Bajra Khichdi

 

This is my soul food; I feel it is fit for Gods. I had it for the first in ‘Apno Gaon’ in jaipur and went totally gaga over it. It is easy to prepare and very nourishing in the cold season.

Bajra refers to the edible seeds of pearl millet plants. The seeds are typically cooked as a cereal grain or sometimes finely ground and used as flour. It’s gluten-free and a suitable choice for people with gluten allergy. The cooked millet is a good source of protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals and a decent source of fiber.

Bajra is high in beneficial plant chemicals like antioxidants, polyphenols, and phytochemicals, all of which are known for contributing to optimal human health in many ways. However, the presence of beneficial polyphenols may also inhibit some of the minerals in bajra, such as iron and zinc, from being fully absorbed by your body.

Ingredients:

1 cup bajra

¾ cup skinned green gram (mung dal)

1 potato (optional) cut into cubes.

4 cups of water

Salt to taste

Ghee

Jaggery (powder)

Instruction:

-          Soak bajra and mung dal separately for two hours

-          Drain bajra, run in the mixer/grinder for rough grinding.

-          Pressure cook the roughly ground bajra,  drained mung dal, salt, potato cubes and 4 cups of water for 8 minutes.

-          Cool and open the pressure cooker. Mix the cooked bajra well.

-          Serve with ghee and jaggery (powder). It can be eaten as it is, without any accompaniment too.

Bajra khichdi, ghee, jaggery, Sliced fresh ginger pieces with salt and lemon juice, and sauteed ridge gourd.

Chila with Dried Lobia

 Ingredients:

-          1 ½  cups dried lobia ( for 7 chilas) soaked for about 6 hours

-          A pinch of asafoetida

-          ½ tsp red chilli powder

-          ¼ garam masala powder

 - Salt to taste

- 1 tsp cumin seeds

- 2 tbsps of finely cut leaves ( moringa leaves, amaranth leaves, basale etc.,)

- 2 tbsps finely cut onion

- 2 tbsps grated coconut

Instruction:

-          Grind all the first four items to somewhat smooth batter and add the other items

-          Make a thick batter, adding water if needed

-          Apply oil on a heated thava and spread the batter. Cover and cook.

-          Flip it over and let the bottom side develop a crust.

-          Serve hot with fresh coconut chutney.

 

Mango Jam

This is easy to prepare and will stay for an year when refrigerated.

Ingredients

500 gms mango pulp of almost ripe mangoes

250 gm sugar

Instruction

-          Peel the mangoes, cut into pieces and grind them to make the pulp.

-          Keep the mango pulp and sugar in a thick bottomed kadai on medium flame.

-          Keep stirring till it becomes of jam consistency

-          Cool and bottle.

-          If all the mangoes are fully ripe, add 1 tbsp of lemon juice while cooking.

-          You can also make with 3 ripe mangoes and 1 ripe mango. In this case, lemon juice need not be added. 

Easy Mango Launji

This recipe was totally a product of 'Necessity is the mother of invention'. I was busy preparing lunch one day and while cutting a mango to make aamras, it turned out to be a little sour. I had to do something else with that mango and I didn't have too much time along with all other work of the lunch preparation. So I just cut it into pieces, put it in a thick bottomed vessel, adding half the quantity of jaggery. Put it on medium flame first, then reduced to low flame. Kept stirring in between for about 8 to 10 minutes, and I got an awesome dish. This needs to be prepared every mango season. It is so good with chapatis and I feel it can be served as a sweet dish too J

Ingredients

2 cups peeled and cut sour, a little firm, half ripe mango

3/4 cup jaggery

A small piece of cinnamon (optional)

Instruction

– Keep the cut mango pieces and jaggery in a thick bottomed vessel on medium flame.

– When it starts bubbling, reduce the flame to low, keep stirring in between.

– When jaggery melts and it becomes a little thick, remove from fire. If you want to keep it for more than two days, refrigerate it.

– Serve with chapati or steamed rice, dai, and sabzi.

  

French Toast

I first encountered French toast way back in 1979 while visiting PGI, Chandigarh. Our friend took us to the canteen and ordered French toast. It was the sweet version I had there. I used to make this (just beat the eggs with sugar) and the savoury version quite often when kids were home. It is very easy and fast to make and can serve as a snack as well as for breakfast.

Ingredients

2 eggs

3 bread slices

Salt to taste

1/3 tsp red chilli powder

A pinch of pepper powder

1 tbsp ghee or oil

Instruction

-          Break the eggs and pour into a bowl. Add the salt, pepper powder, red chilli powder and beat well till frothy.

-          Heat a pan and pour a little oil.

-          Dip the bread slices one by one into the beaten egg, both sides and put on the pan.

-          Once the underside is cooked, pour some oil on the top and turn upside down.

-          Remove when the underside is also cooked and serve hot with tomato ketchup. 

Dosa with upma rava

Ingredients:

2 cups upma rava

2 tbsps beaten rice (avalakki or poha)

1 ½ tsps dried yeast

1 tsp sugar

Water

2 tbsps sugar

A pinch of salt

Instruction

-          Soak the upma rava, and beaten rice with water that is about 1 inch above the rava, for two hours.

-          Grind this with yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar. Leave for about 5 hours to ferment.

-          Add salt and 2 table spoons of sugar and mix well.

-          Make dosas on hot thava, keep medium flame. You need to cook only from one side.

-          Serve with chutney. 

Dosa made with fermented batter of ground upma rava and poha, mango chunda ( with jaggery), mango launji annd hadjod chutney.

Arbi leaves sabzi

Arbi plant can be easily grown at home and the leaves can be cooked into a variety of dishes.

Ingredients

2 cups of finely cut arbi leaves, afte removing their thick veins

1 tbsp peanuts

1 tbsp cashew nuts

1 tbsps oil

1/3 tsp fenugreek seeds

1 green chilli

2 tbsps grated coconut (optional)

2 tbsp gram flour (besan)

2 tsp tamarind pulp (soak a small ball of tamarind in water for 10 minutes and extract the pulp)

1 tsp jaggery

1/3 tsp turmeric powder

1/3 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1/3 tsp garam masala powder

3 cups water

Salt to taste

To temper

1 tbsp oil

1/3 tsp mustard seeds

1/3 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)

A pinch of asafoetida

A few curry leaves

Instruction

-          Soak the peanuts and cashew nuts for 1 or 2 hours

-          Heat oil in a kadai and add fenugreek seeds. When they crackle, add the cut leaves and sauté.

-          When the leaves are wilted, add the green chilli, soaked peanuts and cashew nuts, mix well. Add one cup water and salt. Cover and cook for about 8 minutes

-          Now add all masala powders, more water, sprinkle the gram flour slowly, add the tamarind pulp and jaggery. Simmer for about 6 minutes, stirring in between.

-          For tempering, heat the oil, add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add jeera, asafoetida, and curry leaves. Pour it over the sabzi, close the lid.

-          Open, mix well and serve with rice or chapati.