Bread – 15 Marbles

Last week,I found a bunch of fresh Methi(fenugreek leaves) in our local Indian store and I can’t tell you how thrilled I was. Winters are here in the Southern Hemisphere and if Paratha is not a winter food what is:)
My childhood was spent in a small town in Rajasthan,called Lakheri,where fresh produce was abundant.And my father’s family was well-loved and respected there,so as a result,we always,ALWAYS had more than enough fresh produce at home. Dinners in the winter months was mostly some kind of a vegetable paratha or vegetable pulav and soup.
So,the moment I laid my eyes on that fresh green bundle,I knew,I was going to make Methi Parathas.

Now if you have finished drooling,here’s the recipe:

Methi Paratha

Ingredients:
4 cups of whole wheat flour
1 medium bunch of fresh fenugreek leaves
2-3 tbsp fresh yogurt
1 green chili
2 flakes of garlic
2 tsp sesame seeds
2 tsp oil
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp cummin-coriander powder
salt to taste
warm water for kneading the dough.

Method:
1. Pluck and wash the fenugreek leaves.Pat dry and chop finely.
2. Make a paste of yogurt,green chili and garlic.
3. Take the whole wheat flour in a wide plate and add all the ingredients and knead into a firm dough.Keep it aside for 15-20 minutes.
4. Take a lemon sized ball of dough and roll out into a flat round.
5. Roast on a pan.Apply a little oil on each side,and toast a little more.

Serve hot with yogurt/raita/pickle or chutney.

Here’s my mom’s recipe for Tomato chutney. Its my ultimate favorite chutney and it gets made in no time,at all.

You need :
4-5 medium sized tomatoes
2-3 flakes of garlic
1 green chili
2 tsp oil
1/2 tsp cummin seeds
Salt
red chili powder
a pinch of sugar.

Method:

Wash and cut the tomatoes in to chunk sized pieces.
Heat oil in a pan and add cummin seeds.When the cummin seeds start splattering,add the tomatoes and let it cook on a medium flame.
When the tomatoes start getting squishy,add chopped green chili and garlic. We don’t add the garlic and green chili before the tomatoes,so that maximum flavor is retained.
Add salt,red chili and sugar and let it cook till the tomato turns into pulp and all the water dries out and all you are left with is tomato pulp.
This chutney is a great accompaniment for parathas and also tastes great with toast.

I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as we do and if you do try any of these,do leave me a comment and tell me,how you liked it:)

Happy New Year,everyone!!
And a big Thank You to those of you,who still haven’t stopped visiting.And Only for you,I try once again to revive this blog!
One of my goals..yes goals and not resolutions,this year is to introduce back some real food to Ms.Aadya.That and to bring in some childhood favorites in our everyday menu.
Two trips home in less than a year,an over-indulgent father,my sister’s visit and my lack of energy has turned Ms.Aadya into a junk-slob!Well not really a junk-slob..but lets just say,good wholesome food and vegetables aren’t top on her list anymore..they have been replaced by Candy,chips,icecream.Give her some Nuggets and she will gobble them up..Give her fries-she will chomp’em up..Give her potato bhaaji(curry) and she will turn her little nose up. Meal-times have been very irritating,lately.The girl refuses to eat anything other than yogurt-rice or roti-butter.I am not kidding you!!The only good thing is she still loves her oats and salads!I am tired of sneaking in vegetables..and the tantrums that follow if they are discovered.
So,anyway,I have rolled up my sleeves and decided to kick the junk-slob out of my little Princess and get her to eat something sensible..occasional treats are fine…AFTER sensible food.
The first thing I did is got rid of the junk..chips,candy,icecream.No more of that in the house.When we go out,she does get to pick one!
Anyway,so far I have tried:
Daal-chakali mixed with stir-fried spinach(not sneaked in..added in front of her)-another comfort food from my childhood. -She quite liked it.
Cracked wheat Dalia-This one went down well too..but it was sweet!
Upma-She hated it.
And today,/Bread Rolls -She loved those.Though she removed half of the stuffing:)

Does anyone remember this crispy favorite? Crunchy on the outside,filled with soft mashed potatoes ?And I pan fried them.I don’t remember the last time I deep-fried something..Seriously!
Anyway,here’s the recipe:
Ingredients:
5 slices of bread-white or whole wheat.
2 medium sized potatoes-boiled and mashed
1 tsp chopped corriander
1 green chilly ,finely chopped.
1/2 tsp red chili powder
pinch of turmeric powder
1/2 tsp cumin-corriander powder
salt to taste,
Bread crumbs to coat.
oil to fry.
A bowl of water.

Preparation:
Add corriander,green chili,spices and salt to the mashed potatoes and mix well.Keep it aside.
Take a slice of bread,dip it lightly in water and gently squeeze out the water,by pressing the slice between your palms.If the bread is very soft,its a good idea to just let it touch the water from one side and then,squeezing the water(hope this makes sense)
Now,put some potato mix on the bread and make a roll,applying very little pressure.
Roll it in bread crumbs.Let it sit for 5-10 minutes and then, pan fry your rolls on medium heat,till they are a nice golden brown.Its important to keep the heat medium,because other wise you will end up with crunchy rolls on the outside but soft on the inside.
Cut into halves and serve hot with ketchup or chutney.

Category: Bread

Methi Paratha with Tomato Chutney

Happy New Year and Bread Rolls