Bajre Ki Cheela

Hello friends, Diwali kept me quite busy before, during and even after the festival and with the result, blogging took a back seat. All said and done, we had a wonderful time. I hope you all had a nice Diwali too.

After all the sweets and savoury items that we devoured, I thought its time to eat healthy stuff and one such item that I came across is the Bajre Ki Cheela. I had jotted down this recipe from a TV cookery show. It seemed easy and healthy so tried it for the evening snack. I am glad to say it turned out quite well. And according to my opinion, it tastes best with a dollop of white home-made butter.

Bajra also known as Pearl millet is loaded with nutrients and has enormous health benefits.

Ingredients:

Bajra flour	1 cup
Salt	As per taste
Coconut gratings	1 tbsp
Green chilies (chopped)	1
Coriander leaves (chopped)	1 tbsp
Curds	3 Tbsps
Oil	For shallow frying

Method:

1. In a bowl add bajra flour, salt, coconut gratings, green chilies and chopped coriander leaves.
2. Mix well
3. Finally add curds and blend in to form a thick batter.
4. Take a ladle full of the prepared batter and spread it thickly on a heated skillet/ non-stick pan like a dosa - frying on either sides with a little oil on the edges of the dosa.
5. Remove and serve hot.

Preparation time : 10 mins

Cooking time : 3-4mins for each cheela

Makes : 5-6 cheelas depending upon the size

Note:

• The batter does not spread thinly so do not even try it. Once the pan/skillet is heated, keep the flame low.
• Make small dosas the size of Rawa (semolina) Bhakri or a pancake.
• If your skillet or griddle is large, you can easily make three or four at a time.
• For more info on Bajra or Pearl millet health benefits, see here :http://recipeclout.india-server.com/pearl-millet.html

Cabbage Pancakes

Everyone would love to start their day with a nice and tasty breakfast and if it's healthy too then all the more welcome. I am always on the lookout for something new to try and what better way to do this is by watching food channels on TV. I got this recipe from the Indian Food Channel and did not hesitate to try it out as I had all the ingredients at hand and moreover, the procedure was also not cumbersome. Besides, it looked very appealing too.

Well, to cut a long story short, it turned out extremely well and the taste was fantastic too. Try it out and see it for yourself.

Ingredients:

Cabbage	150-200 gms
Onion	1 medium
Green chillies	2 or as desired
Ginger	1 inch piece
Coriander leaves	A small bunch
Gram flour	1 cup
Water	3/4 cup or as required
Turmeric powder	1/2 tsp
Chilly powder  (optional)	As required
Salt	As per taste
Baking soda /Eno	3/4 level tsp
Oil	For shallow frying

Method:

1. Put all the first five ingredients (cabbage, onion, green chilies, ginger and coriander leaves) in the food processor and run it for 1-2 mins or till all the ingredients are minced well. ( Alternatively, you can chop them all finely and place them in a bowl.)
2. Transfer the contents from the food-processor into a bowl.
3. To this mixture add gram flour, turmeric powder and salt. Mix well.
4. Now add water little at a time and mix again taking care to see that no lumps are formed. The batter should be thick and not watery. At this stage, add soda/eno to the batter and gently mix it and keep aside covered for a few minutes.
5. In the meantime, heat a skillet/griddle/frying pan on a medium flame. Add a little oil and spread it.
6. Take a spoonful of the batter and prepare pancakes (like dosas but do not spread it thinly) and fry it on both sides with oil.
7. In this way prepare pancakes using the remaining batter.
8. Serve hot with ketchup or any chutney of your choice.

 

 

 

 

Preparation time: 15 mins

Cooking time : 15 mins

Makes : 9 pancakes (roughly 4-5 inches each in diameter)

Note:

• These pancakes are soft and hence allow them to cook properly on one side before flipping.
• The green chilies that I used were quite pungent and hence I omitted the red chilly powder. You can use it and adjust according to your preference.
• These pancakes taste fine even without any chutney/ketchup.
• Ideal for breakfast.

Instant Dhokla

As promised, I am posting the second dish that was prepared at the cookery demo. We were all served a sample piece of this dhokla with a little green chutney. It tasted superb. It was moist, soft and fluffy.

I have tried different ways of preparing this popular dish of the Gujarati community. We were told that this is a traditional recipe handed down from great-grandmas of their generation.

I have observed, that in this recipe (unlike other recipes) one needs to beat the mixture after each addition of ingredient – just like as we do in cakes. This time however I did exactly the way it was demonstrated – I used the (wooden) spoon to beat the mixture. Next time I would like to use the electric beater and see whether there is a difference in the texture.

Anyway, the end result was too good – just the way I had tasted it at the demo.

Ingredients :

Besan /Gram flour	1 cup
Water	3/4 cup
Salt	1 tsp
Citric Acid	1/2 tsp
Cooking soda / Eno	1/2 tsp
Oil	1 tbsp
For Garnishing
Grated fresh coconut	1 tbsp
Coriander leaves (chopped)	1 tbsp

For Tempering:

Oil	2 Tbsp
Mustard seeds	2 tsps
Asafetida/Hing	A pinch
Green chillies (chopped)	4
Sugar	2 tsps
Water	1/2 cup

Method :

1. Wash and chop green chilies and corriander leaves and keep aside.
2. Grate fresh coconut and keep aside.
3. Heat steamer ( or pressure cooker without the whistle) with water. Place a greased container or a greased plate in it.
4. In the meantime, take a bowl and mix besan and water to a thick and smooth batter.
5. To this, add salt and mix. Add citric acid and mix. Add soda/eno and mix again. Finally add oil beat fast to make the batter fluffy.
6. Pour the batter into the steamed container /plate and steam it for about 15 minutes or till done (a toothpick when pierced, should come out clean).
7. Remove and allow it to cool.
8. When cooled, cut it into squares but do not remove the pieces from the plate.
   For tempering:
9. Heat a pan. Add oil, mustard seeds and asafoetida /hing. When mustard seeds starts spluttering, add chopped green chilies. After a minute or two, lower the flame and gently add water and sugar.
10. Let it boil. Switch off the gas and pour the entire contents on the cut dhokla pieces.
11. Decorate with chopped coriander leaves and grated coconut before serving.

Ingredients- gram flour, water, oil, salt, eno & citric acid

Chopped green chilies, coriander leaves & grated fresh coconut

Mixture of gram flour and water

Mixture becomes fluffy after the addition of eno/soda

Dhokla mixture steamed and kept to cool

Tempering under process

Contents of tempering poured over the steamed and cut dhoklas

Garnished with chopped coriander leaves & grated coconut

Preparation time : 15 mins

Cooking time : 15 mins

Serves : 4-5

Note:

• After each addition of salt, citric acid, soda and oil, mix/beat vigrously to get the fluffy texture.
• Do not fill the greased container/plate upto the brim – leave some space for it to rise.
• I used an 8 inch diameter greased steel plate for steaming the dhoklas.
• Green chutney that goes well with dhoklas is prepared by grinding to a paste - corriander leaves, mint leaves (smaller bunch) and curry leaves (a few sprigs) along with green chilies, cummin seeds (jeera), salt, a little water and lime juice.

White Dhokla

Recently, I was invited to a cookery demonstration of authentic Gujarati dishes by two wonderful Gujarati ladies. While the demo was in process (i.e. steaming and heating was underway), she enlightened us with some tips and some other recipes of Gujarat.
She spoke of this “white” dhokla which later on I learnt that, it is also called as “Khatta” (meaning “sour” in Hindi) Dhokla. We all made a note of this recipe too. I felt that this could be easily named as “Idli” with a twist ! - Because the main batter used in the recipe is the Idli batter (Udad dal and Rice).

People from the south of India can easily try this out as normally idlis are prepared at least once a week in their homes. Incidentally, I had just prepared idly batter and had kept it for fermentation before leaving for the demo !

The next day, before steaming the idlis, I kept aside one cup of the batter to try out this new recipe. Believe me, it turned out super soft and fluffy and delicious. I also shared this with my neighbour who loved it.

So from one idli batter, you can prepare two different dishes – one from Southern India and one from Western India (Gujarat) ! Isn't that wonderful ?

In the meantime, I shall try out the two recipes which was demonstrated and shall put them up in my blog. So watch out for the recipes in my next posts.

Ingredients:

Idli Batter 1 cup Sour Curd 2 tbsp Green chilies (chopped) 1 or 2 Ginger (chopped) 1inch piece Asafetida A pinch Oil 1 tbsp Soda 1/4 tsp Salt As per taste Crushed pepper 1 tsp
Method: Take a bowl, add all the above ingredients except crushed pepper and mix it well and keep aside. Take a greased “thali” / steel plate and pour the above prepared mixture into it and give the plate a gentle shake so that the mixture is evenly spread. Now sprinkle the crushed pepper on top of the spread mixture. Lastly, place the plate in a pressure cooker (without the whistle) or a steamer and steam the contents for about 12-15 mins. Remove and allow it to cool. When slightly cooled, cut it into squares or diamond shapes and serve as it is or with any chutney of your choice.
Ingredients (except crushed pepper) added After additon of soda (or eno) The mixture poured into a greased plate and crushed pepper sprinkled on top - ready for steaming  Removed from the steamer Dhoklas cut into squares
Preparation time: 10 mins Cooking time: 12-15 mins Makes : about 20 squares (depending upon the size)
Note : Preparation of idli batter : One measure Udad dal (split black gram) and 2 measures raw rice. Wash and soak them separately in water for about 8 -10 hours or keep it overnight. Next day, drain the water. First, grind udad dal to a smooth paste and then rice coarsely. Mix them thoroughly. Add salt and mix again and keep it overnight for fermentation. The idli batter is ready for preparing idlis or white dhoklas. In this recipe, I used eno (1 level tsp) instead of soda. I used a steel plate measuring 8 inches in diameter. While pouring the batter in the plate, ensure that it is only three fourths filled - leaving room for the batter to rise while steaming.

Coconut Roti

Hi  Friends, its almost a month since I last posted in my blog. After our return from our trip to Dwarka and Mumbai, I was kept busy with visitors at home and some social commitments. But all said and done, we had a wonderful time and now slowly getting back to my normal routine.

Here, the mercury is dipping day-by-day and to combat this cold weather, I thought this coconut roti would be a nice welcome. All the ingredients required, are readily available in most homes. Moreover, a little extra ghee would help us to keep our body warm! And besides, these rotis need no rolling pin, no water for kneading and no oil for frying and they taste good too. Curious? Try it out and see for yourself.

Ingredients:

Wheat flour	2 cups
Ghee	4-5 tsps
Onion	1 small
Green chilies	2
Curry leaves	1-2 sprigs
Freshly grated coconut	1/2 cup
Salt	To taste

Method:

1. Chop onion, green chilies and curry leaves finely and place it in a bowl.
2. In the same bowl add wheat flour, ghee, salt and coconut gratings and knead it well without adding any water to form a soft pliable dough. A food processor will do the job in a jiffy.
3. Divide the dough into medium sized balls.
4. Smear a little ghee on the chopping board (or any plate will also do) with your fingers. Place a ball of the dough on it and spread it with your fingers to a desired size and then remove it gently and place it on the “tawa” or a frying pan (which is preheated) and fry on both sides on a medium flame without using oil or ghee till light brown spots appear.
5. Prepare the remaining rotis in similar manner.
6. Serve hot.

Ingredients

Ingredients kneaded into a dough

Dough divided to form balls

Dough divided into 9 balls

Dough flattened with fingers to form a roti

Roti being fried without oil/ghee

Preparation time: 15 mins

Cooking time : 20-25 mins

Makes : 9 rotis

Note:

• These rotis taste good when served with a little ghee smeared on it when hot or can also be served with any chutney of your choice.
• I served it with mint chutney.

Cheela wrap with veggies

Cheela is a sort of thin dosa or crepe and is prepared from gram flour (besan). However, in this recipe, I made slight variation by adding wheat flour for texture and a wee bit of rice flour for crispiness.  For the stuffing, any curry with vegetable or paneer will be fine. It tastes really wonderful. My spouse loved it so much, that we not only ate it as a snack during tea time, but also had them for dinner as well ! Its a meal by itself. Try it out and see for yourself.

Just for your info, I am taking a break from blogging and will be back again next month. See you all then.

Ingredients:

For Cheela

Besan	1/2 cup
Wheat flour	1/2 cup
Rice flour (optional)	1 tbsp
Red chilly powder	1 tsp
Asafetida (optional)	1/2 tsp
Salt	As per taste
Water	Approx. 1 cup

For the stuffing:

Mixed vegetables (chopped)	About 1/2 cup ea. vegetable
Onion (chopped)	1 medium
Green chillies (chopped)	1 or 2
Curry leaves	1 sprig
Mustard seeds	1 tsp
Tomato Puree	2 tbsps
Oil	2 tsps
Salt	As per taste
Chopped coriander leaves	1 tbsp

Method:

For Cheela Batter

1. Place all the ingredients (besan, wheat flour, rice flour, asafetida, chily powder and salt) except water in a bowl and mix.
2. Then add water and mix well (taking care to see that no lumps are formed) to get dosa batter consistency ( not very thick or very thin). Keep it aside.

          For Stuffing:

1. Heat a pan. Add oil in it. When the oil is heated, add mustard seeds. And as soon as mustard seeds starts popping, add chopped onions, green chilies and curry leaves.
2. Saute it till the onions become translucent. Now, add all the vegetables (those that take longer to cook, add them first) with a little water and allow it to cook.
3. Once the vegetables are almost cooked, add salt and tomato puree and let it cook for a few more minutes and then remove it from the flame.
4. Garnish with coriander leaves.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   How to prepare the cheela wrap:

1. Place a non-stick skillet/griddle/dosa pan on medium heat.
2. Take a ladle full of the prepared cheela batter and with swift circular motion, spread the batter evenly and thinly as possible. Dribble a little oil on the sides.
3. When the cheela is cooked on one side, gently remove it with a spatula and flip it over and allow it to cook on the other side too or until some brown spots appear. Remove it and place it on a plate.
4. Prepare all the cheelas in the same manner.
5. Next, take a cheela and place it on a chopping board and with a sharp knife make a slit from the centre of the cheela to the edge.
6. Then place a tablespoon or two of the prepared stuffing on the cheela close to the slit just made (see picture) and gently fold it and wrap the cheela round the stuffing to get the triangular shape.
7. Prepare all the cheela wraps in this way.
8. Just before serving, place all the stuffed cheela wraps on the griddle and warm it for a few minutes on both sides.
9. Serve hot with tomato sauce or chutney or both.
   
   
   

Preparation time: 20 mins
Cooking time : 20 mins

Makes : about 6 wraps ( depending upon the size)

Note:

• For the vegetables, I used fresh potato, capsicum, carrot, frozen green peas and frozen corn. You can use any vegetable of your choice or even paneer.
• Fresh chopped tomatoes can be substituted for tomato puree.
• The stuffing should be dry or else the cheelas will get soggy quickly. 

Charmure Upkari (Spicy Puffed Rice)

I actually never thought that I would be writing about this simple, spicy and tasty, “no fuss”, no cooking and a typical “Amchi” snack – Charmure Upkari.   “Charmure” is the Konkani word for puffed rice and “Upkari” means a dry curry.

Hello friends, I got back (about ten days ago) after attending our annual “Teru” or Ratha-Utsav festival in Katapady, a small village in Udupi district. During the last day of the festival, a fair is generally held in the temple premises wherein various stalls are put up. Here, one gets to taste some authentic Konkani cuisine – Golli Bajje, Biscut Aambado, Charmure Upkari etc…. To tell you frankly, the taste of one such item that still lingers in my mouth is the humble “Charmure Upkari”. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I am tasting this after a long time. So, here it is!

 

 

Ingredients

Ingredients

Charmuro / Puffed rice	2 cups
Coconut gratings	3-4 tbsps
Coconut oil	3-4 tsps
Chilly powder	½ tsp
Sambhar powder	1 tsp
Onions (chopped)	1 medium
Lemon juice  (optional)	1 tsp
Chopped coriander leaves	1 tbsp
Grated carrot (optional)	1-2 tbsp
Salt	As per taste

Method :

1. In a large bowl, place the coconut gratings, chilly powder, sambhar powder, coconut oil, chopped onions, grated carrot, lime juice, salt  and Charmuro/Puffed rice.  Mix them well.
2. Finally garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
3. Serve immediately.

Prepartion time :  15-20 mins

Serves : 2

Note:

• Charmuro/Puffed rice should be fresh and crisp. If it’s not crisp, roast it in a pan for a few minutes – it will turn crispy.
• This is an evening snack.
• You can use any oil of your choice. But coconut oil gives it that authentic “Amchi” taste.
• Use of chilly powder and Sambhar powder can be adjusted according to one’s taste.