Chholay Bhatura

Bhatura is a traditional North Indian bread which is usually paired with a Chick Peas side-dish called Chholay – together called as “Chholay Bhatura”. This is a recipe by Sanjeeve Kapoor, and adapted slightly to suit our taste. Enjoy.

For Bhatura :
Flour -Maida 2-1/2 cups
Yogurt 1/2 cup
Baking powder 1/2 teaspoon
Baking soda a pinch
Salt 1 teaspoon
Sugar 2 teaspoons
oil – 2 tablespoons (during kneading)
Oil for frying
Extra flour for rolling the bhatura

Take flour and add baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix well and sieve it into a large bowl. Mix yogurt and sugar. Add this to the flour and about a cup of water and mix gradually to make a sft dough by light kneading.

Incorporate two tablespoons of oil into the dough and knead. Then cover the dough with a wet cloth and keep it aside for an hour.

Divide into about 16-18 equal portions and roll them into balls. Cover and keep to ferment for 10 minutes.

Grease your palms with a little oil and flatten the balls and roll into five inch circles. Use dry flour to roll only if needed.

Heat a deep frying pan and deep fry the Bhaturas on high flame till light brown on both sides.

Serve immediately with Chholay.

For Chholay (Chick Peas side dish) :

Chick Peas -1-1/2 cups
Salt to taste
Tamarind (lime size) or Dried indian gooseberry -3 (for tanginess)
Onions -3-4 large
Ginger – 2 one inch pieces
Garlic 10-12 cloves
Green Chillies – 2
Tomatoes – 4 medium
Corriander leaves 1 small bunch
Oil 4 tablespoons
Cumin seeds 2 tablespoons
Coriander powder 3 teaspoons
Red Chilli powder 1 teaspoon
Anardana-pomegranate seeds (1 tablespoon)
Turmeric powder – 1/2 teaspoon

Soak the chick Peas in water overnight. The next day boil with water, salt, tamarind/gooseberry till tender.

Peel and chop onions. Peel ginger garling. Wash green chillies and make a paste of ginger, garlic and green chillies. Wash and chop the tomatoes and coriander leaves. Dry roast cumin seeds, cool and grind to a powder.

Heat oil in a pan, add chopped onions and saute till brown. Add ginger garlic and green chillie paste and saute for sometime. Add coriander powder, ground cumin seeds, red chillie, turmeric and anardana and cook till oil separates.

Add drained Chick Peas and mix well. Add tomatoes and cook till the channas are well mixed with gravy and the tomatoes are cooked too. Add any seasoning, if required, at this stage, like salt or chillie.

Serve hot, garnished with lots of coriander leaves.

Baby Brinjals Sidey

1/2  Kg baby Brinjals -  (slit from the base up – but dont split into two)

2 Onions
2 tomatoes
1 or 2 green chillie
Few curry leaves
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
Few cloves of crushed garlic
1 tablespoon vegetable powder or sambhar powder
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Salt to taste.

In a little oil, temper the mustard seeds till they splutter.

Add garlic and curry leaves and then onions..fry till onions are soft.  Then add tomatoes and fry till they are mushy.  Add the green chilly, vegetable powder, salt and sugar and stir for a minute or two.  Add the brinjals and just sprinkle a few tablespoons of water (only if required)  and cook the brinjals till they are done.

Zesty Lemony Potatoes

Ingredients:
6-7 potatoes; boiled and sliced in thick roundels (I chose baby potatoes for this recipe)
3 medium sized onions (peeled and cut in roundels and separated)
2 long slit plump green chillies or as a substitute you can use chilli flakes (you may use crushed black pepper instead if you wish)
Salt to taste
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
¼ tsp lemon zest
Fresh chopped coriander
3-4 mint leaves finely chopped
Juice of half a lemon (you can adjust the amount to suit your taste buds)

Preparation:
Heat a wok and add oil. On a high flame, add onions and give them a quick fry till they just about start to turn translucent. Immediately add the potatoes (add a little more oil if you feel the need at this point) and give them a quick stir. Now add the salt, ginger-garlic paste, green chillies and lemon zest. Stir the ingredients together, add lemon Juice and transfer them out in a bowl. Serve hot.

Crispy Dosa with Mint and Coriander Chutney

Ingredients for Dosa Batter:
3 cups idli rice
½ cup urid dal
½ teaspoon methi seeds
water as needed
salt to taste.

Preparation:
Soak rice and urid dal and methi seeds for 2-3 hours. Wash in two three changes of water, till the water runs clear. Grind to a fine paste and leave to ferment for 8-10 hours or overnight. Mix water to form a spreadable batter. Heat a dosa tawa, keeping in low medium flame take a laddle full of the batter and spread it evenly starting from the center slowly outwards in circular motion. Drizzle some oil along the edges and cook for 2mins. Flip on the other side and cook until done.

Serve hot with any chutney of your choice.

Mint/Coriander Chutney :
Ingredients:
Small bunch of coriander and mint leaves
1 small onion
½ tomato
1 tablespoon of urid dal
2 green chillies
a small piece of tamarind
1 small red chilly
¼ cup coconut
¼ tsp hing
salt as required
Preparation:
In a pan drizzle a tablespoon of oil and add onion and sauté till soft. Then add tomatoes and fry a bit. Add urid dal, red chilly, green chillies, coconut salt, hing. Cool and then grind along with water, a bunch of coriander leaves and mint – to a coarse chutney.

Rose and Banana Cooler

Ingredients
2 glasses chilled milk
1 banana
¼ cup of rose syrup
Toppings
1-2 scoops ice cream

Preparation
Blend the ingredients together. Pour in a tulip shaped glass. Top it with one or two scoops of ice cream. Drizzle some rose syrup on the ice cream and garnish with sliced pistachios.
An easy cooler to make and enjoy.

Ragda Pattice

Ingredients:
Aloo Tikki/Pattice :
4 Potatoes – boiled and mashed
5 tbsps breadcrumbs
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp chilly powder
½ tsp turmeric
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
1 tbsp chaat masala
¼ cup – coriander leaves
green chillies,
salt.

Mix all together and form into balls, flatten, roll in bread crumbs and shallow fry.

For the Ragda :
250 gms green or white peas, soak in water overnight and pressure cook till soft
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large tomato, finely chopped
3-4 green chillis, slit length wise
1 tsp grated ginger
1/4 tsp asafoetida/hing
1/4 tsp turmeric pwd
1/2 tsp cumin pwd
1 tsp coriander pwd
garam masala pwd (2 cloves, 1/2″ cinnamon, 1 cardamom)
1 tbsp tamarind paste (optional)
fresh coriander leaves for garnish
salt to taste
1/2 tbsp oil

Preparation:
Heat oil in a vessel, add the cumin seeds and let them splutter. Add green chillies and grated ginger and saute for 4-5 secs. Immediately add the asafoetida, followed by the onion. Cook on medium heat for 4-5 mins.
Add the spice pwds (except garam masala pwd) and salt. Combine well. Add the tomatoes and cook until soft.
Add the boiled peas (keep aside 3 tbsps of boiled peas and mash them). Add a cup of water and cook on high for 3-4 mts.

Reduce flame and cook on simmer for 7-8 mins. Add the mashed peas and combine. Add the tamarind paste, combine and cook for 4-5 mins. While the ragda is simmering, add garam masala pwd. The gravy will begin to thicken. Adjust the salt. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
Take a wide serving plate. Place two Pattice/Aloo Tikki, spoon some warm ragda over the tikkis. Next spoon in Green Chutney (Grind to a fine paste a bunch of coriander leaves, few leaves of mint, green chillies 8 nos. 1 tsp, jeera, salt to taste, a handful of almonds and juice of 1 small lemon. Grind all together with a little water and use as required.)
and Tamarind Chutney (Jaggery – 200 grams, tamarind 100 grams, cumin seeds 1 teaspoon, dry ginger powder -1/2 teaspoon, salt ½ tsp, chillie powder -1/2 tsp, chat masala 1 tsp, crushed red chilly powder -1 tsp. Soak jaggery and tamarind in two cups water. Rub with hand and mix to a thick paste. Cook together with all above ingredients for about 10-15 mins. Cool and use as required).

Spoon in some sweetened curd/dahi (optional). Sprinkle some chopped onion and tomatoes. Finally top it up with sev and coriander leaves. Serve immediately.

Baked Potato Wedges / Baby Spinach & Cheese Wedges

Potato Wedges  :

Potatoes – 3 large
Cornflour -3 tablespoons
Garlic Cloves – 8 – chopped very fine
Black pepper corns – crushed – few
Chilly powder – 1 teaspoon
Garlic powder – ½ teaspoon
Oregano – ½ teaspoon
Olive oil -6-8 tablespoons
Salt to taste

Peel and cut potatoes into wedges.  Boil the wedges in a pot of boiling water for 5-6 minutes.  They should be partially cooked and not mushy.  Remove from water and keep aside.

Heat up the olive oil in a small pan and add the chopped garlic and mix till the garlic just begins to change colour.  Cool.

Add the potato wedges to the pan and all the other ingredients and mix well.

 
Preheat oven to 180 deg. C and lay the potatoes in a single layer without overlapping on a baking tray lined with foil.   Bake for about 30-40 minutes (turning over once) till the wedges are all golden brown and crispy.   Serve immediately with tomato ketchup.

Spinach and Cheese Wedges :

Dough for chappati ( I usually use roughly 2 cups wheat flour, 1 cup hot water, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon oil.  Put salt and oil in the water and add the flour and knead to a smooth soft dough.  It all depends on the flour so get ready to add +/- flour or water accordingly)
Cheese – I used kraft cheddar cheese – 1 small tin- grated
Baby spinach leaves – 1 bunch
Olive oil
Salt
Black Pepper

Make balls of the dough and roll to about 8” or 9” diameter.

Spread with cheese and few baby spinach leaves on one half of the disc and sprinkle little salt and black pepper.

Roll the other half over it and seal the edges.

Heat a pan/tava and smear with a little olive oil and gently put the rolled bread/chappati on it and fry on both sides, pressing gently with a fork/ladle to ensure even cooking.

Cut into wedges (the cheese will have melted by now – so keep in a plate and then cut) and serve immediately.

Sabudana/Tapioca Pearls Khichdi

The health benefits of Sabudana (sago) are mainly in the carbohydrates it provides. Sabudana is made from the starch extracted from the pith (center) of the sago palm stems. The commercial production of sago is in the shape of small globules and are called Tapioca Pearls. Sabudana is full of starch or carbohydrates and is great for a quick boost of energy, and hence often served in India for breaking fasts during religious festivals. Sabudana gives you quick energy and is easy to digest and has an overall cooling effect on the system

Recipe :

1 cup Sabudana(sago)/Tapioca Pearls
½ cup peanuts
A handful of cashewnuts
½ cup Green peas
1 Potato – diced
1 tsp Sugar
2 Green Chillies chopped lengthwise
1 red chilly shredded
2 tablespoons ghee
1 onion (medium) sliced
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 Pinch Hing (asafoetida)
¼ cup grated fresh Coconut
2 tablespoons Lemon juice
Salt to taste
Few Coriander leaves
Few Curry Leaves

Wash the Sabudana in water 3-4 times and soak in roughly 1 cup water. Soak overnight or at least for 8- 10 hours. Every 2-3 hours, fluff it up with a fork or chopstick. After 8 hours each grain will fluff up and be separate. Test to check if it has soaked well and if you find any hard center, sprinkle with a little water and soak some more time till  it is all soft-centered and each sabudana/pearl is well shaped. The one cup Sabudana will by now double in volume.

Take a thick-bottomed/non-stick vessel and add ghee. Fry the Cashew nuts and peanuts and remove and keep aside. In the same pan add mustard seeds, red chilly and cumin seeds. When it splutters, add hing, green chillies, curry leaves and onion. Keep stirring till onion is wilted and gets a light brown tinge. Then add potatoes, sprinkle a few drops of water and cook till the potatoes are nearly done. Then add green peas, turmeric powder, salt and sugar and cook for a few minutes. Add the Sabudana and keep frying till it is well coated and the Sabudana Pearls turn translucent. This may take about 5 -8 minutes. Lastly add the fried peanuts, cashewnuts, grated coconut, lemon juice and coriander leaves and a few more curry leaves. Serve hot. Serves 4-5 persons.

Onion Bhajjea

A hot cup of Tea and some crispy Onion Bhajjea is something that very few can resist. This recipe is simple, quick and yummy……. this is guaranteed.

Come along…check out the recipe.

Ingredients :
4 large onions sliced
4 green chillies cut fine
2 sprigs of curry leaves
A small bunch of coriander leaves
1 Cup gram flour/besan
2 tablespoons rice powder/flour
Baking Soda -1/2 teaspoon
Hing – ¼ teaspoon
½ teaspoon red chillie powder
¼ teaspoon turmeric
¾ – 1 cup water
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Sift the flours into a large bowl. Add baking soda, salt, hing, chillie powder, turmeric powder and salt. Mix all together and add water ½ cup first and mix to make a paste. Add the remaining water a spoonful at a time till a thick paste is formed. Depending on the flour, you may just about need ¾ cup water only. The mixture should be pasty but not runny. Add the sliced onions, curry leaves, coriander leaves, green chillies and mix.

Heat oil in a deep frying pan and when it is hot enough, put blobs of the onion and flour mixture. Do not over crowd the pan. Fry on both sides till crispy. Drain on paper towels and then serve hot with a steaming cup of tea or coffee.

Dal Paratha

A Paratha is one of the most popular unleavened flat-breads in Indian Cuisine.   Some like their Parathas plain, while some like them stuffed with potatoes,  spinach,  cottage cheese/paneer, boiled vegetables  or even lentils.  There is even a Kheema Paratha (stuffed with mince),  but I have yet to make them successfully.

Parathas are fried on a flat Pan/Tava and a generous dash of ghee/butter are applied during frying to make it more scrumptious.   You can eat it plain or dipped in curds.

This one here – is made with Channa Dal and with a subtle flavor of ajwain and chillie flakes……  read the recipe for details.

For the Dough :
2-1/2 cups – Whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon melted butter or ghee or oil
1  teaspoon  Ajwain/Carom seeds -crushed
A  pinch of baking soda
Hot water to knead – roughly 1-1/2 cups (may vary according to the flour – so add little by little till you get a soft  rollable dough)

For Dal Stuffing :
1.5 cups  Channa dal
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 tablespoon chillie flakes (more if you need spicier)
A pinch of asafoetida/hing
1-1/2  tablespoons ginger paste
1 teaspoon Ajwain/Carom seeds -crushed
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds/jeera – crushed
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Little  oil
Salt to taste

In a bowl add the flour, melted butter or oil, salt and ajwain/carom seeds.  Mix with a fork till you see it forming like bread-crumbs.  Add hot water and knead to make a elastic dough – similar to chappati dough.   Cover with a clean wet kitchen towel and keep aside for 1 hour.  After one hour – apply little oil to your palms and knead the dough again and make into balls – roughly 8-12.

Wash the channa dal in several changes of water and soak for 1-2 hours.   Add 1-1/2 cup water, turmeric and salt  and pressure cook for 1 whistle.  If there is any water remaining, simmer on low heat till all the water has evaporated.   The dal will be fully cooked and very soft – mash it with a potato masher or spoon till it is smooth.

In a non-stock saucepan, add little oil and add the hing, then the crushed cumin seeds and crushed carom seeds.   When they start crackling add the ginger paste and fry for sometime, then add the dal, sugar and chillie powder.  Keep on stirring till it forms into a mass.  You can easily form balls out of this.  Make small balls and cover with a cloth and keep aside.

Make small balls of the dough and roll it into a small thick disc.   Put  a ball of dal in the center and bring the sides to the center and seal.  Dust flour on the table-top and roll gently with a rolling pin into neat and round Parathas.

Heat a Tava/pan and fry the Paratha on both sides till well done.  At the last turn add a teaspoon of ghee/butter and toss the Paratha in it.    

Take a big piece of foil and stack the Parathas one on top of the other.  When all are done, cover tightly with the foil and keep them warm till serving time.