The secret to making the softest, low calorie, nutritious chapathis or phulkas at home, lies in the quality of the wheat flour used in making them. Even phulkas which do not need a drizzle of oil to keep them soft, remain soft even if stored for a day if they are made with good quality wheat flour. Wheat flour is best if it stone ground(Ground in a ‘Chakki’) from complete wheat, and contains bran too. There should be no loss of any nutrients in the processing of the flour. The color of the dough can be a simple indicator of this. If the dough is slightly brown, it indicates the presence of bran. If the dough is white, it indicates that the flour has been refined, and contains more maida, which also means it has lost most of its nutrients.

Not all wheat flour available in the market are the same. Some brands can make the Chapathi’s or Rotis very rubbery. The best brands I have used are ‘Annapurna’ and ‘Nature’s fresh’, both of which are imported from India, which grows some of the best wheat in the World.

So for all those who think they can never make soft roti’s, here is my method, hope it works for you too……….

Ingredients-

1. Whole wheat flour- 1 1/2 Cups( makes 10 to 12 Phulkas)

2. Canola oil( or any cooking oil)- 4 Tsp

3. Very Warm water- 2 Cups Approximately( use more or less as required)

4. Salt- 1 Tsp

To make the dough-

Mix together the wheat flour, salt and oil well with your hands, so that the oil and salt are well integrated in the flour. Add 3/4 cup of the water and mix well to start making the dough. Keep adding water in small amounts and kneading the dough, till it all comes together as a single, smooth ball. Adding water in small amounts prevents the dough from becoming too watery, which can be a nightmare to roll out. This dough can be used to make most types of unleavened breads like chapathi, Poori, Phulka, Roti and also as the covering for different types of parathas.

Keep the dough covered, or sealed with saran wrap in the mixing bowl for about an hour. This allows for the gluten to form. The development of gluten affects the elasticity and softness of the the final product. Dough that is left in the fridge for a day, makes the best phulkas. Kneading the dough well also promotes the formation of gluten, yielding a soft product.

Method-

Divide the dough into approximately 10 equal parts. Take one part of the dough and roll it into a small ball with your palms, and squish it into a platelet. Dip it on both sides in some whole wheat flour, and roll it out into an 8 inch diameter circle, and put it on a hot tava, and turn till it gets brown spots on both sides.

Remove from the tava with a good pair of tongs and put it directly on the gas flame and increase the intensity of the flame to the highest.

The phulka starts poofing up immediately, due to moisture getting trapped between the 2 layers.

Remove from the heat, and serve. If storing for later use, stack the phulkas and keep them covered at all times with a cloth or tight lid to keep them soft. Heat in the microwave for about 10 seconds before serving.

To make Chapathis( rotis with more layers)-

Divide the Dough into approximately 8 portions. As before, roll out the dough into a 4 inch circle. Brush the surface with a few drops of oil and fold into half. Again brush the surface with a few drops of oil, and fold into a quarter. Roll out the chapathi into an approximate equilateral triangle, with 8 inch sides, and cook both sides on a hot Tava, till it seperates into layers.

Posted in Main course ]]> http://suruchi.wordpress.com/2008/11/06/phulka/feed/ 0 RH 2994918181_e9620da485_b 2995758878_8748b3d993_b 2995758970_af7b136fd9_b 2994918181_e9620da485_b http://suruchi.wordpress.com/2008/05/22/quinoa-vegetable-bhath/ http://suruchi.wordpress.com/2008/05/22/quinoa-vegetable-bhath/#comments Thu, 22 May 2008 11:45:37 +0000 RH http://suruchi.wordpress.com/?p=138 ]]>

I have done a post on the versatile ‘Quinoa’ before. So continuing with the experimentation, I found that this otherwise bland tasting seed, could be used to make, rather conventional kharabhath( the type made with regular rava or semolina). The quinoa has a slight crunch, which gives a new dimension to this recipe.

Ingredients-

1. Quinoa- 1 Cup, slightly roasted, for a few minutes
2. Mixed Vegetables- 1 cup, diced( carrots, peas, potatoes, green beans, etc)
3. Kasoori methi( optional)- 1 Tbsp
4. Vangibhath powder/Palyada pudi- 2 Tsp
5. Tamarind paste- 1/2 Tsp
6. Sugar/jaggery powder- 1 Tsp
7. Turmeric powder- 1/4 Tsp
8. Fresh grated Coconut( Optional)- 1 Tbsp
9. Curry leaves- 1 Sprig
10. Mustard seeds- 1/2 Tsp
11. Channa daal- 1 Tsp
12. Urad Daal- 1 Tsp
14. Asafetida- A pinch
15. Salt to taste
16. Oil- 2 Tbsp
16. Fresh Coriander- Chopped

Method-

Cook the roasted quinoa with 1 1/2 cups of water, till the tiny white coils pop out. Take the oil in the kadhai and make a tempering of mustard seeds, Channa daal, urad daal, asafetida and curry leaves. Add the diced vegetables, stir well. Add the turmeric powder, salt and Kasoori methi. Close the kadai with a lid and lower the flame. Cook the vegetables till they are tender and just done. To the cooked veggies, add the Vanghibhath powder, tamarind paste and the sugar, and mix well. Mix in the cooked quinoa. Check the seasoning. Garnish with grated coconut and chopped coriander. Serve hot, with some yogurt.

No meal is complete without eating at least a little Yogurt or Yogurt rice in many parts of south India. It is great tradition. Our ancestors probably did not know of the bacteria that made yogurt, but they knew of the several health benefits it had. Nowadays, there are so many advertisements on the TV, talking about how these bacteria present in yogurt help with digestion, and regularization of the daily bathroom activities( Of which I’ll spare you the details).

All these are things our ancestors knew hundreds of years ago. To think of it makes me really proud of our rich culture.

Coming back to the topic, yogurt is considered to be a cooling agent. It counters the effects of spicy, oily food, and aids digestion. It can also be used alone or with other ingredients as a face pack, since it has astringent properties. It is also used in hair packs with mehendi as a hair conditioner. The many benefits of yogurt can be found here-

http://whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=124

Plain, mundane yogurt rice can be pepped up and made more fancy by adding other ingredients. It can be made low fat by adding low fat yogurt. For those special occassions, when you don’t really mind, it can be made creamy and rich by adding a bit of sour cream. The ginger added to this dish not only gives taste, but also aids digestion.

Helpful tip- If making yogurt rice for a picnic or journey, mix all the ingredients before packing. Keep seperately about 1/2 a gallon of milk. Add the milk, just before serving. This helps to prevent the yogurt turning too sour in the heat, and also gives the thickened mixture an edible consistancy.

Ingredients-

1.Cooked Rice- 3 Cups
2. Yogurt( I use low fat Desi or homemade, Dannon plain, low fat works really fine)- 2 cups
3. Sour cream- 4 Tbsp
4. Grapes(halved), or pomegranate arils or finely chopped cucumber- 1/2 cup
5. Fried cashewnuts- 10 to 15
6. Chopped coriander- 1 Tbsp
7. Curry leaves- 1 sprig
8. Cumin seeds( Jeera)- 1 Tsp
9. Stuffed chilies( Uppu hacchida menasinakaayi)- 4 to 5, fried and crushed
10. Finely chopped fresh ginger- 1/2 Tsp
11. Asafetida- a pinch
12. Oil- 2 Tsp
13. Salt- to taste
14. Fresh grated coconut- 1 Tbsp(Optional)

Alternate Ingredients-

1.Cooked Rice- 2 Cups
2. Yogurt- 2 cups
3. Sour cream- 4 Tbsp
4. Grapes(halved), or pomegranate arils or finely chopped cucumber- 1/2 cup
5. Fried cashewnuts- 10 to 15
6. Chopped coriander- 1 Tbsp
7. Curry leaves- 1 sprig
8. Finely chopped fresh ginger- 1/2 Tsp
9. Green chilies, chopped- 3
10. Channa Dal- 1 Tsp
11. Urad Dal- 1Tsp
12. Asafetida- a pinch
13. Oil- 2 Tsp
14. Salt- to taste
15. Fresh grated coconut- 1 Tbsp(Optional)

Method-

Mix together the rice, yogurt, sour cream and add salt. Make a tempering of either jeera, asafetida, curry leaves and ginger Or Channa dal, urad dal, chilies, curry leaves and asafetida. Add to the rice mixture. Add the remaining ingredients. Mix the salt and check for seasoning. Add the fruit or chopped cucumber with the coriander, and mix well. A little water can be added if the mixture seems too thick. Serve with any hot pickle.

One dish that needs absolutely no introduction is the much popular Bisi- Bele Bhath. A literal translation of which would mean “Hot-Lentil- mixture”. The lentil here could be Toor Dal if making BBB( short for Bisibele bhath) with rice, or Moong daal if making it with Avalakki( beaten rice/Poha). Though ‘Hot’ BBB tastes the best, we would wait to eat it cold in the evening, when all the spices would have sunk in.

No marriage in our family would be complete without BBB, as the main course at one lunch/dinner session. BBB still remains one of the popular picnic dishes paired with the equally famous Mosaranna( Curd rice). It was also the most favorite topic of conversation at several work lunch discussions, with me being the only kannadiga, and my collegues from other parts of India:-).

There are several recipes for BBB available over the internet, and I bet each of them tastes great and unique. As I said before, try a different recipe each time, and stick with the one you love. There are also ready made BBB powders and pastes available in Indian stores. I personally feel, nothing can beat the taste of freshly made BBB paste.

Ingredients( makes 4 servings)-

1. Rice( Any rice will do, but Sona mussorie or Basmathi is best)- 1 cup
2.Toovar Dal- 3/4 Cup
3. Diced Vegetables( cut into 1X1 inch pieces)- 2 Cups, can include- French beans, potatoes, carrots, Bell peppers, choyote squash, etc.
4. Peas OR lilva( Avarekaalu) OR Double beans- A fistful
5. Chopped Tomato( optional)- 1
6. Oil or Ghee- 2 TBsp
7. Turmeric Powder- 1/2 Tsp
8. Tamarind paste- 1 Tsp or a water from a lemon sized ball
9. Fresh grated coconut- 2 TBsp
10. Mustard Seeds- 1 Tsp
11. Curry leaves- 1 Sprig
12. Red Chillies- 2 broken for tempering
13. Asafetida- 1/4 Tsp
14. Salt – To taste

15. Fried Cashewnuts- 10 to 15

Roast the following ingredients with a drop or two of oil and powder them with the nutmeg -

1. Channa Dal- 1 TBsp
2. Urad Dal- 1 Tsp
3. Coriander Seeds- 2 Tbsp
4. Star Anise- 1/2 broken( optional)
5. Cinnamon- 2 inch stick
6. Cloves- 2
7. Cardamom- 1 whole
8. Nutmeg powder- 1/4 Tsp
9. Red chillies- 5 to 6 broken

Method-

Wash the Toor daal and cook in a pressure cooker with the turmeric powder and a spoon of ghee/oil, for only one whistle. If cooking without a pressure cooker, use a thick bottom pan, and cook till the dal is almost done. Wash the rice. Add the rice and the vegetables to the cooked dal, add 2 cups of water, and some salt and cook together in the cooker for 2 whistles. If cooking in an open vessel, cook with the dal till the vegetables are just done, but not mushy.

In the meanwhile, grind together the masala powder and the fresh coconut to make a thick paste. Take the dal-rice- vegetable mixture in a thick bottom vessel. Add the masala paste, tamarind paste and salt. Add water if necessary to make the BBB the consistancy you want. It gets thicker when it cools.

Check for seasoning. Make a tempering of mustard seeds, curry leaves, red chillies and asafetida in ghee/oil. Add to the BBB. Serve hot topped with some ghee, Boondi or potato chips and some raitha and experience the lovely taste of our Sweet Karnataka.

Ingredients-

1. Ash Gourd OR Okra OR Snake Gourd OR chopped spinach OR Cucumber- 2 Cups
2. Channa Dal- 1/4 Cup( soaked in water for an about an hour)
3. Fresh grated coconut- 2 Tbsp
4. Cumin seeds( Jeera)- 1 Tsp
5. Green Chilies- 4, approximately
6. Yogurt( will be good if its a bit sour)- 1 cup
7. Fresh coriander- 2 to 3 sprigs
8. Fresh Ginger- an inch piece, chopped
9. Curry leaves- 1 Sprig
10. Asafetida- a pinch
11. Oil- 3 Tsp, for tempering
12. Mustard seeds- 1 Tsp
13. Salt- To taste
14. Turmeric powder- a pinch

Method-

If using okra, wash well, and dry each with a dry towel before cutting into small pieces. Fry the pieces well in a Tbsp of oil, till all the gummy extracts cease completely. If using spinach, wash well and chop. The other vegetables can be cut into large pieces, because, they tend to dissove while cooking.

Make a tempering of mustard seeds, curry leaves and asafetida in a thick bottom pan. Add the cut vegetables, water, salt and a pinch of turmeric and cook till they are done. It is a good idea to cook the veggies in water just enough to cover them. The water in which the vegetables have cooked contain nutrients, and it will be a waste to have to drain off the excess.

In the meanwhile, grind together the channa dal, jeera, chilies, yogurt, coriander, ginger and the coconut. Add the paste to the cooked vegetables. Channa Dal thickens while it is heated, so add water as needed to prevent the paLadya from getting too thick. Add the salt. Simmer for a minute or two, before serving hot with rice.

HuLi thovve( Actually pronounced as ‘HuLdovve’) is a dish generally prepared with pumpkin, though it can also be made with ridge gourd.

Ingredients-

1. Pumpkin or a medium sized Ridge gourd- Cut into 1 inch X 1 Inch pieces, 2 cups
2. Toor Dal- 1 cup
3. Turmeric Powder- 1/4 Tsp
4. Oil- 1 Tsp( to cook the dal)
5. Tamarind- 1 Tsp paste or water from about a lemon sized ball
6. Ghee/ Oil- 2 Tsp( for tempering)
7. Curry Leaves- a Sprig
8. Mustard seeds- 1/2 Tsp
9. Asafetida- a Pinch
10. Jaggery- 1 Tsp
11. Salt- To taste

Roast the following ingredients, except the bengal gram, with a drop of oil. Cool. Powder everything together-
1. Fried bengal gram( Hurigadale)- 1 Tbsp
2. Red chilies- 5 to 6
3. Cinnamon- 2 inch piece, broken
4. Cloves- 2
5. Coriander seeds- 1 Tbsp
6. Fenugreek seeds- 1/4 tsp
7. Grated dry coconut- 2 Tbsp

Method-

Cook the dal with a tsp of oil, and turmeric powder. Cook the vegetables till just done, with some salt. Pumpkin mushes up if cooked too much, so it needs to cook separately. Mix the two together and heat on a low flame. Add the tamarind, salt, jaggery and the masala powder. Stir well. Make a tempering of the mustard seeds, curry leaves and asafetida in ghee or oil. Add to the hulithovve. Simmer for a few minutes. Serve hot with rice and ghee.

Our Karnataka cuisine includes many types of spiced up rice varieties, which we call ‘Chitra Anna’. There are many different types of Chitra anna. I have written the recipe for the tangy tamarind type below, made from a spicy, sweetish, tamarind sauce called ‘Gojju’. Gojju is supposed to be a perfect mixture of all the 4 basic tastes- sour, sweet, salt and bitter, pepped up with a little spice. Though this dish used to be made from scratch back home, the recipe below is more like an instant version and cooks up very fast. ‘Gojjina Chitranna’ is very popular on festivals, and is also served a lot in temples.

Ingredients-

1.Rasam Powder- 3 Tsp( adjust according to spiciness needed)
2. Tamarind paste( Tamcon)- 3/4 Tbsp OR Water from a golf ball sized tamarind ball
3. Jaggery powder- 2 to 3 Tbsp( approximately)
4. Peanuts- 1/4 cup( I love peanuts and add a lot, so it does not really need to be so much)
5. Dry grated coconut- 1 Tbsp
6. Turmeric powder- 1/4 Tsp
7. Curry Leaves- 1 Sprig
8. Whole Red chilies- 2
8. Asafetida- 1/8 Tsp
9. Mustard seeds- 1/2 Tsp
10. Channa Daal- 1 Tsp
12. Urad Daal- 1 Tsp
13. Oil- 4 Tbsp
14. Salt- To taste

Roast the following till the sesame starts popping, and powder coarsely in a dry grinder-
15. Sesame seeds( eLLu)- 1 Tbsp
16. Fenugreek seeds(Menthya)- 1/2 Tsp

Method-

Make a runny paste of the rasam powder, tamarind, jaggery, turmeric powder, a little asafetida and salt with water. Heat the oil in a kadai, fry the peanuts and keep aside. make a tempering of mustard seeds, channa daal, urad daal, red chilies, asafetida and curry leaves. Reduce the flame and add the tamarind paste mixture, otherwise it will splutter hot oil all over. Add the dry coconut and peanuts and simmer the mixture till it thickens well and all the oil starts settling on the top. Add the powdered sesame and fenugreek seeds and mix well. This gojju can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container for up to 15 days in the fridge.

Mix well with cooked rice to make Chitranna, and top off with some fresh, chopped coriander. It can also be eaten with Chapathi, Dosa or idlis.

‘SanDige HuLi’ or ‘UnDe HuLi’ is one of those dishes which is prepared mostly on special occasions like Devarasamaradhane( Pooja done to God before any auspicious function at home), or for marriage feasts. I don’t recall my Mom ever making it at home, even though all of us love this dish so very much. That is probably why we crave for some dishes a lot, because we don’t get to eat them very often.

With the arrival of cooking shows on Television, and cooking blogs on the Internet, I guess every food craving can be satisfied with a little googling, and a little interest and patience to cook:-)

‘SanDige’ or ‘UnDe’ is made by steaming or frying a paste of lentils. The HuLi(gravy) is made using these SanDiges, instead of any vegetables. The resulting concoction tastes heavenly when eaten hot with rice and Ghee. This HuLi is also very nutritious, being full of proteins from the lentils.

The Recipe for SanDige huLi is as follows-

Ingredients-

1. Toor Daal- 1 cup

2. Channa Daal- 1/2 cup

3. Peppercorns- 10

4. Jeera/ Cumin- 1 Tsp

5. Red Chilies- 4 to 5

6. Asafetida

7. Tamarind paste- 1/2 Tsp or a lemon sized ball soaked in water

8. Turmeric Powder- 1/4 Tsp

9. Jaggery- 1 Tsp

10. Fresh Grated Coconut- 1/4 cup

11. Rasam Powder- 1 1/2 Tsp

12. Curry Leaves- 1 sprig

13. Mustard Seeds- 1 Tsp

14. Oil- 1 Tbsp

15. Salt- To taste

Method-

Soak both the daals in water for about 2 hours. Grind the Daal, coconut, a pinch of asafetida, chilies, peppercorns, jeera and salt to a course paste using very little water. Keep aside one quarter of the paste. With the remaining paste, make small balls. Steam the balls like idlis in a steamer, for about 15 minutes. Another way is to fry the balls to make the SanDige. Some people also fry the balls after steaming, just to make sure that they do not disintegrate in the gravy. I found it sufficient to steam them, they did not break.

Now that the SanDige or the UnDe’s are ready, its time to make the HuLi. Take the daal paste reserved in the beginning and add some water to it. Heat the mixture and add the turmeric powder. Add the tamarind paste, salt, rasam powder and jaggery. Make a tempering of mustard seeds, asafetida and curry leaves. Add to the HuLi. Add the steamed or fried SanDiges. Simmer on a low flame for a few minutes. SanDige HuLi is ready:-)

‘Votthu Shavige’ is home made rice noodles. It is also very common in Kerala (where it is called Idiyappam), and in the neighbouring TamilNadu.

In our family, Votthu Shavige is eaten with a sweet powder called ‘Soosalu’ and ghee. It is also made into tangy Shavige bhath. Votthu Shavige is a great favorite in our family. It was made on very rare occassions, when all my Mom’s 6 sisters and families got together. It was a complicated affair, because it needed a lot of advance planning, like washing the rice, drying it, and then getting it ground in a flour mill. Then organizing a family get together, phew, that was tough. Then on the day everyone got together, making the dough, then boiling it in water, waiting for it to rise to the top, and then putting it in the Shavige press. The most difficult part was that the huge Shavige Press had to be held by 2 people, and one person had to turn it. I don’t know why it had to get so complicated:-) Well it was the most fun!!

So what is so complicated about making shavige ? Nothing absolutely, as I realized after coming to the US. My Hubby being a the ‘Shavige Monster’ encouraged me to try it here once, and it turned out to be a piece of cake. Well, he does the tough part of using the Shavige press, because the dough is very hot, and it needs physical strength. With this now a regular at home here, we only miss the family gatherings that used to come with the shavige…………..

The recipe for votthu shavige is as follows-

Ingredients( To serve 2)-

Rice Flour- 2 Cups( called Idiyappam podi in Indian grocery stores)
Ghee- 2 Tsp

Salt- 1/2 Tsp

Water- 3 Cups

For the Soosalu-

Khus khus( Gasagase)- 1 Tbsp

Jaggery( Powdered)- 3 Tbsp added according to sweetness required

White Till( Ellu)- 2 Tbsp

Cardamom- seed from 1 pod

Dry/Dessicated coconut- 1 Tbsp

For the Shavige bhath-

Mustard seeds- 1/4 Tsp

Urad Daal- 1/2 Tsp

Channa Daal- 1/2 Tsp

Curry leaves- 4 or 5

Green Chilies- 2 finely chopped

Turmeric Powder- a pinch

Fresh Coriander- 2 sprigs finely chopped

Fresh coconut- small amount for garnish

Lemon Juice- 2 tsp

Salt- to taste

Oil-1Tbsp

Method-
For the Shavige-

As I mentioned earlier, the rice flour used, should be washed, dried and then powdered. This processing can be avoided by buying ready made rice flour. This is easily available in all Indian grocery stores as Idiyappam Podi.

Boil 3 cups of water in a thick bottomed pan with 1 tsp of ghee and 1/2 tsp of salt. To the boiling water add the rice flour in small quantities, and stir continuously till it forms a stiff dough, with minimal lumps( gantu). Turn off the heat. Divide the dough into 4 parts
Take some cold water in a bowl. Take one part of the dough on a plate, smeared with ghee, knead the dough well to break any lumps which may be present. Use the cold water to dip your hands if its too hot. Follow the same procedure for all the dough.

Actually, as per the idiyappam Podi makers, the dough is ready to go. It can be pressed to make the Shavige. Me, being a little more conservative do it Mom’s way, and steam the dough like idlies for 10 minutes on an idli plate. This process cooks the dough completely, and makes it lighter.

Then take the dough in a Chakkali press, internally smeared with ghee and make the shavige. The plate with the smallest holes for making sev, can be used. This process is easier when the dough is hot. You will need a lot more physical strength to press the chakkli maker as the dough cools.

For the Soosalu-

Heat a kadai, and just heat the khus khus, till, and coconut for a minute or two.Powder all the ingredients together and mix with the jaggery powder. Enjoy the hot Shavige with Ghee and Soosalu.

For making Shavige bhath-

Make a tempering of Mustard seeds, urad daal, channa daal, asafetida, in hot oil. Add the curry leaves , green chilies, turmeric and salt. Toss in the shavige very carefully to make sure it does not completely disintegrate, and mix well. Turn off the heat and garnish with the fresh coconut and coriander. Add the lemon juice. Enjoy…………….