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Tikhat Mitachi Puri is a Marathi fried bread recipe.  A savory tea time snack which can also be served as a part of festive meal. Ingredients: All Purpose Flour/Maida - 4 cups Semolina/Rava/Sooji - 1/4 cup Cayenne Pepper/Red Chilli Powder (Tikhat) - 1 1/2 tbsp Sugar - 1/2 tsp Salt (Mith) Oil Method: 1. In a mixing bowl, add all purpose flour, semolina, cayenne pepper, sugar and salt.  Mix all the ingredients.  Add water and knead into a soft pliable dough.  Add 1 tsp oil and knead well.  Keep the dough covered for about 30 minutes.  You can also add cumin (jeera) powder or carom seeds (ajwain) powder while kneading. 2. Make small lemon sized balls and roll each one into round puris (5 - 6 inches diameter) either dusting some flour or with oil. 3. Deep fry these puris and serve it as a tea time snack or as brunch with a curry.

As you know me, I am always on a hunt for new vegetables.  So this week, at our local produce store,  White Turnips caught my eye.  A root vegetable called as Shalgam in Hindi.  The best way for me to try out a new vegetable is to make parathe, stuffed Indian whole wheat bread.  And it turned out great.

Parathas are a good way to include some vegetables in our daily diet. Particularly, some highly nutritious root vegetables like beet.  These appetizing Beetroot parathas with aromatic cilantro, ginger are a nice and healthy change from the regular rotis. Ingredients: Wheat Flour - 1 cup Grated Beetroot/Beet - 1 cup Green Chilli Paste - 1 tsp Ginger/Adrak Paste - 1 tsp Chat Masala - 1 tsp Coriander/Dhania Powder - 1 tsp Cumin/Jeera Powder - 1 tsp Garam Masala or any spice mix - 1/4 tsp Cilantro/Coriander Leaves - few sprigs Butter or Oil Salt How to make Beetroot Paratha: Peel the beetroot and grate it.  Finely chop cilantro leaves. In a mixing bowl, add grated beetroot.  Add chilli paste, ginger paste, chat masala, coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala, cilantro and salt.  Mix all the ingredients well and set it aside for 20 minutes or longer.  This will soften the beets. Now add wheat flour, little at a time and kne...

Healthy parathas made of green spinach and orange carrots.

Ingredients: Wheat Flour - 3 cups Broccoli - about 300 gms Cayenne Pepper - 2 tsp Cumin/Jeera seeds - 1/2 tsp Garam Masala - 1/8 tsp Chat Masala or Aamchur - 1/4 tsp Butter or Oil Salt Method: 1. In a mixing bowl, add wheat flour and salt.  Knead into a soft dough using water.  Use oil if required to make it softer.  Cover and keep it aside for 30 - 45 minutes. 2. Wash the broccoli florets in hot water (with 1 tsp salt).  Drain the water and let the florets strain for some 20 minutes in a strainer or colander. 3. Grate the broccoli florets.  4. Stuffing : Heat about 1 tbsp oil in a pan/skillet and add cumin seeds.  After few seconds, add grated broccoli and saute till broccoli gets cooked.  Add salt, garam masala, chat masala, cayenne pepper and cook till all the ingredients get mixed well.  Saute till all the moisture is lost.  Stuffing must be dry.  Let it cool. 5. Make round balls of the wheat dough and roll each one big e...

Fried Bread with Fenugreek/Methi leaves and Carom seeds/Ajwain. Ingredients: Fenugreek/Methi Leaves - a bunch Wheat Flour - about 2 cups Carom Seeds/Ajwain/Owa - 1 tsp Sugar - 1/4 tsp Salt Oil Method: 1. Add finely chopped Fenugreek leaves (with tender stems), wheat flour, carom seeds, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl.  Knead all the above to a firm dough using little water.  Add more wheat flour, if required. 2. I have used fresh fenugreek leaves, you can use frozen Methi or dry Kasoori Methi. 3. Knead the dough well with a few drops of oil.  Keep the dough (covered) aside for about 20 - 30 minutes. 4. Make small lemon sized balls and roll each one into round puris (about 5 - 6 inch diameter) dusting some wheat flour. 5. Deep fry these puris and serve with potato bhaji or any curry you like.

When we talk of Indian flatbreads, the popular Tanduri Naan or Roti comes to our mind. Today's Konkani flatbread recipe is not made of wheat flour, but of cooked rice. This Bhakri recipe is similar to the unleavened flatbread made of Rice flour and/or Jowar flour, quite popular in Maharashtra. Ingredients: Cooked Rice - 1 cup Rice flour - about 2 cups Salt Oil How to cook Rice Bhakri: Grind cooked rice in the mixer adding little water. Add salt, rice flour and knead into a soft dough. Add more rice flour if required. You can also use leftover rice for this Bhakri recipe. Make round balls.  Roll each ball like chapati in between 2 food wrap sheets.  While rolling each bhakri, apply oil to the plastic to avoid sticking. Traditionally, banana leaf is used to roll this bhakri. Instead of rolling pin, you can spread the dough ball with hands. Roast bhakri on a tawa/griddle drizzling little oil.  Serve Bhakri with a chutney or a sp...

Green Cabbage/Pata Gobi stuffed Parothas with a fenugreek flavour.  Ingredients: Wheat Flour - 3 cups   Green Cabbage - about 250 gms Kasuri Methi/Dry Fenugreek Leaves - 1 tbsp Cumin/Jeera - 1/2 tsp Chat Masala/Aamchur - 1/4 tsp Garam Masala or any spice mix - 1/4 tsp Black Pepper Powder - 1/2 tsp  Butter or Oil Salt Method: 1. In a mixing bowl, add the wheat flour, little salt and knead into a soft dough using water.  Use 1 tbsp oil to make it softer.  Cover and keep aside for about 30 minutes. 2. Finely chop cabbage leaves. Avoid adding stems, rolling becomes inconvenient.   3. Cabbage Stuffing: Heat about 1 tsp oil in a kadhai/wok and add cumin seeds. After few seconds, add chopped cabbage. Stir fry till cabbage turns soft.  Add salt, chat masala, garam masala, crushed kasuri methi and saute till moisture is lost completely.  Stuffing must be dry.  Let it cool completely.   4....

Aloo Methi is the most loved combo in my family.  This recipe is a mix of my previous posts - Aloo Paratha and Methi Thepla .  Ingredients: Methi/Fenugreek Leaves - a bunch Green Chillies - 4 Wheat Flour - 1 cup Besan/Gram Flour - about 1/4 cup Turmeric/Haldi - 1/2 tsp Sesame/Til - 1 tsp Curd/Yogurt - 1 tbsp Sugar - 1/2 tsp Potatoes - 2 big Coriander/Cilantro leaves Green Chillies - 5 Cumin/Jeera Seeds - 1 tsp Asafoetida/Hing - 1/4 tsp Butter or Oil Salt Method: 1. Mix chopped fenugreek leaves, crushed green chillies, wheat flour, gram flour, turmeric, sesame, salt, sugar and curd well in a mixing bowl.   2. Knead all the above into a soft dough.  If required, add more wheat flour.  Use 1 tbsp oil and knead well to avoid stickiness of the dough.  Keep the dough covered for 20 - 30 minutes. 3. Boil and peel the potatoes.  Finely chop cilantro leaves and green ...

Radish stuffed Indian wheat bread.  Probably, popularity wise, ranks second after Aloo Parathas.

In Maharashtrian Cuisine, Gharge or Lal Bhoplyachi Puri is a well known recipe. Sometimes, when pumpkin/kadoo/lal bhopla is not available, I use Butternut squash or Acorn Squash. This Pumpkin fried bread is great as a snack or as an appetizer.

Parathas are an integral part of North Indian breakfast.  I had liked its name in Harman's Blog "Stuffed Pitas".  Aloo Paratha is the most popular.  Here is my simple version.  Instead of cumin, you can use Ajwain/Carom seeds/Owa.

Buns or Banana Puri used to be one of the breakfast items for Sundays in my Mom's kitchen. This Konkani recipe, also known as Mangalore Buns is a fermented sweet fried banana bread, generally served with a Coconut Chutney and/or Potato Bhaji . In addition to Bananas, you can add buttermilk/taak or curds/dahi and/or butter to soften the dough. I prefer the low calorie vegan version with just bananas. Ingredients: Whole Wheat Flour - about 3 cups Bananas - 3 Cumin Seeds/Jeera - 1 tsp  Light Brown   Sugar or Jaggery - 2 tbsp Salt Oil How to cook Banana Buns: In a mixing bowl, mash the bananas. Add sugar, cumin seeds and little salt. Mix till sugar dissolves. Add more or less sugar to suit your taste. Now add Whole Wheat flour little at a time, as much the bananas can hold. At this point, you can also add 1/8 tsp baking soda if you like the buns more fluffy. Knead to a nice soft dough.  The dough will be sticky because of ba...

Tasty, delicious Paalak or Spinach Parothas spiced with cumin and coriander seeds. Ingredients: Baby Spinach/Palak - about 5 cups Wheat Flour/Chapati Flour - about 1 1/2 cups Besan/Chickpea/Gram Flour - 1/2 cup Coriander/Cilantro Leaves - few sprigs Red Chilli Powder/Cayenne Pepper - 1/2 tsp Cumin/Jeera Seeds - 1 tsp Coriander Seeds/Dhane/Dhaniya - 1 tsp Turmeric/Haldi - 1/4 tsp Chat Masala or Aamchur or Tamarind - 1/4 tsp Brown Sugar or Sugar - 1/2 tsp Salt Oil Method: 1. Roughly chop washed spinach leaves and coriander leaves.  Grind cumin and coriander seeds to a fine or slightly coarse powder. 2. In a mixing bowl, add chopped spinach and coriander leaves.  Add cumin coriander powder, red chilli powder, turmeric, chat masala, brown sugar and salt to taste.  Mix well and keep it covered for 20 - 30 minutes.  You can add chopped green chillies instead of red chilli powder.  Also, add ginger and/or garlic paste if you...

Hello Readers! Remember the Pumpkin Paratha I blogged earlier. Today's flatbread recipe is of aromatic fresh fenugreek/methi leaves, well known as Gujarati Methi Thepla. Once you try these parathas, you will realize that these do not require any fancy curry and taste great with just plain curds, mango pickles. Ingredients: Wheat Flour - about 1 1/4 cups Besan/Gram Flour - 1/4 cup Methi/Fenugreek Leaves - a bunch Cumin/Jeera - 1 tsp White Sesame Seeds/Til - 1 tsp Chat Masala or Aamchur - 1 tsp Curd/Yogurt - 1 tbsp Green Chili Paste - 1/2 tsp Turmeric/Haldi - 1/2 tsp Garam Masala - 1/4 tsp Sugar - 1/2 tsp Salt Oil How to prepare Gujarati Methi Thepla: In a mixing bowl, add finely chopped fenugreek leaves (with tender stems), green chili paste, turmeric, cumin, sesame seeds, garam masala, salt and sugar. Mix all the ingredients well and keep it aside for about 20 minutes or longer. This will soften the fenugreek leaves a little and relea...

Among all the different kinds of stuffed Parathas,  my Mom's Aloo Parathas are the ones I love most. But variety is the spice of life. And if a recipe satiates taste buds and provides nutrition too, why not try something new.  One such interesting recipe is Mixed Veggie Paratha with Pumpkin. This Pumpkin Paratha recipe is shared by our friend Rahul's Mom who is an amazing cook. Hope you guys too relish these parathas as much we did. Ingredients: Whole Wheat Flour/Atta - about 2 cups Grated Carrot - about 1/2 cup Grated Pumpkin/Lal Bhopla/Kaddoo - about 1/2 cup Cilantro/Coriander Leaves - few sprigs Coriander/Dhania Powder - 1 tsp Cumin/Jeera Powder - 1 tsp Sesame/Til Seeds - 1 tsp Green Chili Paste - 1 tsp Garam Masala - 1/4 tsp (optional)  Oil or Ghee/Clarified Butter Salt How to make Mixed Vegetables Paratha: In a mixing bowl, add pumpkin, carrot, chopped cilantro, green chili paste, coriander powder, cumin powder, sesame seeds and...