Jowar Sweet Diamond Biscuits

Jowar Sweet Diamond Biscuits made healthy. How? Use an oven instead of a frying pan. And, replace oils with whole nuts. That’ll amp up the nutrient quotient significantly.

Shine bright like a diamond! Maybe not so bright, if you’re made from jowar – but absolutely yummy!

The problem with fried foods is, well, they are fried. First, we extract oil from a nut or seed, losing out on most of the nut’s nutrition. Then, we heat the oil to a high temperature, destroying what little nutrition remains in the oil. Then, we fry something in it. Have you ever tried burning a couple of banana chips? If you haven’t, do try it today. Be sure to hold the chips with a pair of tongs – and place a sheet of paper underneath to catch all the oil that drips from it!

How to make them healthier? Use an oven instead of a frying pan. And, replace oils with whole nuts. That’ll amp up the nutrient quotient significantly.

However, foods like biscuits, mixture, even when baked, are cooked at a high temperature and are very dry. Try eating them mindfully, you will find that you do not enjoy them as much as fresh food like fruits or vegetables – or even fresh nuts! Here’s a recipe that takes you closer to health. If you want to go all the way, enjoy a cup of fresh fruits and nuts instead! 🙂

Whole Food Plant Based Diwali Jowar Sweet Diamond Biscuit Recipe

Course: Festival Dishes, Side Dish for Course 3 (Grain Dishes) at Lunch & Dinner Meals, Snacks
Cuisine: Tamil Recipe from South India
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 30 min
Servings: 4 people

INGREDIENTS

2 cups Jowar Flour
2/3 cup Flaxseed
1/2 cup Date Syrup
Water

INSTRUCTIONS

Diwali Jowar Sweet Diamond Biscuit Dough

1. Grind flaxseed to a fine powder, then mix with jowar flour. Keep a little jowar flour aside for rolling out the dough.
2. Dilute date syrup with a little water, then heat to a boil and mix with jowar flaxeed powder mix. Knead till chapathi-dough-like consistency.

Biscuit cutting

1. Use some jowar flour to dust the kitchen counter and roll out dough to make large rotis of 2-3 mm thickness. Ensure that you have rolled it out evenly!
2. Use a knife to cut into the roti. Draw parallel lines 1 inch apart, from left to right, then diagonal line to make diamond shapes.

Baking Jowar Sweet Diamond Biscuit

1. Pre-heat oven to 160 degrees celsius
2. Line a baking tray with unbleached parchment paper or silicone sheet. Do not apply any oil on the paper or the tray.
3. Arrange the diamond shaped pieces on the parchment paper. Arrange them in a single layer.
4. Bake at 160 degrees celsius. Sweet diamond biscuits will be ready in 30 to 40 minutes depending on thickness. Turn over once at 20 minutes.

Plant Based Chef Pro Tips for Best Jowar Diamond Biscuits Recipe

1. Substitute date syrup with salt and black pepper powder to make spicy diamond biscuits!

Nutrition Science Highlights for WFPB Jowar Sweet Diamond Biscuits Recipe

1. Why not honey, sugar or jaggery? Sugar and Jaggery are processed foods. Although jaggery is healthier than brown sugar, which, in turn, is healthier than white sugar, all forms of processed foods are unhealthy when compared to whole plant foods. Honey is healthwise as good as jaggery, which isn't saying much. In addition to not being very healthy, honey production kills millions of bees every year, affecting our environment adversely. The best sweetener alternative is a whole fruit or dry fruit. The easiest method of using these is date syrup, as it does not involve peeling or chopping.
2. Why whole grains? Whole grains are healthier than refined grains such as white rice, refined flours, maida, rava, etc., as the bran layer is intact, with all its vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients. Whole grains have been found to be protective against a whole range of chronic diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, and lifestyle-related cancers.
3. Why cool grains? When cooked grains are allowed to cool on the counter or in the fridge, the starch crystallises to form resistant starch. This can be eaten by our good gut bacteria and also reduces the glycemic index (the rate at which glucose is absorbed), making the whole grain even healthier. For the same reason, parboiled whole grains can be used as well.
4. Why flaxseed powder? Whole grains are super healthy foods, but whole grain flours, not so much. Because of a smaller particle size, the starch from ground up grains gets absorbed much faster than from intact whole grains, causing a glucose spike and insulin spike in the blood. This is why we recommend coarsely ground whole grains as against finely ground whole grains. When we cook dishes using whole grain flours, it is wise to add an ingredient that makes the dish sticky and slows down absorption. Flaxseed is a perfect addition for making rotis. In addition, flaxseed contains high levels of omega 3 fats and cancer-fighting lignans. For the same reason, eating grain flour dishes with pulses and legumes, such as roti and dal, is a great idea too.
5. Why not frying? Oil is a processed food, even if it is cold pressed oil. In whole nuts, the calories from the oil are balanced out with the fiber and nutrients in the nut. For example, peanuts are healthier than peanut oil, sesame seeds are healthier than sesame oil. Hence, a healthy diet excludes oil and includes whole nuts. We can easily achieve a 'fried' effect of different recipes by baking the same dishes instead, like this one!
6. What's wrong with baking? The brown color we get on baking whole grains, tubers, legumes, or nuts is due to the formation of carcinogenic AGE compounds. We can eliminate the formation of these compounds by baking at or below 120 deg C. Up to 160 deg C, the formation of AGEs slower rises, and after that, rises exponentially. It can also be reduced by adding spices and herbs, and in case of breads and cakes, cutting off the crust before serving.