Bardoli Ki Khichdi

Khichdi, a medley of grain, lentils and vegetables is a common one pot meal prepared across Indian states. The regional variations keep this quick, humble meal interesting enough to keep it rotating in one's kitchen. Today's version supposedly comes from Bardoli, a suburb of Surat in Gujarat. The dish is a straight forward, no fuss kind prepared with the basic ingredients of an Indian kitchen. No special spices / spice powders are used here. 

Raw mango which is a summer staple of Indian kitchens is an interesting addition to this filling khichdi, which drew me to this recipe in the first place. I had a couple of raw mangoes in my refrigerator even in the middle of winter though they don't t match up to the varieties available back home in any manner. The khichdi also had onions in the recipe which I decided to leave out. The khichdi turned out to be how it should be - nutritious, wholesome and simple. Good to go with some papad / lentil wafers, a spicy pickle and drizzled with some ghee on the top.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup yellow lentils / toor dal
1 tbsp. ghee / oil
1 tsp. cumin seeds
2 green chillies, sliced
1/2 inch ginger, chopped
A pinch of asafoetida powder 
1/8 tsp. ground turmeric
1/2 cup rice
1 big sized potato, cut into cubes
1/2 cup raw mango, peeled and cubed
A handful of green peas
Salt to taste
Red chili powder to taste
Cilantro to garnish

Directions:
1. Soak lentils for about 2 hours and drain. (It cuts down the cooking time if the khichdi is going to be cooked in a pan or if the dal cannot be cooked for three whistles in a pressure cooker. Skip this step if lentils can be cooked in a pressure cooker in 2 or 3 whistles.)
2. Heat ghee in a thick bottomed pan on medium flame and add cumin seeds. When they start to brown, add chillies and ginger. Fry until ginger turns golden brown. Add asafoetida, turmeric, drained lentils and about 2 cups of water. 
3. When the lentils are half cooked, add rinsed and drained rice and potato cubes. Keep adding water if needed. Add raw mango cubes after about 10 minutes and continue to cook. After about 5 minutes, add peas and continue to cook. When the rice and lentils are completely cooked, add salt and chili powder. Check the consistency and add water if needed. Bring the mixture to a boil if water was added and if not, cook for about two minutes and turn off the stove. 
* Garnish with cilantro and serve warm.

Note:
Follow this method if using a pressure cooker. Heat ghee in the cooker directly and add cumin seeds. When they start to brown, add chillies and ginger. Fry until ginger turns golden brown. Add asafoetida, turmeric, drained lentils, rinsed and drained rice, potato, raw mango pieces, peas, salt, chili powder and about 2 cups of water. Close the cooker lid and pressure cook for two / three whistles.

Comments 

Baked Millet Handvo

Handvo, the second dish of the week comes from Gujarat. It is a traditional, savory snack that is made from a fermented rice and lentil batter. It is healthy, nutritional and quite filling. Traditionally the handvo was baked on coal. It can be prepared using a special handvo pan, baked in an oven or cooked in a wide, deep nonstick pan on stove-top as well. Like Andhra dibba rotte, it can be prepared in both thin and thick versions if using a pan. 

The preparation is simple if local stores carry the handvo mixture. All one need to do is add yogurt and water mixture and let it ferment before adding the vegetables and seasonings. If one cannot source handvo mixture, then either the dry ingredients can be ground and soaked or the ingredients can be ground coarsely after soaking the ingredients. I follow the latter method and I have already posted a baked version of rice - lentil handvo recipe. I usually follow the bake method since it is fuss free and needs no supervision. I made a baked handvo this time using mixed millets and lentils to make it more healthier. Serve this delicious handvo along with tea or even as a meal since it is quite filling on it's own.

It is hard to mess a handvo recipe especially if you make idli or dosa batters. After grinding, ferment the batter overnight or about 7 to 8 hours in hot weather. Handvo batter doesn't rise like idli and dosa batters and it gets sour if kept longer than that. The resulting handvo would end up being sour. Eno's fruit salt is added to the batter anyway.

Ingredients:
1 cup mixed millets (See note below.)
1 cup mixed legumes / dals (See note below.)
3/4 cup sour yogurt / dahi
1.5 tsp. salt
2 - 3 tbsp. oil (divided)
1.5 cup grated vegetables (See note below,)
1 tsp. grated ginger
1 tsp. finely chopped green chillies / green chillie paste
1/8 tsp. turmeric powder
1 tsp. Eno fruit salt / 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1 tbsp. white sesame seeds
2 sprigs of curry leaves
2 pinches of asafoetida powder

Note:
1.  I used kodo, fox tail and proso millets. Instead, a single variety of millet or rice can be substituted.
2. I used urad dal (split black gram), chana dal (Bengal gram), toor dal (yellow lentils / pigeon peas), yellow and green moong dal (mung beans).
3. Grated bottle gourd is the commonly used vegetable. I used finely chopped methi / fenugreek greens, grated carrot and cabbage.)

Directions:

* Rinse millets and legumes twice and soak them in water for about 3 to 4 hours, taking care that they are well immersed in water. Drain the water completely after the soaking period and grind the mixture adding yogurt and salt to a slightly coarse batter. Add a tbsp. of oil to the batter. 


* The batter is on a thicker side and so there is no need to add any extra water to grind. 

* Leave the mixture to ferment for about 7 to 8 hours or overnight if the weather is cold. 
* When ready to make handvo, grease a round / square baking pan and preheat the oven to 350 deg F. (I used my 8 by 8 inch square pan.)
* Add grated vegetables. ginger, chillie paste, turmeric and mix well with a spoon.

* Heat a tbsp. oil and add mustard and sesame seeds. When the mustard starts to splutter and sesame seeds start to turn golden brown, add curry leaves and asafoetida. Turn off the stove.
* Add Eno's fruit salt to the prepared batter and give a quick stir to mix well. 

* Pour the ground batter mixture into the greased pan. 

* Pour the mustard and sesame seeds mixture over the top of the batter.

* Bake for about 30 to 40 minutes or until the surface turns light  brown or a toothpick inserted at the enter comes out clean. Broil on low for a minute or so, until the surface evenly turns golden brown.

* Turn off the oven and remove the pan. Let it sit for a few minutes.
* Slice the handvo using a plastic knife and serve with any chutney or yogurt.

First week - Sweets
Malaadu / Hurigadale Unde
Dry Gulab Jamun
Coconut Burfi / Kobbari Mithai
Almond Halwa / Badam Halwa
Elaneer Payasam
Godhuma Sojjappalu

Second week - Snacks from Gujarat
Damni Dhokla
Doodhi Muthia / Lauki Muthia
Dal Pandoli

Sev Khamani

Methi Khakhra
Pressure Cooker Khandvi

Third Week - Snacks
Bafauri
Soy Beans Guggillu / Sundal

Jhal Muri

Roasted Phool Makhana
Kalmi Vada Chaat
Spicy Corn Chaat

Fourth Week - Regional Snacks
Aakukoora Pappu Chekkalu

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#104.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Comments

Methi Khakhra

These 'not so perfectly shaped' khakhras hands down win 'the most time taking recipe' among the lot that I has ever tried cooking in my kitchen. Maybe because it was a regional preparation that I did not have any first hand reference to, I don't know. In the time I cooked these, I could have walked, to my local "Patel brothers' store, bought varieties of khakhra and came back home, twice. Even though the recipe tested my patience and time, the silver lining had been that the khakhras were thin and crisp. I think it is hard for beginners to replicate the machine made, commercially sold khakhras that come with a uniform hue through out.

Khakhras are thin, crisp crackers that are made with wheat flour, that are eaten along with tea in the mornings or as a snack both in Gujarat and Rajasthan. Khakhras are sold / made both in plain and flavorful versions like methi/fenugreek green, garlic, mint, and other innovative versions. The modern versions are made with other flours too. They were traditionally made with left over rotis. Or if starting from scratch, the dough prepared is the same as roti dough base, plain or flavors added and they are rolled super thin. They are lightly toasted once, allowed to cool down and again toasted until they turn crisp. It was mentioned in the recipe that I followed that all the lightly toasted rotis would be neatly stacked over one another on the tawa, pressing down applying pressure on the top one while the bottom ones gets crisp. The bottom one will get removed once it turns crisp and the process continues until all are turned into crisp khakhras. I don't think people nowadays have the patience to make these when they are easily available commercially. 

The concept of 'rotis to khakhras' has always been intriguing to me as a non-local and I have always wondered whether the commercially sold version can be replicated at home. If it can be then I marvel at the skilled expertise of those who can do so. We always keep stock of varieties of khakhras bought from store and so until now I never thought of going through the hassle of making them at home since they are easily accessible. While I was planning non fried and guilt-free Gujarati snacks for this week, I thought of giving them a try. The methi khakhras I tried were crispy and kinda tasted plain though they were fenugreek flavored. I know this was my first and last attempt at making khakhras but retrospectively the experience was not bad but it was time consuming and one needs to be in front of the stove constantly. Some of the tips I gathered along the way.

1. Roll the rotis very very thin. I could have easily rolled mine some more thinner but didn't realize at that time but my khakhras were thin anyway.
2. Cut the rolled out dough discs into perfect circles using a sharp rimmed plate. Everyone cannot roll uniformly sized, perfect circles. Mine looked fairly fine shaped when they were rotis but once they were toasted to khakhras, I could see the imperfect edges.
3. The locals use a khakhra press, a wooden disc with a handle to press the khakhras. In lieu of it, a potato masher / rolled kitchen towel works fine. I tried my athirasam / arisela press and after a while, it started to hurt holding the press in the same position. I used a rolled paper towel instead since I didn't want to stain my kitchen towel.
4. Khakhras are toasted on low flame. My first one took about 40 minutes to cook that way and there was not a single brown spot. And then I figured it out that khakhras can be made interchanging the heat setting from low to medium and vice versa, as required. I browned my last khakra at the center on purpose.
5. Use a tawa / low rimmed pan that is slightly concave which gives the khakhras their distinct shape. There is no need to worry if one doesn't own that kind of pan. Also place a pot or something on the khakhras when done to retain the depression at the center. (I did not do it. This is a tip from blogger friend, Vaishali which I noticed after I had made these.)

Recipe source: Here

Ingredients: (Yield - 6 khakra)
1/4 cup washed and roughly chopped fenugreek greens / methi
1 cup wheat flour / chapati atta + extra for dusting
1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1 tsp. chili powder or green chili paste (adjust to taste)
2 tbsp. oil 
1 tsp. melted ghee / oil for greasing

Directions:
* Add fenugreek greens, flour, salt, turmeric powder, chili powder / green chili paste and 2 tbsp. oil to a mixing bowl.

* Mix the ingredients well with hand and add water in slow increments and make a soft, pliable dough like chapati / roti dough.

* Allow the batter to rest for about 30 minutes. Add about 1/2 tsp. oil and knead the dough for a minute until smooth. Divide the dough into 6 to 8 equal sized balls.

* Flatten a ball while keeping the other balls covered.

* Roll each ball into a circle, as thin as possible. (I easily could have rolled them even thinner as the recipe needed but somehow I did not.) Use flour if needed for dusting. 

* Roll out all the balls into circles and keep them aside. Mine were not sticking to each other and so I piled them. One can always spread them individually on a wide plate to avoid sticking. 

* Heat lightly a tawa or a lightly concave pan. Don't make it too hot. Place a rolled out disc on it.

* Our purpose is here not to make a roti and so, when it starts to dry and just bubbles start to from, flip it.

* Cook the other side as well until bubbles starts to form. There is no need to cook until you see the spots. 

* This is how we need it, lightly toasted without any spots. Finish toasting all the discs this way. This step doesn't take much time.

* Grease on both sides of the prepared rotis, with oil / ghee very lightly. Just very lightly. Let them cool.

* Now comes the part which demands some patience and time. Turning the rotis into crisp khakras. Start from a low flame and keep interchanging the heat between low and a little more higher setting as you keep cooking. Our goal here is not let the bubbles form and turn the soft roti real crisp. Place a partially cooked roti on the warm tawa and when ever you notice bubbles keep pressing them with a khakra press, kitchen towel or a potato masher, whatever works for you.

* Start pressing along the edges first and then keep going to center of the roti. Keep pressing down any bubble that starts to form.

* Flip and keep doing the same step as above.

* (In the middle of it, I realized a paper towel works best.) Pay attention to the heat and keep pressing until it turns crisp. (I took more than 30 minutes for the first one since I did it on the lowest flame possible on my gas stove, through out the process. When I got a hang of it, I realized I could increase the heat and can keep adjusting as needed. I made my first five khakhras patiently without a brown spot.)

* Repeat the process with the remaining rotis. Store them in an airtight container once they cool down.
* Serve them with tea and pickle / methia masala.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#104.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Comments

Doodhi Muthia / Lauki Muthia

So far in the series,

First week - Sweets
Malaadu / Hurigadale Unde
Dry Gulab Jamun
Coconut Burfi / Kobbari Mithai
Almond Halwa / Badam Halwa
Elaneer Payasam
Godhuma Sojjappalu

Second week - Snacks from Gujarat
Damni Dhokla

Muthia is a popular and guilt free snack from the state of Gujarat. Muthias are also added to some Gujarati side dishes like 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. Sometimes the dough is also fashioned into cylindrical rolls and sliced in the later part of the recipe. These dumplings are steamed and then either eaten as it is or pan fried in a tempering of mustard seeds and white sesame seeds using a little oil which leave the outer side of muthias slightly brown and crispy. They fall under 'healthy' recipe category since little or no oil is used to make them. My husband likes them well fried to the point of crisp and some of them are that's why fried to golden brown.
 
There are variations in the muthia recipe, depending upon the vegetables and the flour base used. Today's recipe uses bottle gourd or doodhi and is a traditional version. Grated onion or any chopped greens can also be added to the recipe for a variation. Another popular version is methi muthia which you can find here. Chickpea flour, fine or coarse wheat flour, jowar flour, bajra flour can be used to make muthias. I omit the sugar when I make muthias but a tsp. or so of sugar can be added to the recipe. These healthy delicacies 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.

Ingredients for muthia:
1 cup grated bottle gourd (lauki / doodhi) 
1/2 cup semolina / sooji
1/4 cup chickpea flour / besan
1/4 cup wheat flour / atta
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1/2 tsp. fennel seeds
1/8 tsp. turmeric powder
2 pinches of asafoetida powder
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 spicy green chillies, finely minced
1/2 tsp. grated ginger / ginger paste
2 tbsp. minced cilantro
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. oil
Ingredients for tempering:
2 - 3 tbsp. oil
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1 tsp. sesame seeds
Ingredients to garnish:
Minced cilantro 

 Directions:
* Peel and quarter the bottle gourd. Remove the seeds and grate it. (I used half of a small sized bottle gourd.) Squeeze out as much water as possible from grated bottle gourd. Save the water to use later if needed. If using onion, grate and squeeze out the water as well. 

* Combine semolina, chickpea flour, wheat flour, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, turmeric powder, asafoetida powder, salt, baking soda and sugar if using in a bowl and mix well.

* Next add green chilies, ginger, cilantro, lemon juice and oil. Add bottle gourd. Save the water to use later if needed. 

* Knead the mixture to a soft dough. If you need some liquid to bind, add the bottle gourd water saved earlier. One may need a tbsp. or more not more. 

* 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 3 or 4 equal portions. Shape each portion into a cylindrical roll of one diameter. Place them on the greased steamer plate / plate. 

* 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.

*  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 chillies. When mustard seeds start to splutter, add muthia pieces. 

* Saute until they turn slightly brown and crisp on the edges, by flipping them gently. Turn off the heat and serve them hot with chutney or ketchup.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#104.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Comments

A - Z Indian Biryani / Pulao / Khichdi Series ~ E for Ek Toap Na Dal Bhaat

Here is a one pot khichdi from the Gujarati kitchens. It is wholesome, nutritious and a filling meal as a khichdi should be but is somewhat a special one. It is easy and quick to prepare this as well. This is one of the dishes I cooked early on but I started to have second thoughts because I have another recipe in the line which involves stuffing and I was not impressed with the images I captured. It was a cloudy day in the middle of Midwest winter and there was not even a single image that looked crisp. I cooked another khichdi last week, in case I didn't want to go with it. However I changed my mind again today and decided to go with this Gujarati meal, I found on Tarla Dalal's website. 

Calling it a one pot rice - lentil khichdi would be misleading since it is not your everyday khichdi where you dump spices, rice, lentil and vegetables in one pot and cook. Vegetables used here are not chopped but stuffed and eggplants are an interesting addition too, considering that it is not commonly used in a khichdi preparation. The addition of vegetables, stuffed with a coconut - cilantro base is the highlight of this khichdi and it definitely elevates the simple khichdi to an entertaining meal. The onions I used were tiny and kind of disintegrated into the khichdi and so, it is hard to notice them in the images. 

This dal bhaat can be cooked under 30 minutes, if soaking toor dal is not involved. I have noticed that the same toor dal without any prior soaking can be cooked in 3 whistles in some cookers and some take longer even if they are newly bought cookers. If you own a cooker which can cook dal in 3 whistles, go ahead with the recipe without soaking dal. If not, soak dal for 1 to 2 hours before so that rice and dal gets cooked at the same time. Otherwise, the rice would be a mush and the dal may not be cooked enough. The stuffing can be changed to a personal favorite one as well instead of using the one mentioned in the recipe. I changed the stuffing slightly while cooking though I am posting the same one mentioned in the original recipe.

Ingredients: (Yield - 4 servings)
1 cup rice
1/3 cup pigeon peas / toor dal
2 1/2 cups water (I used 1.5 + 2/3 cup, It is perfect if you prefer a dry version khichdi like shown in the image.)
2 tbsp. ghee
1 tsp. cumin seeds
a pinch of asafoetida
1/8 tsp. turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1/4 cup frozen peas
4 baby potatoes
4 small variety brinjals / eggplants 
4 to 6 baby onions 

Ingredients for stuffing:
1 tbsp. coriander powder
1 tbsp. cumin powder
1 tbsp. sugar (I didn't use.)
1.5 tbsp. red chili powder
A pinch of asafoetida
Salt to taste
3/4 cup fresh coconut, grated
1/3 cup finely minced cilantro / coriander leaves

Directions:
* If the variety of toor dal being used is not going to pressure cook in 3 whistles or cook at the same time as rice, wash and soak the dal in water for 1 or 2 hours and drain the water. There is no need to soak the rice but wash and drain.
* Combine all ingredients mentioned under stuffing in a small bowl and mix well. 
* Peel the potatoes and onions. Make criss-cross slits on onions, potatoes and brinjals, taking care not to separate the 4 segments. (Keep the stalk of the brinjals intact and cut along the opposite end. Cut a + mark, not cutting all the way through.)
* Stuff the onions, potatoes and brinjals evenly with the stuffing prepared in the above step. Keep them aside.
* Heat ghee in a small (3 liter) pressure cooker and add cumin seeds. When they start to brown add asafoetida, turmeric powder, drained rice and toor dal. Saute them for about a minute, on medium flame. 
* Add green peas, salt and water and stir well. Next add the stuffed vegetables and gently stir the mixture once. Pressure cook on high flame for 3 whistles.
* When the valve pressure is gone, remove the lid.
* If preferred, add another tbsp. of ghee at this point and gently mix.
* Serve it with some plain yogurt / butter milk. 

So far in my Biryani / Pulao / Khichdi series,
A for Ambur Biryani
B for Basanti Pulao / Misthi Pulao
C for Corn - Fenugreek Greens Pulao
D for Donne Biryani

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#99.

An InLinkz Link-up

Comments