Rotis / Breads - Vinaya's Culinary Delights

Dal Dhokli Recipe

Posted on February 1, 2018February 14, 2018 by vinaya

Dal Dhokli is a Gujarati delicacy which is a meal by itself. Pieces of Chapati dunked in Dal which is boiled with groundnuts and seasoned with cloves, cinnamon and asafoetida which give it it’s unique taste.

Ingredients :

150 gms toor dal/ pigeon peas pressure cooked with a fistful of peanuts
Salt
Jaggery
A few petals of kokum/Garcinia Indica
Juice of lemon
4 green chillies
1 inch piece of ginger
Haldi
A pinch of chilly powder
2 sprigs curry leaves
1/2 tsp dhania jeera/coriander and cumin seed powder
1/2 tsp mustard
1 tsp jeera/cumin seeds
6 cloves
1″ piece of cinnamon
1/4tsp Hing/asafoetida
2 sprigs curry leaves
Ghee/clarified butter
Coriander leaves

Method:
Churn the mashed dal. Crush the green chillies and ginger coarsely. Add the salt, jaggery, green chillies and ginger, chilly, haldi, dhaniya jeera powder, Kokum and a tsp of ghee and boil well.
Heat a tbsp of ghee. Add half a tsp of mustard and after it splutters add a tsp of jeera, 6 cloves, 2small sticks of cinnamon and a pinch of hing and a sprig of curry leaves. Drop the seasoning into the Dal and boil for a couple of minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Dhokli

125gms wheat flour
A pinch of ajwain/ caraway seeds
1tsp dhaniya jeera/coriander and cumin seed powder
A pinch of haldi/turmeric
Salt
1tsp oil

Method :
Take a pinch of ajwain, haldi, chilly, dhaniya jeera powder and salt in a bowl. Add 125 gms of wheat flour, a tsp of oil and bind it to a soft dough with enough water as for chapathi. Roll out the chapathi and slightly roast it on both sides. Cut into diamond shaped pieces.
Before serving bring the Dal to a boil and add the chapati pieces to it. Garnish with coriander leaves, lemon juice and a tbsp of fresh ghee. Serve hot.

Note: dhokli is usually never roasted. The chapati dough that is cut into a diamond shape is immersed directly into the boiling dal and allowed to cook. I roast it slightly as the family prefers it this way.

Methi/ Fenugreek leaves Poori Recipe

Posted on December 28, 2017 by vinaya

Come winter and it brings along Methi leaves in abundance. Fresh,big bunches of beautiful looking leaves with tender stems. I had made some Methi Theplas, the recipe of which can be found in this website too. I was left with some dough and decided to make pooris. Added a little rice flour to the dough to make the pooris crisp.

Ingredients :

1 bunch methi leaves
1/2 kg wheat flour
7 tbsps besan/ Chickpea flour
4 tbsps rice flour
4 tsps oil
8 green chillies
5 cloves garlic
2 inch piece ginger
2 tsp til
1 level tsp ajwain
1 tsp chilly powder
3 tsps dhania/ coriander powder
1 tsp jeera/cumin powder
A pinch of haldi/turmeric
5 tsps sugar
A few sprigs of Coriander leaves
Salt
Oil for frying.

Method :

Grind the ginger, green chillies and garlic to a smooth paste. Take it in a bowl and add finely chopped methi leaves, chopped coriander leaves, and all the remaining masalas , sugar, salt, til, ajwain and the oil. Add the Besan, rice flour and the wheat flour. Bind a dough as soft as for chapati. Divide the dough into four equal portions. Roll out one portion into a big chapati. Apply a tsp of oil on it. Roll it tightly into a log. . Cut small portions of the log into pellets. Dust them with flour and with a gentle hand roll them into two inch sized pooris. Heat oil. Deep fry them to a golden brown.

Biscuit Rotti Recipe

Posted on December 19, 2017 by vinaya

The name is very deceptive as Biscuit Rotti is a far cry from anything Biscuit. It is a typically Mangalorean preparation and can be relished with or without a chutney. My mother in law made one of the best Biscuit Rotti and I am really happy that it has turned out exactly how she made it!!

Ingredients :

250 gms Maida/All purpose flour
50 gms rice flour
A pinch of chilly powder
1 tbsp oil
100 gms urad dal/ black gram dal
6 green chillies
A pea sized piece of hing/asafoetida powdered fine
2 sprigs curry leaves
1 tsp mustard
2 tbsps Parachute Coconut oil
2 tbsps grated coconut
Salt
Oil for frying the Biscuit Rotti

Method :

Wash and soak the urad dal for two hours. Drain and grind to a coarse paste. Chop the green chillies and curry leaves fine. Heat the oil and drop in a tsp of mustard and after it splutters add the chopped chilly bits, hing and curry leaves. Toss. Add the ground urad dal, coconut and salt. Heat on a gentle flame for a few minutes. Keep aside. This forms the filling.

Mix the Maida, rice flour, chilly powder, salt and oil. Bind a dough as for pooris that is neither too hard nor soft. Pinch balls of the dough and make around 21 balls. Roll out the balls into a two inch diameter disc. Place the filling in the centre of the disc and bring all the ends of the dough together. Flatten it and roll it out into a neither too thick nor too thin poori of 3 inch diameter. Make around five such rottis at a time. Heat oil. Gently slide in the rotti and deep fry to a crisp golden brown. Serve with chutney.

Note:

The recipe for the chutney can be found in the Chutney catagory of this website.

Bruschetta Al Pomodoro Recipe

Posted on December 18, 2017December 18, 2017 by vinaya

The very name of Bruschetta gets the taste buds tingling and when it is Al Pomodoro it can only leave one asking for more. The one thing that I love about making this is that it can be made without a grill or an oven. So go ahead and enjoy making it on a skillet. Here I have added green peppers and sweet corn too to make it more interesting.

Ingredients :

1 loaf of French Bread or multi grain bread
Amul Butter
Tomatoes
Capsicum
Onions
Sweet corn
Cheese
Pepper
Mixed Herbs
Garlic cloves
Green chillies
Salt
Tomato ketchup or Peri peri sauce

Method:

Chop the onions, tomatoes and Capsicum fine. Grate the garlic. Mince the chillies. Butter the slices of bread on both the sides. Grate the cheese. Heat a tsp of butter. Drop in the garlic and green chillies and saute for a minute. Add the onions and a pinch of salt. Saute for a minute and then add the boiled sweet corn. Add the tomatoes and Capsicum, the pepper powder and the mixed herbs. Saute, switch off and keep aside. Heat a skillet. Arrange the buttered slices and toast on one side till crisp. Remove and apply the ketchup or sauce on the roasted side. Pile some of the sautéed mixture on it. Top it with grated cheese and place it back on the skillet. Roast it on an extremely gentle flame till the side is roasted and the cheese has melted. Serve Bruschetta with added ketchup or with a soup.

Sweet Buns/ Bubus Recipe

Posted on December 17, 2017 by vinaya

Sweet Buns or Bubus Roti as they are called by the Mangalorean community can be made either with Maida or with Wheat flour. I personally prefer the ones made with Maida as they turn out super fluffy and melt in the mouth. They are best eaten as is, though people do prefer eating them with Dal or with chutney.

Ingredients :

400 gms maida/All purpose flour
50gms Besan/Chickpea flour
1 tsp pepper powder
1 elaichi banana
1/4 tsp salt
12 tsps sugar
A pinch of soda bicarb
2 tbsps oil
Yoghurt
Oil for fying the Buns

Method:

Take the Maida, besan, soda bicarbonate, pepper powder, oil and the salt in a bowl. Powder the sugar. Chop the banana and grind it along with the powdered sugar. Tip the mixture into the bowl. Add a little yoghurt at a time to bind the mixture into a semi soft dough. Knead well and allow to ferment overnight or for a minimum of 8 hours. Knead again for a couple of minutes. Pinch tiny balls of the dough. Roll out into neither too thick nor thin circles. Heat oil in a pan. Deep fry the Buns to a rich golden brown. Serve hot.

Whole wheat Bread Sandwich Recipe

Posted on November 15, 2017 by vinaya

A healthy snack from the regular white one, you can use a filling of your choice and also grill it or roast it. I had some Vegetable Makhanwala leftover from the previous night’s dinner so used it up. Most curries taste delicious sandwiched in between toasted bread and if topped with cheese and onion rings, are simply out of this world!!! Recipe of Vegetable Makhanwala can be found under the Category of North Indian recipes of this website.

Ingredients :

Brown Bread slices
Butter
Onion rings
Cheese
Cucumber slices
Tomato ketchup

Method :

Butter the slices on both sides and roast it well on only one side. Spread the curry of your choice on the roasted side, top it with onion rings, grated cheese and Cucumber slices. Place another slice of the roasted bread with the roasted side towards the curry. Roast the sandwich on both sides till crisp and brown. Serve with tomato ketchup.

Quesadilla Recipe

Posted on November 12, 2017November 12, 2017 by vinaya

Quesadilla is a popular Mexican dish using chicken, vegetables or even beans as stuffing, as per individual taste. I have adapted it to cater to the family’s taste by stuffing it with grated cottage cheese, vegetables and Indian seasoning. The tortillas have been made using a half and half mix of wheat flour and maize flour to keep them healthy.

Ingredients :

250 gms wheat flour
250 gms maize flour
Salt

Method :
Mix the wheat flour salt and the maize flour. Add a little water at a time to make a dough which is medium soft, so that it can be rolled easily. Pinch balls of this dough and roll out tortillas six inches in diameter. Gently roast them on a hot skillet on one side. Keep aside.

For the stuffing:

200 gms Paneer / cottage cheese crumbled fine
Half of each of the following finely chopped
Red bell pepper
Green bell pepper
Yellow bell pepper
1 large onion finely chopped
1 tsp mixed herbs
1 tbsp ginger, garlic and green chilly paste
100 gms peas boiled and coarsely crushed
Salt
1/2 tsp pepper powder
2 tbsps oil

Method :
Heat the oil and add the onions and green chilly and ginger garlic paste. Roast till translucent. Add the bell peppers and salt and sauté on high flame for a couple of minutes. Add the herb mix, paneer, crushed peas and pepper powder. Heat well. Keep aside.

For the Salsa:

5 large tomatoes blanched, peeled and chopped roughly
1 tbsp chilly powder
7 garlic cloves
2 tbsps tomato ketchup
1 tbsp oil
Salt

Method :
Grind the chilly powder and garlic with a little water to a thick paste. Heat oil. Add the paste and toss for a couple of minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and salt. Heat for a couple of minutes. Transfer to the blender and puree. Add the tomato ketchup and salt. Mix well and keep, aside.

To serve:
Place the tortilla on a hot skillet with the roasted side up. Apply the salsa and pile the prepared stuffing on it. Place another tortilla, roasted side downwards on the stuffing. Gently press down so that the ends of both the tortillas touch each. Roast using butter on both sides till crisp. Remove. Serve cut into triangles with either a salad or with raw onion rings.

Vegetable Burger Recipe

Posted on November 3, 2017September 25, 2018 by vinaya

This one is a healthier option to the regular Burger as it is loaded with veggies. Children will soon get hooked on to this one as it is so flavourful.

Ingredients :

Half of a red, green and yellow bell pepper.
3 potatoes, deskinned, chopped lengthwise and marinated with salt.
Salt
Chilly powder as per taste
Thousand island dressing or even Mayonnaise will work equally well
Burger buns
Butter
Oil for frying

Method :
Deep fry the potatoes to a golden brown
Heat a tsp of oil. Add the bell peppers and salt and saute. Add the chilly powder and toss till cooked but crunchy. Add the fried potatoes. Mix well.
Slice the burger bun and butter it. Pile the bell peppers and potatoes and thousand island dressing and microwave for just half a minute. Enjoy with tomato ketchup.

Chapati/Roti/Flattened Bread Recipe

Posted on October 23, 2017November 13, 2017 by vinaya

Chapati or roti are flattened bread made out of wheat flour. The thickness of the roti and the size depends on individual preference. The aroma of hot rotis drizzled with ghee is divine!!!

Ingredients:

300 gms wheat flour
A tsp of salt
3 tsps oil
200 ml hot water
Ghee/ clarified butter

Method :
Heat the water enough to handle it. Add the salt, flour and oil and bind a soft dough. Cover it and keep it aside for 15 minutes. The hot water softens the dough. Knead it well. Make 18 balls. Flatten them. Dust them with flour and roll them to six inch diameter discs. Heat a skillet. Place the rolled roti over it and roast it till tiny brown bubbles appear on the surface which is being roasted. Flip. Roast in a similar manner on the other side too. Remove from the skillet and apply a little ghee. Serve hot.

Note :

This measurement yields 18 rotis.

Poori Bhaji Recipe

Posted on October 16, 2017October 8, 2018 by vinaya

One of the most favourite of Indian foods, Poori bhaji is enjoyed any time of the day, as it is not only filling, but is also delicious. Poori is Indian bread which is deep fried and is popularly accompanied either by a potato Bhaji or Shrikhand.

Ingredients :

Bhaji

6 potatoes pressure cooked, deskinned and chopped
4 onions sliced
2 inch piece of ginger grated
8 green chillies chopped fine
A pinch of turmeric
1tsp jeera
2 tomatoes chopped
Coriander leaves
5 tbsps oil

Method :
Heat the oil. Add the jeera and after it splutters add the green chillies, ginger and onions. Roast till translucent. Add turmeric. Toss. Add the tomatoes. Roast till mushy. Drop in the potatoes, two glasses of water, salt and boil well. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Poori

250gms wheat flour
2tsps oil
Salt
Water enough to bind a stiff dough.
Oil for frying

Take half a glass of water in a vessel. Add the salt and the wheat flour. Mix well. Add the oil and knead the dough for a few minutes. The dough should be really stiff. Keep aside for about ten minutes. Make balls of the dough. Roll them out into three inch diameter sized pooris. Heat oil. Deep fry to a golden brown.