Methi Thepla

Amma came across this recipe some 10-12 years ago on a Sanjeev Kapoor show. I was at the hostel then and when I went home one weekend, she made these along with a creamy mushroom curry. While, I don't get to eat that mushroom curry much these days, the thepla is a standard feature. And I love it best with this sweet and spicy Gujarati Gorkeri pickle. I haven't bothered to get the exact recipe from Amma or from Sanjeev Kapoor's book. (I'm fairly certain it is in there!), I only know the ingredients.

1 cup Wheat Flour
1/2 cup Besan
1 Ripe Banana, mashed
1 tsp Green Chilli paste
1/2 tsp Ginger paste
1/2 tsp Garlic Paste
1 tsp Cumin-Coriander Powder
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Chilli Powder
1 cup Fenugreek Leaves, chopped
1/2 cup Curd
1/4 tsp Asafoetida
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Oil + oil for frying

Mix all the ingredients, except the oil for frying, together and knead into a dough, adding a litle water if necessary. Allow this to sit for about 15 minutes. Divide the dough into small balls and roll each into a chapati. Heat a tawa and toast evenly on both sides using a little oil. I'd recommend about a half a minute a side on a moderately hot tawa.

The banana offsets the bitterness of the fenugreek and he resulting thepla is not sweet not bitter. This is great for brekfast, lunch, dinner or any of those in between times!

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.

Egg Paratha

Leftovers. They always come in handy, don't they? There are days when we plan to have rotis for dinner and so they are made, but then we decide to eat dinner outside. The next day, I’m in no mood to reheat the rotis and have them. And our rotis are not exactly great the next day as they are zero fat rotis. At times I make Kothu Roti and at others, I make stuffed parathas. The only problem is that I cannot use any dry ingredients. I have to use something that will keep the two rotis together. Egg is one such ingredient.

6 Rotis

2 Eggs, beaten lightly
1 Onion, finely chopped
1 tsp Coriander leaves, finely chopped
1/2 tsp Chilli Paste
1/2 tsp Ginger Paste
Salt to Taste
Oil for frying

Heat a griddle (tawa) and grease it lightly.

Mix the onions, coriander, chilli paste, ginger paste and salt with the beaten eggs and keep aside.

Place a roti on the griddle and spoon some of the egg mixture on to it. Spread the mixture evenly over the roti. Cover this with another roti and cook for a couple of minutes. Turn it over and cook on the other side for a couple of minutes. Use a little oil for frying. Take it off the griddle and cut into quarters. Serve hot with tomato ketchup.

Apart from breakfast, these can be had as an anytime snack.

Kothu Roti

I blame this all on Nupur. She made this post a few days ago about "Eating out while eating in". And that is why I am craving restaurant food.

S broke his leg on Sunday and that rules out eating out for a while. (He actually tore a ligament and I am told that it is worse than having a bone fractured.) We're going to be eating out a lot for the next few days, at home that is! We started with French Bread Pizza and this is my next venture.

I have, very often, come home from a restaurant itching to recreate the dish I've just devoured. One of those has been the Kothu Parotta that I've had at Komala's in Madras. My last trip there was when we'd gone to book accommodation for the groom's party before my wedding. I ordered Kothu Parotta again and was so disappointed. The chef just dumped chilli powder over the parottas and I had to eat the dish with about 10 glasses of water. (Finally, Appa said to order a plate of idlis to undo the damage!)

Someday I'll be able to make parotta all by myself. These are best savoured at roadside shacks and Puru's opposite the Pondicherry University campus will go down in my books as one of the best Parotta Kurma joints. My dear readers may note that a parotta is very different from a paratha and the two are not the same bread. The parotta has saved me on many an occasion from the "the-mess-food-is-lousy-hence-I-will-go-to-bed-hungry" syndrome.

I had some rotis in the fridge. They were made on Saturday morning and we were fully expecting to eat them for lunch. But S went to work and when he came back it was already 4 p.m. I was busy blogging all day and didn't get up to make anything to go with the rotis. When S got home, he quickly made 2 egg rolls and we ate them before heading out. Our rotis usually have no fat in them and that makes eating them any day after they're made, rather difficult.

But then again, I am not given to wasting food or randomly giving it away. So, when I was working from home on Monday, to help S at home, I decided to use rotis instead of parottas and make Kothu Roti instead of Kothu Parotta! I was making this purely from my memory of the taste.

6 Rotis, torn into bits

1 large Onion, sliced

2-3 medium Tomatoes, chopped

1 tbsp Oil

1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds

1/4 tsp Asafoetida

7-8 Curry Leaves

1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder

1 tsp Chilli Powder

1 tsp Cumin Powder

1/2 tsp Coriander Powder

1 tsp Green Chilli paste

1/2 tsp Ginger paste

1 tsp Pav Bhaji Masala (I used MDH)

Salt to Taste

Heat the oil in a kadhai and add the mustard seeds and asafoetida. When the mustard splutters, add the curry leaves, ginger and chilli pastes, and onions. Fry the onions for a couple of minutes. Add the tomatoes and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the chilli, turmeric, cumin and coriander powders and fry for a minute. Add the pav bhaji masala and fry for another minute or two. Add the salt and the roti bits. Mix well. Cover and cook for a couple of minutes and then cook without the lid for a couple of minutes more.

Enjoy this piping hot. Wash my roti version of Kothu Parotta down with a glass of buttermilk. It'll be a treat, I promise.