LITTI, MIXED CHOKHA WITH HARA DHANIYA CHUTNEY

"Litti-Chokha-Chutney" is a very delicious speciality of Bihar. Bihari cuisine is simple and wholesome. 'Litti' a baked salted wheat flour cake filled with sattu (roasted chickpea flour) and some special Indian spices. There are many versions of this dish. This is a delicacy which is liked by every group of people whether rich or poor. Litti-Chokha-Chutney is now making its presence internationally.

INGREDIENTS FOR LITTI:

FOR COVERING:
1&1/2 Cup Wheat Flour (atta)
1/2 Cup Self-Raising Flour (maida)
6 tbsp Oil
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 Cup Melted Clarified Butter (desi ghee)

FOR STUFFING:
1 Cup Sattu (roasted bengal gram flour)
1 tsp Carom Seeds / ajwaan (roasted and crushed)
1 tsp Nigella Seeds / Kalonji (roasted and crushed)
1 tbsp Dried Mango / Amchur Powder
1 tbsp Mango pickle spice and its oil
6-8 Pods of Garlic (minced)
1/2" Ginger (minced)
2-3 Finely Chopped Green Chilies
2 tbsp Finely Chopped Coriander Powder
1 tbsp Lemon Juice
2 tsps Mustard Oil
Salt to taste

INGREDIENTS FOR MIXED CHOKHA:
1 Large Tomato
2 Medium Sized Potatoes (parboiled with skin)
1 Eggplant / Brinjal / Begun (500 gm approx)
1 Big Onion (finely chopped)
5-6 Pods of Garlic (minced)
2 tbsps Chopped Coriander Leaves / Cilantro
2-3 Chopped Green Chilies (or as per taste)
1 tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
1 tbsp Mustard Oil
Salt to taste

INGREDIENTS FOR HARA DHANIYA CHUTNEY:
50 gm Coriander Leaves / Cilantro
2-3 Green Chilies
4 Pods Garlic
1/4" Ginger
2 tbsp Tamarind Pulp
1 tsp Mustard Oil
Salt to taste

METHOD FOR LITTI:

For making outer cover of litti, sieve wheat flour and self raising flour, add oil and salt. Knead a stiff dough by using water. Cover with a wet cloth and keep it aside.

Make lemon sized (approx 2.5" diameter) 10 balls out of it and set it aside.

In the mean time, combine all spices, sattu, coriander leaves, lemon juice, mustard oil, salt and pickle in a bowl. Mix them nicely by hand. Make sure all spices including pickle mixed very well. Now sattu filling is ready to stuff.

Preheat oven to 200 C. Put 1 tbsp sattu filling in the centre of each ball. Close it firmly from all sides.

Place all the littis on a baking tray.

Bake for 15 minutes. Turn the opposite sides of littis and grill for 10 minutes.

Take out and dip on pure desi ghee (clarified butter) and serve immediately with mixed chokha and chutney.

METHOD FOR MIXED CHOKHA:
Roast eggplant, tomato and parboiled potato over low heat.

Peel the skin of eggplant, tomato and potato nicely. Set aside.

Heat mustard oil in a pan or wok. Add minced garlic and green chilies in it.

Saute for 30-40 seconds followed by adding chopped onion. Fry for 2 minutes.

Add mashed tomato and salt in it. Fry for another minute.

Now add roughly mashed potato and eggplant. Fry for a minute and turn off heat now.

Add coriander leaves and lemon juice. Fold nicely.

Serve this chokha with litti.

METHOD FOR HARA DHANIYA CHUTNEY:

Grind coriander leaves, ginger, garlic, green chilies, tamarind pulp and salt for a minute to make a smooth homogenous paste. Add mustard oil in it. Yummy Hara Dhaniya Chutney is ready to serve with litti and chokha.

Enjoy your dinner with super delicious litti, mixed chokha and hara dhaniya chutney.

NOTE:

1. In cities, it is not possible to make 'litti' traditionally roasted over "chulha" or "angithi". But I baked it in electric oven, you may use  microoven for grilling it. If you don't have any oven, just heat a non stick pan on medium heat, arrange littis on it, cover it with a heavy lid and reduce the heat. Check after 10 minutes and turn over the other side of littis. Cook other side also for 10 minutes. Lastly, roast those littis on direct flame for giving that grilling effect.
2. Few people are allergetic on eggplant, if you don't like, just omit it. Potato-tomato chokha is also very delicious. May add 1 tsp mustard paste at the end and mix well, it is also be a great combo with litti.
3. Chutney can be stored in refrigerator upto an week.
4. I roasted parboiled potato to get its smokey flavor, which gave an authentic taste and flavor to chokha.

Sending to:  Cook with Comfort ~Blog Anniversary Event, Holiday Recipes ~ 3rd Blog Anniversary Event

CORN PEAS SLICES

Today I bring sweet and sour, cheesy grilled bread slices filled with corn, peas, bell pepper and little spices. This crispy and healthy bread slices are perfect for breakfast or as an evening tea-time snack. It is very easy to make and yummy too. Tryout, you will love it.

INGREDIENTS:

8 Bread Slices

¾ Cup Sweet Corn (frozen)

¾ Cup Peas (frozen)

1 Green Bell Pepper /capsicum (chopped)

4 tbsp Bread Crumb

4 tbsp Butter

3 Cheese Cubes (grated)

1 Onion (finely chopped)

2 Tomatoes (pureed)

3-4 Chopped Green Chilies

1 tsp Kashmiri Red Chili Powder

2 tbsp Flour (maida)

1 tbsp Oil

Salt to taste

METHOD:

Heat oil in a pan or wok. Add chopped onion and green bell pepper in it. Sauté for 2 minutes.

Add Tomato puree, salt and kashmiri red chili powder in it. Fold nicely for a minute.

Add sweet corn, peas and chopped green chilies in it. Mix well. Cover and cook for another 10 minutes on medium heat; stir occasionally. Turn off the heat now. Mix flour with this mixture, fold well again.  Set it aside.

Preheat oven to 180 C. Cut each bread slice diagonally. Spread little butter on each bread slice. Again, spread 1 tbsp of corn pea mixture on it.

Sprinkle bread crumb and grated cheese on the top. Arrange bread slices on the baking tray. Grill for 10 minutes. Switch off the heat now. Keep it inside of the oven for another 5 minutes.

Serve immediately with any sauce of your choice.

CARAMELIZED ONION TART INSPIRED BY AMRITA GILL

Once again, here is a post to Kolkata Food Blogger's event - 'Know Your Kolkata Food Bloggers'. Today, I am going to introduce a very happy couple who are completely foodie, our sweet and very responsible blogger friends, Amrita Gill and her husband Vishal Tupper from "Sweet 'n' Savoury". 

Both of them are very jovial, friendly, very energetic and with lots of innovative and creative ideas regarding different kind of foods - a gorgeous couple with the sweetest smiles. The idea and concept of this event came from Amrita only. She is a great baker, please visit her space where you can find out amazing baking recipes with mouth watery desserts; where as Vishal is absolutely seafood lover and he shares lots of cooking recipes too. I had my eyes on 'Caramelized Onion Tart' that Amrita had once posted on her blog, I tried my hands on it, just came out awesome!!! My family loved and relished it so much, thanks for this wonderful savoury treat. Lets come to the recipe........

INGREDIENTS:

FOR 6 TARTS:
1/2 Cup All Purpose Flour
30 gm Butter (cold)
Little Ice Water For Kneading

FOR FILLING:
2 Medium Onions (thinly sliced)
1 tbsp Vinegar
1/4 tsp Dark Soya Sauce
1/4 tsp Green Chili Sauce
1 tbsp Oil
A Pinch Of Sugar
A Pinch Of Salt

FOR GARNISHING:
1 tbsp Full Shredded Carrot
Coriander Sprigs
1 tbsp Mayonnaise

METHOD:

HOW TO MAKE TART CRUST:

Cut butter in small cubes. In a bowl, mix flour and butter. Rub the butter cubes with the flour till the mixture resembles breadcrumbs (in texture). Add cold water 1 tbsp at a time and knead to get a smooth dough (Do not over knead). Wrap this dough with a plastic wrapper and refrigerate for half an hour.

Take out the dough and roll it with a rolling pin on a floured surface. Roll out roughly to the size of the choosen tart with 1/8" thickness. With your fingers press gently the pastry dough into the bottom and side of the tart pan. Be sure that the pastry fits snugly where the bottom and the side of the pan meet with no air pockets. The top of the pastry shell will be even with the top of the pan. To trim the excess portion, fold the overhanging pastry over the rim of the pan, press it along the edge and break off the excess portion. Line all the tart pans following the same way. Make small holes on the sides and bottom by using a fork to prevent it from shrinking and refrigerate for another half an hour.

Preheat oven to 180 C. Bake the tarts for 18-20 minutes or till they turn light brown in colour. Let them cool and take them out.

FOR FILLING:

Heat a tbsp oil in a non-stick pan. Add sliced onion with a pinch of salt. Lower the heat and let it fry slowly. Keep stirring occasionally. After few minutes, onion turns into nice golden brown colour. Sugar inside the onion oxides and turn it in brown colour, it is called 'caramelization'. Now add vinegar, soya sauce, chili sauce and sugar. Stir well and remove it from the heat. Caramalized onion filling is now ready to stuff.

FOR ASSEMBLING:
Fill each tart with a spoonful of caramelized onions.

Garnish each with 1/2 tsp mayonnaise, little shredded carrot and a coriander leaf. Yummy, crunchy, mouth watery onion tarts are ready to serve now.

CORN PEAS KATHI KABAB - A GUEST POST FOR PRIYA SURESH

Today I guest posted for a special friend, my elder sister and a wonderful blogger, who has worldwide fame, she is noone but Priya Suresh of Priya's Versatile Recipes. I know her before 1 year and since then we come close to each other day by day. A very helpful and coopertive blogger friend, who has a wonderful collection of recipes. I really admire her amazing cooking and baking skills. Priya akka is a very hard working lady, who posts her recipes daily, a great human being, juvenile and very simple in nature. Whenever I needed help, I got guidance and cooperation from her. 

Each month she introduced two of the new fellow bloggers and their recipes on her event,“Rendezvous with a foodie”. When I saw she announced about her event, I placed my request and akka approved me to give a chance to showcase my recipe on the space. Feeling immense honour and it is a great opportunity to showcase my talent on this event. I admire and respect Priya Suresh akka from the core of my heart. I am really happy to get Priya akka in this virtual blogging world, as she is an inspiration to me in cooking and baking. 

I am really thankful to her to get this opportunity and feeling very honoured today. Thanks a ton akka. Here is my super delicious mouth watery recipe “Corn Peas Kababs”, a vegan kabab, which is very easy with few ingredients and can be prepared in minutes. Hope you liked this treat Priya akka...

Please CLICK HERE to check the recipe.

BAKED NAMKEEN COOKIES

"Namkeen cookies" are a luscious alternative to sweet, can be served with afternoon tea or coffee. May use it as a canape for making various kid's friendly recipes. I added different Indian spices to make it more toothsome. It is an elegant starter with soup. Here is a perfect recipe for namkeen cookie sure to tickle your taste-buds.

INGREDIENTS:
100 gm / 1&1/4 Cups All Purpose Flour (maida)
4 tbsp Semolina (sooji/rava)
4 tbsp Gram Flour (besan)
1 tbsp Carom Seeds (ajwaan)
1 tbsp Freshly pounded Black Pepper
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
2 Whole Dried Red Chilies
2 tbsps Butter
Salt to taste
1/3 Cup Warm Water

METHOD:

Dry roast cumin seeds and dried red chilies for 2 minutes on high heat. Pound coarsely and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flour, semolina, gram flour, baking powder, black pepper powder, roasted cumin-chili powder, carom seeds, butter and salt. Mix nicely.

Add warm water little by little to make a stiff dough. Cover and keep it aside for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 200 C. Line parchment paper on a baking tray. From the dough, make medium sized balls. Flat each ball by using a rolling pin. Each disc must have 0.25 cm thick (approx). Cut into desired shaped by using a cookie cutter. (I made 40 nos. of cookies from this dough).

Arrange all cookies on baking tray.

Place it on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Switch off the heat now. Keep it inside the oven for another 5 minutes and let the cookies cool for 15 minutes.

Store in a air-tight container, a tasty and delicious snack can be served with piping hot tea or coffee. It can be a great starter with soup.

Sending to: Gujarati Zaika

Sending to: Weekend Gala Dinner Extravaganza..