Cucumber Chutney 1

Ingredients :

• Cucumber - 1
• Green Chillies - 2 or 3
• Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
• Curry leaves - few
• Garlic Cloves - 4
• Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Oil - 1 tbsp
• Red Chillies - 2
• Tamarind - 2 or 3 tbsp
• Urad Dal - 1/4 tbsp
• Salt - to taste

Directions:

• Peel the cucumber , remove seeds and chop them into 1 inch cubes.
• In a blender , add cucumber pieces , green chillies, cumin seeds, garlic, tamarind and blend it to a coarse paste.
• Add salt to taste.
• Now we have to add the tempering to the chutney.
• For tempering, heat oil in the small sauce pan, add mustard seeds, let them splutter. Then add red chillies, urad dal, curry leaves.
• When urad dal turns slightly brown in color, off the heat and add this tempering to the chutney, and give a slight mix.

This can be used as a dip for idli, dosa, vada . It can also be had with rice.

Roti / Phulka / Chapati

Roti , Phulka and Chapati are the names of the Indian Flat Bread. These terms can be used interchangeably.

Directions:

• Knead the dough for the chapati and rest it for half hour. ( click here for the method to make the dough )
• Make lemon sized balls and brush them with dry flour .
• Roll out each ball into thin discs of approx. 6 inches diameter with the help of a rolling pin.( well beginners might not get a perfect round shape , but hey , as long as the taste is good, who cares about the shape ) As they say, " Practise makes a man perfect " :)
• Tossing the disc in the dry flour while rolling prevents it from sticking it to the rolling pin.
• Pre heat the tawa ( griddle ) and layout this roti on the hot tawa .
• Cook for about a minute until small bubbles start to form on the top of roti.
• Flip the roti and you will see small brown patches on the roti.
• Let it cook for half a minute until you again see small bubbles.
• Pick up the roti with the pair of tongs , and transfer it on to the open flame. If you have electric burner, then transfer it onto a mesh as shown in the pic.
• The roti puffs up like a balloon.
• Remove it from the flame and apply little ghee on one side of the roti and serve hot.

• Incase of Stuffed Parathas , you do not transfer it to the open flame. It should be cooked on the tawa only. After the first flip, sprinkle some oil or ghee on the surface and flip it again after 30 seconds. Sprinkle some more oil/ghee to this surface. The paratha is done when both the sides are crispy and golden brown.

This can be eaten with any curry, dal , pickles, salad , curd.

This is the daily food for millions of Indians.

Tip : The leftover roti dough can be stored in the fridge in ziplock cover for a day. Remove it from fridge 30-40 minutes before and get it back to room temperature before making rotis.

Making dough for roti or paratha ( Indian Flatbread )

Indian Flatbreads are called Roti , Paratha , Fulka , Chapati which are mainly made of wheat flour .
To make chapatis, you need to knead the dough. Here is the procedure to make the same.







Ingredients :

• Whole wheat flour - 2 cups
• Warm water or milk - 1 cup approx.
• Salt - 1/2 tsp

Method to make the dough :

• Put flour in a mixing bowl and add 1/2 tsp of salt.
• You may use warm water or milk to make the dough.
• Different brands of flour need different amount of water so we shall pour little water at a time. So pour 1/2 cup of water/milk into the flour and mix.
• Add the remaining water/milk gradually and keep kneading it till all the dough comes together .
• You can add 1/2 tsp of oil to it , so that it does not stick to your hand.
• Rest the dough for half an hour before you start making rotis.

Palak Dal ( Dal with Spinach )

Ingredients :

• Moong Dal or Toor Dal - 1 cup
• Chopped Spinach - 2 cups
• Shredded Ginger - 1 tbsp
• Curry Leaves - few
• Tomato puree - 2 tbsp
• Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
• Water - 4 cups
• Garam Masala - 1/2 tbsp
• Salt - to taste
• Ghee or oil - 2 tbsp
• Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Hing - pinch
• Whole Red Chillies - 2-3 or red chili powder - 1/2 tsp
• Garlic Cloves - 2

Directions:

• In Pressure cooker, put dal , spinach, ginger,tomato puree, turmeric, salt, water and cook in high for about 3 whistles ,then simmer it for 5-7 minutes.
• Close the heat and wait till the steam escapes before you open the cooker.
• Open the cooker, give a good mix to the dal. Adjust salt according to taste.
• Add garam masala.
• For seasoning , heat the ghee or oil in a small saucepan, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds , wait until they splutter.
• Add hing curry leaves, sliced garlic cloves and red chillies. Saute for a minute.Pour this over the dal.

Palak dal made with moong dal tastes different from the one made with toor dal. Both are extremely healthy and tasty.
They both go well with plain white rice or chapatis.

Rice Crackers ( Chekkalu )

Crackers made of rice powder , great for evening snack.


Ingredients :

• Rice Flour - 1 cup
• Butter - 1 tbsp
• Chana Dal ( Soaked for half hour ) - 1/4 cup
• Curry Leaves - few
• Ginger - 1 inch
• Green Chillies - few
• Salt - to taste
• Water - to knead the dough
• Oil - to deep fry

Directions:

• In a mixing bowl, take rice flour, add salt to it and mix the dry mixture.
• In a blender , grind ginger, curry leaves and green chillies .
• Add this ground paste to the flour.
• Add the soaked chana dal and butter to the flour and mix well.
• Add VERY little water and knead the flour. The consistancy of the dough should not be like that of chapati dough. It should be harder than that. When you break the dough, it should break and not sag. To test the consistancy , take a small ball of dough and press it between your palms, the edges should crack.
• Heat the oil in the pan for deep frying.
• Take a small ball of dough and press it in between your palms , or press it on the plastic sheet.

• Fry this on the medium heat ( not too hot ) till it is golden brown and crispy. You can save these in air tight container for many days. Your kids will love it. My daughter does .

Tip : It is good if you make chekkalu as soon as you knead the dough, no need to rest it.