Bedmi Puri

Bedmi puri is a traditional food from Uttar Pradesh, specially made on religious festivals but can be prepared and enjoyed anytime. Its a deep fried bread made of wheat flour with the stuffing of ground urad dal and spices. It tastes best with aloo sabji, sweet and sour kaddu sabji and methi chutney.

 

Ingredients:

For Stuffing / Pithi:

1. Dhuli urad dal (Skinned black gram) ------------ 1 cup
2. Red chilli powder ---------------------------------- 1 tsp
3. Coriander powder ---------------------------------- 1 tsp
4. Jeera / Cumin powder ----------------------------- 1 tsp
5. Hing / Asafoetida ---------------------------------- 1/4 tsp
6. Fennel seed ----------------------------------------- 1 1/2 tsp ground coarsely
7. Salt -------------------------------------------------- 1 tsp



For dough:

1. Wheat flour --------------------------------------- 2 1/2 cup
2. Oil -------------------------------------------------- 2 tbsp
3. Salt ------------------------------------------------- 1 tsp
4. Water ----------------------------------------------- to make dough


Method:

Stuffing / Pithi:

1. Wash urad dal and soak for at least 2 hrs.
2. Wash once again and grind coarsely with minimum water.
3. Transfer the ground dal in a bowl, and add all the dry spices and salt.


Dough:

1. Take wheat flour, salt in a big bowl. Knead chapatti like dough with water.
2. Add oil in the dough and knead for 10-12 minutes.
3. Rest the dough for at least 20-30 minutes.


Method:

Making Kachoris:

1. Heat oil in a kadhai. Take small ball of dough sufficient enough for chapatti. Flatten it and put a tennis like ball of pithi in between it.

 

2. Cover pithi from the dough from all sides and make a ball. Use little oil and roll it like a puri.

 

 

3. Deep fry the kachori. Serve these hot kachoris with aloo sabji and kaddu.

 

 

Some ideas

 

1. The consistency of both pithi and dough should ideally be kept same.

2. You can also buy readymade dry pithi from the market. If you are using it, mix it with water at least 1/2 an hour before using.

 

Rava Dosa

Rava Dosa is a Indian crepe of south India. It is very easy to make this instant dosa. It does not require any fermentation. Rava dosa can be eaten with anything of your choice like sambhar, coconut chuntney, tomato onion chutney etc. For making rava masala dosa we can add same potato masala as we use in Masala dosa.

Ingredients:

1. Chiroti Rava --------------------- 1 tbsp
2. Maida ----------------------------- 1/4 tbsp
3. Rice Flour ------------------------ 1/2 tbsp
4. Cumin seeds / Jeera ------------- 1 tsp
5. Onion ----------------------------- 1 medium chopped
6. Corinander ----------------------- 1 tbsp finely chopped
7. Green chillies -------------------- 2 chopped
5. Salt -------------------------------- 3/4 tsp
6. Water ------------------------------ to make batter


Method:

1. In a big bowl take all dry ingredients. Mix water in it and make a very thin batter of pouring consistency. Rest it for 15 mintues.

 

 

 

2. Take a pan / tava and drill oil on it. Take a ladder full of the batter and pour on the tava. Drill oil on it. Cook for a minute on low flame then flip and cook other side until golden brown.

 

 

3. Serve hot with compliments of your choice.

 

Notes:

Chiroti Rava is a very fine variety of Suji rava.

 

Gajar ka halwa

Gajar ka halwa is a very popular Indian sweet delicacy. When  I was a child, my mom used to make it at home in large quantities, never with less than 5 kgs of carrots/gajar! As I write, I am getting a craving to have it.

My mother tells us that when we were kids, me and my sister once asked for the halwa and she said khatam ho gaya (finished). Then we said 'khatam to hoga hi, jo bhi aata ha usiko garam kar ke kila deti ho'! So, in winters gajar ka halwa is first option to be served to the guests. Gajar ka halwa tastes best when served hot.

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:

 

1. Gajar / Carrot ------------------------ 2 kgs

2. Milk ----------------------------------- 2 litre

3. Sugar ---------------------------------- 1 cup

4. Cardoman powder ------------------- 1/2 tsp

5. Ghee ----------------------------------- 2 tbsp

6. Kaju / Cashews ----------------------- 4-5 chopped

7. Badam / Almonds -------------------- 4-5 chopped

 

 

Method:

 

1. Wash, peel and grate the carrots.

 

2. Take grated carrot in a big kadai / pan. Cook until all the juice dries.

 

 

3. Add milk and cook halwa on medium to low flame until all the milk dries. Keep a watch and stir occasionally.

 

 

4. Now add sugar and cardoman powder and mix. Cook for 10 mintues.



 

 

 

5. Add ghee, chopped kaju and badam. Cook for 5-10 minutes or until it separates from the kadai.

 

6. Gajar ka halwa is ready to be served.

 

 

 

 

Some Ideas:



1. Whatever quantity of gajar you are taking for halwa, take gajar and milk in equal quantities.
2. Sugar quantity always depends on the sweetness of carrots. This should be kept in mind while adding sugar.

 

Onion Pickle

Onion pickle is not so usual in north India. But in south it is very popular and mostly accompanied with rice and dosa. This recipe gives taste quite similar to Priya onion pickle. The sour and the sweet taste come from tamarind and jaggery respectively. I don't like to put jaggery much as I like the sour version more.

My elder daughter is very fond of this pickle.

 

 

Ingredients:

 

Small onions ------------------------------ 1/2 kg peeled

Tamarind pulp ---------------------------- 1/2 cup

Jaggery -------------------------------------1/2 tsp

Mustard ( Sarso) seeds  ------------------ 2 tsp

Fenugreek(Methi) seeds ----------------- 3/4 tsp
Red chilli powder ------------------------- 1 tbsp.
Curry leaves ------------------------------- 10-12 leaves

Salt ------------------------------------------ 1 tbsp

Hing/ Asofetida --------------------------- 1/2 tsp

Sesame Oil --------------------------------- 1 cup

 

 

Method:

1. Dry roast the methi seeds in a pan/ kadai.

 

2. Take roasted methi seeds, 1tsp of mustard seeds and hing in a blender. Powder it.

3. In a blender take 1/4 of onions and chop them. Cut rest of the onion in to pieces if required.

 

4. Add oil in a pan/ kadhai. Add remaining mustard seeds. When seeds crackle, put onions, curry leaves, chopped onions and 1/2 tbsp of salt. Cook for 5 minutes on medium flame. Stir occassionaly.

 

 

3. Add tamarind pulp, chilli powder, jaggery, the powdered spices and remaining salt.

4. Cook for another 5 minutes or until the oil separates from the pickle. Now the pickle is ready. You can enjoy it instantly, no need to wait like some other pickles.

 

 

Some Ideas:
 

1. Refrigerate pickle to last longer.

2. Any other oil type can be used if you don't have sesame oil.

3. Always take pickle from a dry clean spoon to avoid contamination.
4. Add salt and chillies as per your taste. E.g., I have used deggi mirch as don't want it to be very spicy.

 

 

Gatte Ki Sabji

Gatte ki sabji is a very popular Rajasthani dish. Gatte is besan/gram flour dumplings in spicy curd based gravy. It is an integral part of any Rajasthani thali. This recipe is one of your best options to make when season changes - it is a welcome break from seasonal vegetables.

 

 

 

Ingredients:

 

for Dumplings / Gatta:

 

1. Gram flour / Besan --------------------- 4 tbsp

2. Salt --------------------------------------- 3/4 tsp

3. Red Chilli Powder --------------------- 1 tsp

4. Coriander Powder --------------------- 1 tsp

5. Sauff / Fennel Seeds ------------------ 1 tsp coarsely grounded

6. Hing / Asafoetida ---------------------- 1/4 tsp

7. Oil / Ghee------------------------------- 1 tbsp.
8. Water ------------------------------------- as required

 

 

for Gravy

 

1. Sour Curd ---------------------------------- 2 cups churned

2. Salt ------------------------------------------ 1/2 tsp

3. Red Chilli Powder ------------------------ 1/2 tsp
5. Coriander / Dhania powder -------------- 1 tsp

6. Onion --------------------------------------- 1 medium chopped

7. Cumin Seeds / Jeera ---------------------- 1/2 tsp

8. Hing / Asafoetida ------------------------- 1/4 tsp

9. Oil------------------------------------------- 1 tbsp

10. Water ------------------------------------- as required
11. Coriander leaves ------------------------ 1 tbsp chopped

Method:

1. Take all the dry ingredients in a big bowl and mix them. Make a small well-like structure in the middle. Add oil in it.
 

2. Mix well and make a chapatti like dough with water. Knead the dough for 2-3 minutes.
 

3. Make small balls from dough and roll them into shapes similar to soup sticks with approximately 1 cm thickness.

 

 

4. Take a pressure cooker. Add rolled gattas. Add enough water to immersed gattas fully. Pressure cook for 1 whistle.
 

5. Open the cooker and transfer the boiled gattas in a bowl. Allow it to cool. Don't discard water as we will use it.

 

 

6. Cut these gattas into 1cm pieces as shown. Gatta / dumpling are ready.

 

 

 

 7. For gravy - take a pan. Put ghee in it. Add jeera and hing. Add onions and fry them till they turn golden brown. Add the water in which we boiled the gattas, churned curd, salt, dhania powder and red chilli powder. Boil it while stirring continuously for few seconds.

 

 

 

8. Add gattas into the gravy. Boil it. Cover and cook on low flame for 15-20 mintues or until gattas are softer. Add coriander leaves and serve with chapatti or paratha.

 



Namak Paare karele

Since our childhood we all have been enjoying homemade namak paare, made by our grandmothers and mothers. These are the same namak paare with a twist. Their shape is like karela / Bitter Gourd but taste is same as the good old namak paare.

 

 

Ingredients:

Maida / flour --------------------------- 250 gms
Suji / semolina-------------------------- 2 tbsp
Salt --------------------------------------- 1 tsp
Ajwain / Carom seeds------------------ 1 tsp
Luke warm water ----------------------- to knead dough
Oil ---------------------------------------- to fry


Seive maida and suji in a big bowl / paraat. Make a well in between and add salt, ajwain and 1 tbsp oil in it. Now moyen the mixture. Moyen means rubbing flour with oil from the tips of the fingers until the mixture starts to look like breadcrums. Now, add water and knead a puri like dough. Rest the dough for half an hour.

 

Knead the dough again for few mintues. Make small marble size balls. With the help of rolling pin / belan roll a puri of a ball. Draw straight-line cuts in it by leaving 0.5 cm gap between them. Also leave some space on the periphery of the puri. 

 

Now roll it inwards as shown in the pictures below.

Repeat the process for all the dough balls.

 

 

Heat oil in a pan / kadhai. Deep fry Namak Paare karele on high to medium heat until golden brown. Then transfer them into colander to drain the excess oil. Let them cool and then store in a air tight container.

 

 

 

 

Some ideas:

1. Different flavours can be given to these namak paares by adding Mint (Pudina), Seasame etc.
 

Dried curd chillies/ Sukhi dahi Mirchi

Known by different names across regions (e.g. Majjiga Mirapa, Challa Mirapakayalu etc.), these dried green chillies are very famous in South India. As is obvious from the name, curd and chillies are the main ingredients for making these chillies.

 

 

The entire process will take around a week’s time and is best carried out during hot summers to help effective drying of chillies. Though the process is a bit lengthy, I am sure you will enjoy making of these chillies as much as the final product!

 

In our family, we like to have it as an accompaniment with khichdi, dal-chawal, and curd-rice. Since chillies are soaked in buttermilk during preparation, their pungency mostly goes away. These　chillies add a nice mix of sour, salty and mildly pungent flavor to the whole meal :).  Even my seven year daughter enjoys having 4-5 chillies at a time with khichdi!

 

 

Ingredients:

In the making process
 

Green Chillies ----------------------------------- 1 kg

Cumin seeds (Jeera) ---------------------------- 1/2 cup

Asafoetida (Hing) ------------------------------- 1 tbsp
Sour Curd ---------------------------------------- 1 litre Churned

Salt ------------------------------------------------ 3 tbsp


At time of cooking

Oil/ Ghee ----------------------------------------- 2 tbsp


Wash the chillies and dry them. Stem should be intact.

Take a chilli and make a slit on one side as shown in the picture below. Repeat the process for all the chillies. Huh...little tiring.

 

 

Grind jeera.

 

 

Add Hing and salt in it. Grind to mix all.

 

The curd should be sour...a real sour curd like 3-4 days old curd. Take the churned curd and mix enough water for a butter milk consistency.

Pour the butter milk into a plastic container with a tight lid. Add ground spices into it.

 

Mix Well and add chillies. Press the chillies so that they are well soaked in the butter milk. When you press them they will come up, but will be coated by the buttermilk.

 

 

 

Put the lid and leave this for 2 days on room temperature. Mix the chillies 2-3 times a day so that the chillies which are on surface go down into the buttermilk to soak it. You will notice that gradually the colour of chillies is getting lighter.

 

After 2 days; i.e. the 3rd day morning, take out all the chillies from the buttermilk. Keep them in a colander to stain all the buttermilk. Keep all the buttermilk safe in the container. Dry the chillies in the sun for the whole day. In the evening, put dried chillies in the buttermilk again. Mix well and put the lid.

 

Repeat the process for another 2 days. In this process you will see that the colour of the soaked chillies have changed from green to white. If not, then the same process should be repeated for another 1-2 days.

 

Now dry the chillies and store in an air tight container.

 

 

 

Cooking:

 

Heat oil in a pan. Add 4-5 chillies at a time to fry. Enjoy the yummy chillies.

 

 

 

 

 

Some Ideas:

 

1. Always start with small lots of chillies like 250 gms or even smaller. Rest of the ingredients can be taken in proportion of it.

3.When malai/ cream is churned to get butter, the residual liquid / matha (traditional buttermilk) can be used in this recipe.

 

 

Shahi Paneer

Shahi paneer is a very famous delicacy from North India. This is a very rich dish of paneer with cream and cashews. So, normally its a special occassion dish. 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:

Paneer ----------------------------------- 250 gms

Onion ------------------------------------ 2 medium chopped

Tomato ---------------------------------- 3 medium chopped

Cream / Malai -------------------------- 2 tbsp

Elaichi /Green Cardamom------------ 1 powdered

Cashew ---------------------------------- 8-10

Ginger ----------------------------------- 1" grated

Garam masala -------------------------- 1/2 tsp

Green Chillies -------------------------- 2

Bay Leaf -------------------------------- 1

Ghee / Oil ------------------------------- 1 1/2 tbsp

Take a pan. Add ghee and heat. Add Onions and saute for a minute. Onion should not turn brown.  Then add cashews and saute for 2 minutes or until cashews turn light brown. Add Tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes are pulpy. Now cool the mixture and grind into a fine paste. If required add water.

Heat this ground mixture in the same pan. Add a bay leaf and boil it.

 

 

Cook for 2 minutes on low flame. Add Cream and mix well. Then add paneer and elaichi powder. Cook for 2 more minutes. Add garam masala and mix. Serve hot with Chapati, Paratha, Naan or Jeera Rice.

 

 

 

 

 Some ideas:

1. To make it less creamy/ heavy you can reduce the amount of cream and cashew.