Category Archives: Roti

Thalipeeth (Maharashtrian Savory Pancakes)

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Thalipeeth is a Maharashtrian breakfast or tea time snack. It is a very nutritious dish made with seven types of flours and fresh vegetables. Thalipeeth is usually served with fresh homemade butter, ghee, or thick yogurt. The recipe varies from region to region or even family to family and this is the recipe I have eaten. The flour for thalipeeth is called Bhajni. It is a mix of various flours. Even this differs from family to family. Some people add ragi and semolina while some leave out the bajra flour. I use the store bought bhajni flour which is easily available.

Thalipeeth

Even with the other ingredients, it differs from home to home. Traditionally it is just onions but you can add chopped spinach, chopped methi leaves, grated carrots or grated cabbage too. You can also add sesame seeds or coarsely ground peanuts. Rolling the thalipeeth can be a task. Since the dough has bajra flour and besan in it, it is not easy to roll with a rolling pin. If you cannot shape it with your palm like bajra rotis, you can put it between sheets of greased plastic and roll it. I used two sheets of butter paper and did not have to use the extra oil for greasing.

Thalipeeth

Thalipeeth is thicker than roti. Making holes in the thalipeeth and cooking it covered helps it to cook evenly. Thalipeeth is best eaten hot with homemade butter, ghee, or thick yogurt. I like it with garlic chutney and yogurt.

Thalipeeth

Ingredients

Makes 12 Thalipeeths

  • 3 cups Thalipeeth Bhajani flour
  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • 1 green chilli finely chopped
  • ¼ cup chopped coriander leaves
  • 1 cup chopped spinach
  • 2 tsp red chili powder
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder
  • Salt to taste
  • Warm water for kneading the dough
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • oil for cooking

Recipe

Mix the thalipeeth flour, onions, spinach, chillies, coriander leaves, salt, red chili powder, turmeric powder, and oil. Add little warm water at a time and knead the mixture into stiff but pliable dough. Cover it and keep it aside for 5-10 minutes. Knead the dough again and divide it into number of thalipeeths you want to make. Roll each portion into circles. You can do this with your palms just like the like the bajra roti is made or place the dough ball in between two sheets of butter paper and roll it carefully. Make a small hole in the center of the thalipeeth. If you are making a big roti, bigger than 5 inches in diameter, you can make multiple holes. These holes are used to pour oil and cook the thalipeeth evenly.

Heat a tava and smear around 1/2 tsp oil on the tava. Peel the butter paper from the thalipeeth carefully and  place the thalipeeth on the tava. Pour some oil in the holes and around the thalipeeth. Cover and cook for around two minutes on medium heat. Flip and cook for two more minute. Serve hot with homemade butter, yogurt, or garlic chutney.

 

Thalipeeth Bhajni

To make the Thalipeeth flour at home, roast the following flours separately on low heat for 8-10 mins making sure you do not burn any of them. Once the flours are roasted and cooled completely, mix them and store in airtight container. This thalipeeth flour can be stored for 4-5 months.

  • 1 cup Bajra atta (Millet flour)
  • 1/2 cup Chawal ka atta (rice flour)
  • 1/2 cup Besan (split bengal gram flour)
  • 1/2 cup Jowar aata (sorghum flour) 1/3 cup urad dal aata (split black gram flour)
  • 1/2 cup gehu ka atta (wheat flour)
  • 1/4 cup dhania powder (ground coriander seeds)

Gobhi Parathas (Cabbage Stuffed Parathas)

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Gobhi Parathas (Cabbage Stuffed Parathas)

Gobhi or cabbage paratha is not one of the famous parathas you get at the restaurants. This is my family recipe and I have never seen these parathas being sold anywhere. Shredded cabbage and spices are mixed and roasted with gram flour to make a spicy filling for whole wheat parathas. This is my mom’s way of sneaking vegetables into our food. She replaces gobhi with radish (muli) when it is in season and it tastes equally yummy.

Gram flour tends to burn if not sautéed continuously. It is best to make the filling on lowest flame throughout. The gram flour is done when it starts changing color and you can smell the aroma. You can use grated radish instead of cabbage for a variation. In both cases, do not add water to the filling as the both the vegetables have enough water content.

Rolling out a paratha with a filling needs lot of practice. You need to make sure that the dough is of right consistency. If the dough is too hard, the filling will come out, if it is too soft, you will not be able to roll it well. You also need to make sure the filling is spread throughout the paratha. If you do not roll it well, you might end up with filling only on sides or only in centre. Practice is the key.

These parathas are perfect for a rainy day. My mom makes them for breakfast/dinner and they taste yummy even when they are cold. Just roll up the cold paratha and dip it in chai for a filling chai time snack. I like my parathas hot with chilled yogurt and lime pickle.

Gobhi Parathas (Cabbage Stuffed Parathas)

Ingredients

Makes 12-15 Parathas

For the Dough

  • 2 ½ cup whole wheat flour (aata)
  • 1 tsp carom seeds (ajwain)
  • Salt to taste
  • Water to knead the dough

For the Filling

  • 2 ½ cup cabbage (patta gobhi) grated
  • 1+1/4 cup gram flour (besan)
  • 4 green chillies coarsely ground
  • 2 tbsp red chilli powder
  • ¼ tsp turmeric
  • 3-4 tbsp chopped coriander
  • 3 tsp lime juice
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 2 tbsp oil + some more to cook the parathas
  • Salt to taste

Recipe

For the Dough

Combine the flour, carom seeds, salt, and water to make a soft and smooth dough. Cover and keep it aside.

For the Filling

Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan or non-stick pan. Add the gram flour and roast it on a slow flame mixing continuously till it is slightly brownish (2-3 minutes) in color. Do not over roast it. It will taste bitter otherwise. Add green chillies paste and roast again for 1 minute. Add the cabbage, salt, chilli powder, garam masala, turmeric powder, lime juice, and chopped coriander. Mix well and roast for another 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and let it cool completely.

For Parathas

Divide the dough into equal portions. Roll out a thick small disc (appx 5 inches). Put a portion of the cooled filling (appx 1-11/2 tbsp) in the center and bring the edges together to form a small ball. Flatten it lightly with hand and roll into a paratha. Try not to let the filling out while rolling the paratha.

Heat a griddle and cook the paratha on both sides using little oil just like you would cook a normal paratha. Serve with chilled yogurt and pickle.

Rajasthani Saag Rotla

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Rajasthani Saag Rotla

Rajasthan’s cuisine is as rich, colourful, and royal as the place itself. One of my sisters in law is from Jaipur and she introduced me to this winter dish called Saag rotla. It is a cauliflower and peas curry cooked in pure ghee and orange juice. It is served with thick rotis (called rotla) made of whole wheat, ghee, and milk. If you feel like indulging, you can try this dish. This dish is perfect for a lazy weekend afternoon. I surely feel sleepy after eating this.

I am not a cauliflower lover. But after tasting this dish, I have made an exception. Since this curry does not use any water, you need to cut the cauliflower very finely (it should look almost finely grated) so that it can be cooked quickly.

The essence of this curry lies in the slow cooking of vegetables in spices and orange juice. You can add as much spices and ghee as you can tolerate. I have not tried cooking it in oil yet. Cook it on the lowest flame throughout and keep mixing in between. If you feel that the curry might burn add little more orange juice but no water.

The rotla that accompanies this dish has ghee too. Knead the dough for rotla with only milk. No water again. Roll out the rotla thick and small. Cooking it on a clay tava will add to the taste. But fret not if you do not have a clay griddle. Cook it on a low gas on normal griddle and then cook both sides on open flame like normal phulka is made. Again with the ghee, drizzle as much as you can tolerate. Serve this with fresh cut onions and green chillies.

Rajasthani Saag Rotla

Ingredients

For Rotla

  • 1 ½ cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 tsp carom seeds (ajwain)
  • 1 tbsp ghee (you can double the amount of ghee if you want softer rotis)
  • Milk to knead the dough (appx ½ cup is sufficient)
  • Salt to taste

For Saag

  • 4 tbsp ghee
  • 7-8 cloves of garlic
  • 3 tbsp chopped ginger
  • 4 green chillies
  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • 1 cup peas (If you are using frozen peas, thaw them in advance)
  • 2 cups finely chopped cauliflower
  • 2 tsp red chilli powder (you can increase this if you like the curry spicier)
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder
  • ½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice

Recipe

For the rotla

Mix all the ingredients for rotla and knead a firm dough. Cover and keep aside for 15-20 minutes.

Divide the dough into 10 portions. Roll out each portion into small and thick rotis and cook on a hot griddle just like phulkas. Drizzle each rotla with around 1 tsp or more of ghee.

For Saag

Grind the ginger, garlic, and green chilly to fine paste. You can add 1 tbsp water if required. Heat ghee in a thick bottomed pan. Add the ginger, garlic, and green chilli paste. Cook on slow flame for 3-5 minutes mixing in between. Add the onions and sauté. Cook till onions start browning. Add the peas, cauliflower, salt, red chilli powder, garam masala, and turmeric. Mix well.

Add the orange juice and cover cook on slow flame for 3-5 minutes. Remove the cover and cook till the cauliflower is cooked and you see ghee on top. (appx 10-15 minutes)Keep mixing in between. Serve with hot rotla, fresh green chilli and cut onions.

Missi Roti

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Missi Roti

Missi roti is a north Indian flatbread made with whole wheat flour and gram flour. It is my mom’s favourite. This is healthier and tasty compared to the naan or normal tandoori roti. You can substitute the whole wheat flour with the multigrain aata which is readily available these days. If you want it even healthier, you can cook it like tandoori roti and leave out the ghee. I like it more than the normal naan roti.

Fresh coriander and green chillies add aroma and taste of the roti. You can add the green chillies as per taste if you want your roti spicier. Some people even use the left over dal to make the dough. You can even add fresh greens like spinach or fenugreek if you want it healthier.

Traditionally missi roti is cooked like a paratha using ghee on both sides. But I like it healthier so I cook it like phulka. Cooking both sides on griddle and then cooking it on open flame adds to the taste. Roll it out thicker than rotis and they will turn out softer. This is an all season all meal compatible roti. You can have it for lunch or dinner and this tastes best with dal and curries with gravies.

Missi Roti

Ingredients

Makes 4-5

  • 1 cup whole wheat flour (the multi grain aata available these days work perfect too)
  • ¼ cup gram flour (besan)
  • 2 green chillies finely chopped
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 2 tbsp chopped coriander
  • ¼ tsp carom seeds (ajwain)
  • ¼ tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tsp ghee + 4 tsp ghee to drizzle on rotis

Recipe

Mix the flour, gram flour, chillies, turmeric, onion, coriander, carom seeds, cumin seeds, salt, and 1 tsp ghee with enough water to make a soft dough. Cover the dough and keep it aside for 15 minutes.

Knead the dough a little and divide it into equal portions (4-5). Roll out each portion slightly thicker than normal rotis and cook on hot griddle just like the normal phulka. Drizzle about a tea spoon of ghee and brush it evenly on the roti. You can cook it like a paratha too but I prefer the one that is cooked like roti. Serve hot with dal or sabji.

 

 

Naan Roti (Naan Bread)

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Naan Roti (Naan Bread)

Naan is one of India’s many famous foods after tikka masala and samosa. It is a tear drop shaped, oven-baked (called tandoor in India) flat bread made with all-purpose flour (maida). It is also known as naan bread and is served with curries or kebabs. Making naan at home is not as tough as it looks. You do not need the tandoor. You can make it in oven or even on a thick griddle. Most of the ingredients are easily available and you can even add the topping of your choice to make it more flavorful.

Just make sure to rest the dough for enough time and cover it well while resting. Some people use eggs for a softer naan but I don’t see any major difference in the softness with or without egg if you use milk to make the dough. You can experiment with the shape and toppings. You can add nigella seeds (kalonji), sesame seeds, kasuri methi, garlic, olives, or fresh herbs like coriander and mint.

As with other recipes on this blog, this is my family recipe of naan. There are different ways of making the dough and cooking the naan. You can make it in an oven, use any thick bottomed utensils like kadhai or cooker, or a clay griddle. My mom makes naan on the griddle used to make rotis at home and she even cooks the naan like she cooks the rotis. Naan can be served with tikkas, kebabs, dal, and curries. It is best eaten hot.

Naan Roti (Naan Bread)

Ingredients

Makes 6-7

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour (maida)
  • ½ cup milk
  • ¼ cup curd
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 3 pinches soda (appx half of 1/4th tsp)
  • 1 ½ tbsp. oil
  • Little water

Recipe

Take flour in a wide big dish. Make a well in the centre and add salt, sugar, soda, curd, oil, and milk. Make a soft pliable dough using little water at a time. Keep it aside covered with a wet cloth for one hour. Knead it again for few mins (3-4) and divide into 6 rolls.

Take one roll at a time and roll it into a 6-7 inch disc on a lightly floured surface. At this stage you can add the seasoning you prefer. Roll it once or twice for the seasoning to stick to the dough.

Cook it in a pre-heated oven at 200 degrees until it is crisp and light brown. Brush liberally with butter/ghee.

If you do not have an oven you can cook it on a griddle too just like you would cook roti. Brush it liberally with butter/ghee and serve hot.

Thepla

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Thepla

Thepla is a smaller, thinner, and healthier Gujarati cousin of methi ka paratha. It packs in all the goodness of fresh methi (fenugreek) and coriander leaves with whole wheat flour and not maida. Spread some chunda, jam, chutney, roll it and voila you have yummy food on the go.

Board a train to Gujarat and you are more likely to see four out of five people eating thepla with dry aalu curry, onion, chunda and tea. Since the shelf life of theplas is 3-4 days, it’s the preferred travel food of Gujaratis and they will be more than happy to share them. Theplas are a regular breakfast item at my in laws’ place and I always eat them to my heart’s content.

While tea lovers swear by the thepla and tea combination, it goes well with aalu sabji, garlic chutney, green chilly chutney, chunda, or plain yoghurt. I like them with yoghurt and the garlic chutney. You can find the recipe of Garlic chutney here.

Thepla

Ingredients

Makes 25 theplas

  • 2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 4 tbsp besan
  • ½ bunch of methi leaves cleaned and chopped
  • 8-10 stalks of coriander cleaned and chopped
  • 3 green chillies
  • 4-5 pods of garlic
  • ½ tsp turmeric
  • 1 tbsp red chilli powder
  • 2 tbsp coriander powder
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • Groundnut oil or any other cooking oil to cook the theplas
  • Water to knead the dough

Recipe

Grind chillies and garlic to a coarse paste. In a large mixing bowl, add flour, methi, chopped coriander, besan, chilli garlic paste, turmeric, red chilli powder, coriander powder, oil and salt.

Add water and make a soft dough. Divide the dough into 25 portions; roll into balls. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the balls into thin rotis (appx 6 to 7 inch).

Heat the griddle (tava) and place the thepla on it. Cook for about 30 seconds and flip. Brush with some groundnut oil and flip. Brush the other side with some oil and flip again. Cook thepla on both sides by pressing and flipping the thepla (like parathas).

Don’t flip the theplas very frequently or they’ll get hard/crispy.

Bhujiya Paratha (Spicy Flatbread)

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Bhujiya Paratha (Spicy Flatbread)

We get lot of sweet and savories from my maternal grandmother’s place. Sometimes it is so much that we are left with lot of them even after distributing it to relatives, neighbors, and everyone else around. This is when my mom uses them and creates new dishes and we relish them without knowing that it is made from the same sweet or savory we have been running away from.

Be it the laddu ki roti (will post it some other time for sure) or the bhujiya parathas she does an awesome job with leftover foods. These parathas are extremely simple and quick to make and taste yummy.

She makes these parathas with the teekha gathiya or sev that comes with boondi. Since I don’t have that sev here, I tried it with the spicy bikaneri bhujiya sev (the Haldiram one) and it turned out just good.  You can serve the parathas with fresh plain yoghurt and pickle.

Ingredients

Makes 6 Parathas

  • 2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup bhujiya sev
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 3 green chillies
  • 6-8 sprigs of fresh coriander
  • Salt to taste
  • Water to knead the dough

Recipe

Add wheat flour, salt and water and knead a slightly stiff dough and keep it aside for 10-15 minutes. Don’t make the dough too soft or else you won’t be able to roll the parathas.

Blend Bhujiya, onion, green chillies, coriander and little salt to a coarse paste. Be careful about the salt as the bhujiya already has salt in it. Divide this filling into six portions.

Divide the dough into six equal parts. Roll them into balls and dust each ball with dry flour and roll into small disks. Stuff with one portion of the bhujiya mixture and seal the edges to make a ball again. Flatten lightly and roll out into paratha dusting with dry flour frequently.

Heat the griddle and place the paratha. Flip it after around 20 seconds when you see light brown spots appearing on the inner side of paratha. Brush with some oil and flip again. Brush with oil on other side and cook the paratha on both sides by pressing the paratha.

Serve hot parathas with yoghurt and pickle.