Methi parathas

How is your part of the world? Mine is all topsy-turvy!  In a flash I am busy and then, all of a sudden I find myself doing nothing. One minute I am thinking of a dozen things and then nothing, blank!  Am I going crazy? Or is this just a phase? Hopefully, it is a phase and I shall soon be as normal (or as close as I was to it) as before. 

Moving and in a hurry does that to one, I suppose. At least I'd like to blame it on that and get on ~wink~! 

I had packed all odds and ends ( last second finds when vacating the apartment) in one bag. Flinging it in in the depths of the SUV, I left it at that, not giving it another thought. After all, there was so much more to worry about. After settling in the new apartment and  one fine day 'discovering' the bag in which I had rolled and put an elastic band to secure a bunch of papers covered in my handwriting and photocopies, mostly recipes! My joy was probably a jot short of someone discovering a pirate's chest full of treasure.

I had anticipated my mover to get everything in about 10 days.... silly, naive girl that I was! Of course it took a long time and a lot of stress, calls made, endless follow ups and name calling ( in my mind) I was left to using many shortcuts when cooking. With limited utensils, I could do no more.

But the tummy rules and demands and hence the offering! There are a million ( okay, so I am exaggerating.. a lot, I know) Indian stores in my neighborhood and I like taking turns to go to each and buying what I fancy. I always come back with fresh bunches of Fenugreek leaves (at an unbelievable price of 50c a bunch!~does the absurd 'Dharmendra style' dance here~  ) and think of all the wonderful things I want to make. Well, wonderful things need my cook books / notes etc. and of course my favorite blogs and pots and pans to cook serve and photograph in. I had the blogs  and notes but not many pots, pans  to cook and none to take pictures in. the notes / photocopies proved useful, I found a copy for Methi Paratha and it was different from my earlier version  and I had to try it!

I am glad I did.

This recipe is a keeper, the parathas are good on their own, making them great choices for lunch boxes and  picnic food. If eating at home, a side of some  stir fried veges, pickle, yogurt make suitable accompaniments.  

You need:

3 Cups  Whole Wheat Flour / Atta

1 1/2 cup Fresh Fenugreek leaves ( wash and finely chop)

1/2 cup Finely chopped Onion

1 Tbsp Finely chopped or grated Ginger

1 Tbsp Finely chopped or grated Garlic

1 tsp Finely chopped Green chilies

1/2 tsp Garam Masala

2 Tbsp Finely chopped Cilantro leaves 

2 Tbs Ghee

Salt to taste ( around 3/4 - 1 tsp)

1 tsp Red chili powder

Water as required to make dough

Oil, preferably Ghee to fry the Parathas

Mix together all the ingredients listed above from the Flour to  Red chili powder

Add water, slowly, and knead well to form a soft and pliable dough

To make Parathas, heat the skillet on med heat.

Pinch off a ping pong size ball of the dough, using  dry flour, roll the ball into 4 inch diameter disc and smear the center with a dab o ghee and fold in half, dab another drop pf ghee on the semi- circle and fold in half to now form a triangle and roll into a triangle do not roll out uniformly thin, leave it  slightly thick) 

Transfer the rolled paratha onto the hot skillet

Soon you will see small bumps appear on the surface, turn the paratha over ( you will see brown spots on the semi-cooked side) smear with ghee, turn and smear the other side with a dash of ghee.

Turn to cook both sides  until light golden brown spots appear.

Similarly make parathas of the remaining dough.

Serve right off the skillet with an accompaniment of your choice. Enjoy! 

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Palak Methi Mudda Bhaji from Karnataka

My Parents are here!! Yaaaaaaaaaaaay!!!!
Meeting them after 1 1/2 year was a treat!!! I spent the first week talking, non-stop, at all odd hours of the day/ night (like 4:00 am on the first day of their arrival) and on a volume that threatened to shatter the window panes !! Thankfully the battery ran low after the first week and now I am back to (as) normal as I can get! Their ear drums are safe and my Father sighs with relief! He confesses himself astounded at my capacity and energy to talk SO much (this is after regularly talking to them on the phone for at least 30-45 mins everyday 'to plan' their trip here).

This was also an excellent opportunity for me to pamper them a little with all the food I want to cook for them. And they in turn also wanted to do the same for me!! All in all we are having a wonderful time together!!!
My Mother had this opportunity to make one of my favorites last night, thanks to the fresh bunch of Methi/ Fenugreek I found in the Indian stores! The very sight of that fresh bunch sitting on the shelf was enough to make me pounce on it and grab it, sadly just one was available... well, something is better than ajibaat (ajibaat is a Marathi word for absolutely) nothing...

My Mother learnt this version from her Mother-in-law, who was a fantastic cook and Ma is tickled pink at the thought of having this humble recipe on the blog and wondering why I did not think of it myself.. I have made this before but it is something so routine for me... shrug... but now that I think about it, this combination is wonderful, healthy and deserves its place on the blog.

The root of this recipe is in Karnataka ( Bijapur), the simplicity and the lack of overwhelming 'masalas' is the magic of this recipe.

It goes well with chapati, bhakri and rice (heck I even eat it with whole wheat bread!)

So without further ado, here's my Ma's first presentation on my blog:

2 Bunches Palak / Spinach
1 Bunch Fresh Methi/ Fenugreek leaves
1/2 cup Cooked Moong/ Toovar (arhar) Daal
2 Heaped tbsp. Besan
Marble sized ball of Tamarind (soaked and pulp removed)
Jaggery (twice the quantity of the Tamarind)
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Oil
2 cups water

For the Tadka (tempering)
2-3 tbsp. oil
1 tsp Mustard seeds
4 cloves of Garlic, sliced
4 dry Red Chilies
1 -2 Green Chilies ( sliced lengthwise)(+ / - to taste or how hot the chili is)
1/2 tsp Turmeric
a few curry leaves (if you can get them)

Do the prep.Wash thoroughly and chop the spinach and fenugreek leaves (use only leaves if you wish to avoid the slightly bitter taste fenugreek tends to impart, otherwise a small stalk is OK. Cook the daal and mash it slightly. soak the tamarind in warm water, squeeze out the pulp and discard the solids ( you can also use ready made tamarind pulp)
Heat 1 tbs. oil in a wok / kadhai, add the chopped spinach and fenugreek, cover and let it cook.Once the greens are thoroughly cooked, mash them slightly and add the Besan, mix well to avoid lumps. Add in the cooked daal, Tamarind pulp, Jaggery and salt. Add about 2 cups of water and let the mixture cook well.
Tadka: Heat Oil, add the mustard seeds, after they pop add the sliced garlic and cook till they turn golden . Add the green and red chilli pieces. Lastly add the turmeric. Pour this over the vegetable mixture. Mix thoroughly and cook for 2 mins. to incorporate the flavor of the tempering.
Serve hot with chapati, bhakri, rice.

*Points to note:

• Usually Toovar (arhar) Daal is used, but since it is acidic in nature, Yellow Moong Daal makes an excellent substitute without compromising on the taste.
• This vegetable is semi solid in consistency. After cooling down it becomes slightly solid so you might want to add extra water if re-heating.
  

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JFI GREENS - Methi Parathas in a hurry! and Daal Palak with Parathas.

This is a late post (methi parathas) .. I wanted to send it in for Nupur's A-Z of Veges... but things have been a bit hectic for me. Couple of weeks ago, I landed a full time job.. and I am still kinda getting the rythym of things. Apart from that my laptop is giving me a lot of trouble so I was off this track a bit..

I guess this entry can now go in for JFI GREENS along with another one I had planned.

Methi seeds have their own special place in our kitchens and are used for tempering in daals, dahi kadhi as well as in many vegetables, pickles and curries. As widely as it is used in the kitchen this herb has its use in the medicinal world too. Methi seeds soaked overnight and ground to a paste can be applied to hair to get rid of dandruff and is also a good conditioner. People suffering from arthritis and diabetes also benefit from consuming Methi

Methi has a bitter taste and a strong characteristic smell, that was the one reason my Mother used to be careful in just picking leaves off the stalk. In CA,I do substitute Kasuri Methi (dried methi leaves) for lack of fresh, inviting looking methi . Kasuri methi too has the same strong characteristic smell of fresh methi (if not stronger!). The only annoying thing is sometimes getting a bit of a hard stalk in the mouth... but that is not much of an issue!!

Coming to blogging.... though I am enjoying everything at office enormously, I do miss blogging the most! I have a bunch of pictures ready, but I haven't uploaded them to the laptop! Now that I am a bit strained for time (at least until I set a routine), I am also looking at 'quick fix' meals to carry in the lunch box for me and M. For one such quick fix, I made Methi Parathas. these are very flavorful and can be eaten by themselves with or without any accompaniment.... a bit of mango pickle is always welcome, though!!

For this version of Methi Paratha I have used Kasuri Methi. The taste was not compromised on at all, but if you have fresh, tender leaves... USE 'EM!!

1 cup Wheat Flour
1 tbsp. Besan
1 tbsp. Rice Flour
1/4 tsp. Turmeric
1/2 tbsp. Ginger - Garlic Paste
2 Green chillies minced (or if you prefer , grind them with the ginger-garlic)
1 bunch Methi Leaves
Salt to taste
Oil / ghee

Wash and chop the methi leaves (not necessary if using kasuri methi)
Mix the wheat flour, besan and rice flour
Add the turmeric, ginger-garlic paste, green chilly, salt, methi leaves
Bind into a dough.
Cover and keep for 15 mins..
Roll out parathas
Heat a griddle and roast the parathas drizzling oil / ghee around the corners (or use oil spray)
Serve with pickle / yogurt

My second entry is DAAL PALAK and Paratha

My motive in making daal palak was simple... daal and vegetable rolled into one! What with work and home (dishes... laundry, clearing the humongous mess) and a whopper of a migraine attack, I felt a bit overwhelmed and after shoving tablets down the throat and crankily croaking at the husband about how, now was the time for all good men to come to the aid ... rally around dear!! .. I behaved sort of like one expiring all over the carpet...

Later , revived and almost as fresh as a daisy, I steam-rolled in to the kitchen to appease the growing and gnawing hunger pangs.

I largely modelled my Daal Palak on Asha's recipe. The outcome was a delightful accompaniment to rice and parathas. But the mistake I made (and lesson learnt!) was in not using a lot more spinach! I had just one bunch of Spinach and I thought that would do! Well, there is always the next time!I also used normal Tomatoes instead of cherry tomatoes. Forgot to add the sugar.... nevertheless, as I mentioned earlier... the end result was delightful!



For the Parathas

2 cups wheat flour

2-3 pinches salt

Water

Oil

Ghee / Butter

Combine the flour and salt, add enought water to make a smooth dough.

Make equal portions of the dough.

Take one portion, roll out to a thick roti, apply oil on the inside and fold over, forming a semi-circle. Brush with oil and fold again, now forming a triangle.

Dust with wheat flour and roll in to a triangle (keeping it a little thick)

Shallow fry (I use the word 'fry' because I sed a tad more butter when roasting htese parathas) on a hot griddle, until brown spots appear on the paratha and it puffs up.

Serve with daal palak

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