour - 1/4 kg
Oil - 2 tbsp to knead the dough
Oil - to Fry
Ajwain - 1/2 tsp

Recipe :

Heat 1 tbsp oil. Add this to the maida and mix it all well. Now add salt and ajwain and add water slowly to knead a tight dough. 

Cover and keep it aside.

Mix coconut, corriander leaves, red chilli powder, salt, turmeric powder, corriander powder, cumin powder and besan well. Leave it aside for 30 mins. It will start leaving water. Make small balls of it.

Now make small balls of the dough and roll each ball into a small round. ( Like a puri). Add the filling, close from all sides and then roll it into a small puri like shape again. Its like a mini paratha. Alternatively, you can also press it with hands instead of rolling.

Dust very little Maida and only if needed while rolling and only if it sticks.

Make all the puris ready. 

Now heat oil in a kadhai. Once hot, lower the gas to sim and deep fry the puris one by one till golden brown and crispy.

Biscuit rotis are ready :)))

The Recipe is just as my Aaji made it.. you can add sesame seeds, fennel seeds or any other spices to the filling as you like.

Happy Cooking :)