Makki Ki Roti (Corn Flat Bread)

Makki ki Roti is a classic North Indian staple. It is nothing but flat bread made from corn flour (Makki ka aata). It is commonly teamed up with Greens such as Spinach Curry or Mustard leaves curry (Sarso Ka Saag). Makki ki roti and Sarso ka Saag is considered a delicious duo. It is a savory and super healthy combination and a wholesome meal. Loaded with nutritional value, this recipe is a keeper! It will bring warmth to the body and satiate starvation - Perfect for those cold winter-nights.

Ingredients:
1. Makki ka Aata (Corn flour), 4 cup
2. Hot water, boiling, 2 cup appx
3. Salt, to taste
4. Minced red onion,1
5. Oil

Directions:
1. Make a dough of cornflour using ingredients 1-4.
2. Then mix in the onions in the dough.
3. Pinch out small balls from the dough.
4. Put the ball between your palms and make a smooth ball.
5. Flatten with a rolling pin.
6. Cook on a non stick pan on both sides evenly with some oil.


Serve warm with Palak.

Mom made this for all of us tonight. Thanks, Mum!

Naan (Indian Bread)

I've been contemplating on making Naan at home for a long time now. I used to think that this bread was more fit to be cooked at restaurants. But I like to try new things and recipe for Naan intrigued me. I wanted to see if I could replicate the results of a restaurant or how close I could come to it. How hard is it anyways? The ingredients seemed nothing complicated and, for the most part, were readily available in my pantry. This was probably the only North Indian dish I had not attempted. Why leave a stone unturned- I thought to myself and decided to take a stab at it.

Sundays are the best days for cooking and relishing something special like this :)

Instructions:
1. 3-4 cups all purpose flour (maida)
2. 2.5 Tsp beaten yogurt
3. 1 tsp yeast
4. 1 cup milk at room temperature
5. Warm water
6. Sugar, 1 tsp
7. salt, 1 tsp
8. Baking soda, a pinch
9. oil
10. Nigella seeds (kalonji)
11. Cilantro, chopped

Instructions:
1. Dissolve 1 yeast in warm water. Let it stand for 10 mins.
2. To the all purpose flour, add sugar, salt, yogurt, oil.
3. Mix well so that it starts to look like crumbs.
4. Add milk, dissolved yeast and knead to a sticky dough.
5. Add some oil and make a smooth dough.
6. Cover with cellophane wrap and put it in a warm place.
7. When the dough rises to double, punch it and knead with hands again.
8. Divide the dough into equal portions and make small balls of the dough.
9. Using a rolling pin, flatten the balls to an elongated shape making sure its not too thin.
10. Sprinkle cilantro and nigella seeds on it.
11. Broil 3-4 naans at a time in the oven on parchment paper at 200deg for 3-4 mins
12. When you see brown spots on the naan, take it out of the oven and apply butter.

Serve warm with Shahi Paneer.

Thanks, Manjula.

Aloo Ke Parathe (Stuffed Indian Flatbread)

1. Whole wheat flour, appx 2 cups
2. Oil
3. 2-3 Potatoes - boiled, peeled, mashed
4. Salt to taste
5. Red chili powder, 1 tsp or to taste
6. Sugar 1.5 tsp
7. Juice of a small lemon
8. Coriander powder, .5 tsp
9. Cumin powder, 1 tsp
10. Garlic, 2 pods, minced
11. Ginger, 1 inch, minced
12. Garam masala, 1 tsp

Instructions:
1. Make a dough of the whole wheat flour using water. Add some oil to knead into a smooth dough.
2. Mix mashed potatoes with salt, red chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala, lemon juice, sugar, garlic, and ginger. Set aside.
3. Pinch out a small ball of wheat dough and flatten it using a rolling pin as shown in this post.
4. At the center of this flattened dough, place a small ball of the mashed potatoes.
Note: Try to keep the potato ball size to be the same size as the size of the dough you pulled out in step 3.

5. Now swirl the sides of the flattened dough around the potato ball like this and then seal the sides by joining all the sides together as shown below.
6. Pinch out the top of the excess dough.
7. Flatten this (dough ball stuffed with potato filling) with your hands. Use a rolling pin to flatten the opposite side of the ball.
8. Cook on medium heat on a pan on one side until it starts to form small black dots or lines on the side that is in contact with the pan.
9. Smear minimal oil on the upper side and then flip.
10. Repeat step 8 and 9 for this side.

Serve warm as dinner with Raita and pickles.

Chawal ki Poori (Indian Rice bread stuffed with Yellow Split pea)

Chawal (rice) ki poori (bread) is a legacy that comes from my late grandma. It's a unique dish that is unknown to many. And it's uncommonness is what makes it special. Chawal ki poori can be understood as a sandwich wherein the outer bread layers are made of a rice dough while the inside filling is ground Yellow Split pea. It's the best of both worlds - rice and lentil - two in one! Chawal ki poori has a longer shelf life than any of the usual Indian bread varieties which makes it ideal for food on-the-go. Have it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or as a snack - this wholesome, rich delicacy will satiate your hunger to eternity. Bon appetite!
Ingredients:
1. Blended Chane ki dahl (Split Yellow Pea)
2. Rice flour
3. Salt
4. Ginger, minced
5. Heeng

Instructions:
1. Cook rice flour in a pot with some water. When the water starts evaporating and the rice flour starts to thicken like a dough, remove from heat and cook.
2. Knead with hands to make the dough smoother.
3. Add the ground chane ki dahl with ginger, salt, and heeng. Make a dough of this.
4. Make small balls of the rice flour dough as well as the chana dahl dough.
5. Roll the balls with a rolling pin.
6. Between 2 layers of rice dough, put a later of the chana dahl dough to make a sandwich.
7. Then with a soft hand, roll the three layers on top of each other such that they stick together.
8. Cook on a pan until golden brown.

Serve hot alone, with Chutney, Raita or any vegetable such as with Bharva karela.

Bhature (Indian fried bread)

Chole bhature (Hindi: छोले भटूरे) is a famous North Indian dish. It is also a street food. It's not the healthiest option for dinner but definitely a relished one. I had bhature after more than two years today.

I've previously posted the recipe for chole. Here is the recipe for bhature.

Needs Preparation. Serves 4.


Ingredients:

1. 500 gms maida (all purpose flour)
2. 1 teaspoon sugar
3. 1/2 teaspoon sugar
4. 4 tablespoons oil
5. 8 tablespoons fat free plain yogurt.
6. Canola oil for frying.

Instructions:
1. Mix all with water and knead to make a dough. Leave the dough covered overnight.

To make the bhature:
1. Make small balls of the dough and using a rolling pin, flatten to form an oval.
2. Heat oil in a vessel. The oil must be very hot to be able to fry the bhature. To check this, add a tiny bit of the dough to the oil. If the dough surfaces immediately with tiny bubbles around it, the oil is ready to fry the bhature.
3. Fry the flattened bhature until it turns golden brown.

Tak it out on a paper towel to absorb the oil. Serve hot with chole.

Try chole bhature with onions on the side and have lassi (Indian yogurt drink that I will show you how to make in another post) as a drink. Total bliss!

Parantha (Indian bread)

Parantha is the staple diet of North Indians. In a typical North Indian home, Parantha accompanied with some cooked vegetables is what makes lunch and dinner. Parantha is nothing but Indian bread and is best enjoyed fresh. Paranthas can be stuffed with potato, raddish, cauliflower or be plain and eaten with cooked vegetables.

Here is what differentiates Parantha with any other type of Indian bread:

1. Parantha is cooked with oil. (Roti is cooked without oil)
2. It is made of 100% whole wheat.
3. Paranthas are usually triangular in shape and bigger in size. (Roti is round)
   
4. While rolling a parantha, you add a few drops of oil, fold it to form a traingle, then flatten it with a rolling pin.
5. The dough for parantha is neither too hard nor too soft. (The dough for poori is hard).
6. Paranthas are not supposed to be incredibly thin or thick. However, thickness is a matter of personal choice.

I love to have parantha for dinner, lunch and sometimes even breakfast because it's filling and healthy. It gives me that satiating feeling that seldom any other dish can provide. Having parantha with salad, Indian vegetables, raita (yogurt), and pickle is a delight. However, making paranthas every day does seem like an ordeal when cooking just for myself.

No preparation required. Serves 4.

Ingredients:
1. 3 cups Whole wheat (aata)
2. 3-4 tablespoons oil
3. 1 teaspoon salt
4. Water

Instructions:
1. Add 1 to 4 in a big bowl and knead to make a dough. Add sufficient amount of water such that the dough is neither too hard nor too soft.
Note: Ingredient 2 and 3 are optional but recommended. I have tried making parantha both with and without oil and salt. When I add salt and oil to the dough, I find the dough easier to roll and give shape. Also, the parantha turns out softer and tastier.
2. Make small balls out of the dough by rolling it between your palms.










3. Using a rolling pin, flatten the ball and give it your desired shape. Ideally, I add a few drops of oil, fold it to form a triangle then flatten it with a rolling pin. But this time I decided to keep it round. I didn't add oil while rolling because I had already added a few drops in the dough.
Note:If the dough starts to stick to the counter, sprinkle some wheat on it.










4. On a heated pan, lay the uncooked parantha bread. When it turns golden brown, flip to the other side. You may like to spread a layer of olive oil on each side before flipping.

Serve hot with vegetables and Raita. Add a blob of butter if your diet so allows :).




Food trivia: To store the dough for later use, cover the dough in plastic wrap and keep it in the fridge. It's best to have it consumed within 3 days. To keep the cooked paranthas soft, wrap them in a cloth or paper towel and store them in a hot case or a plastic box. Put the parantha in the microwave for 30 seconds before eating.