Plain Paratha

Ingredients

2 cups (250mls) chapatti or whole wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 table spoon oil

200mls water

1/2 cup olive oil for frying

Extra flour and oil for rolling the paratha

Method

1.       Sieve the flour, add salt and oil,

2.       Using your fingers mix until it looks like bread crumbs, slowly add the water to make a firm dough. Knead well, leave aside for 30 minutes

3.       Divide the dough in 12 lemon sized balls

4.       Take one ball of dough and roll it into a 10cm circle, place a pinch of flour and half a teaspoon of oil in the centre of the rolled dough, then bring all the sides to the centre and seal, trapping some air in the centre of the ball.

5.       Make it into a perfect ball, press it down to make a disc like shape, and roll out into 16cm circle.

6.       Place 1 teaspoon olive oil in a hot tava  or frying pan

7.       Place the paratha carefully and fry both sides for couple of minutes each side.

8.       Repeat until all the paratha are made.

Maani / Roti / Chapatti / Indian Flat Bread

Ingredients
2 cups chapatti or  whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tablespoon (22ml) oil
200ml lukewarm water
50ml olive oil to smear over each chapatti

1. Add the oil to the flour and use your hands to mix it in until you get a crumbly mixture
2. Add  water gradually mixing between additions until you get a firm dough.
3. Rest the dough for 30 minutes.  Divide into 12 lemon sized balls.
4. Place a flat griddle or a tava on the stove.
5. Roll into a circle until it is about  16 cm in diameter.
6. Place the chapatti onto the hot griddle, cook for about 30 seconds and turn it over, cook for a further 90 seconds and turn it over again.  At this stage use a spoon or a piece of crunched up kitchen paper to pat the chapatti firmly.  This action will make the chapatii puff up. Remove when golden brown, about 60 seconds.
7. Turn it over onto a flat plate and smear with about a teaspoon of olive oil.

Makes 12.
Delicious hot, especially with sugar sprinkled on. 

Bajra / Bajri jo Rotlo (using a press)

Recently Chachi aquired a mani / chapati press, composed of two formica blocks (see picture below), to test it we made mani and rotla. The mani / chapati was quite difficult to press, but the rotla turned out a treat.

Ingredients
3 cups millet flour
salt to taste
1 and 1/2 cups water
butter or Ghee to spread on the rotla

Method
1. sieve the flour and salt, add water slowly to form a soft dough.
2. Divide the dough into 3-4 portions
4. Form a ball, place on the bottom half of the open press, close, press the handle down and voila you have a rotlo read to cook.
5. Place carefully on a medium hot tava (griddle) ensuring no bubbles are trapped underneath, turning it when it after a few minutes. Turn again a couple of times times until cooked, remove and spread some butter or ghee on it.

We ate it with ringra, mutter and bateta jo shak (aubergine, peas and potato in a tomato sauce). yummm!

Ondhwo / Hondwo / Savoury Vegetable Cake

Ingredients

1 cup rice flour

1/2 cup chickpea flour

1/2 cup soji/semolina

1 cup yogurt

1 cup hot water

6 cloves of garlic; smashed

2 inches ginger; grated

2-4 chillies; finely chopped (or to taste)

4 cups of chopped vegetabes

salt to taste

I used

1. one medium carrot; diced
2. one courgette / zuchini; grated
3. 3 leaves of cabbage; shreded
4. one small potato; grated
5. one small onion; chopped fine
6. handful of fresh shelled or frozen peas

2 tablespoons chopped coriander

1/2 cup oil

2 table spoon sesame seeds

2 table spoon melon seeds

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds

7 curry leaves

2 tspn Eno Fruit Salts ( a mixture of sodium bicarbonate, citric acid and sodium carbonate)

Method

1. Mix the flours, add garlic, ginger and chillies,add yogurt and water; mix and leave overnight or at least 2 hoursPublish Post

2. Pre heat the oven to 190 degrees centigrade (375 degrees Fahrenheit), add all the vegetables and the chopped coriander to the flour mix and stir well.

3. Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the sesame seeds, melon seeds, cumin seeds, mustard seeds and the curry leaves, let them splutter. Add to the flour and veg mix. Stir well. Add the Eno salt, mix well and place in a 9 inch tin.

4. Put in the oven for 35 minutes. Let it cool and turn in out. Taste even better the next day.

Chicken Stuffed Paratha

We had roast chicken on Sunday, and whenever we have roast meat, we make stuffed paratha with the leftover meat. It is turkey at Christmas or Lamb after Eid.

This is what we had for supper on Tuesday night, with kadhi and kitchree, it was so yummy.

Ingredients

Paratha

3 cups chapati flour

1/2 tspn salt

1 tblspoon oil

enough water to make bread like dough

Filling

2 cups left-over chicken (chopped fine)

¼ cup mint (chopped fine)

1/2 cup chopped spring onions

2 cloves garlic (minced)

½ inch ginger (minced)

2 finely chopped green chillies

¼ cup chopped mint leaves

½ cup chopped coriander leaves

salt to taste

1 teaspoon garam masala

1 table spoon Lea and Perrins Worcestershire Sauce.

1 tspn English mustard

Method

Sieve the flour and salt together. Add the oil, rub it in so that it appears like crumbs

Slowly add the water to make a firm dough. Knead well, leave aside for 30 mins

Heat the chopped chicken in a pan with garlic, ginger, chillies and salt

Add Worcestershire sauce, mustard mix, and remove from heat when cooked, let it cool

Add garam masala, onions mint and coriander.

Divide the dough in 4 parts, further divide each portion into two and roll out to get a 7 inch diameter roti.

Place a heaped tablespoon of the chicken mix on the roti and spread evenly.

Place the other roti on top, seal the edges, and roll until it is about 7 inch diameter.

Place a little olive oil on a hot tava (frying pan)

Place the paratha carefully and fry both sides for couple of minutes each side.

Repeat until all the paratha are made.

Whole Wheat Puri

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat flour (chapati flour)
1/2 tblspn vegetable oil
1/2 tspn salt
¼ tspn ajma / ajwain
1/2 tspn roughly ground black pepper

oil for frying

Method

1. Mix the dry ingredients, add oil and mix, add water to form a firm dough and knead till smooth. Let it rest for about 30 minutes. Make small balls about walnut size.
2. Roll out into 4 inch diameter circles.
3. Fry in hot oil, one or two at a time, holding them under the oil on the first side until they puff.
4. Turn and fry till golden brown; remove onto paper towels
5. Serve hot with kheer or bateta jo shaak.

Hondwo / Ondhwo

This savoury lentil and vegetable cake is a typical Gujarati dish, we used to get it with our tea when we got back from school in Kampala. Usually served with a hot tomato and chilli chutney.


Ingredients
1/2 cup toor dal
1/2 cup mung dal
1/2 cup chana dal
1 cup rice (I used broken basmati rice, as it is cheaper)
1 cup yogurt
juice of 2 limes
1 tspn garlic paste
2 tspn grated ginger
3-4 green chillies - minced
5 cups of finely chopped vegetables, I used:
Cabbage,
Leeks
Courgette (zucchin)
Carrots
Peas
Potato
salt to taste
For tempering (pumpkin seeds are good as well)
1 tspn mustard seeds
2 tbspn olive oil
2 tbspn sesame seeds
1 tbspn sunflower seeds
1 tbspn pinenuts
2 tspn Eno (sodium bicarbonate and citric acid 1:1 RATIO


Method
1. Wash and Soak the dals and rice overnight.
2. Drain and grind fine in yogurt and lime juice.
3. Leave at room temperature for at least 2 hours
4. Finely chop the cabbage, courgette, leeks and carrot and potatoes (see pic)
5. Add to the batter together with the salt, garlic, ginger and chillies and mix well
6. Heat the oil in a frying pan, add all the seeds and nuts, brown and pour into the batter, mix well.
7. Add the Eno, mix well and pour into a 9 inch cake tin
8. Bake for 45 minutes in a preheated oven, 15 minutes at 200 degree centigrade, and 30 minutes at 180 degrees centigrade.

Paratha Stuffed with Brocholi and Potatoes

Ingredients
Pastry
3 cups chapati flour
1/2 tspn salt
1 tblspoon
water to mix

Method
Sieve the flour and salt together. Add the oil, rub it in so that it appears like crumbs, slowly add the water to make a firm dough. Knead well, leave aside for 30 mins

Filling
2 medium potatoes, peeled, boiled and mashed
small head of brocholi, steamed and mashed
salt to taste
1/2 tspn black pepper
1/4 tspn ajwain

Method
mix all the above

Stuffed Paratha
1/2 cup olive oil for frying



1. Divide the dough in 6 parts, further divide each portion into two and roll out to get a 4 inch diameter roti.
2. Place a heaped tablespoon of the potato mix on the roti and spread evenly.

3. Place the other roti on top, seal the edges, and roll until it is about 7 inch diameter.
4. Place a little olive oil on a hot tava (frying pan)
5. Place the paratha carefully and fry both sides for couple of minutes each side.
6 Repeat until all the paratha are made.
Serve with any curry or chutney. I served it with beans curry.

I tried to make these paratha the proper way, but I had the same results as Shyamala with her alu parathas.
So I made these the way we make stuffed chicken paratha, or turkey, just after christmas LOL

Bajra Rotla; millet bread

Rotlo (millet bread) is typical Cutchi/Gujarati food.

Ingredients
3 cups millet flour
salt to taste
1 and 1/2 cups water
butter or Ghee to spread on the rotla

Method
1. sieve the flour and salt, add water slowly to form a soft dough.
2. Divide the dough into 3-4 portions
4. Form a ball, place on a piece of cling film on a board and flatten into a 1/3 inch thick circle.
5. Place carefully on a medium hot tava (griddle) ensuring no bubbles are trapped underneath, turning it when it after a few minutes. Turn again a couple of times times until cooked, remove and spread some butter or ghee on it.
6. Serve hot with aubergine and potato curry (ringra batata jo shaak) and yogurt.
7. Can be reheated in a microwave or toaster.

Methi Rotla

Ingredients
2 cups bajar atta (millet flour)
1/4 tspn salt
1/2 tspn tumeric
1 teaspn coriander/cumin
2 tbspn oil
2 chillies minced
1/2 cup chopped methi
water
Method
1. mix the flour, salt, spices, chillies and flour. Rub in the 1 table spoon of oil, so that there is a bread crumb like constitancy. Add enough water to form a firm dough

divide the dough into two, form a ball, place on a piece of cling film on a board and flatten into a 1/4 inch thick circle


Meanwhile heat the griddle with the rest of the oil, carefully place onto the griddle, turn over about 6 times. serve with any curry

Chachi's Puri

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat flour (chapati flour)
1/2 tblspn vegetable oil
1/2 tspn salt
1/2 tspn tumeric
1/2 tspn roughly ground black pepper

Mix the dry ingredients, add oil and mix, add water to form a firm dough and knead till smooth. Let it rest for about 30 minutes. Make small balls about walnut size.

Roll out into 4 inch diameter circles.

Fry in hot oil, one or two at a time, holding them under the oil on the first side until they puff.

Turn and fry till golden brown; drain

Serve as soon as possible. There is generally a queue for Chachi's puri. See how the boys are enjoying it.

Both Sean and Pyarali gobbled them up. ahhhhhhhhh!

Juwar ka Rotlo

Ingredients

2 cups juwar flour (sorghum)
3/4 cup water
Butter to spread on the cooked rotlo

make a dough by slowly adding the water to the flour

this is quite crumbly as there is no gluten in the flour. Divide into four balls, flatten on a piece of cling film with wet hands, until it is quite thin.

Place carefully on a tava (griddle) ensuring no bubbles are trapped underneath, turning it when it after a few minutes. Turn again a coupe of times times until cooked, remove and smear some butter on it.


I served it with sarson ka saag. It is also nice with Chachi's carrot pickle. This rotlo must be eaten when hot, otherwise it leathery and impossible to eat.

Ponganalu (South Indian breakfast pancakes

Remember the appam pan I bought in Wembley, well here are the Ponganalu;
I have adapted this from the web
Ingredients
1 cup rice
1/2 cup mung dal
4 spring onions
2/3 chillies
2 cloves garlic - crushed
1/2 inch ginger grated
1 table spoon of finely chopped coriander
1 table spoon of fenugrek (methi)
½ teaspoon of turmeric and salt taste
1/4 teaspoon Sodium Bicarbonate


Soak the mung beans and rice overnight. Grind, the batter should be quite thin (like pancake batter) and add everything except the Sodium bicarbonate mix thoroughly and leave for 4-5 hours.

Add the sodium bicarbonate mix.
Heat the appam pan, spray so oil when hot,
add 1 spoonful of batter/veg mix to each well, cover and cook for about 5 minutes, turn over and cook for a few minutes.


We served it with Chachi's green coconut chutney (recipe to follow).