Navalkol palyacha paratha - ( Kholrabi leaves paratha )

Known as Navalkol in hindi and marathi and as Kholrabi in english is a type of turnip . It can be cooked in various ways .

Navalkol sabji tastes very delicious . 

Navalkol slices smeared with selected spices and shallow fried also taste very yummy . 

The leaves of this turnip can also be cooked as sabji . 

But most of the people who don't like leafy vegetables much tend to throw these leaves which are actually very rich in vitamins and minerals . 

So today I tried making parathas of these leaves instead of sabji which turned out very tasty . 

Even kids will enjoy these parathas in their tiffins .

Ingredients - 

2 cups - navalkol leaves ( washed and chopped fine ) 

2 /3 cups - wheat flour 

1 tbsp - ginger chilly paste 

1 tsp - cumin coriander powder 

1tsp - amchur ( dry mango powder ) 

1/2 tsp - turmeric powder 

1 tbsp oil 

salt as per taste . 

Method - 

In a vessel take the chopped leaves . 

Add to it all the masalas , salt and mix well . 

Now add the wheat flour and knead a soft yet firm dough . 

Add water while kneading only if needed as the water in leaves is usually enough for kneading . 

Keep aside for 10 minutes . 

Roll medium sized parathas thick or thin as per your liking . 

Serve hot smeared with ghee and with pickle and curd . 

These parathas can even be gived to kids and adults in tifiin . 

Litti Chokha ( For SNC )

For this month's Divya's south-vs-north-challenge  we were challenged by   Nupur of uk-rasoi  to make a Bihari dish called Litti Chokha which was a totally new name for me. Then when I read how to make this dish it almost sounded as if I had to recreate a dish like Rajasthani Daal Baati. But when I actually made and tasted them they were very very different and had a unique taste.

Litti Chokha is a traditional Bihari dish and I wonder how come I hadn't come across this till now. This dish was an instant hit with my family and the taste of Chokha ( Bihari Potato Bharta) was divine.  I have however fried the Littis though I personally would have preferred to oven bake them but then unfortunately my oven is giving me some problems and had no choice but to fry them. Though they tasted yummy I kept on feeling guilty eating these fried liitis.

 The Littis or the stuffed wheat balls are in themselves a treat and can be had with pickle for breakfast. Though the dish sounds complicated it is very easy to make provided you get ready made Sattu ka Atta at your grocery shop.

Thanks to Nupur for suggesting such a wonderful dish and introducing us to the unknown wonders of Bihari cuisine.

Ingredients :

( For the Littis cover ) :

2 cups ..................wheat flour
1/2 tsp..................owa ( ajwain seeds)
2 tbsp....................ghee
1/2 cup .................warm water
1/4 tsp..................baking soda
salt

Mix wheat flour and ajwain with soda and ghee and knead a smooth and firm dough and keep aside.


For the Pitti (or filling ) :

1 cup .......................sattu ka atta
1 tbsp......................finely chopped ginger
1 tbsp....................finely chopped green chilly
1/2 cup..................finely chopped coriander leaves
1 tsp.......................cumin seeds
1 tsp.......................ajwain seeds
2 tbsp.....................lemon juice
1 tbsp.....................vegetable oil
salt

Add all the ingredients together and mix well.

Add little water if necessary and mix gently with fingers to resemble bread crumbs.

To make the Littis :

Make 10 to 12 equal sized balls of the dough.

Press these balls on your palms to the size of a small puri.

Put 1 to 2 tsp pitti on this and close the dough from all sides.

Make a ball and press it a little to resemble the shape of a big pedha.

When all the littis and filled in such a way deep fry them in oil on a slow flame till golden in colour.

You can also bake them in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes by applying oil on surface.

Take care to turn them once or twice while baking to ensure even baking on both sides.

These are the littis or the stuffed balls.

For the Chokha :

4 to 5 .....................boiled potatoes ( skin peeled and mashed)
2 ............................onions finely chopped
2 ............................tomatoes
5 to 6 ....................garlic cloves
2............................green chillies finely chopped
1 tbsp....................grated ginger
2 tbsp....................finely chopped coriander leaves
2 tbps....................mustard oil
salt

Roast the tomato and garlic on the gas on direct flame till almost burnt.

When the tomato cools remove the black roasted skin.

Now mash the tomato and garlic with your hands .

Add all the other ingredients well and keep aside.

This is called chokha and is to be served with Littis.

How to serve :

Place some chokha in a bowl.

Break the littis and add a spoon full of ghee on top of them.

Serve these hot ghee dipped littis with chokha.

Capsicum and Onion Parathas

 When for the  sys-w-series-november event  Viji  revealed the ingredients as capsicum and onions for me I decided to make these capsicum onion parathas.

 Parathas or Indian breads are very important part of our meals . They are a rich source of protiens and carbohydrates. The parathas turned out simply delicious and adding potato mash made them soft and fluffy . 

This is also my entry for the  lets-brunch-on-sundays started by  priya and veena as these are  perfect to have for sunday brunch .








Ingredients :

2 capsicums.....................chopped very finely
2 onion...........................chopped finely
4 cups............................wheat flour
2 boiled potatoes..............peel the skin and mash well
1 tbsp..............................cumin coriander powder
1 tbsp..............................ginger garlic paste
1 tsp................................chilly paste
1 tsp................................turmeric powder
salt
ghee

Method :

Add all the ingredients except ghee and knead a firm dough with just enough water.

Once you make the dough don't keep it for long.

Due to the addition of onions the dough starts becoming soft and loose.

So immediately role into thick parathas and cook them on non stick pan.

While cooking apply ghee and cook on both sides till they are golden in colour.

Serve with pickle and raita.

linking it to :

 sys-w-series-november by Viji 

 health-diet-indian breads  @ accessiblediary  

 cooking with seeds - wheat  @ priyas-virundhu  












  

Multigrain Tawa Roasted Nippats

Whoever frequents the Iyengar Bakery has to be a fan of their Nippats along with all the other delectable goodies found there.

 Nippats are usually fried crisp poori like snacks had with tea . They are made with rice flour and chana daal .

But today I tried out a healthier version with a mix of different grains and also added methi leaves and onions to it. I skipped frying altogether and dry roasted them on a Non stick tawa on a slow flame till they were crisp on both sides.

I found these nippats to be far more healthier than the traditional ones and they require minimum oil too. Plus the best part was that there was almost no compromise in taste and so I was mighty pleased with my experiment. So friends try this healthier version and enjoy your favourite snack guilt free.

Ingredients :

1 cup....................whole wheat flour
1 tbsp...................oats powdered
1tbsp...................ragi flour ( nachani)
1 tbsp..................bajra flour
1 tbsp.................jowar flour
1 tbsp.................soyabean flour
2 tbsp................very finely chopped green chillies
1 .......................onion very finely chopped
1 cup.................methi leaves very finely chopped
1 tsbp.................sugar
1 tsbp.................dhana jeera powder
1 tbsp.................kalonji ( nigella or onion seeds)
1 tbsp.................black sesame
2 tbsp................oil
salt
water

Method :

Add everything and make a dough which is not too hard or too soft.
Make small bettlenut size balls and roll out thin puris.
Dry roast them on a non stick tawa on a very slow flame.
After 10 minutes turn them over and roast on the other side.
Continue till they are crisp on both sides.
This will take maximum 30 to 35 minutes.
Your tasty healthy crunchy snack is ready .

Sending this to :



hearth-and-soul-blog-hop-164







And also sending this to :


health-diet-lunchbox  @ nivedhanams

only-food-for-pregnancy 

 south-indian-kitchen-series  @ nivedhanams 

foodabulous-fest @ nivedhanams 

walk-through-memory-lane @ adaythroughmylife  

 spotlight-event - Rakshabandhan at riappyayan  

priyas - healthy-diet- whole grains

Nupurs - whats in my cuppa  at nandooskitchen 

Whole Wheat Peach Brownies ( Groovy Gourmets)

Brownies are my favourites and I have always imagined them rich with chocolate, chocolate walnut brownie being my idea of a perfect dessert with ice - cream.

So this month when the Groovy Gourmets  were challenged  to make a brownie with something other than chocolate I did some surfing on the net and finally decided to try peach brownies as this time in mumbai we are getting fresh ripe peaches.

 Also I made it without eggs and used whole wheat instead of maida. I did not remove the skin of the peaches as I am against peeling the fruits unless it is an absolute necessity ( as in bananas ) . The brownies turned out to be super delicious, soft and moist . They were delicious with the tartness of peaches ( though I missed the chocolate part ) .

They tasted just out of this world with chilled whipped cream . I took the pics without whipped cream because I just couldn't take the risk . They were on the verge of getting vanished and so hurriedly took the pics.

Ingredients : 

2 cups ....................wheat flour
1 big......................peach ( stoned and cubed with skin on)
3/4 cup..................sugar
1/2 cup .................butter
2 tbsp...................milk
2 tbsp.................sour curds
1 tsp...................baking powder
1/4 tsp................mix fruit essence

Method :

In a mixer mix together wheat flour and baking powder and keep it aside.
Now in the same mixer blend butter, milk, sugar and essence .
Add the cubed peaches and fold in the wheat flour very gently.
Do not over mix it or else the brownie won't be soft and fluffy.
Pour in a greased baking dish and bake at 180 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.
Serve hot or cold with icecream of whipped cream.