Bajrichi Bhakri/ Bajra Roti

Bajra Roti is an amazing winter food packaged with taste and health.

Its a very simple food, but can get tricky to get the perfect bhakris for a novice cook.

I tried using the baking paper and that worked really well. But if you are a bhakri expert, you can skip the baking paper and pat it directly on the rolling board.

Ingriedients:

Bajra flour - 2 cups

Wheat flour - quarter cup

Oil
Salt
Ghee - while serving


Procedure

1. In a bowl, add all the above ingredients except ghee. Knead it well to prepare the flour. Add oil to make it smooth.
2.  Make small round balls of the dough.
3. Next take a baking paper and pat the ball to make it to a round shape. Try to pat it as thin as possible. The edges tend to break for a novice cook, but gets better with experience. Try to mend the broken edges. Its easier to begin with a smaller ball and preparing smaller bhakri.
4. Next take a pan and place the bhakri from the baking paper on to the tava. Cook it on a low flame.
5. In the mean time, prepare the next bhakri on the same baking paper.
6. Put on a high flame and flip the bhakri to cook on other side.
7. Once you see some spots (half cooked), put it on the gas burner and roast it like preparing fulkas.
8. Cook on both sides.
9. Bhakri it ready

Top the hot bhakri with loads of ghee and serve it with Baingan ka Bharta and Thecha

Ragda Patties

Ragda Patties is a very popular street food from the state of Maharashtra,

The dried white peas are soaked overnight and cooked with a blissful combination of spices and served with the potato cutlets together with curd and tamarind chutney.

Great combination of taste and health in one plate!

Procedure:

Preparing the Aloo Tikki:
Ingredients:
3 Potatoes - boiled

half tsp Amchur powder

half tsp Cumin powder

half tsp chili powder

1 tablespoon Corn flour
Salt
Oil

Procedure:
1. Mash the boiled potatoes and keep it aside.
2. Take a mixing bowl, and add the mashed potatoes, salt, Amchur Powder, Cumin powder and Chili powder and mix well. Adjust the salt as per your taste.

3. Next add the corn flour and mix well. 
4. Prepare small round balls and pat it to form a cutlet.
5. Take a pan and drizzle some oil and place the cutlets on the tawa. Drizzle some oil from top.
6. Let the tikki cook on a low flame for around 5 mins.
7. Turn it to the other side and cook again for another 5 minutes.
8. Aloo Tikki is ready

Preparing the Ragda:

Ingredients:
Dried white peas - 2 cups

half tsp chili powder

Tamarind

Jaggery

Cumin seeds

Hing

Salt

Oil

Procedure:
1. Soak the dried white peas overnight.
2. Next day, Boil them with little water, a pinch of turmeric and hing and salt.

3. Once its cooled, mash s few white peas with spoon and keep it on a low flame.
4. Add some salt, jaggery, and tamarind and give it a nice stir.
5. In the meantime,, we prepare the tadka. Take a tadka pan, add oil. Next add cumin seeds.
6. Once they splutter, add hing and chili powder. and put off the gas
7. Pour this hot tadka over the boiling white peas
8. Ragda is ready.

Preparing the Tamarind Chutney:
Check the below link for Tamarind chutney preparation
Tamarind Chutney

Preparing the Ragda Pattiies:

Ingredients:

Aloo Tikki
Ragda
Tamarind Chutney
Chili powder

Cumin powder

Curd

Finely chopped Onion

Chopped coriander leaves 

Procedure:

1. Take a plate and place two Aloo Tikkis.
2. Next pour the Ragda on the tikki such that it is completely dipped onto it.
3. Next put 1 tablespoon curd (Optional) and sprinkle a pinch of Chili powder and Cumin powder
4. Next sprinkle 1 teaspoon Tamarind Chutney
5. Finally add the chopped onions and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.Since I did not have this, I skipped it.

6. Sprinkle lime juice

The delicious tempting Ragda Pattiies is ready to serve.

Guacamole

Guacamole is a dip, which originated in Mexico, where the avocados have been cultivated.

This post is quite special to me as it is the first one from my 9 year old daughter

Recently she learned about the Guacamole dip recipe in her English comprehension and was quite keen to try that. 

Her first attempt at Guacamole dip was a big success and it turned out really delicious. We served it with Nachos and Baked Beans. The pics are actually not justifying the taste.

Ingredients:

2 ripe avocados

1 onion

2 tomatoes

2 chilies

Lemon juice

Mint leaves

Salt

Procedure:

1. Finely chop the onions and tomatoes and add them in a mixing bowl.
2. Chop the mint leaves and add it in the mixing bowl. This can be substituted by chopped coriander leaves
3. Add in the chopped chilies.
4. Cut the avocados in half and using a spoon scoop the avocado and mash it nicely.
5. Add this to the mixing bowl.
6. Finally add in the salt and lemon juice.
7. Mix them well.

The delicious Guacamole is ready!

Serve it with Nachos and beans as a side.

Paneer Paratha

Paneer Paratha is one of the most popular parathas in North India.

Paneer or cottage cheese is grated and mixed with spices and rolled with the dough made from wheat flour.

For a starter, it could be a bit tricky to roll the Paneer parathas, but it definitely gets better with experience. To start with, Aloo parathas might be an easier option.

Ingredients:

Grated Paneer  - 2 cups
Grated Ginger - small piece
Chili Powder - 1 tsp
Cumin Powder - half tsp

Amchur powder - half tsp

Kasuri methi (optional)
Salt
Wheat flour - 4 cups
Water

Procedure:
1. Add water and pinch of salt to wheat flour to knead it into a dough. Add some oil while preparing the dough. I have also added a pinch of kasuri methi. Once the dough is ready, cover it and keep it aside for at least 20 mins.
2. Take a bowl, and add the grated paneer, chili powder, cumin powder, amchur powder and salt and mix well.
3. Prepare small round balls of this mix. This will be used for the stuffing.

4. Next prepare small balls of the prepared dough.
5. Take one ball of the dough, and roll it to form a small circle. Stuff it will the prepared stuffing and roll it to form a round paratha.
8. Put it on a hot tava and apply oil and fry it for some time. Turn it over and apply oil on the other side.

Serve hot Panner Paratha with curd and pickle.

Moong Dal Fry

 Moong dal is highly nutritious and very easy to digest. It is very easy on the stomach and hence cooked often for sick people.

This is a simple recipe of moong dal fry. Moong dal usually does not much of a flavour. The perfect blend of the spices, together with the sourness of amchur gives it a very good flavour.

Do try this out as a variation with your usual dal.

Ingredients:
Yellow Moong Dal - 1 cup
Grated Ginger
Garlic petals - 2-3- finely chopped
Tomato - half (finely chopped)
Jeera \ Cumin seeds - half tsp
Garam Masala - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - half tsp

Curry Leaves
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - half tsp
Amchur powder - half tsp

Kasuri Methi - 1 tbsp

Hing
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Salt
Water


Procedure:
1. Soak the moong dal in hot water for around 30 mins
2. Cook the dals in the pressure cooker with little hing and a pinch of turmeric powder and keep it aside.
3. Take a kadhai, add Ghee.
4. Once hot, add Cumin seeds. Once they splutter, add chopped garlic petals, red chilies, curry leaves and hing.
5. Add the chopped tomatoes and let them cook fora couple of mins.
6. Add the chili powder,turmeric powder, coriander powder and garam masala and mix well.
7. Finally add the boiled dal.

8. Next add the amchur powder, kasuri methi and salt as needed and let it cook for another 5 minutes.

The Moong Dal Tadka is ready.

Serve it hot with steamed rice or roti.

Coriander-Mint Chutney for Tandoori dishes

This is a special chutney prepared with coriander and mint, with the special addition of curd for tanginess.

This chutney really goes well with tandoori dishes, and is usually served in the restaurant as well.

Ingredients:
Pudina/Mint - 1 cup, cleaned

Coriander - 1 cup, cleaned

Curd - 1.5 cups (add as required)
Green chilies - 5
Salt - 1 teaspoon
Jeera - half teaspoon


Procedure:
1. Grind all the ingredients together. Do not add water. Add curd if required

That's all. The Coriander-Mint Chutney is ready to serve with your tandoori dishes.

Note: It can be refrigerated for 3-4 days

Vada

Ingredients:
Urad dal(white one without skin) - 1 cup
Ginger - medium piece
Green chilies - 4
Salt
Oil for deep frying

Procedure:
1. Soak the urad dal for around 5 hours. 
2. Grind it together with ginger, green chillies and salt to a fine paste. Do not add water while grinding.
3. If the soaked urad dal has some leftover water, keep it aside. You can add it later if needed.
4. Take a kadhai and keep oil for boiling.
5. Once the oil is hot enough, prepare round balls and deep fry them on a medium flame till they are golden brown.

The delicious vadas are ready. Serve them with chutney.

Mirchi Bhaji

The Mirchi Bhaji are prepared using the special chilies which are longer and less hot.

I have prepared this batch from the chilies grown in our backyard garden. The ones that are on the top are perfect for the mirchi bhaji.

Ingredients:

Besan - 2 cups
Long Chilies 
Baking soda- one fourth tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Ajwain - 1 tsp
Salt

Water
Oil for deep frying

Procedure:
1. Take a mixing bowl, Add all the ingredients except long chilies and oil and mix well. Add water as required.
2. The mix should be of thick consistency as it should stick to the chilies. Add more besan as required.
3. Keep oil ready for deep frying.
4. Once the oil is hot, dip one chili in the mixture and coat it on all sides with the besan and drop it in the oil and deep fry it till light brown.
6. Drain the excess oil on tissue paper.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

I had these bell peppers of vibrant colors lying in my pantry. That inspired me to hunt for some recipes for bell peppers and I came across this stuffed version.

After reading some recipes on the internet, I just tried my own version.

That was my first attempt and it came out really good. They not only looked great, but tasted great as well.

This one turned out a big winner in my family.

It can be served as a great starter. Bigger portions can be served as a main coarse as well.

Ingredients:

3 Bell peppers of assorted colors (I used Red, Orange and Yellow)

Cooked rice - 1 cup

Boiled corn - half cup

1 onion - finely chopped

Pizza sauce - 2 tbsp

Baked beans - 300 gms

5 Cherry Tomatoes - chopped

Feta

Shredded cheese

Oil

Salt

Crushed pepper

Chili flakes

Procedure:

1. Wash all the bell peppers and wipe them dry. Cut them into two identical halves.

2. In boiling water, boil them for 5 minutes. Rinse of all the water and let them dry.

3. In the meantime, lets prepare the stuffing. Take a wok, add oil, add onions and fry them.

4. Next add the cherry tomatoes, boiled corn and the pizza sauce. Finally add the baked beans and rice. Cook for a couple of mins and put off the stove

5. Next add in the feta, pepper, chili flakes and mix well.

6. Preheat the oven at 180 degrees. Line a baking tray and arrange the bell peppers.

7. Add the prepared stuffing a below

8. Bake it for 10 mins in the oven.

9. Sprinkle the shredded cheese and bake for another 15 mins.

The delicious Stuffed Bell Peppers are ready.