Khichdi Muthia

Muthia are popular dumplings from the Gujarat region that are enjoyed both as a snack and as an addition to side dishes such as  undhiyu. The word 'muthia' is a reference to the way the snack is made, where the dough is shaped into oval dumplings, molding the dough in one's fist. The dough is also fashioned into cylindrical rolls, which are then steamed and sliced. They can either eaten as it is or pan fried with a tempering of mustard seeds and white sesame seeds using a little oil which leave the outer side of muthias slightly brown and crispy. These healthy bites make a fine accompaniment to your evening tea / coffee or can be eaten as a light meal too. They go well with a spicy or sweet chutney.

Muthia fall under 'healthy' recipe category since little or no oil is used to make them. There are variations in the muthia recipe, depending upon the vegetables and the flour base used. Today's version is a recipe that uses any left over khichdi which makes it a perfect recycle recipe. Extra khichdi from the lunch is transformed into a enjoyable, guilt free evening snack. I had used some left over pongal for these crispy, delicious muthia. Khichdi which is not too  watery is preferable or the quantity of the flours need to be adjusted accordingly to form a firm dough. 

Below are the links for some of the muthias I have posted.

Doodhi muthia / Lauki muthia

Methi muthia

Methi muthia (Baked version)

Ingredients for muthia:
1.5 cup khichdi
1.5 cup chick pea flour / besan
3/4 cup semolina / sooji
1/4 cup wheat flour / atta
Salt to taste
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. chili powder
1/8 tsp. turmeric powder
2 pinches of asafoetida powder
1 cup chopped spinach (I used frozen spinach after thawing.)
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. oil
Ingredients for tempering:
2 - 3 tbsp. oil
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1 tsp. sesame seeds

1 sprig of curry leaves
Ingredients to garnish:
Minced cilantro 

 Directions:
* Add all the ingredients mentioned under 'muthia' to a bowl.

* Knead the mixture to a firm dough. If the mixture appears loose, add extra flour. 

* Add water to a steamer or a cooker base and let it come to a boil.  

* Grease a steamer tray or a high rimmed plate. Grease your palms and divide the mixture to 2 or 3 equal portions. Shape each portion into a cylindrical roll of one diameter. Place them on the greased steamer plate / plate. 

* Or they can be shaped into small, oval dumplings with a fist. 

* Close the lid and if using cooker base, don't use the whistle for the lid. Steam them until a tooth pick inserted at the center comes out clean, about 20 - 22 minutes. Below are the steamed muthia in log and dumpling forms.

 

*  Let them cool a bit and then transfer them onto a cutting board and cut into about 1/2 inch thick slices.

* Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Add mustard seeds and sesame seeds. If you prefer, add one or two sliced green chilis as well. When mustard seeds start to splutter, add curry leaves and muthia pieces. (I add the tadka later if sautéing the muthia pieces to golden brown.)

* One can just toss them for a couple of minutes and turn off the stove. Or the muthia can be sautéed until they turn slightly brown and crisp on the edges, by flipping them gently. Turn off the stove and garnish with cilantro if preferred. 

* Serve them hot with chutney or ketchup. 

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Bajra Aloo Roti

Bajra aka pearl millet, a healthy and gluten free grain has been grown in India for centuries. The grain is packed with nutrients, rich in fiber thus aiding in digestion and has a low glycemic index making it ideal for diabetics. However over the time, the grain somehow had been relegated to the status of rustic and rural food excepting a few states in India. Fortunately the millets are again slowly gaining popularity among the urban communities as well for their health benefits. Bajra is widely consumed in the Indian states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Maharashtra. I originally made these bajra aloo rotis for the state of Haryana but later realized that these are made in Rajasthan and Gujarat as well with variations.

These rotis are a variation to the regular bajra rotis aka pearl millet flatbreads made across the western parts of India, where bajra is widely consumed. Potato and spices are additional ingredients in this flatbread where the roti is made patting between palms and are slightly thicker than what I have made here. These are basically rustic and everyday kind breads where one doesn't need any fancy side dishes. Some butter, pickle or even plain yogurt would make an excellent accompaniment to these tasty rotis. I served them with pitla, a chickpea flour based side dish from Maharashtra which is called Bombayi chutney in Andhra.

I started slowly incorporating various millet flours into out diet a few years ago and now they have become pantry staples. I started my exploration by using them in thicker Karntaka style rottis. I make somewhat decent rotis now using bajra / pearl millet and jowar / sorghum flours though I need to yet master them. It took a lot of trial and errors since no one at back home use these flours though I learnt recently that my paternal grand mother used to cook millets regularly in place of rice when my father was a kid. One can easily incorporate various millet flours in everyday breakfast dishes like idli, dosa and rotis by starting with replacing a portion of rice / wheat flour by a millet. Similarly millets can replace rice in main dishes. One of the important things to remember regarding bajra flour is not to overstock it as the flour tends to get bitter if it sits for longer periods without getting used.

Experts and people with gluten issues can leave out the wheat flour from the recipe and make rotis, by patting them between palms or on a plastic sheet or a wet cloth and transferring them to the griddle.  However I prefer the version with an addition of wheat flour to it, which makes it comparatively easier to roll the rotis. 

Ingredients: (Yield - 10 rotis)

3/4 cup pearl millet / bajra flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour + extra for dusting
1/2 tsp. dry mango / amchur powder
Salt to taste
3 to 4 spicy green chillies or to taste, grated 
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
1 potato, peeled and boiled (I had about 3/4 cup mashed.)
About 1/2 cup warm water to knead
Oil to make rotis

Directions:
* Mash the potato well and keep aside. Don't throw away the water used to cook the potatoes and use instead in preparing the dough. Warm it if the water has come to room temperature.
* Combine flours, salt, dry mango powder in a mixing bowl. Next add the remaining ingredients except the water and oil. Mix the ingredients well using fingers. 

* Add warm water as needed to form a slightly firm dough and allow it to rest for 30 minutes to an hour. If the dough appears sticky, add some extra wheat flour and knead.

* Knead the dough once. Divide the dough into 10 portions and roll each one into a smooth ball and pat them into discs. Place them in the bowl and keep them covered while working on each ball at a time.
* Flour the disc generously and roll into a thin circle of about 5 to 6 inches in diameter. If rolling appears difficult, roll them between two sheets of plastic or parchment paper which makes it easier to roll.

* Heat a tawa / shallow pan / skillet. Pat away any excess dough from the rolled circle and place it at the center of the griddle.

* When small bubble start to form, flip and cook for about 20 to 30 seconds. 

* Add 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. oil around the edges and smear the back side of the spoon over the surface of the roti. Cook flipping once or twice in between, pressing the spatula all over the surface of the roti until brown spots appear on both sides.

* Repeat the steps of rolling and toasting the rotis with the remaining dough.

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Green Peas Dhokla / Matar aur Besan Ka Dhokla

We are moving towards the western state of Gujarat for today's breakfast. After yesterday's fried affair, here is a healthier breakfast option from this breakfast platter I posted earlier. A steamed, protein rich and nutritious breakfast where green peas play the star role. It is a filling treat that can be served as a breakfast, snack or as any meal.

There is an unmistakable but not overpowering green pea flavor in this dhokla. My family could not guess they were made with peas though they thought it tasted different than the regular version. I also found these to be not very light / airy as the regular chickpea flour / besan version. They are lightly on the denser side though it is not an issue while eating them. It may be because of the addition of green pea puree. To make it more fluffier, I am guessing adding some semolina and increasing the quantity of chickpea flour or reducing the peas quantity by half might help.

Ingredients for dhokla batter:
1/2 tsp. citric acid crystals + 1 tbsp. water
1.5 cups green peas (I used frozen peas.)
1 green chili
1 inch piece ginger
1 cup sieved chickpea flour / besan
Salt to taste 
2 tbsp. sugar ( I used two 1 oz. packets of stevia+ monk fruit blend sweetener.)
1/2 cup water
1 and 1/2 tsp. Enos fruit salt
2 tbsp. water
Oil to grease the dhokla plate

Ingredients for seasoning:
2 tsp. oil
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1 - 2 green chillies, finely minced
2 pinches of asafoetida powder
1 tbsp. water

Ingredients for garnishing:
Chopped Cilantro 
Shredded coconut (Fresh/ Frozen coconut can be used. Just thaw the coconut if using frozen one.)

Directions:
1. Dissolve the citric acid crystals in the water. 

2. Puree peas, ginger and green chili together in a blender. 
3. Add the ground paste, chickpea flour, sugar, salt, citric acid water in a mixing bowl. Add 1/2 cup water and mix well without any lumps. (I added the ingredients to the blender and pulsed to combine.)

4. Heat water in a steamer or the base of a pressure cooker. 
5. Brush a 7 inch thali with oil. (Use any plate / container with at lease one inch depth.) 
6. Add fruit salt to the prepared batter just before steaming.

 7. Sprinkle about 2 tbsp. water over fruit salt.

8. Gently combine the mixture.

9. Pour the mixture into the greased plate. Shake the plate gently to even the level of the batter.

10. Place the batter in the steamer / pressure cooker and close the lid. (There is no need to put the whistle on if using the pressure cooker.)
11. Steam until a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean. (It took me about 30 minutes on low flame though the original recipe mentions the steaming time as about 12 minutes.)

12. Remove the dhokla plate after about 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the plate and reverse the dhokla plate onto a wider plate and unmould the dhokla. 

13. Heat oil in a small pan for seasoning. Add mustard seeds and when they start to sizzle and sputter add green chilies and asafoetida. Saute for about 10 seconds or so and add water. 

14. Turn off the stove and pour the seasoning over the dhokla.

15. Cut into squares and serve them warm with green chutney.

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Damni Dhokla

So far in the series,
Malaadu / Hurigadale Unde
Dry Gulab Jamun
Coconut Burfi / Kobbari Mithai
Almond Halwa / Badam Halwa
Elaneer Payasam
Godhuma Sojjappalu

It's time for snacks after last week's overdose of sweets.This is the second week of mega marathon where six savory snacks' recipes from one particular state need to be posted. I chose to go with Gujarat, simply because it is the land of farsaans but decided to stick with some light snacks. The first one in the series is 'Damni dhokla', that can be loosely translated as a savory steamed cake made with fermented rice, millet and lentil batter. These dhoklas seem to come from the southern part of Gujarat and is not a well known one in the other regions.

'Dhokla' is the most popular snack from Gujarat, even outside the region. There is khaman dhokla - an instant version which is the most common, yellow hued one made with chickpea flour, khatta dhokla / white dhokla made with rice and split black gram, idra - prepared using idli batter, vateli dal na khaman using batter made with Bengal gram / chana dal. And of course there are other new versions like corn dhokla, semolina dhokla,  poha dhokla, sandwich dhokla and so on. Dhokla can be a breakfast, tea time snack or even pass as a light meal.

Other dhokla recipes posted here.
Corn dhokla
Khaman
Live dhokla
Microwave dhokla
Nylon khaman dhokla sandwich
Poha dhokla
Sandwich dhokla
White dhokla

This damni dhokla has been on my 'to do' list ever since I saw it on Tarla Dalal's site and this seemed to be a right time to try it. Damni dhoklas are traditionally made in cones, fashioned using almond or banana leaves which would impart their aroma to dhoklas and I was particularly attracted to the cone shaped individual dhokla pieces. I have seen my paternal grandmother using almond leaves from her backyard tree stitching plates to eat in but I wasn't sure that I could make leak proof leaf cones even if I could procure them. And so, I chose to make them in individual cups though they could be made in a regular dhokla pan or any deep rimmed plate. 

This dhokla is not an instant version but needs some advance preparation. The dals and rice are washed, dried and coarsely grind to use in the recipe. The mix can be prepared in large quantities by sending the ingredients to a flour mill or a store bought mix can be used instead. I chose to soak and coarsely ground the ingredients into a batter. The batter needs to ferment before usage and the fermenting time may depend on weather, ranging anywhere between from 4 hours to overnight. The black chickpeas are soaked overnight, cooked and added to the batter as well. Methia keri sambhaar, the traditional Gujarat pickle masala is also an interesting addition to the batter. I prepared a small quantity of that masala at home. However in lieu of it, masala from any pickle jar should work fine too or can be left out from the recipe. The sweet - spicy flavors are subtle in this dhokla and they went well with a sweet chutney. These dhoklas do not need any tempering or garnishing but I did them anyway.

Ingredients for dhoklas:
2 tbsp. chanadal (split Bengal gram)
2 tbsp. toor dal (pigeon peas)
2 tbsp. urad dal (split black gram)
2 tbsp. yellow moong dal (split yellow gram)
1/2 cup parboiled rice (I used idli rice.)
1/4 cup millet flour (bajra flour)
1/4 cup sour yogurt
1 tbsp. methi keri sambhar / methia no masala
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. chili powder
2 tbsp. grated jaggery
Salt to taste
2 tbsp. soaked and boiled brown chickpeas (kala chana)
1 tsp. Eno's fruit salt
6 - 8 banana leaves, cut into squares if using

Ingredients for tempering: 
2 tsp. oil
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1/2 tsp. white sesame seeds
Few curry leaves

Ingredients for garnishing:
Minced cilantro
shredded fresh coconut
Methi masala

Directions:
* Rinse the dals and rice thoroughly, drain and spear on a clean cloth to dry. Coarsely grind the mixture in a blender and keep aside. Add sour yogurt and about 1/4 cup water and mix well to make a thick batter. 
Or 
Rinse and soak rice and dals in water for about 4 hours. Drain and grind the mixture coarsely adding yogurt and 1/4 cup water. (My batter became runny with this much quantity of liquid and I added some millet flour to thicken it. I wasn't sure whether more liquid is needed to mix the dry ingredients compared to the ground batter or the batter was supposed to be loose. In case if you don't want to use millet flour for some reason, add water only if and as needed. The batter should not be runny as pancake batter.)
* Allow it ferment for about 4 - 6 hours. The batter didn't rise as idli / dosa batters would. (I had to ferment overnight.)
* Add methia keri sambhaar, jaggery, chili powder and salt and mix well. I added some turmeric powder and boiled chickpeas at this point.

* Heat the steamer / cooker base with water to steam. Add fruit salt and 2 tsp. water over the batter, just before steaming.

* Mix gently when the bubbles form and keep aside.

* Grease a dhokla plate or cups if using.  If using leaves, roll each leaf into a cone and secure the edges with a tooth pick. Add some boiled chickpeas in each cone and pour batter over them. 

* Pour the batter and steam until a tooth pick inserted at the center comes out clean.

* Meanwhile, heat oil for tempering and add mustard seeds, sesame seeds and curry leaves. When mustard seeds start to pop, turn off the heat. Pour them over steamed dhokla evenly.
* Garnish with coconut, cilantro and a pinch of methi keri masala on each piece just before serving. 
* Serve them hot. I served them with sweet chutney.

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Monday Meals ~ Handvo (Baked Version)

Handvo happens to be a traditional snack item from the state of Gujarat from Western part of India. This savory cake is made from fermented rice-lentil batter using a special handvo pan. However  handvo can be baked in an oven or cooked in a wide, deep nonstick pan on stove-top as well. Choose whatever method works for you. Handvo is quite filling and so can be suitable for dinner as well. I prepare it as a lunch / dinner as I find it hard to bake it in the morning rush, when breakfast is expected to be on the table around 6.30 am. They freeze well too and so can be prepared in advance for impromptu meals.

I must admit that I was quite surprised when I came across for the first time, a baked handvo version since it happens to be a traditional dish. Traditional home cooking in India hardly involves oven based recipes and for that reason alone, handvo caught my attention. However I didn't get a chance to try it until a couple of years ago. This recipe comes from a Sanjeev Kapoor's cookbook and I didn't make any changes except the vegetables used in the recipe. It is not very spicy and so even kids can enjoy this without the spicy chutneys. And don't get intimidated by the long list of ingredients mentioned below. Most of them just go into the ground batter. If you are used to making dosas / idlis, the process comes across as a breeze.

Ingredients:

1 cup rice

1/4 cup urad dal / skinned black gram

1/4 cup chana dal / split chickpeas

1/4 cup moong dal

1 tsp ginger paste

1 tsp g.chili paste

1/8 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp red chili powder

Salt to taste

2 tbsp. grated bottle gourd 

2 tbsp. grated cabbage

1 tbsp. grated carrot

(I used about 1/2 cup grated zucchini and carrot instead of the above vegetables listed.)

1/4 tsp baking soda (I used Eno's salt) 

1 tbsp. + 3/4 tbsp. oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

10 - 12 curry leaves

2 tsp sesame seeds

A small pinch of asafoetida 

The grinding part:
* Soak the rice and dals together in water such that the ingredients are immersed in water, for about 3 to 4 hours.
* Drain and grind the soaked ingredients adding sour yogurt as needed. (I used about 3/4 cup yogurt.)
* Add a tbsp. oil to the batter and allow to ferment it overnight or 7 to 8 hours.

The handvo making:
* Preheat the oven to 350 deg F / 175 degree C. Grease a baking tin and keep it aside.
* Add ginger, chili paste, chili powder, turmeric, vegetables and salt to the batter. Stir well.
* Heat about 3/4 tbsp. oil. in a small pan. Add mustard seeds, curry leaves, asafoetida and sesame seeds. When mustard seeds start spluttering, turn off the stove and add this tempering to the batter and mix well. (Instead of mixing the tempering into the batter, I poured it over the top). Add baking soda and again give it a stir.
* Pour the batter into a greased baking tin and place it in the preheated oven.

* Bake until a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean and the top starts to turn golden brown, about 30 - 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, cool and cut into squares or the desired shape. 

* If using stove-top method, place a large non stick saute pan on the stove and add 1/4 tbsp. oil. Lower the heat, add batter and let it spread evenly. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Flip it over and cook covered for 15 min or until both sides turn brown.
* Cut into wedges and serve with green and sweet chutneys. Leftovers can be refrigerated for a day or two.

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