Masala biscuits

This month our Daring Baker's hostess Aparna challenged us with not one but two amazing challenges. There was this terrific Mawa cake(that I made into cupcakes) and two very traditional in flavour biscuits/cookies-Bolinhas de coco(Coconut flavoured semolina biscuit) and Masala biscuits. My personal hatred to coconut cookies made me jump straight to the Masala ones.
These biscuits(as I would rather call them over cookies) burst with very Indian flavours. These are just throw ingredients in the bowl kind of recipe. I rolled them extra thin to achieve such crisp and yummy biscuits and regretted trying just 1/4 of the recipe. The curry and coriander leaves along with roasted and crushed cumin seeds and black peppercorns with a dash of chopped green chillies lend such an amazing Indian taste to these biscuits. 
All it needs is a hot cup of strong milky tea and you will not be able to stop at just one. I personally had the most difficult time trying to save some to take pictures.

 Ingredients : I reduced the recipe to 1/4 and added whole wheat flour(atta)

• 4 tbsp all purpose flour
• 3 tbsp whole wheat flour(atta)
• 2 tsp rice flour(chawal ka atta)
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• a pinch of baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar, powdered
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, cold
• 1 tbsp yogurt, cold(I used homemade dahi)
• 1 green chilly, deseeded and chopped
• 1/4" piece of ginger, grated
• 1/4 tsp whole black peppercorn
• 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 sprigs curry leaves, chopped
• 1 sprig coriander leaves, chopped
• white sesame and nigella seeds for sprinkling on top

 Procedure : 
Add all purpose, whole wheat and rice flour in a bowl and mix with salt, sugar, baking powder and baking soda. 
Add cold butter and rub the flour in the butter till it resembles breadcrumb like texture.
Dry roast whole black peppercorn and cumin seeds and coarsely crush them.
Add chopped green chilly, grated ginger, roasted and  crushed peppercorn and cumin seeds, curry and coriander leaves. Mix well.
Add cold yogurt and mix well to make a dough.
Cover in a plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 180 degree Celsius and line a baking tray with parchment/butter paper.
Using little flour, roll out the dough to 1/8" thickness. (I rolled as thin as I could)
Sprinkle white sesame seeds and nigella seeds and press them lightly with a rolling pin.
Cut with cutters of your choice (I used a round cutter and a rectangular tart tin) and place on the baking tray.
Bake for 20-25 mins or till the biscuits brown up well.
Allow them to cool to get crispy.

This recipe is also a part of the amazing KFB blogging marathon that I am part of, along with my fellow members. Do drop in to check what they are doing here : 
A Homemaker's Diary
Silence Sings
My Food My Life
Recipe Junction

Happy Biscuit Eating
Amrita