Bach baras(vatsa dwadashi)

                                                        

Vatsa dwadashi is celebrated by worshipping cow and eating bajara roti and beere ka sag(sprouted beans) Dwadashi following janmashtami is vatsa dwdashi.Dwadashi is the 12th day of a fortnight as per hindu calender.This year vatsa dwadashi is on 14th of august.

Beere ka sag

Sprouted beans are rich in vitamins and protiens.These are rich in digestive energy ,amino acids.  One can make them at home .When these are ready these can be made into sabji as well.
Sprouting 
1 cup of moong
1 cup moth or mataki
1 cup chick peas
Soak in water for 12 hours. Now drain the water and tie the soaked beans in a cean cloth and keep it in a colander.  Colander helps in draining excess water.Keep sprinkling water on it periodically for next 12 hours. It will take total 24 hours after soaking in water to sprout them properly.
These beans will look like the in picture .

                                      Sprouted beans(Beere)

Ingredients:
1 cup sprouted beans
1/2 cup yogurt
Spices
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
pinch of hing powder
2 table spoon oil
Add 1/2 cup water to the sprouts and microwave for 8 minutes.
Keep a pan on stove and  add oil and when it is hot add  all the spices from 1 to  5.Immediatey add yogurt and stir till the yogurt is beaten well and spices get mixed with yogurt.et it cook for two minutes and add microwaved sprouts and a cup of warm water.After it starts boiling cook for three or four minutes and switch off the flame .

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and chopped green chilli and ginger. Beere ka sag is ready. Serva it with roti or paratha. On Vatsa Dwadashi (also called bach baras in Marwari) which falls  four days after Janmashtami this sabzi is made in every Marwari house and is served with roti made of bajara(millet) with gur(jaggery) and ghee. This menu will be incomplete without a serving of fresh yogurt too. For eating beere ka sag always plan ahead and get the sprouts going.

Bajare ki roti

Ingredients 

3 cup bajare flour
1/4 cup ghee
1/4 cup grated jaggery

Before making roti flour has to be kneaded into a dough by adding water to it.
While making wheat flour roti we prepare the dough once .But bajara dough is to be made in batches the reason for that is bajara flour dough is less elastic and it looses its elasticity if kept for longer period.

Knead the flour for 3 to 4 rotis at a time.Rolling of these rotis is also somewhat tricky.This dough does not handle the pressure of the rolling pin .it has to be spread by the movements of hand .Take a piece of dough make a ball put it on the rolling flour which is sprinkled with dry flour.Sprinkle dry flour on ball.Now gently tap the  ball with your hand by moving the dough in a circular motion.when done then roast it on a hot tawa just like wheat flour roti.apply ghee and serve hot with beere ka sag,yogurt and grated jaggery.

Tips

  1 bajara flour should be freshly grounded. 
  2 For those who find it difficult to roll roti can mix little amount of wheat flou     to get some elasticity in dough.

Gajar Halwa (carrot halwa)

This being lower in calories than other sweet dishes is more popular .During winter best quality of carrots are available.This is the best dessert one can have in winter without being bothered about calories as amount of fat is very less.

Ingredients:-

                             




                        
Carrots  1 kg 

milk 11/2 kg

sugar 1 cup

10 pods of cardamom 

roasted and sliced almonds and pistachio

wash carrots and scrape and Grate 

In a non stick thick bottom pan pour the milk and add  grated carrots

Let the milk boil and evaporate  this mixture of carrots and milk.Keep stirring occasionally so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan. It will take 50 minutes for milk to evaporate .This will turn into a semi solid mass.Now in another pan put 4 table spoon ghee and add this semi solid mass.

Stir it for ten miutes and then add 1 cup of sugar.Now add cardamoom and mix well.Switch off the flame and garnish with dry fruits.

Enjoy gajar halwa on a winter lunch or dinner.

Dahi bade

Summer in marwar is very harsh.It becomes difficult to eat even when you are hungry.all one wants is cold water....But if some one offers a plate of dahi bade with ice cold yogurt and some sweet chatani nobody refuses. Here is the recipe for Dahi bade.

                                       



Ingredients
One cup white urad dal   ( cup with a volume of 250ml)
two table spoon yellow mung dal
750gms fresh yogurt
oil for frying
For garnishing
roasted and powdered cummin seeds
red chilli powder
dried and powdered mint leaves
Ingredients for Sweet chutney
25 gms 
25 gms jaggery grated
salt,red chilli powder  1/2 teaspoon each.
a pinch of garam masala(   optional  if you like it spicey ) and a pinch of ginger 

powder.
two table spoon of raisins and pieces of  dates each.
Making chutney
Soak the tamarind in water for 30 minutes.Then squeeze the pulp .Now in a pan add pulp ,jaggery,and salt and chilli powder.Put it on the stove and stir.After  it starts boiling add raisins and dates switch off the burner after two three minutes.Let it cool.
                               
Making batter and frying vada
Soak the both dal in water for three hours .
Now   drain the excess water.
Grind  it to  make batter taking care that it should not be too fine and too coarse.

                                           
The consistency should be thicker than the pakora paste.Add  1/2 spoon of salt to it and stir it with a ladle swiftly to make the dough fluffy.This will trap air in between the batter which in turn help bada to become soft.
In a pan put oil and start frying vadas .For droping the paste in oil I recommend  use of  a  wet tablespoon .This will prevent the batter to stick on the spoon and will help the batter to slide smmothly in the oil

Keep a bowl of water handy to dip the spoon in water after one or two droppings.This will keep the spoon
clean and will make it easy to drop the paste smoothly in oil.

Fry the vadas till these are golden brown.

                                            fried vada

Now soak these vadas in a bowl of warm water for ten minutes.
In a bowl add one cup of water  and mix with 1/4 cup of yogurt.stirr well.Now take out the soaked vadas out of water and press these gently between your palm and put in the bowl of yogurt water.Let these vadas soak in yogurt water for 30 minutes .  You will see badas have soaked all the water .
Remaining yogurt should be stirred and add three teaspoons of sugar .Beat the yogurt and keep it in fridge.
Serving
In a plate put two badas and add sweet yogurt.Now pour two teaspoon of chutney.Then garnish it with chilli powder and cummin powder and mint powder.
Tips
1.Always use fresh yogurt.
2.Serving of this dish is also  important.The plate should look tempting.So use your art in garnishing the dish with three different color of spices viz Red (chilli powder),Brown(roasted cumin powder),green(dried mint leaves powder).
As summer is approaching enjoy your home made dahi bade.