Khasta Besani Paratha (Chick Pea Flour Stuffed Pan-fried Flat Bread)

It comes under the category of stuffed Paratha. The stuffing is prepared with Besan (Chick Pea Flour) and various spices.

Ingredients:
To prepare dough:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp cooking oil
• Warm water to knead

To prepare stuffing:
To pan fry:

• 2 cups besan
• ½ tsp red chili powder
• ½ tsp coriander powder
• ½ tsp chat masala powder
• ½ tsp garam masala
• ½ tsp dry ginger powder
• ½ tsp methi (fenugreek) powder
• ½ saunf powder (fennel seeds)
• ¼ tsp asafetida powder
• Salt to taste
• 4 tbsp cooking oil

To pan fry:

• 1 cup ghee (clarified butter) or cooking oil to pan-fry parathas

Method:

• Mix wheat flour, salt and 2 tbsp cooking oil. Knead into soft and smooth dough by adding warm water. Cover with moist cloth and keep aside for 30 minutes.
• In a bowl, mix all dry ingredients required for stuffing. Add cooking oil to this and mix until the besan flour resembles breadcrumbs.
• Follow Making Paratha - Method II
• Divide wheat dough into equal balls. Dust lightly the rolling surface and roll each ball into 10-inch disc. Spread besan mix on the disc evenly and generously. Fold disc into a finger shaped structure. Coil this finger into a spiral structure (blob).
• Flour the rolling surface lightly and very gently roll out the spiral blob (pedha) into a flat circle about 7-8” in diameter.
• Heat a griddle and put a paratha over it. Drizzle a bit of oil on the top and spread well over the surface of the paratha. Flip and drizzle some more oil on this surface too. The paratha is done when both sides are crispy and golden brown.
• Serve with Butter Milk, Aloo curry and pickle.

Plain Uttapam (Plain Rice Pancake)

Plain Uttapam is thick and is not filled with vegetables.

Ingredients:

• 1-cup raw rice
• 1/3 cup split skinned black gram (urad dal)
• 2 tablespoons cooked rice
• 2 tablespoons beaten rice (poha)
• 5 to 7 fenugreek seeds (methi)
• 2 tablespoons oil
• Salt to taste
• Oil for cooking

Method:

• Wash and soak urad dal and rice separately for 2-3 hours.
• Blend them separately to smooth paste using some water. Mix them and add the salt. Keep it for the whole night.
• Mix the batter well next morning till it is sufficiently thick.
• Heat a flat griddle and rub some oil on it.
• Take a big serving spoonful of the batter and drop it on the griddle. Spread it to a thick circle. Remember that uttapam is not thin, like dosa; it should be thick. Sprinkle some oil on the circumference of the uttapam and over it. Let it cook on the bottom side, once done flip it to cook the other side.
• Take out in a dish when cooked and serve hot with Coconut Chutney.

Tips:

To make fluffier Idlis/Uttapa, soak Poha or pressed rice (which is made by flattening parboiled rice) in lots of water till soft. Add this to lentil and rice mixture and grind all the ingredients together to make a thick smooth batter.

To make Dosas/Uttapa more crispy, add few fenugreek seeds to the lentil and rice mixture while soaking.

To make soft Dosa/Uttapa, add some boiled rice while grinding lentil and rice.

Sonth (Sweet Dates Chutney)

Sonth is a sweet chutney used in Indian Chats. It is made from dried ginger, or Sooth, hence the name. Chutney is brownish red in colour.

Sonth can be made with dates and dried unripe mango (amchur) slices. Dried ginger powder is added to this which gives a special flavour to the chat, and preferred in most parts of North India.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup pitted Dates (Khajoor) coarsely chopped
• 1 cup dry unripe mango slices/ Amchur slices
• 1 cup jaggery
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp dry ginger powder
• 1 tbsp Kishmish (raisins)

Method:

• In a skillet, dry roast cumin seeds, stirring constantly for about 2-3 minutes, until lightly browned. Grind roasted cumin seeds in fine powder and keep aside for later use.
• Soak dates and dry amchur for about an hour in 2 cups of water.
• Puree soaked dates and amchur along with other ingredients (except raisins) in a blender.
• Check the thickness and add more water to give it the consistency of heavy cream.
• You can add more sugar if you think it's not sweet enough. Add kishmish to it.
• Boil the chutney for 2-3 minutes. Cool and store it. Dates chutney can be kept in the refrigerator up to 6 months; thin it with water if necessary.
• Serve it with Chat or Dahi vadas.

Do You Know:

Dates are the fruit of the date palm. They have been a staple food of the Middle East for thousands of years. The date palm is believed to have originated around the Persian Gulf, and has been cultivated in ancient times from Mesopotamia to prehistoric Egypt.

Dates are considered to be a complete and a very important diet. They contain plenty of vitamins, minerals.

The date is a laxative food. It is highly beneficial in the treatment of constipation as the roughage provided by it stimulates sluggish bowels.

Experiments have also shown that dates contain some stimulants that strengthen the muscles of the uterus in the last months of pregnancy. This helps the dilation of the uterus at the time of delivery on one hand and reduces the bleeding after delivery on the other. Dieticians consider dates as the best food for women in confinement and those who are breast-feeding. This is because dates contain elements that assist in alleviating depression in mothers and enriching the breast-milk with all the elements needed to make the child healthy and resistant to disease.

Pudina Paratha (Mint Pan-fried Flat Bread)

This leafy-layered paratha is made with fresh mint leaves. Whole mint leaves are kneaded in a mixture of wheat and gram flour.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole-wheat flour
• 1 cup gram flour (Besan)
• 1 cup pudina (mint) leaves
• 2 green chilies finely chopped
• ½ tsp chat masala
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp carom seeds (ajwain) roasted
• 2 tbsp cooking oil for dough
• 1 cup ghee (clarified butter) or cooking oil to pan-fry parathas

Method:

• Follow Making Paratha - Method II
• Mix the wheat flour and besan.
• Add 2 tbsp cooking oil, carom seeds, chat masala, green chilies, pudina leaves and salt to taste and mix well.
• Knead the flour mix into smooth, firm dough and keep aside in refrigerator for ½ hour.
• Divide the dough into equal sized balls.
• Flour a clean surface and roll each ball out into a circle about 4” in diameter.
• Sprinkle some dry wheat flour over it (flattened dough ball). Now roll it into a finger shaped structure. Coil this into a spiral.
• 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 ghee/oil on the top and spread well over the surface of the paratha. Flip again and drizzle some more ghee/oil on this surface too. The paratha is done when both sides are crispy and golden brown.
• Serve with Aloo sabji and/or any other side dish.

Do You Know?
Raw ajwain smells almost exactly like thyme because it also contains thymol, but is more aromatic and less subtle in taste, as well as slightly bitter and pungent. Even a small amount of raw ajwain will completely dominate the flavor of a dish.

Strong aroma of ajwain is enhanced by toasting or frying. Since most aroma compounds in ajwain are lipophilic and dissolve much better in fat than in water,frying in butter not only enhances the fragrance because of the high temperature, but also extracts the flavour to the fat, hence it can be dispersed throughout the food efficiently.

Gosht Masala (Goat/Lamb Masala)

It is a simple recipe in which Gosht masala is prepared in tomato puree and fried onions. Deghi Mirch gives it a color and freshly ground garam masala gives it aroma.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound Goat/Lamb
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 5-6 Cloves
• 1 tsp Caraway seeds
• 1 Brown Cardamom
• 2 big Onions sliced
• 1 tbsp Ginger finely chopped
• 1 tbsp Garlic finely chopped
• 1 tbsp Green Chilies finely chopped
• 1 tbsp Coriander Powder
• 1 tsp Deghi Mirch Powder
• 1 tsp Turmeric Powder
• Salt to taste
• 1 cup Tomato Puree
• 1 tsp Garam Masala Powder
• 1 tbsp chopped cilantro leaves
• 3-4 tbsp ghee

Method:

• Clean and wash Goat/lamb and cut into 1½" pieces.
• Heat oil in a thick-bottomed pan. Add bay leaves, cloves, Caraway seeds, Brown Cardamom and sliced onions. Sauté till onions turn brown in color.
• Add chopped ginger, chopped garlic and chopped green chilies. Cook for half a minute.
• Add lamb pieces and cook on a high heat for 5 minutes, till lamb is seared and its juices sealed in.
• Add coriander powder, Deghi Mirch powder and turmeric powder. Stir well.
• Cook on low heat till lamb pieces are almost done. You may add some water if needed while cooking.
• Add tomato puree and season with salt and garam masala powder.
• Cook covered till lamb is tender. Adjust consistency of gravy by adding warm water.
• Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves.
• Serve with Tandoori roti or rice.

Do You Know?

The Indian cuisine is easy to prepare, tasty and can be prepared in less time. Spices are the main part of the Indian cooking and their quantity and proportion varies with the geographical boundaries.

Masala refers to spices, and this is the name given to the thick and pasty sauce based on a combination of spices with ghee (clarified butter), butter or coconut milk

A masala can either be a combination of dried (and usually dry-roasted) spices, or a paste made from a mixture of spices and other ingredients--often garlic, ginger and onions.

Spices are freshly grounded and added in many different combinations. Some of the spices, which are commonly used, are coriander, turmeric, cumin, chilies, fennel, and fenugreek. Other spices, which are added for some fragrance, are cardamom, clove, cinnamon and star aniseed.

Lal Mirch Ka Gosht (Red Chili Mutton)

You need whole red chilies for this recipe. If fresh are not available in the market, you can use dry red chilies. Only difference between these two is the flavor. Fresh red chilies give little more sweetish flavor than the dry red chilies.

Just slit open the red chilies and remove seeds and placenta (found at the top portion of the chili below the stem) carefully from them. For 2 pounds of mutton you can use 30-40 whole red chilies. Believe me it will not be hot. Enjoy the color of the curry especially when fresh whole red chilies are used.

Ingredients:

• 1-pound mutton with bones
• 2 Big onions finely sliced
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 1 tsp garlic paste
• 15 whole dry or fresh red chilies
• 2 bay leaves
• 1” cinnamon stick
• 2 brown cardamoms
• 5-6 cloves
• Salt to taste
• 3-4 tbsp ghee
• 1 tsp freshly ground garam masala powder
• 1 tbsp lemon juice (adjust according to taste)
• Chopped cilantro to garnish

Method:

• Heat ghee in a heavy bottom pan. Add bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cloves and brown cardamoms. Fry till they turn brown.
• Add whole red chilies, fry for 7-8 seconds only (it should retain its red color).
• Now add finely sliced onions; stir till the onions are well browned.
• Add ginger and garlic paste. Fry for 2-3 minutes.
• Add meat pieces to the pan; cover and cook on low heat till they are tender. You may add some water if needed while cooking.
• When it is done, sprinkle garam masala and lemon juice and cook for 5 minutes more on low heat.
• Remove from the heat and if there is still any water left dry it before serving by continue frying.
• Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves.
• Serve with paratha or tandoori roti.

Do You Know?

Chili has two important commercial qualities. If some varieties are famous for red color because of the pigment capsanthin, others are known for biting pungency attributed bycapsaicin.

Capsaicin itself is tasteless and odorless and is produced by the glands in the chili’s placenta, found at the top portion of the pepper below the stem. The placenta is about sixteen times hotter than the rest of the pepper and is usually removed along with the seeds (another hot part of the pepper) when preparing food. If you’re looking for a good kick with your dishes, leave it in (along with the seeds), and see what you get.

Red chilis contain high amounts of vitamin C and carotene ("provitamin A"). Yellow and especially green chilis (which are essentially unripe fruit) contain a considerably lower amount of both substances. In addition, peppers are a good source of most Bvitamins, and vitamin B6 in particular. They are very high in potassium and high in magnesium and iron. Their high vitamin C content can also substantially increase the uptake of non-heme iron from other ingredients in a meal, such as beans and grains.

Shakarkand Halva (Sweet Potato Halva)

Various types of halva from India are distinguished by the region and the ingredients from which they are prepared.

I prepared halva from orange variety of sweet potato, which is softer than white variety and is commonly marketed as a ‘yam’ in parts of North America.

On a fasting day Sweet Potato can be used to prepare halva for a change.

Ingredients:

• 2-3 tbsp Ghee
• 2 Sweet Potato (medium)
• 1 cup Sugar
• 2 cups full cream Milk
• 1/2 tsp Cardamom powder
• 1 pinch Nutmeg powder
• Dry fruits of your choice

Method:

• Wash and cut the top and bottom of Sweet Potato; peel off the skin and grate it.
• Heat ghee in heavy bottom pan; add grated Sweet Potato and fry for 5-6 minutes.
• Add milk to cover the Sweet Potato (add more that 2 cups if needed).
• Let it be cooked for 1/2 hrs.
• Now add sugar.
• Let it cook until all the milk is absorbed and sugar is dissolved.
• Add cardamom powder, nutmeg powder and dry fruits and serve it hot

Do You Know?

Besides simple starches, sweet potatoes are rich in complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, beta carotene (a vitamin A equivalent nutrient), vitamin C, and vitamin B6.

Sweet potato varieties with dark orange flesh have more beta carotene than those with light colored flesh and their increased cultivation is being encouraged in Africa where Vitamin A deficiency is a serious health problem.

Despite the name "sweet", it may be a beneficial food for diabetics, as preliminary studies on animals have revealed that it helps to stabilize blood sugar levels and to lower insulin resistance.