Kodo ko Roti

RCI has been a fun event. I can't decide which is more fun: trying out recipes that I've tasted but never tried or trying out recipes that I am clueless about. In any case, I always end up doing the most research for this one event.

Again, I did a bit of searching as always. I decided to submit Hakka Noodles just because it was served at the Meghalayan stall at Dilli Haat. But then, that doesn't make the cut, does it? So, I'm posting a dish that I "twisted" to suit my palate. I came across the recipe for Kodo Ko Roti at this site and modified it to make these rotis. The recipe calls for only sugar and ghee to be added to the dough. I made it a little spicy instead.

1/2 cup Ragi (Finger Millet) Flour

1 Onion, finely chopped

2-3 Green Chillies, finely chopped

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

1 tbsp Oil

Salt to taste

Oil for frying

Mix all the ingredients together and add enough water to make a batter.

To make the rotis, heat a skillet and drop a blob of the batter onto it and spread it. Put a few drops of oil around the roti and cook for a couple of minutes. Turn the roti around and cook the other side too. I had this with some garlic chutney that I'd blogged about here.

I do hope that Bhags of Crazy Curry will accept this as my entry to RCI: North Eastern Cuisine. I'm also sending this to Srivalli as part of her Roti Mela.

Ragi Wheat Methi Loaf

I’ve been trying my hand at baking with yeast. But I keep getting these vague ideas that I am so keen on implementing. For instance, ever since my friend brought me Ragi (finger millet) flour from Madras, I’ve been itching to make Ragi bread. I’d once tasted this bread at a small bakery called Ofen at Banjara Hills in Hyderabad.

There’s a twist in this tale though. I had a bunch of cleaned methi leaves in the fridge and wanted to make use of those. We’d eaten quite a bit of the regular methi fare during the winter and I was itching to try something different.

I can’t say this is the best bread I’ve eaten, but it was fairly decent when we had it, toasted lightly, with tea.

1 cup Flour

1 cup Ragi Flour

1 cup Atta

1 cup Water, warm
1 tsp Yeast
1 1/2 tbsp Oil
3/4 tsp Salt
1 cup Fenugreek Leaves, chopped

1 Onion, finely chopped

1 tsp Oil

1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder

1/2 tsp Chilli Powder

1/2 tsp Cumin Powder

1/2 tsp Coriander Powder

Salt to taste

Prepare the fenugreek mixture by heating a teaspoon of oil and frying the onions. Add the fenugreek leaves, turmeric, chilli, cumin, and coriander powders along with the salt. Cover and cook for a few minutes. Keep aside.

Take a huge mixing bowl and place the oil, salt in it. Add water and mix until the salt dissolves. Add the yeast and mix well. Add the flours along with the fenugreek mixture and knead into a dough. Place the dough in a greased vessel and cover it with a damp muslin cloth. Allow to rise until double in size (roughly 45-50 minutes).

Knead the dough for a minute and shape into a loaf. Fit this into a greased loaf tin. Allow to rise for another hour or 90 minutes.

Bake at 375 F for about 25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and then cut into slices.

There, I have another loaf that I can add to my small collection. I am sorry for being irregular here as well as at your blogs. Its the busiest time of the year for me at work and I also have my in-laws visiting me for the first time since we got married. So, getting home at 9 and cooking for 7 people after that leaves me with little time to blog. Don't also forget that the AFAM March is on for another 15 days. Please do send in your entries.

Ragi Doddak with Onion Tomato Chutney

Leisurely breakfasts are always pushed to the weekend. In our house, a weekend breakfast usually turns out to be brunch. We're so full (and tired) after eating (and making) something elaborate that we don't feel like lunch. On good days, we have a snack at 4 or 5 in the afternoon. On others, the breakfast is expected to take us all the way to dinner without as much as a little whimper. Last Saturday was one such. One such bad day, I mean. Breakfast ended at 1 p.m. We had tea and cookies at about 4.30. After which we drove 200 km, with another couple, to Karnal to have dinner at a Punjabi haveli style Dhaba called Haveli. Now, I am certain. I had this lingering doubt, but not any more. We must be "foodies", mustn't we?

Konkani breakfast numbers include a Doddak. I had posted the cream of wheat version earlier. The other version, made of wheat flour, also ranks highly on my list of breakfast favourites. On Saturday, I modified the wheat flour version to make use of some ragi flour that I'd asked a dear friend to bring along from Chennai. I also wanted to try out a chutney that I've eaten at many restaurants. I used my imagination to create the chutney to go with the dosa. And I'm so happy to know that this recipe's a keeper.
Ragi Doddak:

1/2 cup Finger Millet (Ragi) Flour

1/2 cup Wheat Flour

2 tbsp Cream of Wheat (Rava/Sooji)
2 tbsp Coconut, scraped

1 tsp Green Chilli Paste
1/4 cup Coriander, chopped
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

For the tempering:

1 tsp Oil
1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds
1/4 tsp Cumin Seeds
1/4 tsp Asafoetida
7-8 Curry Leaves

Prepare the tempering in a small kadhai and transfer the contents to a mixing bowl. Add the remaining ingredients except the oil and mix well using a little water. (The batter should not be too watery. It should be a little thicker than dosa batter.)

Spread the dough onto a hot griddle and pour a few drops of oil on all sides. Make a slit in the centre using the spatula and pour a few drops into this slit. (This helps the oil reach the centre and aids in crispening that portion.)

Turn over and allow the other side to crispen as well.

Onion Tomato Chutney

1 Onion, diced

3 Tomatoes, blanched

1 tbsp Coconut, scraped

3 Green Chillies

1" piece Ginger

Salt to taste

For the tempering:

1 tsp Oil

1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds

1/4 tsp Cumin Seeds

1/4 tsp Asafoetida

7-8 Curry Leaves

Grind all the ingredients for the chutney together.

Heat the oil for the tempering in a kadhai. Add the mustard and cumin seeds. When the mustard splutters, add the asafoetida along with the curry leaves. Pour the ground mixture into the oil and cook for a couple of minutes.

I tried both these dishes for the first time on Saturday and I must say I was very pleased with the way they turned out. Finger millet or Ragi is considered very healthy. More details can be found here. Substituting the coconut chutney with an Onion Tomato chutney was another healthy move. And this is off to Suganya who is hosting this month's WBB, my dear friend Nandita’s initiative.