BAJRA METHI MUTHIA/ VADA

Bajra or pearl millet gives excellent benefits when had during winters. It keep the body warm and helps to fight the chill. Bajra roti or bhakri with jaggery and ghee makes a tasty snack.

Muthia are bite sized,ball shaped snacks. This recipe of muthia has bajra flour and methi leaves with some basic spices. The same muthia can be used to make bajra vada which has been shown through pics.

Bajra methi muthia or vada can be stored in an airtight container upto two weeks.

Recipe for Bajra methi muthia/ vada

Ingredients for Bajra methi muthia/ vada

• 1 cup bajra or pearl millet flour
• 2 tbsp besan or Bengal gram flour
• 2 tbsp atta or whole wheat flour
• 1 tbsp til or sesame
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 cup methi or fenugreek leaves (finely chopped)
• Salt to taste
• 2 tbsp oil for the dough
• Oil for deep frying

How to make

Take bajra flour, atta, besan, til, red chilli powder and salt in a mixing bowl. Mix well.

Add 2 tablespoon oil. Mix to form coarse texture.

Add methi leaves and mix again.

Add little water to form a stiff dough. Rest it for 10 minutes.

Divide the dough in small portions and shape them into balls.

Press gently between the palms before deep frying. Fry on medium heat till crisp.

Foe vadas take a portion of dough on your palm, shape it into a flat circle. Deep fry on medium heat till crisp.

Store in an air-tight container.

JODHPURI MIRCHI VADA

Nai sarak in Jodhpur use to be the hub for shopping and eating. Good shopping followed by a couple of mirchi vadas at Janata sweets is one of the many memories from Jodhpur.

Mirchi vada is the most popular rajasthani street snack. Its is similar to batada vada or alu bonda from south.

Mirchi vada big, fat green chilli stuffed and covered with spicy, tangy potato mixture; then coated with gram flour batter and finally deep fried.

One mirchi vada is quite filling. It can be sliced into three to four pieces and served with ketchup as an appetizer.

Any large and non-spicy variety of chilli can be used such as bhavnagari chillies. I have used jalapeno chillies here as these were the only variety available with the supermarket. I have deseeded the chillies to reduce its pungency. Depending on the chilli you can adjust the red chilli powder to be added. The given proportions are totally at level with the rajasthani palate.

The number of potatoes required is equal to the number of green chillies to be used for this recipe. This is my rough proportion of green chillies and potatoes. I find it easier this way than weight measurements.

Recipe for Jodhpuri mirchi vada

Ingredients for Jodhpuri mirchi vada

• 6 green chillies (fat and non-spicy variety)
• 6 medium-sized potatoes
• ½ tsp roasted cumin powder
• ½ tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tbsp dry mango powder/ dried pomegranate seeds
• ¼ +¼ tsp turmeric powder
• 2 cups gram flour
• 10 cashew nuts (chopped)
• ¼ cup raisins (chopped)
• ¼ cup coriander leaves (finely chopped)
• Salt to taste
• Oil for frying

How to make

Boil the potatoes. Remove its skin and lightly mash it. Avoid mashing it completely. Finely mashed potatoes, it does not hold on to the chillies and slips away.

Add salt, turmeric, cumin powder, coriander powder, dry mango powder, red chilli powder, cashews, raisins and coriander leaves.

Combine all the ingredients and keep aside.

Make an incision in chillies and deseed them.

Stuff the chillies with the potato mixture and cover the chillies with the same. The thickness of the potato coating should be 3/4th to 1cm.

Make a smooth batter of gram flour with a ¼ teaspoon of turmeric powder, salt and a cup of water.

The batter should be of coating consistency.

Now coat the chillies with the batter and deep fry for one minute on each side or until the coating is cooked.

Serve with sweet and sour tamarind chutney.

MOONG METHI PAKODA

Moong pakoda have consistently held their position in my list of appetizers for a number of parties that we have hosted. It is light on stomach unlike other pakodas as it doesn't absorb oil. 

Though my mother was a good cook herself, once in a while she would treat me and my brothers with these moong ke pakode with imli ki chatni from a popular pakodewala, who would make only moong or split green gram pakodas. The pakodas used to be spongy and soft with a crispy outer layer.

Moong methi pakodas recipe is inspired from my childhood memories of moong pakodas. This is a easy to make recipe with few ingredients. To make them more appetizing deep fry them only after the guests arrive and serve them piping hot with your favourite chutney or sauce.

Recipe for Moong methi pakoda

Ingredients for Moong methi pakoda

• 1 cup dhuli moong dal or split greengram dal
• 1 cup fenugreek leaves (roughly chopped)
• 1 tsp green chilli paste
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• ½ tbsp coriander powder or crushed coriander seeds
• Salt to taste
• Oil for frying

How to make

Soak moong dal for an hour.

Drain the water and grind it to get a smooth paste. Add little water if required.

Now add in turmeric powder, coriander powder, green chilli paste and salt. Mix well.

Now add the fenugreek leaves.

Heat oil for frying.

Using a spoon drop small portions of batter in oil. Fry for two minutes or until golden in colour.

Serve with tamarind chutney.

CRISPY MATHRI FINGERS-TEATIME SNACK

Recipe for Mathri fingers

 

This is a tea time snack, very popular in north India. It is also used in chaat papdi. I prepare these whenever my kids crave for packed snacks available in super markets. Kids love it in their tiffin box.

I have changed the shape of mathris from regular circles to finger-like to make them look attractive for children.

  Ingredients  
 

* 250 gms plain flour,
* 50 ml oil,
* 1tsp ajwain or thymol seeds,
* Salt to taste,
* Oil for deep frying.

How to make

Put the flour in a mixing bowl. Add the ajwain and salt. Mix well.

Heat 50 ml of oil to a high temperature. Make a well in the centre of the flour. Add the hot oil and mix with a spoon immediately.

Lightly rub the flour mixture between the palms to make a bread crumbs–like texture. Add little water and knead a medium hard dough. Keep aside. Let it rest for an hour. Knead again.

Divide in four equal portions. Make balls and roll with a rolling pin to a thickness of 5mm.

Cut into strips 1cm in width and 5cms in length. Heat oil for deep frying till medium hot. Put the cut strips to the oil in batches. Fry till light golden in colour and crisp in texture. Store in an air tight container. Shelf life is maximum 2 weeks.

Tips

* Variation to the recipe can be done by replacing ajwain or thymol seeds with onions seeds or dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi).

* To check the correct temperature of oil for deep frying put a small piece of dough in the hot oil. If it comes up to the surface in 2 to 3 seconds, the temperature is correct.

ALU VADI/ PAATRA/ ARBI PATTA VADI (STEAMED PINWHEELS MADE FROM COLACASIA LEAVES)

Recipe for Paatra/ Alu Vadi/ Arbi Patta Vadi

                                                                                                   

 Colacasia leaves are easily available in the market during the rainy season. These beautiful elephant ear-like large leaves are rich in vitamin E. It is a great source of fibre and carbohydrates. Also boosts energy level.These steamed sweet and sour pinwheels  with tamarind chutney and a cup of tea to go with it, is a perfect tea time snack when it is drizzling outdoors.Arbi or Taro leaves and roots both are used in Indian cooking, One may have an itchy throat as an after effect of eating this. To avoid this, generally tamarind is used in their preparation

Ingredients                                                                  

• Colocasia leaves - 10-12 (cleaned and washed )
• Tamarind pulp – ½ cup
• Jaggery  –  ½ cup(grated or chopped)
• Bengal gram flour (besan) – 1 cup
• Red chilly powder – 2 tsp
• Salt to taste

How to make

Wash the leaves and dry them.

Mix the tamarind pulp and the jaggery to make a thick paste.

Add the chilly powder, salt and water to the flour to make a thick batter of spreading consistency.

Carefully remove the stems and the thick veins as they may obstruct the rolling of the leaves.

Take the largest leaf. Keep its veins side up.

Spread the tamarind paste on the leaf.

Now spread the batter on the leaf.

Now, place another leaf in the 180 degrees opposite direction. 

Spread another layer of the paste and batter.

Repeat this procedure for 2 to 3 more leaves.

Roll the leaves tightly to make a log like shape.

 Similarly, more rolls can be prepared.

Steam these rolls for 10-15 minutes.

Let it cool completely before cutting them into thin slices.

These pinwheels/ vadis can be deep fried or tossed in a tempering.

Tempering

Oil for tempering

Mustard seeds, Cumin seeds, Curry leaves and Asafoetida

Tips

• Leaves with dark stems should be used to avoid the itchy throat.
• The paste should not be very thick or runny.
• Moderate quantity of paste should be applied.
• While rolling the leaves, care should be taken that it should not be loose.
• Always start with a bigger leaf and proceed in the descending order.
• More than five leaves can be used according to the required size of the pinwheels/vadis.