Sunday 28 January 2018

Bhaturu - Himachali Stuffed Fermented Bread



Beautiful state of Himanchal Pradesh has a unique cuisine of its own. The cuisine of this hilly and cold state has been developed keeping in mind the geographical compulsions (as agriculture is difficult and communication is tough) and high nutritional requirements of the inhabitants. Paddy and maize happen to be the staple food of the people as the climate favors the production of these crops. Dishes prepared from Salayara and an iron rich cereal called, Kodra are part of the daily food.

People are very much fond of tea. Milk and other daily products form the part of the daily food habit of the people as traditionally people have cows in their house. Dishes prepared from energy rich Sattu is a must item of every day meal. 

Taste in Himanchal Pradesh varies from region to region. Some people are very much fond of non-vegetarian dishes. These are prepared using host of spices like cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and red chilies.

Here is one such unique recipe from Himachal and it is called Bhaturu or Bhatooru. Don't confuse it with Punjabi Bhatura (of famous Chole bhature) which normally has Maida (purpose flour) as main ingredient. Bhaturu or Bhatooru is a kind of bread (Roti) which is cooked by fermenting wheat flour. Bhaturu's are relished baked as well as fried. Since it's been part of staple food in most parts of Himachal, mostly it is baked on tawa/pan. For special occasions like festivals, marriages bhaturu's are deep fried in oil. From dough make small even balls of the same size. For ages people of Himachal have been shaping these small dough balls into Roti with hands, but you can use a board and rolling pin to shape them as Roti's. Bhaturu shouldn't be thin like normal chapati/phulka. The thickness of Bhaturu should be around 0.5 to 1 cm. Leave these Roti's for next 10-15 minutes wrapped under a cloth. After 15-20 minutes either you can bake these or deep fry them in oil. For baking put the raw Bhaturu on hot pan/tawa. When it is baked on both sides, put it directly on gas burner or fire to have that soft and puffy Bhaturu's. Serve them hot with seasonal vegetables, daal or curry. Bhaturu's are best when baked in earthen oven (Chulha). 

Bhaturu's also has a variation known as bharwan Bahturu (stuffed bread). Before baking, the dough balls are stuffed with a grounded mixture of soaked daal, rice etc. You can even use boiled potatoes to stuff them. Bhaturu is known as Suhaalu or Sumkeshi roti in other parts of Himachal Pradesh. This is going to be apart of our 129th Foodiemonday Bloghop event. and this time we are back with #Himachalrecipes. My contribution for this event is these delicious Bhaturu. Check out the recipe below and Enjoyyy the Himachali taste. :)



INGREDIENTS

10 Apricot seeds or small almonds
1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds, powdered
Wheat flour dough rested overnight with yeast
1/2 cup Coriander leaves
2 Onion, diced
Garlic / Garlic leaves
1 teaspoon Garam Masala
2 whole red chilies
1/2 teaspoon Turmeric powder
1 teaspoon Salt


INSTRUCTIONS

1. Make wheat dough with yeast and rest it overnight.

2. Grind all other ingredients with little water.

3. Take small ball of dough. Make circular shape. Place 1 tsp stuffing in center. Cover the dough again.

4. Using hand press the dough to make circular shapes.

5. Heat over tawa. Cook both sides. Bake over direct flame.

Serve hot with yogurt , chutney or curry.


Monday 22 January 2018

3 ingredients Chocolate chip cookies


Cookies equal comfort. Especially warm right out of the oven eating them straight off the cookie sheet. It just feels like warmth, love, and home. And while I love fancy cookies, sometimes I just want easy chocolate chip cookies.

I don’t think there is any secret by now that I have a certain obsession for cookies. I think sometimes people who don’t bake very often do not realize that cookies can really be a simple thing to make. You really only need 5 ingredients to make fantastic easy chocolate chip cookies and I bet most of us already have them in our pantry! I created this simple chocolate chip cookie recipe that comes together quickly and uses things that you probably only have in your pantry! But this time I am showing you the use of only 3 ingredients to make these super tempting and loved by almost everyone chocolate chip cookies.

When you use the butter in every cookie recipe. Yes, butter play the important role to bind the mixture and texture for cookies. here, without butter also the cookies will come out so well. I just used 2 large mashed bananas for this recipe and they bind the flour and added chocolate chips in to the cookie dough. I simply scoop them to the baking sheet and after baking them, here the delicious chocolate chip cookies straight from your oven. Super fast recipe and at the same time super tasty cookies too. 

This time we Foodiemonday people came back with 3 ingredients recipes. and since long I wanted to make chocolate chips cookies. I searched about this on google, I found this recipe with oatmeal cookies, so I tried this with chocolate chip cookies and with wheat flour. and they came out well. heck out the recipe below and try them ....Enjoyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


INGREDIENTS

11/2 cups Wheat flour
2 large bananas
1/2 cup chocolate chips

METHOD:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degree C and line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. Mash bananas in a large bowl. Add in the flour and mix well to combine. Fold in the chocolate chips.

3. Scoop 2 tablespoons of the flour and banana mixture onto your cookie sheet and shape into a large round about 1 inch apart, no need to worry about these spreading.

4. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the cookies are golden on top and just set to the touch.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Store in an air tight container for up to 2 days.



Monday 15 January 2018

Sun dried tomato and basil Bruschetta


Bruschetta is an antipasto (starter dish) from Italy consisting of grilled bread rubbed with garlic and topped with olive oil and salt. Variations may include toppings of tomato, vegetables, beans, cheese. A popular dish is Bruschetta with tomatoes; the most popular recipe outside Italy involves basil, fresh tomato, garlic and onion or mozzarella. Bruschetta is usually served as a snack or appetizer. In some countries, a topping of chopped tomato, olive oil and herbs is marketed under the bruschetta name.

In Italy, bruschetta is often prepared using a brustolina grill. In the Abruzzo region of Italy a variation of bruschetta made with a salame called ventricina is served. I am a die hard Italian food lover. most of the white sauce pasta, (White sauce with garlic flavor only) and these Bruschettas, My All time favorite.  These are really good! I always make two batches of these since the go so quickly. This appetizer or side dish makes a crispy complement to any Italian entree. Those are the greatest bruschetta I always serve with friends and family.

And this is going to be a part of our 127th #Foodimonday #bloghop event. This time we all are back with our #Bruschettarecipes. Check out my version of Bruschetta and Enjoyyy the Italina treat.

Ingredients

1 small baguette, sliced into thick pieces
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
1 tablespoon thinly sliced garlic, plus 1 garlic clove, peeled, for coating bread
8 to 10 basil leaves
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, drained and sliced 1/4-inch thick
1/2 tbsp Lemon juice
Salt and fresh black pepper
2 Tbsp Grated cheese

Method:

1. Preheat a grill or stove-top grill pan.

2. Grill the bread on both sides until crispy. Be careful on high heat as bread burns easily.

3. While bread is grilling, in a saute pan on medium heat, toast the sliced garlic in the olive oil. When it is light golden, add the chili flakes, cook for 10 seconds and then add the basil leaves. Do this carefully, as the basil may spatter some oil.

4. When the basil leaves are wilted, remove mixture from the heat. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and chopped parsley. Toss to combine and adjust the seasoning with lemon juice, to taste, and salt and pepper.

5. Lightly swipe the remaining garlic clove on 1 side of the bread. Arrange the toasted bruschetta on a serving platter and drizzle with the remaining extra-virgin olive oil. Top each piece with some of the tomato basil mixture, then evenly divide the grated cheese and some more basil leaves over the mixture. Serve warm.


Enjoyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!