BE PADI ROTLI

BE PADI ROTLI or BE PAD WALI ROTLI is a Gujarati Delicacy. Thin rotis made in pairs with Whole Wheat Flour and smeared with Ghee. These are a family favorite in our home best enjoyed with Fajeto & Bataka nu Shak. 

The first time I tried this roti was with my mother-in-law. She served it with dry yellow moong dal sabzi and kadhi. And let me tell you it is delectable! Though not found in restaurants it is very popular in most Gujarati households like mine. 

Do try the recipe and share your experience with me. 

INGREDIENTS:

Whole Wheat Flour - 2 cups

Oil - 2 tsp

Salt to taste (optional)

Oil for greasing the rotis as needed

Ghee to smear the rotis with once done as needed

PROCEDURE:

1. Take whole wheat flour in a large bowl
2. Make a well in the center and add the oil. 
3. Mix well. This will help in keeping the rotis moist. 
4. Knead into a soft dough using water as needed. 
5. Rest for 15 minutes. 
6. Heat the tawa on medium low heat.
7. Divide the dough into 22-24 similar sized balls.
8. Take one dough ball and roll it into a small disc. Keep aside.
9. Take another dough ball and make a similar sized disc. 
10. Now take both discs and grease them with some oil. This helps in binding the rotis together.
11. Dust some flour on the oiled surface of the disc. This helps us in separating the rotis once they are cooked. 
12. Place the discs one on top of the other facing the greased sides to each other. 
13. Dust some flour and roll into thin discs. 
14. Place on the medium hot tawa. 
15. Wait until bubbles start to appear on the rotis and then flip to cook the other side. 
16. Now using a clean kitchen towel press the rotis from all sides to cook thoroughly. 
17. Do note that we dont to make the rotis crisp or brown. The heat needs to be medium low. 
18. Once cooked on both sides, remove from the tawa. 
19. Tap the roti from all the sides so as to separate the layers from inside. 
20. Gently lift separate the edge of the roti while gradully lifting the entire top layer of the roti. 
21. Now you have two separate paper thin rotis. 
22. Grease both the rotis and serve hot. 

DAL PARATHA

DAL KA PARATHA is a wonderful way to use that leftover dal sitting your refrigerator. Both moong and chana dal work great for this recipe as they add a bite to the paratha stuffing. The recipe is super quick and easy too and popular in most Indian households. 

It is a perfect weekday recipe when you are not in the mood to spend a lot of time in the kitchen and yet serve a healthy meal to your family.

This is how I do it:

INGREDIENTS:

Dal - 1/4 cup (I have used left over chana dal)

Whole Wheat Flour - 3/4 cup

Salt to taste

Coriander Cumin Powder - 1 tsp

Red Chili Powder- 1 tsp (or to taste)

Garam Masala Powder - 1 tsp

Oil or ghee to fry 

PROCEDURE:

1. Take the leftover dal in a bowl. My dal was already dry but if your dal is in liquid form, saute it in an open pan  for a few minutes to get rid of the excess moisture or water. 

2. Add the whole wheat flour

3. Season with salt (remember the dal may already be salted)  and add the coriander cumin, red chili & garam masala powders and mix. 

4. Knead into a soft paratha dough. I didnt need to add any water but go ahead and add a little water if you think your dough is to dry. Cover and rest the dough for 10 minutes.

5. Heat your pan on medium high heat. Roll the dough ball into medium or desired sized parathas. 

6. Place the rolled out paratha on the hot pan. Once the bubbles appear, flip and cook on the other side. 

7. Apply ghee and fry on both sides till golden brown and crispy. 

8. Serve hot with yogurt or pickles or enjoy as is!

ALU PYAZ PARATHA

Who doesn't love Alu Paratha, right? It's my favorite kind. It's also my go to dish when my vegetable basket is empty and I haven't had time to do groceries. The key with a stuffed paratha lies in the stuffing. The one I'm sharing with you here is full of flavors. 

Enjoy this paratha hot and crispy with some cold yogurt and butter and pickle on the side!

Ingredients:

Potatoes, 3 boiled, peeled & grated

Onions, 1 peeled & chopped

Green Chilies, 2 finely chopped

Ginger, 1/4 tsp finely chopped

Garlic, 3 tsp finely chopped

Fresh Coriander Leaves, 3 tsp finely chopped

Oil, 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Turmeric Powder, 1/3 tsp

Coriander Cumin Powder, 1.5 tbsp

Red Chili Powder, 1 tsp

Ghee to fry the parathas

Wheat flour, for 8 parathas about 2.5 cups

Procedure:

1. Heat oil in a pan on medium heat.

2. Saute ginger, garlic and green chilies. 

3. Add onions and saute till translucent.

4. Add the dry spices, turmeric, coriander cumin, red chili powder and salt. Mix well. 

5. Mix in the grated potatoes. Combine well and set aside to cool. Sprinkle fresh coriander leaves.

6. Knead dough using wheat flour. Enough for make 8 parathas. 

7. Divide the dough into 16 small sized balls.

8. Roll the dough ball into medium sized discs. Make 2 for 1 paratha. 

9. Spread the stuffing on one of the discs generously and evenly. 

10. Place the other disc on top of the stuffed disc. Seal the edges to prevent the stuffing from coming out. 

11. Use a rolling pin roll out the stuffed paratha so as to evenly spread the stuffing and smooth out the edges. 

12. Place the prepared paratha on a pan and cook on medium heat till brown spots appear on both sides.

13. Smear the paratha with ghee and cook till brown and crispy on both sides. 

14. Serve hot with some cool yogurt, butter & pickle.

MASALA THEPLA

Cooked with whole wheat flour, spiced up with masalas and sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds to add a crunch, these theplas are my go to snack when travelling or cooking ahead for a busy week for our breakfast. 

Do you have days when you can't just get out of bed? You'd rather sleep in those extra 20 minutes than cook up a hot breakfast? Or perhaps you lead a really busy life and stay far far away from work so you have to get your breakfast ready to go when you start your day. Then this is the perfect healthy solution for your breakfast needs. 

When I lived in Sydney, my commute to work was 3 hours a day and that didn't leave me a lot of time to prepare breakfast each morning. These theplas were a boon for me then. I would just roll them in a foil for my husband and I to have en route to work, while walking to the station or eating on the train. 

It takes some extra time to prepare them along with my usual meals when I make them but they come in very handy for the week ahead. Also, it makes me feel very good about feeding healthy breakfast to my family. They are filling and healthier than bread. 

Ingredients:

Whole Wheat Flour - 2 cups

Salt to taste

Coriander Cumin Powder - 1 tbsp

Red Chili Powder - 1 tbsp

Sesame Seeds - 1 tbsp

Jaggery Powder - 1 tsp

Oil - 1 tbsp + for frying the theplas (for the dough try and use some oil from your pickle jar at home, adds more flavor)

Procedure:

1. Take the flour in a big bowl. 

2. Add in all the dry spices, the coriander cumin, red chili, turmeric and jaggery powder. And season with salt. Give it a mix. 

3. Then throw in the sesame seeds and mix again. 

4. We need to add in some oil so that the theplas are soft. I usually use oil from my homemade pickle jar. That oil is infused with flavor from the pickle and tastes great when added to this dough. But you can use regular oil too. 

5. Mix everything to combine well and knead into a soft dough using water as needed. 

6. Smear the dough with oil to prevent it from drying and let it rest for 20 minutes. 

7. Divide the dough into small lemon sized balls. Cover and keep aside. 

8. Take a ball and using a rolling pin, roll into a thin disk. If needed use flour. 

9. Heat a pan on medium heat. I usually use two pans as that's faster and more efficient. 

10. Place the prepared disk on the heated pan and cook till bubbles appear. Once you see the bubbles flip to cook on the other side. 

11. Now apply a little oil and fry on both side till brown.

12. Once the theplas are cooked let them cool down to room temperature before storing in a container. 

13. Theplas keep well for a week or more depending on the weather without refrigeration. If refrigerating, wrap them in a paper towel and microwave for 15-20 seconds and consume immediately. 

14. Theplas are best enjoyed with Chundo (Sweet Mango Pickle) & hot tea! 

LEFTOVER ROTI CHEVDO

What do you do when you have leftover Chapatis/rotis? I hate to waste anything but I am not particularly fond of the taste of leftover Chapatis. This is the most efficient way to recycle your leftover chapatis. My darling friend, Meghna Raval, was the one to introduce me to this wonderful quick meal. I have a lot of Gujarati friends but I have yet to see someone prepare rotis as thin and transparent as Meena Raval aunty does. You could literally see through them. 

Meghna usually brought this over for breakfast when we worked together and we would all dig into this crunchy healthy breakfast with a hot cup of tea. The recipe demands very little oil and almost no preparation time. The key is thin chapatis here which makes the chevdo even crispier. This is a great lunchbox idea as the dish is as good at room temperature as it is when served hot!

Ingredients: 

Leftover Chapatis, 4

Oil, 1 tsp

Mustard Seeds, 1/2 tsp

Curry Leaves, 1 sprig

Salt to taste

Red Chili Powder, 1/3 tsp

Powdered Sugar, 1/3 tsp

Procedure:

1. Tear the leftover chapatis into really small bits. 

2. Season with salt and add red chili powder.

3. Also, add the powdered sugar.

4. Mix well. 

5. Heat a pan and add oil.

6. Once the oil is hot, add in the mustard seeds.

7. Next throw in the curry leaves.

8. Then add in the prepared chapati bits.

9. Toast them until crispy, nearly 12-15 minutes on medium heat. 

10. These can be enjoyed hot as well at room temperature.

PEAS & BEANS BHAKRI

Bhakri is a regular bread in a Gujarati Marwari household like mine. This recipe is an innovative way to jazz up this humble bread with beans and peas and spices and at the same time pack it up with proteins too. I always make a few extra to use up as breakfast the next day. This is another recipe from one of my favorite Gujarati restaurant in Ahmedabad. 

Ingredients:

Wheat Flour, 250 gms

Oil, 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Water to knead the dough

Peas, lima beans & Pigeon beans, 125 gms

Ginger, crushed 1 tsp

Green Chili, crushed 2 tsp

Fresh Coriander Leaves, chopped 1 tsp

Ghee to smear on the bhakris as needed

Procedure:

1. I used the frozen beans and peas, you can use them fresh, if available or the dried ones too. 

2. Wash and microwave for 3 minutes.

3. Mash them up using a potato masher. We dont want to make a paste. Just mashed enough so that they combine well with the dough but still give a bite. Keep aside.

4. Take the wheat flour in a bowl, add the ginger, green chili, coriander and salt. Mix.

5. Add in the mashed beans and peas and a table spoon of oil. Mix well. 

6. Combine well to form a dough. Soft but firm. 

7. Divide the dough into 8-10 small balls and cover and set aside. 

8. Grease the pastry board. Take a dough ball and roll it into a small round disc using a rolling pin. This should be thicker than a roti.

9. Heat a pan on medium heat and place the bhakri on the pan. Once the bubbles start to appear on the top, flip and cook on the other side too. 

10. Once cooked on both sides, remove onto a plate and smear with some drops of ghee.