Rajgira Kadhi / Vrat Ki Kadhi / Farali Kadhi

A Indian kadhi generally is a spicy, yogurt based gravy which is thickened by the use of chickpea flour. Other flours are substituted for chickpea flour aka besan especially during the Navratri fasting season, a tidbit I have learnt from the blogging world over the years. I tried recently amaranth flour based kadhi aka rajgira kadhi and it turns out that even a basic version kadhi without all the frills can taste good too. No chickpea flour, onions, tomatoes, asafoetida, mustard seeds, turmeric or dried mango powder in this version but one wouldn't call this gluten free gravy a flavorless one. We at least didn't mind even a bit and I am sure that any kadhi lover would enjoy this amaranth flour kadhi as well. The lackluster color of the kadhi may be a giveaway that it may not be the regular version kadhi but one would probably just assume the lack of turmeric in it.

Whisk the yogurt well to a uniform consistency. I was lazy to do so when I made this and that's why the kadhi looks curdled but it is not so. If not using this as a fasting meal, feel free too use turmeric, mustard seeds, asafoetida, onion, salt and other stuff one would prefer in a kadhi. Even buckwheat flour or chestnut flours can be used in place of amaranth flour in the recipe.

Ingredients: (2 servings)
1 cup yogurt
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup amaranth flour
2 tsp. ghee / oil
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. ginger paste or grated ginger
2 finely minced green chillies or 1 tsp. green chili paste
Rock salt to taste
Minced cilantro to garnish

Directions:
* Whisk yogurt well in a bowl. Add amaranth flour to the yogurt and mix until there are no lumps. Yogurt and flour together can be whisked in a blender as well.
* Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds. When they start to brown add ginger and chillies. Saute for few seconds and then add water.  Next add yogurt - amaranth flour mixture and rock salt to the pan. Continue to cook on low flame stirring intermittently until the mixture thickens. If the mixture appears to be thicker than the preferred consistency, add extra water and bring the mixture again to a boil and turn off the stove.
* Garnish with cilantro and serve warm. It can be served with any cooked grains allowed during fasting or rice / rotis.

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Aloo Raita / Indian Potato Yogurt Dip

Potato is one of the limited vegetables that is allowed during fasting in some parts of India. Plantain, sweet potato, colocasia, bottle gourd, pumpkin, cucumber, raw papaya and yam are the other ones. Fruits, dairy products and a few spices are allowed as well. I made this quick and nutritious raita using aloo / potato and other allowed 'vrat' ingredients.

Freshly made, full fat yogurt is what used in raita preparations but I went with fat-free yogurt as that is what eaten at our home. Sendha namak / saindhava lavanam / rock salt is used instead of regular salt during fasting in some parts of India and that is what I have used in this raita. Regular salt can be added if not following the fasting diet. 

The raita can be made just with the base recipe I mentioned below, without adding any optional ingredients, the one which I personally prefer. Cumin powder and black pepper are 'allowed' during fasting and I have added those as well to my raita bowl as my husband absolutely loves them. 

My husband always sprinkles chili powder, black salt and chaat masala to any raita I make and he enjoyed this raita adding those to his portion. Some consume these spice powders and some don't while fasting and so they can be added accordingly. I personally don't prefer that much of spices in my raita and omit them. 

Ingredients:

1 cup peeled and cubed potato cubes

1 tsp. oil

1/2 tsp. cumin seeds

1 spicy green chili, finely chopped

1 cup yogurt (I used homemade fat-free yogurt.)

Sendha namak / rock salt to taste or use regular salt

1 tsp. grated ginger

Minced cilantro to garnish

Optional ingredients that can be added if fasting:

1/2 tsp. toasted and ground cumin 

Ground black pepper to taste 

Optional ingredients that can be added if not fasting:

Chili powder

Black salt 

Chaat masala 

Directions:

* Cook potatoes adding water as needed, in a microwave or on stove-top until done. Drain them and keep aside. Mash the potato when they come to room temperature.

* Heat oil in a small pan and add cumin seeds. When they start to change color, add green chillies and sauté for 20 to 30 seconds and turn off the stove.

* Add yogurt and sendha namak / rock salt to a bowl. (Use regular salt if not fasting.) Beat the yogurt with a spoon for a smooth consistency.

* Add the mashed potatoes, cumin -green chili tadka, grated ginger and minced cilantro to the bowl. Mix them with a spoon to combine. (One can certainly stop at this point and serve this.)

* Add ground cumin and black pepper if preferred and stir to combine. (These are allowed during fasting.)

* Chili powder, black salt and chaat masala are other flavorful additions that can be used if not fasting. (Some eat these spice powders as well during fasting and so need to be used accordingly. I added these spice powders to a portion of raita which is not pictured here.) 

* Serve this with 'allowed breads' during fasting like parathas made with amaranth flour, water chestnut flour or barnyard millet pulao and such.

This post is an entry for Blogging Marathon and check the link to find out what other marathoners are cooking.

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Rajgira Sheera / Amaranth Flour Halwa

Coinciding with the Navratri season, here is one more dish associated with it and the fasting regimen. This halwa / sheera is prepared using amaranth flour / rajgira atta and seems to be a popular dessert fit for the season. Not a tricky one to prepare but patiently roasting the flour in ghee without burning it until it turns light brown is important. 
The halwa can be prepared with either milk or water. It is rich because of the ghee and milk used and therefore eaten in small quantities. I used jaggery instead of sugar and 1/4 cup of it makes it not an overtly sweet dish but one can increase the sweetener by a couple of tbsp. more if one prefers a sweeter halwa. The consistency of this halwa would be smoother compared to the sooji halwa since flour is the base here.

Ingredients
1/4 cup ghee (I used less.)
1/2 cup rajgire ka atta / amaranth flour
1 and 1/4 cup milk
4 - 6 tbsp. sugar (I used jaggery instead.)
2 pinches of ground cardamom
Nuts to garnish

Directions:
* Heat ghee in a pan and add amaranth flour to it. Start toasting until you notice the aroma and the mixture changes to light brown color, about 6 to 8 minutes.
* Meanwhile, heat milk and sugar in a microwave or in a pan and keep aside. No need to boil the milk.
* Add milk and cardamom to the toasted flour gradually in small increments from the sides of the pan, stirring continuously and quickly to avoid forming lumps. Cook on low flame covered until the mixture thickens and the ghee starts to release along the edges.
* Garnish with slivered almonds / any other nuts and serve warm.

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Sabudana Khichdi / Saggubiyyam Upma

Sabudana khichdi is a popular dish in some parts of India, especially in the state of Maharashtra. As the title indicates, the khichdi is made using sabudana / tapioca pearls. It can be eaten for any meal of the day and is considered as one of the fasting foods given that the regular salt in the recipe is replaced by rock salt.

This khichdi requires a bit of advance preparation since the tapioca pearls need soaking until they turn translucent and soft. The time of soaking depends upon the variety of tapioca pearls used. Some need only a few minutes of soaking where as some need 4 to 5 hours of soaking. I don't soak tapioca pearls in plenty of water but instead use only enough water to cover them. I cover the tapioca pearls' bowl and forget for few hours. Usually they absorb all the water by that time and would have turned translucent and fluffy, ready for use.

Grated ginger, fresh shredded coconut and sugar can be added as well to the recipe though I don't use them.

Ingredients: (Yield 2 servings)
1 cup sabudana / tapioca pearls
1/2 cup peanuts
1 medium sized potato
1 tbsp. oil
1 tsp. cumin seeds
10 curry leaves
1 or 2 green chillies, finely chopped
Salt to taste
Lemon juice to taste
Minced cilantro to garnish

Prep work:
* Rinse tapioca pearls in a colander under running water until it is not cloudy anymore. This helps to get rid of the starch to some extent. Soak tapioca pearls in a bowl by adding water just enough to cover them. Cover the bowl and leave aside for 4 to 5 hours or overnight. 
* Press a soaked pearl between thumb and forefinger to check whether it easily squishes. If not, sprinkle some more water and soak for some more time. (My tapioca pearls took about 5 hours to soak.) Drain any extra water if present.
* Toast the peanuts and skin them. Save about 2 tbsp. peanuts and coarsely grind the rest of the peanuts.
* Peel and cube the potatoes.

The cooking part:
* Heat oil in a pan, preferably a non stick one and add cumin seeds. When they start to brown, add curry leaves and chillies. Saute them for about 20 seconds and add potato cubes. Cover and cook on low flame until the potato cubes turn tender.
* Mix soaked tapioca pearls, peanut powder and salt in a bowl. Add them to the pan and cook covered on low flame until tapioca pearls turn slightly translucent.
* Garnish with cilantro and the saved peanuts.
* Squeeze some lemon juice while serving or it can be added while cooking tapioca pearls.


This goes to Blogging marathon #85, under the theme 'Breakfast Recipes'. Check out the page to read what other marathoners are cooking.

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Rajgira Thalipeeth / Upvaas Thalipeeth / Amaranth Flour Flatbread

Fasting during religious holidays, abstaining from certain or all food as a means to spiritual growth is common in many cultures around the world and Indians too are not an exception to this. Depending upon where you live in India, the word 'fasting' goes by the terms upavas, upavaasa, upavaasam and so on. As a south Indian, I have seen my mother and sometimes my father fasting a couple of times in a year like on a Vaikunta Ekadashi day or during Mahashivaratri. All my parents would have on a fasting day is a cup of coffee once or twice until they broke their fast in the evening after visiting a temple. My would prepare a simple meal like upma and sooji halwa or something along the lines of it to avoid rice. 

I have learnt over the years through friends and acquaintances from the other parts of India that they do fast on other occasions like Navratri for example, which is going on right now and have dietary restrictions set for the day. My Gujarati neighbor was once lamenting that his mother is always fasting in the name of one god or another. In fact, once during our initial days of acquaintance, she asked about my fasting rituals only to be left surprised to hear that I never fast. Hindus usually stick to a vegetarian diet during religious holidays and avoid stuff like onion and garlic. Some regions avoid the salt too and use rock salt instead. And folks mainly try to avoid the grains which they eat on a regular basis like wheat and rice. In south, they try to avoid rice since their usual meals are set around it and many will get through the day only consuming fruits and milk during the fasting period. They don't have any particular 'fasting diet' as North / Western or Central regions of India do which is called 'Vrat ka Khaana'. Buckwheat flour, Chestnut flour, Sago pearls, Amaranth flour, Dairy products are some of the ingredients around which a fasting diet is built. 
 
I have prepared these rajgira thalipeeth following this sabudana thalipeeth recipe and they qualify for the fasting diet. They remain soft once they cool down unlike the other thalipeeth/rotti versions and so they make a great lunch box option as well. These healthy and yummy thalipeeths are made with amaranth flour and are a great gluten free option. I made them spicier and did not need any accompaniments. However they can be had with a spicy pickle or something spicy that meets the dietary restrictions. 

Ingredients: (Yields 3 thalipeeth)
1 cup rajgira flour / amaranth flour
About 1/2 cup cooked and mashed potato 
2 tbsp. toasted, skinned and roughly crushed peanuts
1 tsp. cumin seeds
2 green chilies, finely chopped
1 tsp. grated ginger
2 tbsp. finely minced cilantro
Rock salt / Sendha namak to taste (or salt if not fasting.)
Ghee / Oil to make thalipeeth

Method:
* Grease your palms and combine everything except the ghee / oil in a mixing bowl. Add a tsp. of oil and roll into a firm dough. There is no need to add any water since the moisture from the cooked potato would be enough to bring the mixture together. In case, if the mixture appears dry, add warm water in tsp. increments and work the dough.
 
* Divide the mixture into three portions and shape them into balls. Work with one ball at a time and keep the rest covered. Pour 1/2 tsp. of ghee / oil at the center of a shallow pan / griddle.
* Place one dough ball directly at the center of the pan. Wet your fingers with water and gently pat the ball into a thin circle. Sprinkle 1/2 tsp. oil over and around the edges the thalipeeth and cover. 
Thalipeeth dough can also be shaped on a thick greased plastic sheet instead of doing it directly on the pan. Once shaped, the dough circle can be transferred to the griddle by placing the dough side on the plan and peeling the plastic sheet away from the pan.
* Switch on the stove and cook on medium flame until the bottom side turns golden brown. Flip and cook until the other side turns golden brown too.
* Repeat the process with the remaining dough balls.

 
This goes to Blogging marathon #69, under the theme 'Flatbreads'. Check here to find out what the other marathoners are cooking as part of the BM.

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Sabudana Vada / Sago Vada

Honestly speaking, fasting during navratri or the fasting food aka 'vrat ka khana' is an alien concept to me as a south Indian. As a vegetarian, I know that onion and garlic are taboo during religious occasions and rice is not consumed sometimes when fasting. However I had no clue that there is a long list of ingredients that people wouldn't consume during fasting in other parts of the country until I moved to U.S. and saw some of my Indian friends fasting at the drop of a hat in the name of festivals.  

Sabudana or tapioca pearls is one of the ingredients that is allowed during fasting and can be used to prepare yummy, light snacks such as khichdi or vadas. Sabudana vada, a traditional deep fried snack from Maharashtra is also equally popular as a fasting food. They are yummy but the flip side is that they are deep fried and need a bit of pre-planning since sabudana needs soaking. This 'crunchy on the outside and softer inside' vadas make a great snack along with your evening cup of tea.

 

Ingredients:

1 cup sabudana / sago pearls

2 small sized potatoes

1/4 cup peanuts

2 -3 green chillies, finely chopped (adjust the quantity as per preference.)

1 - 2 tbsp. finely minced cilantro

Salt to taste (or rock salt if fasting.)

1 Tbsp. rice flour (optional and if fasting, rice flour can be replaced with buckwheat flour or chestnut flour.)

Oil to fry (I used canola oil. Vegetable / peanut oil can be substituted.)

  

Preparation:

* Soak sabudana in just enough water to cover them for about 2 - 3  hours or overnight depending upon the sabudana variety. Drain in a colander and keep it aside until all the water is completely drained. (check notes.)

* Peel and cook the potatoes in a pressure cooker. Drain completely and then mash finely.

* Roast and skin the peanuts. Grind them coarsely and keep aside.

Method:

* Heat oil in a kadai / frying pan to deep fry the vadas.

* Add soaked and drained sago pearls, mashed potato, peanut powder, green chillies, cilantro, salt and flour if using to a wide bowl. Mix well to combine. 

* Pinch about lemon sized portions from the mixture.

* Gently pat them into patties and gently slide them into hot oil. Fit as many patties as the pan could hold without overcrowding.

* Deep fry them until they turn golden brown and are done.

 Notes:

1. I have used large sabudana pearls here. The soaking time depends upon the quality and the variety of sabudana. I have heard from my mom that the best quality sabudana needs just sprinkling of water to make the pearls soften but the variety I usually get here requires overnight soaking. Some soften in lesser time than the other and so check accordingly. When you press a soaked sago pearl between your finger tips, it should be moist and spongy.)
2. I usually deep fry keeping the flame at somewhere between low and medium. Vadas cooked at high temperature would brown faster leaving the insides uncooked while a low cooking temperature would make vadas greasier.
3. During fasting months, amaranth flour / buckwheat flour or water chestnut flour can be substituted for rice flour and rock salt can be used in place of regular salt.
4. For a healthier version, they can be shallow fried in a appe pan.
5. Minced ginger, 1 tsp of sugar or lemon juice can also be added to the recipe.

This goes to Blogging Marathon #50, under the theme of "One ingredient - Three different dishes", Sabudana / Sago / Tapioca pearls being my chosen ingredient. Check out the link to find out what other marathoners are cooking.

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