Cabbage Parathas

Its impractical to measure the quantity of water to be used while kneading the dough, to measure the salt etc. Likewise for each and every thing we don't use measured quantities of ingredients.  With our experience and practice we know how much of a particular ingredient is to be used in a particular dish . Cabbage Paratha is also one such recipe where I haven't measured anything but just followed my instincts.

I put nearly half of a cabbage along with some green chili, ginger, corriander leaves in an electrical chopper.
Now to this veggie mixture I add salt, turmeric powder, cumin seeds and 2tsp of oil.
Add some whole wheat flour slowly(as much as the veggies could handle) to it and knead into a semi-soft dough. I didn't add any water while kneading as the moisture in the veggies was enough to knead the dough.
Now pinch out  small portion of the dough and roll using some flour into a paratha. Put this on a hot griddle or tava , when the lower side is slightly cooked flip and apply 1tsp of oil, flip again and cook pressing lightly until small brown spots appear on the paratha. once again flip and cook on the other side likewise.
Repeat with the remaining dough and make more parathas.

Serve with any dip or pickle.

Bajra Roti- Flat bread from millet flour

Bajra is one of the most important crops grown in Rajasthan. It is very high in protein. Bajra roti accompanied with raw onion & green chillies was considered as poor man's bread .

In recent times the popularity has grown to such an extent that you may find it in every Rajasthani high-profile wedding parties. Though its a comman man's bread & a very common dish for everyday lunch in Rajasthani homes, most of the people like us living outside crave for it. I always bring some bajra flour with me, I use it miserly so that from time to time we can have our traditional meal. Bajra Roti tastes best with local vegetable curries like cluster beans (gavar fali), kakaria or Tinda. Jaggery also tastes too good with ghee & bajra roti.

makes:4 rotis

2 cups bajra flour

wheat flour for dusting (optional)

1/4 cup ghee for brushing(optional)

Knead bajra flour with some water into a soft dough. Divide into 4 equal parts. Heat the tava(griddle).

Making Bajra Roti is an art. I am listing three different ways to roll the roti.Bajra roti is usually rolled to 1/4 inch thickness or more.

1. Traditionally its made by rotating in between wet palms. For this method you don't need wheat flour for dusting. But if you are new to it , you may find it dificult to make an even roti this way, it also tends to break easily.
2. Another easier way of rolling bajra roti is to place the dough ball in between two polythene sheets & roll gently with a rolling pin.
3. Though I can make any how I find the this method much easier for even round rotis : Make a soft ball out of one portion of the dough & flatten it a little. sprinkle a little wheat flour on a rolling board, place the dough on it & enlarge it by tapping & rotating it with your palm.

Put the rolled roti on hot tava & cook. When the lower part is cooked flip with the help of spatula(sometimes it may stick to the griddle) & cook the other side. Again loosen with the spatula & cook both the side on an open flame, holding the roti with the tongs. Hold it slightly above the flame so that you don't immediately burn it . Apply ghee generously by piercing the roti here & there with the spoon so that it absorbs the ghee properly.

gharkirasoi tip:

1. Bajra flour when kept for long especially in summer turns sour. It should be either ground freshly or stored in refridgirator.
2. The dough should be kneaded just before making roti. if making in large quantities then better to knead in small portions again & again. Dough turns sour very soon after kneading & the roti appears cracked.
3. Griddle should be sufficiently hot & roti should be cooked on high, low heat also causes it to break.

my entry for

Poori

Poori is a fried Indian bread which is consumed all over India . It is popularily paired with chola(chick pea curry) & Alu ki sabji(potato cury) but it tastes good with any curry or pickle. Whenever I throw a party I prefer pooris or naan over chapati. Its because I can serve speedily hot-hot pooris for a big group. I am quite slow when it comes to rolling thin chapatis, it takes hours for me to make in large quantities. Poori though its fried its the perfect Indian bread for any gathering. Don't worry if you end up making more as it stays good for 3 to 4 days unrefridgirated. My husband doesn't know to cook & since we are pure vegetarians food is always a problem while travelling. And whenever he has to travel I pack around 50 pooris for him with mango or chilli pickles . Once I even tried refridgirating them for more than 20 days for my hubby when he was alone & we went for holidays to India. Beleive me they were good until I came back. Just make sure you cool them before storing. Tear the poori apart to find out whether its good or bad. If you see sticky threads while tearing it means its time to throw.

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp oil

oil to deep fry

Mix all the ingredients & knead into a tight dough using water. Here we have added sugar, as the carbon di oxide released while frying the pooris will make them puff up.

Allow the dough to rest for 10 min. Roll out small rounds using a little oil, make sure its not be rolled very thin.

Fry one by one in hot oil, lightly pressing with perforated spoon to make it puff.

For the pooris to puff up properly the dough should be tight, there should be enough oil for the poori to dip & the temperature should be sufficiently hot.

Spinach-Besan Paratha

Whole wheat parathas stuffed with spicy spinach & gram flour stuffing.

When talking about north Indian breakfast & especially in Rajasthan no breakfast is complete without parathas. Paratha is a must in any type of breakfast whether a simple daily breakfast made at home or a special table laid for the guests.

There may be hundreds of varieties in parathas.
Different people make spinach paratha in different ways. Some of them knead spinach & spices together with the dough, which is another easy way avoiding all the stuffing mess. When it comes to masala paratha for real spice lovers I prefer this method.

makes: 10 parathas

for the dough

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp oil

for stuffing

1 big bundle spinach

1/2 cup besan, gram flour

4 green chillies, finely chopped

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp chilli powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

salt to taste

1 tbsp oil

10tsp oil to fry parathas

for dough:

Mix together all the ingredients of the dough & knead using water. Don't knead the dough too soft as will not hold the stuffing properly.

for stuffing:1. Remove stems & wash spinach leaves. Drain thoroughly or towel dry the leaves as spinach leaves out its own juices while cooking.

2.Heat a pan & Roast the gram flour while stirrring until it leaves a nice aroma.

3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan, add cumin seeds. Add green chillies, chilli powder, turmeric & spinach. Cook on high until almost all the water has evaporated .Add salt & the gram flour which we already roasted to avoid raw flavour & mix well. Take care to add salt, the mixture should be slightly more salty as the dough will obsorb the extra salt when stuffed.

process:

 

1. Divide the dough & stuffing into 10 equal balls . Make a depression in the dough ball & stuff each with spinach stuffing & roll in a round shape.

2. Put the rolled paratha on a hot griddle & cook on both sides using 1 tsp oil (Add oil only after cooking lightly on both sides, Then cook both sides again by putting little pressure with the spatula or paratha press.)

3. Repeat for remaining dough.

serve hot with raita, pickles or just plain curds.

Easy to make Buns

A big thanks to my friend Nilu who introduced me to the basics of baking. Until then baking was a strict "no- no" for me.

One very important thing for perfect baking is that the measurements should be accurate. If you follow every step properly you can never go wrong with baking. Its the easiest thing once you learn it.

What you need:

1 cups tepid water

1 tbsp active dry yeast

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup oil

1/2 tsp salt

3 cups flour

little milk for brushing

seasame seeds for topping(optional)

1. Mix water, sugar & yeast in a bowl until frothy. Mix salt & half the quantity of oil.
2. Add the flour slowly & knead into a soft dough.grease a working surface & place the dough on it. Using the remaing oil knead using your palms for atleast 10-15 min or until the dough becomes lighter. This step is very important to incorpulate air in the dough.
3. Divide the dought into 14 equal parts & shape each into a ball (make smooth with no cracks). Place them on a greased baking tray leaving enough space in between for them to expand.
4. Cover the tray with a plastic wrap & place it in a warm place for about an hour or until the buns are doubled in size.
5. Pre-heat the oven at 180 degrees C. Remove the plastic wrap & brush the top of the buns with milk. You can also put seasame seeds on top.
6. Bake at 180 degrees C for the first 15 min. at 220 degrees C for another 15 min. Remove the buns with the help of spatula.

My entry for

Feena Roti

Feena Roti is a type of laccha paratha belonging to Rajasthani cuisine. Its mostly consumed during winter. My mom always made the roti very thick (almost 4 times the ones I have shown here) which used to be crispy outside & soft inside. My dad used to make a choorma out of it and he was very particular that only my mom should make the roti as when we made, it never was the same. I'll post the recipe for choorma very soon which is my father's speciality.

2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tbsp ghee

1/4 cup ghee for brushing

extra flour for dusting

1/2 tsp salt

1. Add 2 tbsp ghee to the flour and knead into a soft dough using about 1/2 cup of water. (quantity of water may vary depending on the obsorbing capacity of flour). Allow to stand for 5 min.

2. Divide the dough into six equal parts. Make small flat rounds. Using flour roll each round into a circle. Brush with 1 tsp ghee & sprinkle little flour on it.3. Make a hole in the centre bring the edges outwards as shown below.

4. Fold the outer edges as well. cut the loop at any point and make a roll.

5. Press the roll slightly & again roll out into a circle and put it on hot griddle(tava).

6. Cook slightly on both sides. Flip again and press with a kitchen towel on both sides to give it a crispy outer layer. (you can also put it over an open flame). The inner layer should be soft. Cook on high flame (as long it doesn't burn) to avoid chewy Roti.

Finally brush with ghee & serve hot with gravy vegetables or dal.

Repeat for rest of the dough balls.

my entry for