Mandua ki Roti / Ragi Roti / Finger Millet Flatbreads

I grew up in Karnataka, a south Indian state where finger millet aka ragi is one of the staple crops. Many eat ragi muddhe / finger millet balls instead of rice on a daily basis in the area where I grew up. I therefore have affinity towards finger millet and I try to include the flour in our diet as much as possible. Don't be put off by it's color. It is a whole grain with high nutritional value and is a good source of carbohydrates. It is gluten free as well and good for diabetics. The millet is cultivated in various parts of India and go by the names ragi, nachni, kodo and mandua. It is a hardy crop which can grow even in high altitudes and withstand harsh weather conditions and has been traditionally grown even in the hilly / pahadi areas of Himalayas.

Various dishes are made with finger millet flour in Uttarakhand including rotis. The rotis here are made in two ways, either the dough is patted with fingers or just rolled as rotis. The first time I heard about these rotis was through an online video I saw a few years ago. I make the Karnataka version thicker rottis regularly in my home but the idea of rotis sounded interesting. The patted version obviously yields thicker rotis and are made with a dough of finger millet flour alone adding a bit of salt and water. The ones that are rolled to make it thinner like the regular wheat version rotis are made with a mixture of finger millet and wheat flours. Finger millet has no gluten and it hard to roll though I saw a Pahadi chef doing it in a video which did not seem easy even to him and they were smaller in size. If looking for a gluten free version of finger millet flatbread, check this recipe of ragi rotti. You can find more finger millet recipes on my blog, clicking here.

These finger millet aka mandua ki roti are regularly made in my home over the past few years. I have tried these rotis adding various proportions of wheat flour in the beginning and now I have settled with using both wheat and finger millet flours in equal proportions. That proportion works fine for me and the dough is very easy to roll. The other thing I follow is to allow the dough to rest for a couple of hours after it is made, for the gluten to develop. The resting time helps as I don't knead much while preparing the dough. I have noticed that I have a hard time rolling when using a dough that was not rested. Also generously flour the working surface / chapathi  board while rolling these rotis as it helps in rolling the rotis without sticking. Just pat away any excess flour before toasting the rotis.

These healthy and tasty rotis are on a rotation in our home and in fact, even the picky daughter doesn't complain. I have made them at least twice in the past month and I happened to take pictures both times. And that's why you get to see two sets of pictures, one with north Indian style side dishes where pickle / achaar, aloo jhol, a potato preparation from Uttarakhand, kadhi, raita and dal were served. The other one is where I had made them to include in our south Indian lunch where capsicum curry, sambhar and rice were made.

Ingredients: (Yield 10 rotis)

1 cup finger millet flour / mandua ka atta / ragi flour
1 cup wheat flour / gehu ka atta

Salt to taste
Oil to toast rotis

Directions:

* Combine both the flours and salt in a mixing bowl. Add water as needed and knead into a smooth, soft dough. Cover and rest the dough for a couple of hours.

I add almost close to a cup of water for this proportion. There is nothing to worry in case if extra flour or water was added. If the dough appears dry, add a little extra water and knead. If the dough appears too wet, fix it by adding a little flour.

* Divide the mixture into 10 portions and roll them into balls. Work with one ball at a time keeping the rest covered. If new to roti making, then some rotis can be rolled first and then they can be toasted. Otherwise rolling and toasting the rotis can be done simultaneously. 

* Heat a griddle or a shallow pan on medium flame.

* Flatten a ball and dust it with flour.

* Roll it into a thin circle of about 5 inches diameter. 

* Place the rolled out dough circle on the griddle. 

* Cook it until the surface darkens and then flip it.

* Let the other side cook as well until bubbles start to appear.

* Add a little oil around the edges and rub the back side of the spoon over the surface. Cook it for few seconds.

* Flip it and cook until the brown spots appear on both sides and remove the roti from the pan.

* Repeat the steps with the remaining dough. Serve hot with a side dish.

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Indian Bread Series ~ Tikar Roti / Tikkar Roti

I had jotted down several recipes from Tarla Dalal's cookbooks at my Sister-in-law's home, more than a dozen years ago. These tikkar rotis were one of them and they have been on my 'to do' list for that long. I included them in my North Indian thaali that I cooked on a whim this month when I saw that they were easy like regular rotis. 

Tikar / Tikkar are from the desert state of Rajasthan and are unleavened breads. These quick rotis are made with a combination of maize flour (makai ka atta) and wheat flours along with onion and other spices which make them interesting. There is another version where tomatoes and green onions are included as well. If want to go with that pyaz tamatar tikkars, add 1/4 cup each of tomato and green onions to the flour mixture while preparing the dough. Garlic paste can also be included in the recipe if one prefers that flavor.

Apart from being healthy and filling rotis, these are quicker to make. One more plus point is that they don't need any side dish to go with. If the tikar rotis are kept on a spicy side then one needs only yogurt and some pickle if preferred. I however had aloo mutter, Lucknawi dal, Kashmiri dahi baingan and raita since I also happened to include phulkas and jeera rice.

Ingredients: (Yield -  about 10)
1 cup maize flour (makai ka atta)
1 cup wheat flour + extra for dusting
1 tsp. chili powder 
Salt to taste

2 tbsp. melted ghee
1/2 cup grated onion
1/2 tsp. grated ginger
1 green chili, finely chopped 
2 tbsp. cilantro / coriander leaves, finely minced

Ghee / oil to toast rotis

Directions:

* Combine flours, salt and chili powder in a mixing bowl. Add ghee, onion, ginger, chili and cilantro the bowl.

* Knead into a stiff dough adding enough water, cover the bowl and leave it aside for about 15 minutes.

* Divide the mixture into about 10 portions and roll them into balls. Work with one ball at a time and keep the rest covered. Roll  a portion into a 6 inch thin circle, dusting with flour if necessary.

* Heat a tawa / griddle and place one rolled circle over it. Cook using a little ghee until brown spots appear on both sides, flipping once or twice in between.

* Repeat the rolling and toasting steps with the remaining dough. If comfortable, rolling and toasting can be done simultaneously. If not, roll out few rotis first and then start toasting.

* Serve them warm with a spicy Indian style pickle and yogurt.

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Gahat Ke Parathe / Gahat Dal Paratha / Kulthi Ke Parathe / Spicy Horse Gram Parathas

I have been posting under 'Thaalis and Platters' theme this month. Every day kind of meals picked from four corners of India were posted the first week while I opted to go with various breakfast platters across India, the second week. I reserved the third week for Indian regional thaalis, full course meals I picked from various Indian states. The fourth starts from today and I am going to post six Indian flatbread recipes this week. I have posted so far the following thaalis / platters this month. 

Week 1 - Everyday Thaalis
Tamil Nadu thaali (From South)
Goan vegetarian meal (From West)
North Indian mini thaali (From North)
Bengali niramish thaali (From East)

Week 2 - Breakfast Platters
Banarasi kachori aur subzi
East Indian Breakfast Platter 
Dal Pakwan
West and Central Indian Breakfast Platter
Kerala Breakfast Platter
South Indian Breakfast Platter

Week 3 Regional Thaalis

Andhra 'Dasara' Thaali (From South)

Bihari Thaali (From East)

Assamese Thaali (From North East)

Uttarakhandi Thaali (From North) 

Andhra 'Taddinam' Vanta (From South)

Maharashtrian Festival Thaali (From West)

 

Gahat (horse gram), urad dal (black gram) and soy beans are three important legumes used in cooking in Uttarakhand, especially during winter months. Many varieties of dishes are made locally using these legumes. They induce warmth in the body which is very much needed during the harsh winter months in the pahadi / hilly regions of Himalayas. Parathas stuffed with a spicy horse gram filling called gahat ka paratha is a popular winter dish for the same reason. These parathas were a part of Uttarakhandi thaali I posted last week. 

Obviously, these parathas are healthy and nutritious because of the bean stuffing and are diabetic friendly. And they are delicious and very filling as well and one does not need to prepare any side dishes to go with it. These parathas are spicy on their own and actually a simple raita or yogurt will do. However as part of the thalli, I had a soybean dal, a spinach gravy called kaapa, Kumaoini raita, a potato curry called aloo thechauni and sesame - cilantro chutney which are all popular side dishes in the state cuisine. I had jhangore ki kheer, a millet kheer for the dessert which is again a common one in the region. 

The filling can be prepared in advance and can be refrigerated too. And the outer wheat flour dough can be prepared and refrigerated for about to two to three days given that it is properly covered and there are no power cuts in the area. Allow it come to room temperature before using it to make rotis. If in a hurry, cover the dough and warm in the microwave for few seconds, until it comes to room temperature. Check out this easier method if new to paratha making and is not able to roll a stuffed paratha.

Recipe Source: Here
Ingredients for parathas: (Yield - 6 to 7 parathas)
1 + 1/4 cup atta / wheat flour
1/4 tsp. salt
Water (I used about 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp.)
1 tsp. oil
Oil to make rotis
Ingredients for stuffing:
1/2 cup horse gram, soaked overnight
1 tsp. grated ginger
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp. chili powder
A handful of cilantro / coriander leaves, finely minced
1 tsp. garam masala
1 finely minced green chili

Directions to prepare the paratha dough:
* Combine flour and salt in a mixing bowl or a wide plate. Add water to the dough and knead into a soft, pliable dough. Don't add all the water to the flour at once. Start with 1/2 cup and go on adding as needed. If accidentally more water was added then it can be fixed by just adding some extra flour and then kneading.

* Next knead the oil into dough for about a minute, cover the dough and leave it aside for a couple of hours. (I don't usually knead the dough as the resting period will allow the gluten to develop and yield soft rotis. One can knead the dough and make the rotis immediately as well but I prefer resting the dough.)

How to prepare the stuffing:
* Soak horse gram overnight. Drain and rinse them in the morning.

* Pressure cook the horse gram with a cup of water (or more) to 3 or 4 whistles. If the horse gram was not soaked, cook for more whistles. When the valve pressure is gone, transfer the cooked horse gram to a colander and drain all the water. Leave it aside so that there is no trace of water present. 

* Mash the cooked horse gram in a food processor or by using hand. (I think people traditionally ground it on the stone aka silvatta. Food processor does a quick and neat job.) The ground mixture would be crumbly but moist enough to bind it into a ball.

* Add the remaining ingredients mentioned under stuffing and mix to combine. 

* Divide the mixture into 6 or 7 portions and shape them into balls. (Divide them into same number of balls as the dough balls.)

Rolling the parathas:
* Divide the dough into about 6 or 7 portions and roll them smoothly between your palms to shape them into balls.
* Work with one dough ball at a time and keep the rest covered. 
* Roll a dough ball into 3 - 4 inch disc and place one stuffing portion at the center of the disc, leaving the edges free. 

* Bring the edges together so that there are no gaps and the stuffing is inside intact.
* Press it into a disc taking care that there are no gaps anywhere so that the stuffing wouldn't spill out while rolling. 

* Roll the disc carefully into a 5 to 6 inch thin circle, dusting with flour if necessary. 

* Take care not to break it or let the filling coming out. Repeat the steps of paratha making with the remaining dough. (If a newbie to paratha making, rolling out a few and then start frying them will be easier. Or one can roll and do the frying simultaneously.) 

Frying the parathas:

* Heat iron griddle or a shallow, non stick pan and place the rolled out paratha.

 * Toast the parathas, brushing generously with oil / ghee, until both sides are cooked well and brown spots appear.

* Repeat the steps of rolling and toasting the parathas with the remaining dough balls and the stuffing. 

* Serve them hot with yogurt and a spicy pickle. Ours parathas were very spicy and raita was enough.

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Dal Pakwan ~ A Classic Sindhi Breakfast

The Sindhi breakfast happened because the Sindhi thaali couldn't happen.😀 Dal pakwan is basically where cooked chana dal topped with spices, chutney and minced onion is served with deep fried bread called pakwan. I was glad that I picked this particular mini combo platter of dal pakwan though I was initially skeptical about the dal's role here. I should not have harbored any doubts considering that this is a very popular and traditional breakfast among Sindhis. I just hopped through a few authentic Sindhi food blogs for dal pakwan recipe and created this. Everyone at home enjoyed this meal and mentioned that it's delicious enough to be on a rotation. The daughter who is not great on experimenting with Indian food loved it and while eating the dinner, (Yes I made it for dinner and we ate it like a chaat) requested for a repeat the next day. That is like a super duper hit from my family's standards. 😋

Dal pakwaan is a classic breakfast combo from the Sindhi cuisine. It is so popular and delicious that it is made during festivals and on special occasions including in wedding breakfasts. I can completely understand why after tasting the dish though it is a calorie laden  dish. However the combo is tasty enough to indulge occasionally for a weekend brunch / lunch to break the montony of the daily grind. 
 
Did you just glance at the long list of ingredients and my lengthy post? Just don't go running as this recipe is not a complex one. If you are used to the Indian cooking then you realize that the side dishes are quick ones to make, a simple dal that can be pressure cooked and a green chutney which needs just grabbing the ingredients and grinding them in a blender. The toppings are the most commonly found ingredients in any Indian kitchen. The pakwan aka crisp flour pooris can be made in advance and that's what I did. 

It is not served in the way I have shown above but bits of pakwan are broken and dipped into spicy, yummy dal and enjoyed. Crisp pakwan, laden with dal and the spicy toppings that can be adjusted to one's preference, the sharpness lend by the onions, flavorful cilantro = yum.

Dal pakwaan preparation involves three steps. Preparation of pakwan which can be done in advance if busy, preparation of dal, and preparing the green chutney. Let us first deal with the preparation of pakwan. Pakwan are crisp, fried breads with all purpose flour or maida based dough. The dough can be used after a short resting period or can be covered and refrigerated for about two days. They are rolled into thin roundels and deep fried. The pakwan can be prepared in advance as they can be stored for a few days.

Ingredients for pakwaan: (Yield 12)
2 cups maida / all purpose flour + extra for dusting
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1/2 tsp. carom seeds / ajwain 
Salt to taste
2 tbsp. ghee or hot oil
Oil to fry

Step 1 - Preparing pakwan
* Combine flour, cumin seeds, carom seeds, salt and ghee in a mixing bowl. 

* Add water little by little and form a soft, pliable dough. The dough should not be sticky as it would be hard to roll. (I used a little over 3/4 cup water to prepare the dough.)

* Allow the dough to rest for at least 30 minutes. (I could not prepare it immediately and refrigerated the dough for 2 days. I thawed it before using by nuking it in the microwave, covered for 20 seconds.)
* Divide the dough into 10 to 12 portions and roll them into balls. Work with one ball at a time while keeping the rest covered.

* Roll into a thin roundel of about 6 inches in diameter, dusting with flour if needed. Prick it all over with a fork, to prevent them from puffing up while frying. I made them smaller in size. (One can simultaneously roll and fry them or if one is new to this, a few can be rolled out first and then can be fried.)

* Heat oil for frying a in a thick bottomed pan or a kadai. The oil should be hot enough to fry but not reach a smoking point. When one drops a pinch of dough into the hot oil, it should immediately swim to the surface of the oil which means the oil is ready for frying. If not then heat the oil for some more time. Drop a the roundel into the hot oil, taking care to drop it from the sides gently. Cook on low medium flame.

* Fry it for few seconds, pressing downwards and flip it. Again let the other side turn golden brown as well and remove.

* Use a slotted spoon and transfer the fried pakwan onto a plate lined with paper towel. The fried pakwan should be light golden in color and crisp. 
 
* Repeat the rolling and frying steps. Use them immediately or store them in an air tight container once they reach the room temperature. They stay fresh for a few days.

Step 2 - Green chutney preparation
The green chutney is runny and on a spicy and tangier side. I am just mentioning the process since the ingredients can be added according to one's own tastes. Grind mint and coriander leaves along with green chillies, salt and tamarind pulp / lemon juice adding water as needed.
I didn't have mint leaves on hand the day I made dal pakwan. I used 2 cups of tightly packed cilantro / coriander leaves, 3 green chilles (or to taste), salt and tamarind paste and ground them adding some water.

Step 3 - Dal Preparation
Pakwan are served with a dal made with chana dal aka split chickpeas. Some versions are plain simple with a light seasoning and some use onions and tomatoes as well. I went with the simpler version. The dal needs to be cooked until soft but they should still hold their shape. The below mentioned toppings are sprinkled while serving the dal. Fried green chilies can be added as well if  chilies were not added to the dal in the tadka.

Ingredients for dal:
1 and 1/2 cups of split chickpeas / chana dal
1/8 tsp. turmeric powder
2 tsp. ghee / oil
1 tsp. cumin seeds
2 green chilies, chopped
1 sprig of curry leaves
Salt to taste
Toppings for dal:
Dry mango powder / amchur powder
Chili powder
Garam masala (optional)
Cilantro / coriander leaves
Green chutney and / or tamarind chutney
Minced onions

Directions:
* Soak chana dal in water for about 2 hours or more. They can be soaked overnight if not using pressure cooker so that they can be cooked faster. Drain the water after soaking and rinse the dal again.
* Pressure cook the dal adding about 3.5 cups of water and turmeric. The dal should be cooked soft but it should still hold the shape.
* Heat a pan and add ghee / oil and add cumin seeds. When they start to brown, add green chillies and sprig of curry leaves. Saute them for few seconds and pour into the cooked dal.
* If the dal appears dry, add extra water. Add salt as well to the dal, mix and let the mixture simmer for about 7 to 8 minutes, with intermittent stirring. 
* Sprinkle dry mango powder, chili powder and garam masala if using over the dal. Drizzle the chutney and sprinkle with onions. Serve hot with pakwan.

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