Making Parathas Method V

Method V: Fold the Edges

• Put the Whole Wheat Flour, salt and oil in a bowl and mix. Gradually add water and bind the mixture into soft dough.
• Divide the dough into equal sized balls.
• Flour a clean surface and roll each ball out into a circle about 3-4" in diameter.

• Put one tbsp of the stuffing into the center of the circle.

• Fold the edges over to cover the filling completely.

• Gently press the ball into a patty so that the edges are sealed.

• Roll out the Patti into a circle of 6-7" diameter (paratha) sprinkling whole-wheat flour on the surface to avoid sticking of paratha with rolling pin.

• Carefully place the paratha on a hot griddle or pan (tava). Allow cooking for a minute then turning it over with a flat spoon, smear a little Vanaspati ghee or oil on the top of paratha. After a minute turn it over again, and spread some more Vanaspati or oil on the other surface of the paratha also.
• Remove from the griddle, keep on an absorbent paper.
• Serve hot with yogurt, pickle and salad.

Making Paratha Method IV

Method IV: Pinching the Center

• Divide the dough into equal sized small balls.
• Flour a clean surface and roll each ball out into an oblong chapati about 8" in length and 4-5” in width.

• Now with the help of thumb and first finger pinch the centre of chapati to form dumble shaped structure.

• Place stuffing on one part of the dumble and fold the other over it.

• Press gently around the edges.

• Carefully roll out the stuffed circles into paratha, sprinkling whole-wheat flour on the surface, to avoid sticking of paratha with rolling pin.
• Heat a griddle (tawa) and place a paratha on the griddle. Flip the paratha when tiny bubbles rise on the surface. Drizzle a bit of ghee/oil on the top and spread well over the surface of the paratha. Flip the paratha again after few seconds and drizzle ghee on this surface too. The paratha is done when both sides are crispy and golden brown. Remove from the griddle and repeat with the other parathas until all are cooked.

Making Paratha Method II

Method II: Roll and Spiral

• Divide the dough into equal sized balls.
• Flour a clean surface and roll each ball out into a circle about 5-6” in diameter.

• Spread masala for stuffing evenly on the flattened surface.

• Roll it now into a cylinder shaped structure.

• Coil this cylinder into a spiral.

• and form a blob

• Flour the rolling surface lightly and very gently roll out the spiral into a flat circle about 5-6” in diameter.

• Heat a griddle and put a paratha over it. Flip the paratha when you see tiny bubbles rising on the surface of the paratha. Drizzle a bit of oil on the top and spread well over the surface of the paratha. Flip again and drizzle some more oil on this surface too. The paratha is done when both sides are crispy and golden brown.

Making Paratha Method I

Method I: Khasta Paratha

• Divide the dough into equal balls. Dust lightly the rolling surface and roll the dough balls into 7-8-inch discs.

• Apply 1 tsp oil evenly over one side. Dust dry maida over this oiled surface.

• Fold one third of the disc as shown in the picture.

• Again fold one third from the other side to form a three layered strip.

• Fold one third of the strip over other two third part.

• Fold again other one third part thus making a square which is nine layered.

• Roll out it into a paratha. At this stage you can cook it on tawa.

• If you want more layers, fold the Paratha as shown below and form a blob.

• Remember each time you have to apply some oil and dust maida over the surface.
• Flour the rolling surface lightly and very gently roll out the blob (pedha) into a flat circle about 7-8” in diameter.

Making Parathas Method III

Method III : Triangular paratha

• Divide the dough into equal sized portions and roll each portion into a ball between your palms.
• Lightly flour a rolling board and roll out each ball into a 6-7” circle. Now grease the top surface of this flattened dough circle with oil and then sprinkle flour over it. Fold the circle into half in such a way that oily surface remains inside.

• Apply some oil and then flour on the folded surface of the half circle and fold it again to make a triangular structure.

• Flour the rolling surface lightly and roll out the triangle into a flat big triangular paratha.

Making Parathas -Method VI

Method VI: Poori over Poori

• Mix wheat flour, Maida, salt, oil and knead it into smooth dough using warm water. Cover the dough with moist kitchen towel and keep aside for 1 hour.
• Divide the dough into equal sized small balls.
• Flour a clean surface and roll each ball out into a circle (like pancakes) about 2-3" in diameter.

• Place stuffing on one circle of dough

• and cover the stuffing with the other circle.

• Press gently around the edges.

• Flatten it and then carefully roll out to the size of paratha very gently (sprinkling some whole-wheat flour on the surface where it is rolled out) so that the filling does not come out.

• Heat a griddle on medium flame and place a paratha on the griddle. Flip the paratha when tiny bubbles rise on the surface. Drizzle a bit of ghee on the top and spread well over the surface of the paratha. Flip the paratha again after few seconds and drizzle ghee on this surface too. The paratha is done when both sides are crispy and golden brown. Remove from the griddle and repeat with the other parathas until all are cooked.
• Serve with green cilantro chutney and/or pickle

Roasted Cumin Seeds

Roasted Cumin Seeds

Roasted cumin seeds are used in many Indian dishes especially Raitas and Panna.

Prepapation:

• Put 1-2 tbsp of whole cumin seeds into a heavy frying pan (you can use tawa also) and place the pan over a medium flame.
• No fat is required.
• Stir the seeds and keep roasting them until they turn a few shades darker. Seeds start emitting wonderful roasted aroma when they are ready.
• When cool store in airtight container.

Ground Roasted Cumin Seeds

• Put the roasted seeds into an electric coffee grinder or other spice grinder and grind them finely.
• You can also use a pestle and mortar for this.
• Simpler way is to crush them with a rolling pin.
• Store in a tightly lidded jar.

Salt Mix

Salt Mix is prepared my mixing three types of salts in equal proportion.

Ingredients:

· 1 tsp Plain salt (namak)
· 1 tsp Black salt (kaala namak)
· 1 tsp Rock salt (sendha namak)

Method:

Mix together all the three types of salts and store in a container.

Is a Tomato Fruit or Vegetable? Do you know?

To determine the difference between fruit and vegetable let’s examine what makes a fruit a fruit and what makes a vegetable a vegetable.

If you are speaking in a botanical or scientific context, then pumpkin, tomato, capsicum, cucumber, and squash are fruits because they all have seeds. If you are speaking in culinary terms, they can all be properly called vegetables.

What are vegetables?

‘Vegetable’ is a culinary term. Its definition has no scientific value and is somewhat arbitrary and subjective.

All parts of herbaceous plants eaten as food by humans, whole or in part, are generally considered vegetables. Therefore vegetables include leaves (Spinach, Celery, Lettuce, Cabbage), stems (Asparagus, Celery, Kohlrabi), flowers (Broccoli, Artichokes, Cauliflower), fruits (Tomato, Pumpkin, Squash, Zucchini Cucumber), seeds (peas, beans), root and tubers (Radish, Beetroot, Carrot, Sweet Potato, Yam, Turnip), or bulbs (Garlic, Shallot, Onion).

Vegetables are relatively low in fructose and have a more savory or starchy taste.

There are many botanical fruits that are labeled as vegetables due to their culinary preparation as well as cultural use. The tomato, eggplant and bell pepper are traditionally thought of as vegetables.

Corn kernels and pea pods are also referred to as a vegetable but classified as a fruit. These particular fruits are routinely served in entrées as part of a savory dish and are therefore, from a cultural perspective, considered to be vegetables.

Mushrooms are fungi, not herbaceous plants; they are considered vegetables due to their inclusion in savory dishes or entrées.

What are fruits?

The term fruit has different meanings dependent on context, and the term is not synonymous in food preparation and biology.

Fruits are sweet because they contain plenty of fructose, which vegetables usually lack.

Botanical fruits:

Scientifically, a fruit is a seed-bearing part of a plant. It is a ripened ovary. It cannot be formed without pollination of a flower. During pollination male gamete is transferred through pollen, to the stigma of the flower, and then to the ovary where it joins the female gamete and forms a zygote. As the developing seeds mature, the ovary begins to grow and ripens. The ovary wall, may become fleshy, or form a hard shell (nuts are also fruits). Fruit development continues until the seeds mature. Plants develop fruit to help them spreading the seeds to preserve and multiply the species.

So, the seeds are what make a fruit a fruit (however, there are certain fruits which are seedless). However, a great many common vegetables, as well as nuts and grains, are the fruit of the plant species they come from.

No one terminology really fits the enormous variety that is found among plant fruits.

Culinary fruits:

Any sweet, edible part of a plant that resembles fruit, even if it does not develop from a floral ovary, is known as culinary fruit.

In many species, the fruit incorporates the ripened ovary and surrounding tissues.

In cuisine, when discussing fruit as food, the term usually refers to just those plant fruits that are sweet and fleshy, examples of which include plum, apple and orange.

Rhubarb may be considered a fruit by some Botanists, though only the astringent petiole is edible.

In the commercial world, European Union rules define carrot as a fruit for the purposes of measuring the proportion of ‘fruit’ contained in carrot jam.

Amazing Nutrition Facts:

1. In the culinary sense, a fruit is usually any sweet tasting plant product associated with seed(s), a vegetable is any savory or less sweet plant product, and a nut any hard, oily, and shelled plant product.
2. Some fruits are considered fruits in both culinary and botanical senses. Ex, Mangoes, Grapes, Water melon, Pomegranate Oranges etc.
3. Many items commonly called ‘vegetables’ are technically fruits. Ex, eggplants, tomatoes, pumpkins, bell peppers, Bitter gourd etc.
4. Most of the cereals are technically fruits termed a caryopsis. The fruit wall of cereal grains, such as corn, wheat and rice is very thin and fused to the seed coat. Therefore, they are considered by some as edible seeds.
5. Some spices like peppers and chili are technically fruits.
6. Many culinary fruits including Figs, Pineapple, and Strawberries are not fruits in the strict botanical sense.
7. The precise meaning of fruit and vegetable may also depend on local culinary traditions as well. For example, in Brazil the avocado is traditionally consumed with sugar as a dessert or in milk shakes, and hence regarded as a fruit; whereas in other countries (including Mexico and the United States) it is used in salads and dips, and hence considered a vegetable.

So, there you have the difference between fruit and vegetable and an amazing nutrition fact that scientifically a tomato is a fruit while in culinary and legal terms it is a vegetable.

Whole Wheat flour

Whole wheat flour is a powdery substance derived by grinding or mashing the wheat’s whole grain. The word "whole" refers to the fact that all of the grain (bran, germ and endosperm) is used and nothing is lost in the process of making the flour.

The most common type of whole wheat flour in United States is textured brown since it is made from red wheat variety.

In United Kingdom, white whole wheat flour is common which is made from soft white wheat variety.

White whole wheat has almost the same nutrient content as red whole wheat. However, soft white whole wheat has lower gluten content and contains a lower protein content (between 9% and 11%) when compared with harder wheat varieties like red (15%-16% protein content) or golden wheat. Due to higher protein content, red wheat flour needs more water than white wheat flour to prepare dough.

Soft white wheat is lacking in tannins and phenolic acid causing white whole wheat to appear and taste more like refined red wheat; it is whitish in color and does not taste bitter.

In terms of the parts of the grain used in flour, there are three general types of flour:

· Whole wheat flour is made from the whole cereal grains which contain bran, germ and endosperm.

• Refined white flour is made from the refined cereal grains, which contain only endosperm.

• Germ flour is made from the endosperm and germ, excluding the bran.

Benefits of whole wheat flour:

• Whole wheat flour is more nutritious than refined white flour. It contains the macronutrients of the wheat's bran and germ (especially fiber and protein).
• Whole wheat is a good source of calcium, iron, fiber, and other minerals like selenium.

Drawbacks of whole wheat flour:

• Whole wheat flour has a shorter shelf life than white flour, as the higher oil content leads to rancidification. It is also more expensive.
• Whole wheat flour adds a certain "heaviness" in baking items like bread etc. which prevents them from rising, as good as white flours, requiring more flour to obtain the same volume. It also needs more water to prepare dough due to bran, germ and higher gluten content.

Important to note:

It is important to note that any products made with flour can have the same effect on blood sugar, whether the flour is produced from whole grains or not. For example, whole-grain wheat bread and white bread can have the same glycemic index. Grinding grains into flour increases the surface area upon which enzymes work more quickly to convert starch into glucose.

What are culinary nuts?

Nut is a general term for the large, dry, oily seeds or fruits of some plants.

According to the botanical definition, nuts are a type of dry one-seeded fruits that are indehiscent i.e. they do not split apart along a single seam once they have reached maturity. The pericarp (fruit wall) becomes hard at maturity. Examples are Acorns (in oaks), Chestnuts, Hickory and Hazelnuts etc.

In culinary terms, however, the word nut is used more broadly to include fruits, and even seeds, that are not botanically qualified as nuts, but those have a similar appearance and culinary role. Any large, oily kernel found within a shell and used in food may be regarded as a nut. The term nut is also used to refer to various hard-shelled fruits or seeds.

Thus both botanical (true) nuts and non botanical nuts (various hard-shelled fruits and seeds) are included in the list of culinary nuts.

Culinary nuts are:

• True nuts (dry indehiscent single seeded fruits): Acorns, Chestnuts, Hickory and Hazelnuts
• Seeds of Drupe fruit (fleshy fruit with a single stone or pit) also called as Drupaceous nuts: Cashew nuts, Brazil nuts, Coconut, Walnuts, Pecans, Almond, Pistachio nuts
• Seeds of Legumes (Dry dehiscent fruits): Peanuts
• Follicle (Dry unilocular dehiscent fruit): Macadamia
• Seeds of Gymnosperm: Pine nuts

Cashew nut is the seed of the drupe fruit which is kidney or boxing-glove shaped and grows at the end of the pseudo fruit.

The fruit (Capsule) of Brazil nuts has a hard woody shell, and inside contains 8–24 triangular seeds 4–5 centimeters long, packed like the segments of an orange; it is not a true nut in the botanical sense.

The Coconut is considered a dry fibrous drupe with a green, waterproof outer layer (exocarp), a thick, buoyant, fibrous husk (mesocarp) and a hard, woody, inner layer (endocarp) surrounding the large seed. The actual seed embryo is embedded in the coconut meat (endosperm).

Walnuts and Pecans are not true nuts but technically drupes, called drupaceous nuts. The husks are produced from the exocarp tissue of the flower while the part known as the nut develops from the endocarp.

Almond is the seed of the drupe fruit. The outer covering or exocarp of the fruit is a leathery grey-green coating (called the hull), which contains inside a hard shell, and the edible seed, commonly called a nut in culinary terms.

The Pistachio nut is the seed of thin walled drupe. The fruit has a hard, whitish exterior shell. The seed has a mauvish skin and light green flesh. The characteristic feature of the pistachio fruit is the semi-opening of the shell after maturity.

Peanuts are the seeds of the Legumes that are dry dehiscent fruits.

The fruit of Macadamia is a very hard woody globose follicle with a pointed apex, containing one or two seeds, dehiscing by the ventral suture in order to release seeds

Pine nuts are edible seeds of Pines which develop on the surface of cone scales, exposed to the environment.

Bran

What is Bran?

Bran is the hard outer layer of grain (the grass fruit) and consists of combined aleurone and pericarp. Bran should not be confused with chaff, which is coarser scaly material surrounding the grain, but not forming part of the grain itself.

Significance of Bran for the Seed:

• The aleurone layer surrounds the endosperm tissue (endosperm is the part of the seed which surrounds the embryo and provides nutrition in the form of starch) and functions for both storage and digestion.
• During germination, aleurone secretes the amylase enzyme that breaks down endosperm starch into sugars to nourish the growing seedling.
• In cereals with starchy endosperm, the aleurone contains about 30% of the kernel's proteins.
• In multicolored corn, anthocyanin pigments in the aleurone layer give the kernels a dark, bluish-black color
• Pericarp is the tissue that develops from the ovary wall of the flower and surrounds the seeds. It provides protection to seed.

Significance of Bran for the humans:

• Bran is particularly rich in dietary fiber. It is often used to enrich breads (notably muffins) and breakfast cereals, especially for the benefit of those wishing to increase their intake of dietary fiber.
• Eating bran is one of the quickest and best ways to increase fiber in the diet. It is indigestible and it increases the weight and size of the stool more than the fiber contained in fruits or vegetables. It does not irritate the lining of the stomach, small intestine or colon. It is not a laxative but promotes the movement of fecal matter through the colon in a natural way. Unlike drugstore laxatives or other natural strong laxatives, bran does not quickly purge out all the contents in your colon.
• Bran is rich in omegas. Omegas are essential fatty acids that cannot be constructed within humans from other components by any known chemical pathways, and therefore must be obtained from the diet.
• Bran contains 12% - 13% oil and studies have shown that rice bran oil is rich in gamma-oryzanol. This includes its ability to reduce plasma cholesterol, reduce cholesterol absorption and decrease early atherosclerosis, inhibit platelet aggregation, and increase fecal bile acid excretion. Oryzanol has also been used to treat nerve imbalance and disorders of menopause.
• Bran contains significant quantities of starch, protein, vitamins, and dietary minerals.
• Rice bran contains various antioxidants that impart beneficial effects on human health.
• Bran oil may be also extracted for use by itself for industrial purposes (such as in the paint industry), or as a cooking oil, such as rice bran oil.
• Studies have shown that some of the nutrients and phytochemicals present in wheat bran, may also protect against cancer. These include phytic acid and various phenolic components such as phenolic acids, lignans and flavonoids.
• Rice bran oil's smoke point is 490 degrees F, higher than even grapeseed oil (480 degrees) or peanut oil (320 - 450 degrees). This means that even in the hottest of situations, rice bran oil won't smoke or breakdown. When cooking or grilling, you do not want your oil to smoke, because it imparts a negative flavor to the foods so when you use rice bran oil foods will taste better, and they will be less likely to stick to the grill or griddle when.

Important to note:

• Some research suggests that there are particularly high levels of inorganic arsenic (a toxin and carcinogen) present in rice bran, and that any health benefits may not be worth the potential detriments. Other types of bran (derived from wheat, oat or barley) contain less arsenic than rice bran.
• Due to the high oil content of bran, it tends to get rancid (decomposition of fats, oils and other lipids by hydrolysis or oxidation). To avoid rancidification it is best to store in refrigerator or in a vacuum-sealed container at a moderate temperature. Rancidification makes the bran bitter.

Significance of Bran for animals:

• Bran is widely used as a major component in pet foods for rabbits and guinea pigs.
• Rice bran is sometimes fed to horses for its nutritional value, particularly as a plant-based fat supplement. It is considered an excellent way to put weight onto a thin horse, without the problems associated with overfeeding grain.

Which is better for the body, Brown Rice or White rice ?

Rice (Oryza sativa) is one of the most important foods in the world, supplying as much as half of the daily calories for half of the world's population.

Oftentimes, rice is categorized by its size as being short grain, medium grain or long grain. Another way that rice is classified is according to the degree of milling that it undergoes. This is what makes a brown rice different than white rice.

Although brown rice and white rice have similar amounts of calories, carbohydrates and protein, the main differences between the two forms of rice lies in the essential nutrients which are lost during the processing of white rice.

Today brown rice is a staple for health conscious eaters who believe food should be consumed in its most natural state.

Before discussing anything about the brown rice or white rice, let us first understand the different parts of the rice grain.

Structure of a Rice Grain:

1. Husk or hull is the outermost protective layer of a grain of rice present outside the grain.
2. Bran is the outermost part or layer of a grain of rice present just below the husk. It consists of combined aleurone (protein rich outer most layer of seed coat) and pericarp (outer most layer of fruit). Bran is particularly rich in dietary fiber and Omegas and contains significant quantities of starch, protein, vitamins and dietary minerals.
3. Germ in a cereal grain is the reproductive part that germinates to grow into a plant. It is the embryo of the seed. Germ is a concentrated source of several essential nutrients including Vitamin E, folate (folic acid), phosphorus, thiamine, zinc and magnesium, as well as essential fatty acids and fatty alcohol. It is a good source of fiber.
4. Endosperm is the tissue produced in the seeds of most flowering plants around the time of fertilization. It surrounds the embryo and provides nutrition in the form of starch, though it can also contain oils and protein. This makes endosperm an important source of nutrition in human diet

What are Brown Rice and White Rice?

Brown Rice (hulled rice) is produced when only the outermost layer the husk or hull is removed.

White rice is produced when husk, bran and germ layers are removed during milling and polishing of rice.

Milling removes the bran and most of the germ layer. Polishing removes the aleurone layer of the grain-a layer filled with health-supportive, essential fats. Because these fats, once exposed to air by the refining process, are highly susceptible to oxidation, this layer is removed to extend the shelf life of the product. The resulting white rice is bright, white and shiny; but simply a refined starch (made up of endosperm only) which is largely deficient in its original nutrients.

Brown rice becomes rancid more quickly than white rice. At many places it is more expensive than common white rice, partly due to difficulty of its storage and transport.

Nutrients Contents of Brown Rice and White Rice:

The process of removing husk from the rice grain is the least damaging to the nutritional value of the rice but milling and polishing of white rice cause loss of several vitamins and dietary minerals. These processes destroy 67% of the vitamin B3, 80% of the vitamin B1, 90% of the vitamin B6, half of the manganese, half of the phosphorus, 60% of the iron, and all of the dietary fiber and essential fatty acids.

By law in the United States, fully milled and polished white rice must be "enriched" with vitamins B1, B3, and iron. But the form of these nutrients when added back into the processed rice is not the same as in the original unprocessed version, and at least 11 lost nutrients are not replaced in any form even with rice "enrichment."

• Brown rice is a rich source of magnesium, a mineral that acts as a co-factor for more than 300 enzymes, including enzymes involved in the body's use of glucose and insulin secretion. They help out by keeping blood sugar levels under control, so brown rice is an excellent grain choice for people with diabetes.
• Brown rice is an excellent source of manganese. This trace mineral helps produce energy from protein and carbohydrates and is involved in the synthesis of fatty acids, which are important for a healthy nervous system, and in the production of cholesterol, which is used by the body to produce sex hormones. Manganese is also a critical component of a very important antioxidant enzyme called superoxide dismutase. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is found inside the body's mitochondria (the oxygen-based energy factories inside most of our cells) where it provides protection against damage from the free radicals produced during energy production.
• Brown rice is rich in Selenium. Selenium is an essential component of several major metabolic pathways, including thyroid hormone metabolism, antioxidant defense systems, and immune function. Selenium has been shown to induce DNA repair and synthesis in damaged cells, to inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells, and to induce their apoptosis, the self-destruct sequence the body uses to eliminate worn out or abnormal cells.
• Small amount of fatty acids and fibers are also lost during the formation of white rice. Fibers provide bulk to the food in the intestine thus help in reducing constipation. The oil present in rice bran may help in lowering LDL cholesterol.
• Deficiency of Vitamin B1 (thiamine) causes neurological disease called Beriberi in the people who are largely dependent on unenriched white rice.

Even though I strongly prefer the taste of brown rice, I wanted to know just how much better that brown rice is for you when compared to white rice. After comparing the nutrition that both brown rice and white rice have to offer, you may change your mind on which you choose to get.