Methi Parathe(stuffed)

Methi Paratha with Dahi and Ketchup

Methi or Fenugreek is a magical seed. It is rich in iron and is good for people with type II diabetes. The seeds are believed to be good for nursing women and traditional Indian medicine prescribes it as a regular component for a nursing mother's diet.  When grown, the seeds become a common winter green that's surpassed in flavour only by perhaps Sarson(mustard greens).  Starting November all vegetable thelas carry little bundles of green methi. Methi is a very versatile (also see oondhiyun) type of green with a characteristic bitter-sweet flavour.  There's a lot of good recipes for methi that I will write about later but for now let me share parathas using methi leaves.

                                             ingredints

Ingredients
Wheat flour  1cup
Besan (Chickpea flour)   2 table spoon
Methi leaves finely chopped   1/4 cup
Oil   1/4 cup
Red chilli powder  1/2 teaspoon
Cumin seeds 1 teaspoon
Saunf or Fennel seeds 1 teaspoon
A pinch of hing
Salt to taste
STUFFING FOR PARATHAS:
In a pan, on a medium heat flame, pour a tablespoon of oil and add hing, jeera and saunf when the oil is hot.   Immediately add besan and stir Besan until it becomes golden brown. Add chilli powder and salt and methi leaves. Stir and switch off the flame.The moisture from the methi leaves will be absorbed by the besan and it will turn into a mass which can be stuffed inside the parathas. Divide this mass into six balls .

Ready to start rolling parthas

stuffing should be placed after rolling the dough a bit

Knead the flour.  Make ball of dough and roll until it is of 3"  diameter and place the stuffing on the center.Now close it to cover the stuffing with dough to make a ball.
     

                                         ball ready to roll


 Roll again till it is of 7" diameter.
Shallow fry it on a tawa and serve hot with tomato sauce or dhania chutney and yogurt. 

   
                                          shallow frying
The aroma of this dish is so strong that you are bound to have uninvited guests - most likely your neighbours!
Tips :-  
Wash methi leaves thoroughly in advance and drain before chopping  to avoid the stuffing from becoming too soggy.  Try to buy methi with small leaves as these are more aromatic than the larger leaves.

Sonth aur Gond ke laddu (ginger & gum)(postnatal dish)

Winters in marwar are very mild.Still people keep complaining about it and drags out the quilts and blankets by the end of diwali..Menu for lunch and dinner also changes and so the sweets and snacks.Ginger which is considered as very usefull either  fresh or dried is used in making laddus.These laddus are made for nursing mother as it is a part of  postnatal diet programm.

Let us make these laddus.

              

   Ingredients required                                                                                                                

Ginger powder     1 cup                                                                                                                 

Sugar powder        2 cup                                                                                                                        

Ghee or clarified butter          2 cup                                                                                                                 

Gond powder      1/2 cup                                                                                                                                       

Almonds powder   1/2                                                                                                                                      

Dried coconut powder      1/2 cup                                                                                                                              

Whole wheat flour      1 cup                                                                                                                              

                                    Ingredients 

Keep a thick bottomed pan   on flame and add ghee.Now add wheat flour and stir till it roasted and gives an aeroma.Switch off the flame and add gond powder .It will start popping up.                                                  

                         

Gond getting popped up

                      Now add almond and coconut powder.Stir well .Now add sugar powder and ginger powder and mix the mixture well.Now make laddus out of this mixture by pressing it in between palm.

Tips:                                                                                                                                                            

Do not make fine powder of Gond ,almonds and coconut .Let there be some what granules to get a nutty taste                                                                                                                                   

These laddus have a long shelf life as there is no moisture in it.

   

Pav Bhaji

This is not at all a marwari dish .I can say it is an Indian dish as it is being liked throughout the country.The reason being the nutritive value and the easy to prepare.
                       
It is fun to make this dish during winter as all vegetables required for this dish  are easily available .One can make it  with    whatever  vegetables are available.But the flavour of capsicum and tartness of tomato is a must.

                                                                   Ingredients  

Ingredients required:  for four people
Potato   2
tomato  4
lauki or white gourd known as dudhi in mumbai  250 gms
green peas  shelled  1/2 cup
carrots   2 medium size
cauliflower  1 cup florets
capsicum  2 medium size
french beans 1/2 cups
green coriander leaves     1 cup finely chopped

lemon 2
butter   1 cup
cummin seeds  1 teaspoon
salt   according to taste
pavbhaji masala  2 table spoons(Easily available in Indian grocery stores )
pav  2 loaves     (available in bakery and grocery shop)

                                             

       Wash and cut all the vegetables .Capsicum  and tomatoes should be cut in small pieces.Wash and chop coriander leaves finely

In pressure cooker cook all the vegetables except capsicum and tomatoes  till two whistles.  In a pan put oil  butter and add cummin seeds and capsicum.Saute for five minutes and then add tomatoes and again stir it till tomatoes are tender.now remove the lid of the cooker and mash the vegetables with a potato masher and mix it in the pan with capsicum and tomatoes.Now add salt and pav bhaji masala and mix well .Let this mixture cook for next five minutes.Now switch off the flame and squeeze lemon juice.Pav bhaji is ready to serve.
For serving:
Put  a tava or griddle on stove and put some butter and immediately put the pav pieces to be toasted with butter.In a  plate serve the pav and bhaji .Garnish this bhaji with a dollop of butter and finey chopped coriander leaves along with a lemon piece.
Tips

Lemon should be squeezed after removing from flame otherwise it will give bitter taste.
Coriander leaves should be used at the time of serving to restore the taste and color.