BOTTLE GOURD PARATHA /LAUKI /DOODHI PARATHA/ DHEBRA/THEPLA

BOTTLE GOURD PARATHA /LAUKI /DOODHI PARATHA/ DHEBRA/THEPLA

Bottle gourd also known as Lauki and doodhi in India is a vegetable that many find tasteless and associate it with food that is usually served during sickness but the high nutrient value of this vegetable makes it an invaluable food in terms of the health benefits it provides and it would be excellent to add this vegetable to your diet.

Bottle Gourd - Image courtesy -Wikipedia

Benefits of eating Bottle gourd

Bottle gourd is a good source of fiber easy to digest and helpful in curing digestion related disorders like constipation, flatulence and piles.

•  It is an effective food for weight loss as it is low in fat and cholesterol. It contains around 96% water and provides around 12 Kcal of energy.

•  Bottle gourd is also rich in iron and has vitamin B complex and Vitamin C. If you are suffering from bleeding gums or scurvy bottle guard should be included in your diet.

•  Bottle gourd is found to be a very healthy food for hypertension patients because it contains only 1.8 mg per 100gm sodium and 87 mg of potassium.

•  Since the number of calories in bottle gourd is low, it can be used as a food for low-cal diets as well as for small children, diabetics and convalescents suffering from digestive problems.

•  This vegetable has a large quantity of water and contains cooling, calming and diuretic properties.

•  Drinking a glass of bottle gourd juice in the morning helps to prevent a heat stroke during summers.

•  It also helps in curing the burning sensation in the urinary passage because of its water content.

•  Taking a glass of bottle gourd juice in the morning daily can be very helpful for treating graying hair.

•  Conditions like diarrhea can be controlled by consuming bottle gourd.

•  Bottle gourd juice is helpful to curb hunger pangs in starvation condition.

•  A mixture of sesame oil with bottle gourd juice is an effective medicine for the treatment of insomnia condition.

•  Bottle gourd is also effective in treating cardiac ailments, alleviating bronchitis, cough, asthma and biligenic ailments

With so many benefits that the humble bottle gourd has, we should be including it in our diet shouldn’t we? One such dish is the Doodhi paratha or Lauki paratha also known as Dhebra in Gujarat, which is so tasty that we won’t be realizing how many parathas we are gobbling and enjoying the inherent qualities of bottle gourd at the same time. So do try this recipe and enjoy it.

Ingredients

Wheat flour - 3 cups

Gram flour(Besan) – 1 tbspn

Bottle gourd - 1 (peeled and grated)

Yogurt – 1 tbsp

Ginger – ½ inch 

Green chillies  - 2-3 (finely chopped)

Red chilli powder - 1 tspn

Turmeric powder- 1 tspn

Kasuri Methi powder – ½ tsp

Coriander powder- 1 tspn

Cumin powder - 1 tspn

Asafetida – ½ tsp

Salt to taste

Oil - 2 tspns

Sesame seeds – 1 tbsp

Method

Peel the bottle gourd and grate it. Squeeze out water by pressing lightly between both palms, save the water, you may need it later and can add it to the dough instead of using water. It is better to remove it initially and add later, because bottle gourd has too much water and you may end up with a very runny dough if you don't.  Make a paste of ginger and green chillies and add this to the grated bottle gourd, add 2 tbsps of oil, 1 tbsp yogurt, turmeric powder, kasuri methi powder, red chilly powder, asafetida, coriander powder, cumin powder, sesame seeds and salt and mix well with the grated bottle gourd, allow this to marinate for 10 minutes. After this add the wheat flour and gram flour and mix well, add some more salt at this point as salt added before may not be enough. Mix without adding water so that the flour and grated bottle gourd becomes one mixture. If required slowly add the squeezed out water from the grated bottle gourd that we earlier kept aside. just enough to form a firm dough, and knead till smooth. (like chappati /roti dough). Cover, let rest at least 1/2 hour, and knead again briefly. If resting more than 1 hour, punch and knead dough again before rolling out.

Divide into small balls about golf-ball size, and roll out into 12" rounds on a smooth surface. Heat a tava(flat non-stick pan) on medium flame, cook the paratha on one side first then flip to the other side after 2 mins. Flip one or two times more on either sides, adding vegetable cooking oil until you see brown spots on either sides. Serve hot.

This dish can be eaten with vegetables or with chutney and sauce as well.

It can be served as a nutritious breakfast or a main course for lunch or dinner.

This dish is not only healthy but also tasty.

NUTTY PARATHA

NUTTY PARATHA
Nutty Paratha is something I invented while thinking of how to feed my little one with nutritious food, considering the small portions that she has. She is a fussy eater and it’s tough to feed her. She likes chappati, so I thought of hiding some goodness or the other inside it and feed her. Nuts are good for health so I hid inside the conventional chappati roasted & chopped nuts and she fell for it. The secret was the slight sweetness imparted by the Roasted Sweet almonds, which gave it the taste of Puran poli (but less sweet)
The nuts I used were. (Please click on the link, to know more about the health benefits of the nuts.
Almonds ,  Cashewnuts , Pistachios

You can see that this Paratha is worthy of the royals…..

Ingredients

Whole wheat flour - 2 cups

Roasted sweet Almonds – 3 tbsp

Roasted Cashewnuts – 2 tbsp

Roasted Pistachios – 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Water for the dough
Oil – 1 tbsp & for cooking the paratha

Method

Mix the wheat flour, one tablespoon of oil, salt, mix well and make a dough adding a bit of warm water. Now slowly add in some warm water to make the dough. Knead it well till it becomes one uniform dough mix. Keep aside for half an hour. After this knead again well. Make small balls of the dough and roll it into a puri first, fill in the roasted & chopped nuts )close the filling by making it into half moon shape and then roll the sides and make a ball and then roll again like you do for chappati .

Then cook the Nutty Parathas on a flat bottomed pan (tava) using a few drops of oil / ghee, till u see brown spots appear on both sides as in the picture. Serve the hot parathas with any sabji of your choice.

BEET ROOT PARATHA

BEET ROOT PARATHA

Many people don’t like Beet-root, they don’t like the color, the look of it or even the taste of it, but Beet root is a it is a healthy food which is a rich source of natural sugar along with containing sodium, potassium, phosphorus, chlorine, iodine, iron and various important vitamins. The high nutrient value of beet root makes it an invaluable food in terms of health benefits it provides and it is thus used for therapeutic purposes.

Benefits of Beet Root

• Drinking beet root juice every day can help reduce one’s blood pressure.
• Beet root has natural property of cleaning the kidneys and gall bladder.
• The potassium present in it helps in providing nourishment to the body for daily functions while chlorine organically cleans the liver and kidney.
• In addition, it has positive effects on one’s digestive system as it helps in the treatment of digestive disorders and problems like jaundice, nausea and vomiting due to dysentery or diarrhea.
• Beet root combined with carrot juice can prove extremely beneficial in building the red corpuscles thereby helping in treating low vitality and anemia.
• Being an excellent solvent for inorganic calcium deposits, beet juice helps in the treatment of hypertension and other cardiovascular disorders.
• It is also extremely beneficial for women as it aids in the regulation of menstruation.

Along with having numerous health benefits, beet root is also beneficial for the skin.

• The water in which beet roots have been boiled proves effective for the treatment of boils, inflammation and even for skin breakouts like pimples.
• Similarly, the decoction of beets mixed with little vinegar can be used for the treatment of dandruff.

Though beet root has various health benefits, it should be avoided by diabetic patients since it is high in sugar content.

With so many benefits that the humble beetroot has, we should be including it in our diet shouldn’t we?, but it wouldn’t be fair for me to advice as I myself am not a beetroot lover, so I looks for ways to include beetroot in my food and getting the nutritious benefits out of it without feeling yucky about eating it.

Beetroot paratha is one such recipe, which is so tasty that we won’t be realizing how many parathas we are gobbling and enjoying the inherent qualities of beetroot at the the same time. So do try this recipe and enjoy it.

Ingredients

Wheat flour - 3 cups

Gram flour(Besan) – 1 tbspn

Beetroot - 2 (peeled, boiled and grated)

Fresh ginger -1 tspn of each

Green chillies - 2-3 (finely chopped)

Red chilli powder - 1 tspn

Turmeric powder- 1 tspn

Coriander powder- 1 tspn

Cumin powder - 1 tspn

Asafetida – ½ tsp

Salt to taste

Oil - 2 tspns

Sesame seeds – 1 tbsp

Method

Peel the beetroot and pressure cook it with a little salt upto 2 whistles, grate the cooked beetroot in a bowl. Make a paste of ginger and green chillies and add this to the grated beetroot, add 2 tbsps of oil, turmeric powder, red chilly powder, asafetida, coriander powder and Cumin powder, sesame seeds and salt and mix well with the grated beetroot, allow this to marinate for 10 minutes. After this add the wheat flour and gram flour and mix well, add some more salt at this point as salt added before may not be enough. Mix without adding water so that the flour and beetroot becomes one mixture. Then slowly add about 3/4 cup warm water, just enough to form a firm dough, and knead till smooth. (like chappati dough). Cover, let rest at least 1/2 hour, and knead again briefly. If resting more than 1 hour, punch and knead dough again before rolling out.

Divide into small balls about golf-ball size, and roll out into 12" rounds on a smooth surface. You can roll and keep on a newspaper in the picture and cook one after the other. This works out faster for me.Heat a tava(flat non-stick pan) on medium flame, cook the paratha on one side first then flip to the other side after 2 mins. Flip one or two times more on either sides, adding vegetable cooking oil until you see brown spots on either sides. Serve hot. This dish can be eaten with vegetables or with chutney and sauce as well. It can be served as a nutritious breakfast or a main course for lunch or dinner. This dish is not only healthy but also tasty.

I would like to send this recipe to Raks "Cooking for Guests" Event as I made these when my friend had come over for breakfast and served it with a dollop of butter and chutney and hot masala tea.

POORI (The Fried, Puffed Whole Wheat Bread), Awards & a Tag

POORI (The Fried, Puffed Whole Wheat Bread)

A puri or poori or boori is a South Asian unleavened bread prepared in many of the countries in South Asia including India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. It is consumed for breakfast, or as a snack or light meal. Puri is also the Georgian name for bread.

Puri is most commonly served at breakfast. It is also served at special or ceremonial functions; they sometimes are part of ceremonial rituals along with other vegetarian food offered in prayer as prasadam.

Puri can be made with Whole wheat flour (Atta) or with all purpose flour (Maida). Puri is often served with potato masala, chana masala, korma, and goes well with most North Indian gravies. In some Indian states it is served with halwa and in Maharashtra it is relished with Aamras.

In the north east of India, Puri is served with a special mixed vegetable which is prepared during puja and its also eaten with mistanno, a special kind of dessert prepared with rice, milk, sugar.

A variant of the puri is the bhatura which is three times a puri and thus a single bhatura, served with chole (spicy chick peas), often constitutes a full meal.

Another variant of the puri popular in the eastern states of West Bengal and Orissa is the Luchi.

(Some of the info courtesy:-Wikipedia)

Ingredients

Mix together in a bowl:

2 cups Indian whole wheat flour

1/2 Tablespoon vegetable oil

Salt to taste

Method

Slowly add about 3/4 cup warm water, just enough to form a firm dough, and knead till smooth. Cover, let rest at least 1/2 hour, and knead again briefly. If resting more than 1 hour, punch and knead dough again before rolling out.

Divide into small balls about golf-ball size, and roll out into 6" rounds on an oiled board. Heat vegetable oil in a wok or saucepan. Add a little salt to the oil to keep it from smoking. Fry the puri one at a time, holding them under the oil on the first side until they puff. Turn and fry till light brown; drain. While frying, the bread puffs up. After they become golden-brown in color, they are removed and served hot along with some accompaniment.

Serve as soon as possible as Puris are not so good later.

For spicy puris:

When making the dough, add the below mentioned dry ingredients:

Turmeric – a pinch

Red chilly powder – ½ tsp

Coriander powder – ½ tsp

Cumin powder – ½ tsp

Asafetida – a pinch

Salt as per taste

Oil – 1 tbsp

Mix the dough well then add water and mix and follow as above.

AWARDS & A TAG

Coming to the awards, I received the Kreative Blogger Award from Priti.

Thank you so much for sharing these wonderful awards with me I truly appreciate this.

The

Kreativ Blogger awards have some rules …

1. You must thank the person who has given you the award.

2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog

.

3. Link to the person who has nominated you for the award.

4. Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting.

5. Nominate 7 other Kreativ Bloggers.

6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.

7. Leave a comment on which of the blogs to let them know they have been nominated

So 7 things about myself.. Let's see if you find this interesting...

• I am a very social person

• I love blogging and in the panel to write for a few other blogs as well.

• I am a real estate agent which was not my field of study and I was featured on TV in Singapore

• I love singing and have won many accolades in the past.

• I love to cook and especially find street food extremely tempting.

• Iam a vegetarian and always find alternative recipes that vegetarians can enjoy.

• Iam a very straightforward and emotional person and expect people to be the

same with me.

And here are some of the tags I received:

•What is your current obsession?

Real estate & blogging

•What are you wearing today?

Iam at home and wearing my well worn and comfortable cotton gown

•What’s for dinner?

Pav bhaji

•What’s the last thing you bought?

Pants

•What are you listening to right now?

Teri Ore from Singh is King

•What do you think about the person who tagged you?

I think she is very talented

•If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be?

Mumbai anytime - Amchi Mumbai is where my heart is

•What are your must-have pieces for summer?

I think 4 quarter cotton pants and soft, pastel colored Cotton kurtis, I love to wear pastel colored Lucknowi Suits, Iced Sugarcane with ginger and lemon (my favorite) gallons of cold water.

•If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?

I think I would love to go to Venice

•Which language do you want to learn?

Mandarin, Telegu & Kannada

•What’s your favourite quote?

God helps those who help themselves

•Who do you want to meet right now?

God

•What is your favourite colour?

Blue

•What is your favorite piece of clothing in your own clo

set?

I think my latest wine color formal top which looks professional & slick.

•What is your dream job?

Cook and serve people with no expectation in return except for compliments

•What’s your favourite magazine?

Womans Era

•If you had $100 now, what would you spend it on?

Buy a decent purse and wallet as both of what I have are worn out.

•What do you consider a fashion faux pas? (faux pas mean error in etiquette.. )

To wear bindi and jumkas with western outfits

•Who are your style icons?

I like Simi Garewal…she is class personified…..

•Describe your personal style.?

Classic & simply elegant

•What are you going to do after this?

Watch TV

•What are your favourite movies?

Jaane Bhi do yaaron, Khubsoorat, Jhooti, Golmal, Amol Palekar movies are my absolute favorite.

•What are three cosmetic/makeup/perfume products that you can't live without?

Bodywash, Face Powder and Lipstick

•What inspires you?

Compliments, gratitude and encouraging words.

•Give us three styling tips that always work for you:

Hairstyle that you are comfortable in, Eyeliner to define your eyes and lipstick to define your lips. As Priti said I would like to say the same, Know what's suits you, never overdo your makeup, try to keep it simple and comfortable.

•What do you do when you “have nothing to wear” (even though your closet’s packed)?

Go Shopping

•Coffee or tea?

Tea

•What do you do when you are feeling low or terribly depressed?

Hug my little ones. Listen to some soothing music or try to catch up on an old comedy movie

•What is the meaning of your name?

Sukanya means “A good girl”

•Which other blogs you love visiting?

There are millions of blogs and every blog is creative

•Favorite Dessert/Sweet?

Gulab jamun and Gajar ka halwa

•What's the best feeling?

To love and be loved in return

•Who do you love most and why ?

I love my kids the most, because they are the most perfect beings in the world to me

Here is my new question: Reason(s) for you to blog?

I love blogging

Respond and rework – answer the questions on your own blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention, and add one more question of your own. Then tag eight or ten other people.

So now it's time to award & tag others and I would like to share all the awards and tag with. Sireesha , Sowmya , LG, Purva , Priyanka, Usha, Asha, Sanghi and Priyaraj

Please accept the awards and ignore the tag if you have done before.

Sireesha of mom’s recipes has passed me the Scrumptious Blog Award. Thank you Sireesha!!!

It is the Scrumptious Blog Award -a blog award given to sites who:

Inspire you

Encourage You

May give Fabulous information

A great read

Has Scrumptious recipes

Any other reasons you can think of that make them Scrumptious!

The rules are:

Put the logo on your blog or post.

Nominate at least 7 blogs

Let them know that they have received this Scrumptious award by commenting on their blog.

Share the love and link to this post and to the person you received your award from.

Sireesha also passed me the Fabulous Blog award

I would like to pass this award to my following blogger friends:

Sowmya, LG , Purva , Priyanka, Usha ,

Sanghi

and Priyaraj

I would like to send Puris to the Festive food event organized by Purva & Priti, as Puris are cooked during most festivals in many parts of India

I would like to send this recipe to Raks "Cooking for Guests" Event as I make these when guests come over and serve it with aaamras, potato masaala or chole.

I would also like to send Puris to EC’s WYF: Festive treat as Puri is a festive treat.

METHI CORRIANDER THEPLA (FENUGREEK CILANTRO BREAD)

METHI CORRIANDER THEPLA (FENUGREEK CILANTRO BREAD)

Thepla is a dish that we learned to make from our Gujarati neighbors. I love the fenugreek flavored spicy-sweet taste of the Thepla and always order for homemade theplas from Shilpaben who specializes in this Gujarati delight and even supplies to shops. I buy it directly from her when I am flying back to Singapore from India as I am assured of its freshness. Theplas have a long shelf life. They stay for as long as 4-5 days if the dough is made in the proper consistency.After that you can keep it in the fridge for another 10 days and later in the deep freezer for as long as you want it. Heat and eat this dish hen removed from the refrigerator.

Ask the connoisseur Shilpaben and she says, “It all depends on the “mon” (“mon” is the procedure of kneading the dough with the masalas and oil, prior to adding the fenugreek leaves and water. If the mixing and kneading is done properly then the theplas will be perfect.).

Usually I add 2 tbsps of Gram Flour (Besan) to the wheat flour, Gram flour adds to the softness of the dough, but this time I avoided it, I thought I will make it with whole wheat flour only.

My very good friend Deepali (who is a Gujarati by the way) says that, “Adding 2 tbsps of yogurt while kneading the dough, makes the theplas soft.

I love the spicy-sweet taste so I add jaggery to my dough and so does Shilpaben, but my friend Deepali says that Jaggery can be replaced with 2tbsps of sugar. Sugar retains the softness of the dough whereas jaggery makes it tougher, but I am partial to jaggery. Using jaggery or sugar reduces the bitterness imparted by the fenugreek leaves.

She also says that adding fresh green chillies ginger and garlic ground to a fine paste to the dough enhances the taste, but I have used only the dried powders in my recipe. I am definitely going to try using the freshly ground paste minus the garlic (as I don’t like garlic in my cooking).

I use white sesame seeds while kneading my thepla dough. Sesame seeds add a whole new dimension to the taste of the Thepla.

The gamut of flavors that explode in your mouth when you bite into your theplas with some juicy hot-sweet tangy chundo(Click on the link for recipe) is second to none.

Here Iam adding Corriander leaves(Cilantro) which is an absolute favorite of mine. So here is the traditional Methi thepla with a twist.

Fenugreek Cilantro Bread

Ingredients

Whole wheat flour - 2 cups

Fresh methi - 1 bunch / Kasuri Methi – 3tbsps

Corriander leaves – a small bunch

Jaggery, finely grated – 1 tbsp

Sesame seeds (Til) - 2 tsp

If you are using ginger, garlic & green chillies

Ginger - 1 inch piece

Garlic – 1-2 cloves

Green chillies – 2

Turmeric powder – ½ tsp

Red chilly powder – 1tsp

Cumin powder – 1tsp

Asafetida – a pinch

Salt to taste

Oil

Method

Pluck out the methi leaves only and wash it well. Chop it finely. If you are using Kasuri methi(dried methi leaves) then soak the kasuri methi in some warm water with salt for about 15 minutes, then drain the water and use the leaves only. Wash the coriander leaves and chop finely.

If you are using the fresh masala, grind the garlic, ginger and green chillies into a paste and mix with the wheat flour.

Mix the wheat flour, salt, Asafetida, the dry masalas(Turmeric, Red chilly powder and cumin powder, the fresh masala(ginger, chilly, garlic paste) if your are using, the sesame seeds and mix well with the flour, add grated jaggery and mix well, Add about 2 tbsps of oil (Adding oil keeps the theplas moist, soft and fresh for a longer shelf life), blend well and then add the freshly chopped methi leaves or the kasuri methi whichever u r using, Add the chopped coriander leaves also and mix well, If you are using yogurt add at this point. Now slowly add in some warm water to make the dough. Knead it well till it becomes one uniform dough mix (see the picture on your left). Keep aside for half an hour to an hour, for everything to marinate and the masalas to emanate its flavors. After this knead again well. Make small balls of the dough and roll it like you do for chappatis (click on the link to see the recipe for Chappatis in my blog). Then cook the theplas on a flat bottomed pan (tava) using a few drops of oil, till u see brown spots appear on both sides as in the picture. Serve the hot theplas with chundo(grated sweet mango pickle).

As it is a healthy and nutritious dish I would like to pack some theplas to "Lunchbox Treats" event by Smitha. 

RUMALI ROTI (ROOMALI ROTI) handkerchief like bread

Rumali Roti (Roomali Roti)

Roomal or Rumal means handkerchief. Since this bread is as thin as a handkerchief.
it has got its name as 'Rumali Roti' (Bread as thin as a handkerchief)

Ingredients:
1/2cup Whole Wheat Flour (Atta)
50 gms Maida
1/2 tsp Baking powder
2-3 tbsp oil or melted ghee
Water to knead
A pinch of salt

Method:
•Sieve wheat flour, maida, salt and baking powder together.
•Pour oil or Ghee in the flour and add water bit by bit and make a soft & elastic dough and keep it covered with moist muslin cloth or a damp cloth used to cover roti dough for 1/2 an hour.
• Knead well again and make small balls of the dough. Roll like a normal roti, ofcourse try to make it a little thin and not very thick like u make for parathas.

Here comes the trick that u see chefs do in hotels where there is courtyard cooking done. Now place the roti on the back side of your palms (palms facing down), circle your wrist slowly in an anti-clockwise motion. Try to swing the roti in the air, again let it land on your palms, make a large very thin circle 12" diameter. It should be as thin as tissue and expanded well.
If you can’t do the chef’s trick never mind, just roll each ball into a thin roti using little dry flour (it should be thin as a tissue)
•Heat an inverted griddle(tawa).
•Place the rumali roti carefully over it and cook till done. This roti takes harldy 1 minute to cook, once it is done, fold it like a handkerchief.
•Serve rumali roti hot. It should be eaten whilst hot. Once cold it becomes very elastic
and difficult to chew.
**Some people add eggs for softness or to stretch the dough further, but it isn’t necessary.

PESHAWARI NAAN

PESHAWARI NAAN
Peshawari Naan has gotten its name because it was first made in Pesahwar, now in Pakistan, this naan is very similar to the Kashmiri Naan, it has sugar and is stuffed with a mix of nuts, raisins/sultanas and desiccated coconut.

Ingredients
Maida or Self Raising Flour - 2 cups
Baking powder - ½ tsp
Soda - ¼ tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Sugar - 1 tsp
Fresh Yeast - 1 tsp
Warm Milk - ¼ cup
Yogurt - ¼ cup
Oil or Ghee - 2 tbsp
Poppy seeds - 2 tbsp

For the Stuffing
Granulated sugar – 4-5 tbsps
Slivered and chopped Cashew nuts – 1 -2 tbsps
Slivered and chopped Almonds - 1 -2 tbsps
Red Cherries - 1 -2 tbsps
Raisins – 1 – 2 tbsps
Desiccated coconut – 1-2 tbsps
These must be finely chopped, otherwise, the dough will burst while rolling out.

Method
In a Big bowl mix together 2 cups Maida, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp baking powder and ¼ tsp soda and 2 tbsp of oil or ghee.

In another small bowl, combine ¼ cup warm milk, ¼ cup Yogurt, dissolve 1 tsp sugar in it. Add 1 tsp fresh yeast and add this liquid to the flour mixture in the big bowl. Now mix all this together. Add warm water to make a very soft dough. Once you make the dough, Add a tablespoon of oil and mix well, so the dough becomes glazed with oil. Cover the dough with a wet cloth for around two hours. The dough will puff up and become almost double in volume.

Now make equal sized balls apply a little oil. Make a depression in the ball and place some of the stuffing in the center of the balls circle, then fold the edges of the dough up over the stuffing and pinch it together to enclose the stuffing; press with your hands to flatten the dough and then roll it into a round shape. Roll gently, vigorous rolling will make the stuffed naans burst.

Stretch it from one side to give it a triangular shape like the ones you see in a restaurant. Brush the surface gently with ghee or oil and sprinkle a few poppy, sesame or nigella (or other) seeds.

Now put it on the wall of a preheated Tandoor or cook in a preheated oven (250 degrees Celsius) by placing it on a greased tray.

Remove when it is crisp and golden brown on both sides. Your Naan is ready to be served with any nice curry.

KASHMIRI NAAN

KASHMIRI NAAN
Kashmiri food is known for its liberal use of nuts and its hot-sweet taste. Here is a recipe of Kashmiri Naan. A sweet bread with nuts and cherries.
Ingredients
Maida or Self Raising Flour - 2 cups
Baking powder - ½ tsp
Soda - ¼ tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Sugar - 1 tsp
Fresh Yeast - 1 tsp
Warm Milk - ¼ cup
Yogurt - ¼ cup
Oil or Ghee - 2 tbsp

For the Stuffing
Granulated sugar – 4-5 tbsps
Slivered and chopped Cashewnuts – 1 -2 tbsps
Slivered and chopped Almonds - 1 -2 tbsps
Red Cherries - 1 -2 tbsps
In a mixie make a fine paste of all the ingredients. Keep some finely chopped cashews and almonds separately for it to stick out on the Naan.

Method
In a Big bowl mix together 2 cups Maida, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp baking powder and ¼ tsp soda and 2 tbsp of oil or ghee.

In another small bowl, combine ¼ cup warm milk, ¼ cup Yogurt, dissolve 1 tsp sugar in it. Add 1 tsp fresh yeast and add this liquid to the flour mixture in the big bowl. Now mix all this together. Add warm water to make a very soft dough. Once you make the dough, Add a tablespoon of oil and mix well, so the dough becomes glazed with oil. Cover the dough with a wet cloth for around two hours. The dough will puff up and become almost double in volume.

Now make equal sized balls apply a little oil. Make a depression in the ball and place some of the stuffing (the paste that is made) in the center of the balls circle, then fold the edges of the dough up over the stuffing and pinch it together to enclose the stuffing; press with your hands to flatten the dough and then roll it into a round shape. Stretch it from one side to give it a triangular shape like the ones you see in a restaurant. Stick some finely chopped cashews and almonds on top of the Naan. It will get nicely toasted when cooked inside the tandoor.

Now put it on the wall of a preheated Tandoor or cook in a preheated oven (250 degrees Celsius) by placing it on a greased tray.

Remove when it is crisp and golden brown on both sides. Your Naan is ready to be served with any nice curry.

Note: You can either use fresh cherries or Canned cherries

KULCHA

KULCHA
Ingredients
Maida or Self Raising Flour- 2 cups
Baking powder - ½ tsp
Dry Yeast - 1 tsp
Oil - 2 teaspoons
Sesame seeds – 1-2 tbsps
Salt as required

Method
Dissolve the dry yeast in half a cup of warm water and keep in a warm place for 10 to 15 minutes. Mix salt and oil with flour. Pour dissolved yeast mixture and mix into the dough. Use warm water to knead the dough.

Once you make the dough, Add a tablespoon of oil and mix well, so the dough becomes glazed with oil. Cover the dough with a wet cloth for around two hours. The dough will puff up and become almost double in volume. Now make equal sized balls apply a little oil if required. Roll into thick round chapattis. Brush on Sesame seeds to the top portion of the Kulcha. Apply water to the bottom portion of the kulcha and put the Kulcha on a Tava(Flat bottomed pan). Close with a lid and allow the Kulcha to puff up in a medium flame. You can use tongs to lift and check if the Kulcha is done or not. Once it is puffed up and done on the bottom side. Using tongs cook the top side on direct flame till the top turns light golden in color.

NAAN

NAAN
Naan is a very popular Indian bread served in most Indian Restaurants. People all over the world eat it with relish. The Naan is usually baked in a Tandoor which is a barrel shaped earthen oven. Coal is burnt at the bottom and heats the clay interiors. This makes the temperatures inside very hot, around 800 F. The Tandoors cook food at very high temperatures. It is impossible to have that high a temperature in a domestic oven. But for people who want to enjoy homemade Naans, you can cook it in a closed charcoal grill or in an Oven.

Eggs are usually used to soften the dough and make it more stretchy, Here is a recipe without eggs. One thing to remember is that if you are not using eggs you need to substitute it with equal amount of Yogurt in volume. If you don’t have good homemade yogurt available, substitute it with equal volume of buttermilk or whole-milk.

NAAN
Ingredients
Maida or Self Raising Flour- 2 cups
Baking powder - ½ tsp
Soda - ¼ tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Sugar - 1 tsp
Fresh Yeast - 1 tsp
Warm Milk - ¼ cup
Yogurt - ¼ cup
Oil or Ghee - 2 tbsp
Onion Seeds (Kalonji) – 1-2 tbsps as required(optional).

Method
In a Big bowl mix together 2 cups Maida, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp baking powder and ¼ tsp soda and 2 tbsp of oil or ghee.

In another small bowl, combine ¼ cup warm milk, ¼ cup Yogurt, dissolve 1 tsp sugar in it. Add 1 tsp fresh yeast and add this liquid to the flour mixture in the big bowl. Now mix all this together. Add warm water to make a very soft dough. Once you make the dough, Add a tablespoon of oil and mix well, so the dough becomes glazed with oil. Cover the dough with a wet cloth for around two hours. The dough will puff up and become almost double in volume.

Now make equal sized balls apply a little oil and put onion seeds on top. Roll it into a round shape. Stretch it from one side to give it a triangular shape like the ones you see in a restaurant.

Now put it on the wall of a preheated Tandoor or cook in a preheated oven (250 degrees Celsius) by placing it on a greased tray.

Remove when it is crisp and golden brown on both sides. Your Naan is ready to be served with any nice curry.

VARIATIONS TO THE PLAIN NAAN

BUTTER NAAN
Once the Naan is cooked. Add a dollop of butter to it. The butter will melt ans settle on top of the naan. Serve the Naan with the melted golden butter. That is your restaurant style butter Naan.

CHEESE NAAN (Naan with Mozarella Cheese)
When the Naan is almost done, remove it. Sprinkle it with grated cheese and put it back in the oven, till the cheese melts. Don’t add grated cheese to the uncooked naan as the cheese will cook very fast and the naan wont be done.

PANEER NAAN (Naan with cottage cheese)
When the Naan is almost done, remove it. Sprinkle it with crumbled or grated paneer and put it back in the oven, till the paneer and the naan get cooked.Don’t add the Paneer to the uncooked naan as it will cook very fast and the naan wont be done.

GARLIC NAAN
Chop the around 5-6 cloves of Garlic into fine pieces and mix it with some cooking oil and a pinch of salt. With a butter knife spread the mixture onto the unbaked naans, before putting it in the tandoor/oven. So when the Naan is cooked, the Garlic will also be cooked and when u serve it will stuck onto the top of the Naan, so you can easily identify which Naan it is, incase you are serving assorted breads.

PUDINA NAAN (Minty Naan)
Take fresh mint leaves and mix it with some oil and salt. You can chop the mint leaves or use them as a whole leaf. Apply the mixture to the Naan, in such a way that the leaves stick on to the upper side of the Naan. Apply it when it is half cooked else the leaves will get charred in the Tandoor / Oven.

DHANIYA NAAN (Coriander Naan)
Take fresh coriander leaves and mix it with some oil and salt. You can chop the coriander leaves or use them as a whole leaf. Apply the mixture to the Naan, in such a way that the leaves stick on to the upper side of the Naan. Apply it when it is half cooked else the leaves will get charred in the Tandoor / Oven.

Note: The Naan has to be always served hot, Once it is cold it becomes very chewy and hard.

BHAKRI - Roti using Bajra flour

BHAKRI
Bhakri - A roti made out of Bajra is very simple and easy to make, it is usually made with the hand and you don’t use a rolling pin and base as is used in normal rotis. Bajra is very good for health. It is usually eaten during winters as it is heaty and provides warmth to the body. Bajra should be freshly ground. If the Bajra flour is very old the rotis won’t be so tasty and they may feel bitter. Traditionally, the bhakri is made on mud tavas (flat bottomed pans made of mud), the experts can make big size bhakris in minutes, but for beginners try starting with smaller size bhakris. The dough is not as smooth as the chappati dough as the gluten content is low in bajra. Making Bhakri is a little tricky for beginners, but with practice it gets better. Bhakri is very heavy and a person can eat just one or two.

Ingredients
Bajra Flour – 2 cups
Salt to taste
Water to make the dough

Method
If the flour is fresh no need to use salt also in the dough, but if you cant get the fresh flour, we need to enhance the taste by using salt. Since this roti doesn’t use salt or oil in the dough, it is considered very healthy.

In a bowl take 2 cups of bajra flour, salt as per taste and water enough to make the dough. Now make balls of the dough and using your palms flatten the dough. Use your fingers and start spreading it on your palm. Once you cross the size of your palm, Heat a tava, put the bhakri on the tava and using water spread the dough some more and try to make the bhakri bigger. Now make your palm wet and smear the top with a little water. Sprinkle water on all sides. Allow it to cook on one side, then turn it and cook it on the other side. Then with tongs cook on both sides on direct flame. When the Bhakri gets brown spots on both sides like chappati. It is done. Serve hot with lasoon chutney and a dollop of fresh white butter. Bhakri is best eaten with Zunka and Pitla. It also tastes good with Methi bhaji and Rassyacha Batata.

(Refer to the Maharashtrain Delights section of my blog for the recipes of Zunka, Pitla, Rassyacha Batata and Mirchi cha Thecha)

My husband loves to eat his bhakri with Zunka and Mirchi cha Thecha.