Bajre ka Khichda and Matar ki Subzi - 1

This is a traditional rajasthani dish.. meant for cold weather. It's your typical comfort food that makes you feel nice and warm all over. You can the salty version with peas or the sweet version with Bura (powdered sugar). The ingredient that gives it the taste is ghee (Clarified butter).

I'll split this post in 2 parts. One deals with the Khichda (that's a kind of porridge) made from Bajra (Pearl Millet) and the other with a peas preparation that you eat the khichda with.

So part 1. For the Khichda:
You need:
Pounded Bajra - 2 cups
Water - 6 cups
Milk - 1 cup
Salt - to taste
Ghee - 1 cup

How to:
In a large cooker add the pounded bajra, water and salt. Close the cooker and give 5 whistles on high flame. Let the cooker cool. Open and put it back on medium flame. Add milk. Keep cooking for another 15 minutes stirring occasionally to avoid the khichda sticking on the bottom of the cooker. Add more water if needed. The consistency should be semi-liquid. Cook till the millet is soft to eat. Add the ghee and beat it into the khichda. Serve hot with matar ki subzi, green, chutney, and pickle.

Shortly coming up - post 2 with the matar ki subzi.

Vegetable Porridge

Not like the usual bland porridge, this daliya is healthy and tasty. Perfect for any meal and quick and easy to make.

You need:
Broken wheat (Daliya) - 1 cup
Split moong dal (green gram lentil) - 1/2 cup
Onions - 2 finely chopped
Tomato - 1 finely chopped
Chopped mixed vegetables - 1 cup (carrots/peas/cauliflower/turai/bottle gourd)
Green chilly - 1 finely chopped
ghee - 1 tbsp
red chilly powder - 1 tsp
turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Juice of 1/2 lemon
water - 5 cups
Salt to taste

How to:

• In a pressure cooker, heat the ghee and fry the daliya (broken wheat) till it is fragrant and nicely roasted.


• Add onions and cook for 1 minute


• Add tomatoes, green chilly and the other vegetables and cook for 1 more minute


• Add everything else except lemon juice and mix well


• Close the cooker and cook on high flame for 1 whistle


• Reduce the flame and cook for another 10 minutes


• Remove from flame and let the cooker cool before opening


• Open the cooker, add the lemon juice and mix well. Ready to eat. Tastes yum with green coriander chutney and pickle.

Breadrolls

This is something that makes me drool on a cool rainy day. Crispy, fried, hot.. just what the day needs to make it perfect.
You will need:

• Boiled potatoes - 2 ( if you like veggies you can also use, 1 boiled potato and 1 cup of mixed boiled vegetables)


• White bread slices - 6 (don't use brown bread as it soaks in more oil)


• Green chilly - 1 chopped


• Coriander leaves - a handful - chopped finely (optional)


• Fennel seeds - 1 tsp


• Red chilly powder - 1 tsp


• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp


• Salt to taste


• Oil to deep fry

How to:

• Finely mash the potatoes/ vegetables


• Add all the remaining ingredients except bread and oil. Mix well. Taste to check if the spice is according to your taste and adjust the mixture.


• Cut off the brown edges of the bread slices


• Dip one slice of bread in a little water and quickly squeeze it out tight between your palms. This moist bread will be the covering of the roll


• While holding the pressed bread slice in your hand, put some filling in the center. Fold the bread slice diagonally and press the ends closed to make a long roll


• Make all 6 rolls and if you have time cover with a moist cloth and keep in the fridge for 15 minutes


• Heat oil in a deep pan. Fry the rolls till they are golden brown in color. Remove from flame and serve hot with ketchup

Roasted rosemary vegetables

This is a quick fix I do when in need for a quick snack. Comfort food at it's best.
You need:
Red bell pepper - 1/2
Yellow bell pepper - 1/2
Capsicum - 1/2
Potato - 1 large
French beans - a handful
Olive oil - 2 tbsp
Rosemary - 1 tsp
Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
Salt and pepper to taste

How to:

• Chop the bell peppers and capsicum in large pieces. Break the french beans into 1" pieces. Slice the potatoes like chips.


• Heat a griddle and add the olive oil


• Roast the vegetables on the griddle till they are slightly soft and brown - almost like barbecuing them.


• Toss the vegetables with salt, pepper, rosemary and lime juice.


• Ready to eat with a thick piece of wheat loaf

Stuffed parantha - Potato

Since i've already written on how to make a stuffed parantha, this is just the stuffing recipe. Just like my mom makes it:
For the stuffing you need:

• 2 big potatoes - boiled and peeled


• red chilly powder - 3/4 tsp


• turmeric powder - 3/4 tsp


• Salt to taste


• 1 green chilly - finely chopped


• Fennel seeds (saunf) - 1 tsp


• Fresh coriander leaves - a handful, finely chopped (optional)

How to:
Mash the potatoes finely and add all the other ingredients to it. Mix well. Do taste to adjust the spices according to you.
Make the parathas and cook as mentioned in my post "Stuffed parantha - palak"

Mint and Cucumber Raita

This is one of those super refreshing accompaniments that go so well with the afternoon meal. And ready in a jiffy.

You need:
3 cups of curd - sieve it to remove any lumps
1 cup finely chopped/ grated cucumber
1/4 cup mint leaves - finely chopped
Sugar - 1 tsp
Roasted cumin seeds (jeera)- slightly ground
salt - to taste

How to:
Mix curd, cucumber, sugar and mint together and chill in the fridge for some time. Just before serving add the salt and garnish with the roasted cumin seeds.

Stuffed Paranthas - Palak

Parantha's (a kind of griddle cooked flat bread) are an evergreen north Indian breakfast option. There are a variety of stuffing one can use to make delicious and healthy paranthas. My breakfast for tomorrow is stuffed palak paratha. This one is a little tricky so I'll put in an how to make it easy tip at the end ;) read on:
You need:
Wheat flour - 2 cups
Curd - 1 tbsp
Salt - 2 tsp
Red chilly powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
1 green chilly - finely chopped
Palak (spinach) - chopped finely 2 cups (wash really well before chopping)
Oil for cooking
Water for kneading the dough

How to:
Add 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp oil and curd to the wheat flour. Mix slightly and then with water knead into a tight dough. Cover and keep aside.
Drain the washed and chopped spinach really well to remove all water. Add red chilly powder, turmeric powder, green chilly, and cumin seeds. Mix well. DO NOT add salt at this point. If you do, the spinach will leave water and cannot be used as stuffing.
Take the dough and knead it some more till it is smooth. Divide into fist size parts. Roll out each part with a rolling pin into small circles. Put a drop of oil in the middle of the circle, add a pinch or 2 of salt (according to your taste) and spread evenly on the circle. Put a little of the spinach filling in the center and fold the edges to close the ball. Roll out again into a flat round bread. Sprinkle some wheat flour while rolling to avoid the bread sticking to the surface.

Heat a griddle and put the rolled parantha on it to cook. Spread a little oil on both sides and cook till they are nicely crisp and brown.

An easier way to make it is to mix all the ingredients together (even the spinach) while kneading the dough. Then you only need to roll it out and cook it and avoid the messiness of the stuffing. tastes are different though and I prefer the stuffed version :)

More stuffing recipes coming up :)