Flat Breads, Recipes

Methi na Dhebra

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Methi na Dhebra

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Serves: 6

Millet flour flat bread with fenugreek greens (fenugreek greens are bitter greens, especially eaten during winter months)
Ingredients
  • 2 cups bajri (millet) flour
  • ½ cup bhakhri flour or cream of wheat
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric
  • ¼ teaspoon chili powder (optional)
  • 2 teaspoons salt or to taste
  • 4 teaspoons sugar or to taste
  • 3 cups fresh chopped methi (fenugreek) leaves or frozen, thawed
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro
  • 2 jalapeno or serrano chili, finely minced
  • 1 inch piece of ginger, finely minced
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
  • ½ cup yogurt (not Greek)
  • Neutral oil for semi frying
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour for dusting and rolling
Directions
  1. Combine millet and wheat flours, olive oil, salt, sugar, turmeric and chili powder in large mixing bowl with hands. Add methi, cilantro, chili, ginger, garlic and yogurt. Mix them with hands and knead into soft dough. If mixture is dry, add some water to knead into soft and smooth dough. Cover dough with a plate or a kitchen towel and let it rest for 30 minutes.
  2. Divide dough into 20 to 25 equal parts and form into balls.
  3. Place all-purpose flour into a flat dish. Roll a ball of dough into flour and flatten it on a smooth cutting board (wooden or marble). Dip the flatten dough circle into flour again on both sides. Roll out into 4 inch diameter circle, dusting with flour if the dough starts sticking to the board.
  4. Heat a griddle or a flat non-stick pan on a medium heat. Transfer the dhebra on to heated pan. Let the first side cook for 30 seconds to 40 seconds or until small bubbles appear on surface and flip to the other side. Let the other side cook for one minute. Pour about one teaspoon of oil on the top surface of dhebra and flip. Cook the dhebra by pressing with a spatula on top surface for 30 to 40 seconds and flip. Cook the other side same way. Remove from the heat. Repeat the process with all the remaining dough balls.
  5. Serve as a snack or lunch with cilantro chutney and/or tomato chutney. Can also be served with a vegetable.
Notes
You can also use greens like spinach or kale in this recipe instead of fenugreek greens.

 

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Flat Breads, Recipes

Bajri na Rotla

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Bajri na Rotla

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Serves: 4

Traditionally millet flour flat bread (bajri na rotla) is made with hands (without use of rolling pin and flat surface) and cooked in a griddle made of clay.
Ingredients
  • 1 cup bajri (millet) flour
  • ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
  • Water as needed
  • ½ cup bajri or all-purpose flour, for dusting and rolling
  • ⅛ cup or less ghee or melted butter for brushing (optional)
Directions
  1. Combine salt and bajri flour in a medium mixing bowl. Gradually add water and knead into soft and smooth dough. Divide into 5 to 6 equal portions and roll into balls.
  2. Start heating a skillet or a griddle on medium high heat.
  3. Place flour for dusting and rolling in a plate. Dip a ball into flour and gently flatten it with your hand. Flip it on other side and roll it in flour. Start rolling dough on a wooden or marble cutting board either with a rolling pin or with your hands by gently pressing on dough and moving in a circle, until it makes a circle of 4 inch diameter. To roll this dough easily you will have to constantly dust flour on both sides.
  4. Transfer it to a heated skillet or a griddle and cook it on one side for 40 seconds to a minute or until small bubbles appear on surface. Flip it and cooked it on other side for a minute to minute and a half. Remove a skillet or a griddle from heat and increase heat to high. Place the first side of rotla on open flame and let the rotla puff up. Flip it to other side and let it cook for a 10 to 20 seconds. Remove from heat and transfer to a plate. Replace a skillet or a griddle over medium high heat. Dust off extra flour from rotla and brush the first side with ghee or melted butter. Repeat the process with remaining dough balls. Stack cooked rotla, and to keep rotla warm, wrap it in kitchen towel. Serve warm with a vegetable or bean dish and garlic chutney. Children love to eat rotla with ghee and jaggery (Indian raw sugar).

 

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Grains, Recipes

Khichdi

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Plain Khichdi

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Serves: 4

This simple meal of grain and dal is a staple of Gujarati meal. In most Gujarati households, you will find Khichdi with dinner. It can be prepared many ways, even with vegetables, making it a one pot meal.
Ingredients
  • 1 cup rice
  • ¾ cup toover dal (split pigeon peas) or mung dal (with or without skin)
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 4 cups of water
Directions
  1. Wash rice and dal together in a bowl until water is clear. Add 4 cups of water to cover rice and dal. Let it soak for 1 to 2 hours. (Soaking is optional).
  2. Pour rice and dal along with water into a medium Dutch oven or a soup pot. Add turmeric and season with salt. Stir everything and cover pot with a lid. Let Khichdi cook for 40 to 45 minutes or until rice and dal are tender.
  3. To cook khichdi in an Instant pot: Follow step 1. Transfer dal and rice to pot insert. Add turmeric and season with salt. Stir everything and cover pot with a lid. Set instant pot to pressure cook setting and set time for 15 minutes. For unsoaked rice and dal increase time to 20 minutes. Once cooking is over release steam and follow step 4.
  4. Serve hot with yogurt or plain chass (lassi) or vaghareli chass.

 

 

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Vaghareli Khichdi

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Serves: 4

Ingredients
  • 1 recipe plain Khichdi
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon Ghee (clarified butter)
  • ½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 2 to 3 cloves
  • 1 inch piece of cinnamon stick
  • Pinch of asafetida
  • ½ teaspoon chili powder
  • 6 to 7 curry leaves
Directions
  1. Follow step 1 of plain Khichdi.
  2. In a medium Dutch oven or a soup pot, heat oil and ghee over medium heat until shimmering. Add fenugreek seeds and let it sizzle. Add mustard seeds and let them sizzle as well. Add remaining Vaghar ingredients and stir contents of pot. Follow step 2 and 4 of plain Khichdi.
  3. To cook in an Instant pot: Follow step 1. Set instant pot to saute setting. Once inner pot is hot, heat oil and ghee until shimmering. Add fenugreek seeds and let it sizzle. Add mustard seeds and let them sizzle as well. Add remaining Vaghar ingredients and dal and rice with water. Stir the contents of pot and cover instant pot. Set it to pressure cook for 15 minutes. Increase time to 20 minutes for unsoaked rice and dal. Once cooking is over, release steam and follow step 4 of plain Khichdi.

 
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Mixed Grain Khichdi

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Serves: 4

Ingredients
  • ¼ cup each quinoa, pearl barley, and cracked wheat (or millet)
  • ½ cup split pigeon peas (toover dal)
  • 2 tablespoons clarified butter or ghee
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
  • Pinch of asafetida
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric
  • ½ teaspoon chili powder
  • 3 whole cloves
  • One inch piece of cinnamon stick
  • 7 to 10 curry leaves
  • 1 inch piece of ginger, finely minced
  • 1 jalapeno or serrano pepper (or to taste), finely diced
  • 3 cups of water or more
  • 1 teaspoon salt
Directions
  1. Combine quinoa, barley, cracked wheat and pigeon peas and rinse in a two to three of changes of water. Let it soak in 2 ½ cups water for at least 30 minutes (soaking is optional).
  2. In a medium Dutch oven or a soup pot, over medium-high heat, heat ghee and oil until it shimmers. Add mustard seeds and let it sizzle. Add curry leaves, all the dry spices and sauté until fragrant, for 30 seconds. Add the grain mixture along with water. Add green chili and ginger. Mix the contents of pot and season with salt. Add more water if necessary so that contents of pot are covered with water.
  3. Turn the heat up and bring contents of pot to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover the pot and simmer for 40 to 45 minutes or until all the liquid have absorbed and grains and dal are tender. Add more water if necessary.
  4. To cook in an Instant Pot: Follow step 1. Set instant pot to saute setting. Once inner pot is hot, heat ghee and oil until it shimmers. Add mustard seeds and let it sizzle. Add curry leaves, all the dry spices and sauté until fragrant, for 30 seconds. Add the grain mixture along with water. Add green chili and ginger. Mix the contents of pot and season with salt. Add more water if necessary so that contents of pot are covered with water. Cover instant pot and set it to pressure cook for 20 minutes. For unsoaked grains and dal set for 30 minutes. Release steam once cooking is over and follow step 4.
  5. Serve warm with plain chass (lassi) or vaghareli chass.

 
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Slow Cooker Vegetable Khichdi

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Serves: 8

Ingredients
  • 2 cups rice
  • 1 ½ cups toover dal (split pigeon peas) or mung dal (with or without skin)
  • 4 cups water
  • 2 teaspoons turmeric
  • 2 teaspoons salt or to taste
  • 3 tablespoons oil
  • 1 tablespoon Ghee (clarified butter)
  • ½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
  • 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
  • 3 to 4 cloves
  • 2 1-inch pieces of cinnamon stick
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon chili powder
  • 9 to 10 curry leaves
  • 1 small onion, small diced
  • 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
  • 2 inch piece of ginger, finely minced
  • 1 small potato, medium diced
  • 1 small carrot, medium diced
  • 2 to 3 cauliflower florets cut into bite size pieces
  • ½ cup frozen peas
Directions
  1. Wash rice and dal together in a bowl until water is clear. Transfer dal and rice to a 3-quart slow cooker pot and add 4 cups of water. Add turmeric and season with salt.
  2. In a separate frying pan, heat oil and ghee over medium heat until shimmering. Add fenugreek seeds and let it sizzle. Add mustard seeds and let them sizzle as well. Next add curry leaves, cloves, cinnamon sticks, black pepper and chili powder. Add onions and sauté them until translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add ginger and garlic and sauté for a minute. Add all the vegetables except peas and sauté for a minute. Pour everything on top of slow cooker pot.
  3. Stir the contents of pot, cover and cook on high for six hours. For the last half an hour add peas.
  4. Before serving check the seasoning. Serve hot with yogurt or plain chass(lassi) or vaghareli chass.
Notes
In this recipe you can use any vegetables (about 3 cups) you like. You can adjust the quantity of recipe depending on size of your slow cooker. The left overs can be frozen.

 
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Sabudana ni Khichdi

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Serves: 6

Many Indians keep fast during certain days. On those days they avoid eating foods with pronounced flavor which are called tamasic (bitter, sour, pungent, salty and dry) like garlic, asafetida, tamarind etc. They adhere to strict vegetarian diet which is sattvic (simple) like fruits, potatoes (root vegetables), rajgara (amaranth), singoda (chestnuts), sabudana (tapioca).
Ingredients
  • 1 ½ cup sabudana (tapioca pearls)
  • 1 medium size potato, cut into ¼ inch dice
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil or more
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 jalapeno or serrano chili, finely diced
  • 10-12 curry leaves
  • 1-inch piece of ginger, finely minced
  • 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 3 teaspoons sugar or to taste
  • ¼ cup roughly chopped roasted peanuts, for garnish
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro, for garnish
  • ½ cup plain yogurt, for serving
Directions
  1. Transfer sabudana to a mixing bowl and cover them with water. Let them soak in water for at least two hours or overnight. (it should be almost double in size).
  2. In a wok or frying pan heat oil on medium heat until shimmering. Add cumin seeds and let them sizzle. Add curry leaves and green chili. Sauté them until almost dry. Add ginger and potatoes. Add couple of tablespoons water and season potato with ½ teaspoon salt. Stir potatoes to cover them with spices. Cover wok or pan and let potato cook until tender, 7 to 8 minutes. Stir occasionally so that potato does not stick to bottom.
  3. Uncover wok or frying pan. Let water evaporate if any left in wok or pan. Drain sabudana (if there is excess water) and gently separate the pearls with a fork. Add sabudana to wok or pan and immediately stir them so that they do not clump together. If khichdi looks dry add more oil, a tablespoon at a time. Season khichdi with salt, sugar and stir. Cover wok or pan for not more than 2 to 3 minutes. Uncover and garnish with peanuts and cilantro. Immediately serve with plain yogurt.

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