So, this year Christmas is at my house and to me that means one very important thing…
My dad is making Christmas Dinner.
*victory dance*
As you can probably tell, I LOVE when my dad cooks!! He’s one of those dads that absolutely has to man the BBQ regardless of whose house we’re at, has to make us a steak dinner if he comes across a nice piece of beef in the supermarket, and if we’re planning a family party at our house he will plan out an entire menu of the food he plans on making for the event.
And he will email it around to the rest of us.
I kid you not.
This is why he is my dad.
However, my dad is definitely a savoury minded person, so when it comes to desserts and sweet things… he leaves it to me! Oh the power.
Therefore, as Christmas is at my house this year, and as it’s a Goan tradition to have a plenty of ‘kuswar’ (festive sweet treats) to feed your guests, I figured I should probably make some more. Now, I’d already made Snowballs (or Nankhatai, a type of Indian shortbread cookie), so I decided I’d make another one of my favourite types of kuswar…
BOLINA’S!
Bolina’s are cookies typically made with roasted semolina, fresh coconut and festively spiced with ground cardamom… and they’re delicious! They’re sometimes decorated with raisins, however I topped mine with dried cranberries and pistachios instead!
Red and green.
Because Christmas.
See what I did there? 😉Continue reading “Bolina’s (Goan Semolina Cookies)”
I’m about to both excite and terrify you at the same time with just one sentence. You ready?
It’s a typical Goan tradition to make a specific selection of sweet treats/nibbles around Christmas time. We call this ‘kuswar’ in the Konkani language, and will consist of various types of biscuits, cakes, pastries, and some savouries too! Goan families usually make these in advance to offer to their guests around Christmas time, as well as keep a decorative plate of ‘kuswar’ topped up on Christmas Day!
Now, one of my absolute fave sweet treats from this selection is what we call ‘Snowballs’… or ‘nankhatai’ as they’re more widely known! They’re kinda like an Indian shortbread, but the use of icing sugar instead of caster sugar gives them this bizarrely amazing smooth powdery yet crumbly texture that I just love! They’re so simple to make, and sooooo tasty!
Now, I’m not normally like this. I mean, I love the Christmas season, but being the little procrastinator that I am I usually don’t think about anything Christmassy until maybe the weekend before when I realise ‘oh damn I haven’t bought any presents yet!’ So, for me to be thinking about it already is definitely some sort of Christmas miracle!
Apple, Parsnip & Chestnut Soup!
acornsandcustard.com 