A Tasty Multi-Grain Thepla

I seem to have fallen madly in love with all kinds of Indian breads lately, and the original pics of this one were too tempting to resist.  This super healthy multi-grain thepla is largely borrowed from Apu, at the AnnarasaEssenceof Food site, but with a few of my little tweaks here and there.

The dough has a few more steps than a regular chapatti recipe, but about as many steps as a stuffed paratha recipe, so if you enjoy cooking, try this!

2 tablespoons mustard oil

1 teaspoon cumin seed

¼ teaspoon hing (asafetida)

1 small red onion, very finely diced

Sweet Red Pepper adds taste and color!

½ sweet red pepper, very finely diced

½ teaspoon red chilli powder  (or to taste)

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon amchur powder (dried green mango)

2 teaspoons coriander powder

1 teaspoon cumin powder

¼ cup kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)

3 tablespoons white sesame seeds

1 teaspoon jaggery powder, or sugar

½ cup plain yogurt

2 cups whole wheat flour

½ cup besan flour (chickpea flour)

½ cup millet flour

¼ cup barley flour

1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

½ cup water (approximately)

2 to 3 tablespoons ghee for roasting  (clarified butter)

Put a frying pan on medium high heat, add the mustard oil, and when it’s hot, add the cumin seed and hing.  As the cumin first starts to sizzle, add the onion and sweet pepper, and lower the heat to medium, and cook till the onion is caramelized and the pepper is soft.  Add the spice powders and kasoori methi and fry for another minute, stirring.  Kasoori methi are dried fenugreek leaves, and not to be mistaken with fenugreek seed or powder.  They smell super strong, but this much adds an excellent taste and texture.  (If you can’t find this product, use about a half teaspoon of the finer fenugreek seed.)  

Add the sesame seeds, and watch over it, stirring, till they start to brown a little.  It may take two or three minutes. 

Watch carefully so the sesame doesn't burn.

Add the sugar, stir a few times, and remove from heat.  Scrape into a large bowl.  When it’s somewhat cooled, stir in the yogurt.

Meanwhile, get your flours and salt together.  Mix them and add them to the onion and yogurt mixture.  Use your hand to stir the dough, to get a good feeling for how much more liquid is needed.  Taste for saltiness at this point.  Add a bit more if needed.  Add the water in small amounts.  The dough should come together, but not be sloppy wet and sticky.  Knead the dough for a couple of minutes, roll into a big ball, cover with a damp tea towel, and set aside for thirty minutes.

Heat a griddle to medium heat.  My stove burners go up to 12, so I select 5, which works for me.  Every stove is different and you’ll experiment a bit.  

Meanwhile, pinch off a ball slightly smaller than a golf ball, and roll it up.  Place on a floured surface, and then flatten it with the palm of your hand.  

Flip it to get flour on the other side.  Roll it out to about a five to six inch diameter, and pick it up and brush off extra flour.  Place in the griddle and start rolling out the next thepla.  Keep a close eye on the griddle, and when the dough starts to change colour (within a couple of minutes) flip it.  Use a brush or back of spoon to thinly glaze with ghee, which is clarified butter.  You aren't frying these as such, just dry roasting in a griddle, with the help of a thin glaze of clarified butter.  Flip it again, and glaze the next side with ghee.  Each thepla should be fully roasted within three to four minutes.  If you can manage a higher heat to make them go faster, without burning, go for it!

Flatten it with the palm of your hand, and flip to coat in flour.  Then  roll out.

According to Apu’s AnnarasaTheEssenceofFood site, these make a great picnic item.  

You might need a partner to help with rolling, flipping and buttering.

I served some for a light supper with sag paneer, and then we greedily ate all the leftovers the next day, mostly as snacks.  Because I go light on the ghee, I can justify these as being healthy.  The grains and sesame are super healthy, and these thepla are most satisfying. 

You can always substitute mustard oil, or any healthy oil for ghee, to keep these vegan.  If you need help with finding these ingredients, please drop me a line.  

Best of all, there were lots of left-overs!  Yum!

Potato and Paneer Stuffed Paratha

Something deep inside me feels very guilty about eating what is basically a potato sandwich.  Way too many carbs, my conscience shouts.  The only way to lessen the guilt is to up the protein levels, which I’ve done here with the addition of paneer, a simple Indian cheese, and sesame seeds.  

A thousand times better than what a potato sandwich sounds like, this stuffed flatbread is a meal in itself.  Read on.

Did you know that when cooked potatoes are cooled, the starches in them change, thus lowering the Glycemic Index?  So the paratha is healthier still!  

Using whole wheat flour and lots of fresh ingredients also improves the overall nutrition of this light meal, which is often eaten for lunch.  But I served these for a simple Saturday night supper, along with a steaming bowl of tomato and kale masoor dal (vegetarian orange lentil stew).  

This recipe made five big and sturdy stuffed parathas.  One is a reasonable serving with a small bowl of dal. 

2 potatoes

2 teaspoons garam masala

1 teaspoon cumin seed

(A silicone brush is great for moving spices and applying ghee.) 

1 teaspoon kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

¼ cup finely diced red onion1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger

1 finely diced Thai chili (or to taste)

½ teaspoon finely diced garlic

2 teaspoons (plus) tamarind water (explained below)

½ cup paneer, diced

salt to taste

2 cups whole wheat flour

1/3 cup white sesame seeds

1 cup (plus) warm water

ghee (clarified butter)  (less than a tablespoon, if you’re behaving yourself)

Begin by poking the potatoes with a fork, and putting whole into the microwave.  Cook till soft.  (I set my machine onto ‘bake potatoes’, and it took about five minutes.  Set potatoes on countertop to cool.

Set a pan on medium heat.  Toss in the cumin, garam masala and turmeric.  Because the spices are already ground, they will roast in less than thirty seconds.  Brush them into a medium size bowl and set aside.  

Notice that this potato filling uses raw onion and garlic. Don’t worry.  As long as these are chopped finely enough, the taste will be flavourful but not raw or overwhelming.

Add the onion, garlic and chillies to the roasted spices..  Chop the baked potatoes roughly.  I leave the skins on, as nutritionists advise.  Add to the onion and spice mix.  Smoosh the potatoes into a mash and stir into the mix.  At this point the mix will be a little dry.  Taste it now, to be sure it’s powerful.  Add salt if needed.  You want it a bit over-spiced and salty, as the paneer and paratha dough will soften the flavours later.

Smoosh and stir.

Tonight's paneer came frozen, so I thawed about a third of a cup in the microwave for about thirty seconds, and chopped that roughly, and added to the onion and potato mix. 

Now for the tamarind water.  Tamarind is best bought in a block.  Use a big knife to saw off a piece,  about a marble’s worth.  Put it into a heat proof cup.  Pour boiling water over it, and set aside about twenty minutes.  

I was busy making the masoor dal during this waiting period, and I also got started on my paratha dough, which took up my twenty minutes, easily. 

Unstrained tamarind water

To make the paratha dough, put the flour and sesame seeds into a large bowl.  Don’t worry about adding salt, as the potato mix will be supplying the flavour.  Add ¾ of the water, stirring with your hand.  Gently add the rest of the water, a little more or less, to get a soft dough that picks up all the flour in the bowl, and isn’t horribly sticky on your hand.  Use your hand to mix in a circular and pushing style, to knead the dough a bit. 

By now, if twenty minutes have passed, get back to the tamarind water.  Using a spoon, smash the tamarind bits.  You can also use your fingers to smoosh the tamarind, squeezing it to separate the seeds.  Once you’ve pretty much liquefied the jelled tamarind, thus making 'tamarind water', pour it through a strainer to remove the seeds and bits.  Add to the potato mix, again tasting to be sure the mix is tangy, delicious and strong.

Now it’s time to get back to the paratha dough.  Flour your rolling surface.  Pinch off a large golf ball size of dough, roll it into a ball, and slightly flatten it. Use a rolling pin to roll it to an eighth inch thickness.  Drop a couple of tablespoons of potato mix in the centre.  

Lift up the sides of the paratha, and pinch together.  Use your hand to gently press it, then roll it out again.  This time, settle for a quarter inch thickness.  Place on a heated griddle (I set mine to medium heat, but you’ll need to experiment with your stove.)  Within a couple of minutes, the dough will change colour.  Flip the paratha, and brush with melted ghee.  Flip again, and cook for a few minutes, pressing air pockets gently with a spatula.  

Pinch and seal it up well.

Flip again, and brush with more ghee.  When the paratha is golden on both sides, remove from griddle and begin on the next.  I have a rhythm where I can roll, fill, roll, cook, flip, brush, roll, stuff, roll, flip and so on to the next paratha till they’re all done, but you might need a partner. 

If you’re having these for lunch, serve with a bit of plain yogurt and some Indian pickle. These feel like a light supper to me, when served with a vegetarian dal.  Delicious and filling, it’s a nice healthy meal!  

If you’re wondering where to buy these ingredients, please drop me a line.  If you’re in Calgary, I can supply you with names and addresses, but further away my advice can only become more general. But I'll be glad to help!
 

These will make great leftovers!

Woops, I was focussing on the dal and beer...

Reduced Gluten Stuffed Chappatties

 

It’s easy to lower the gluten content in chappatties by using besan, also known as gram flour or chickpea flour.  It has a nutty taste, and it's high in protein.  I’ve never made one hundred percent besan flour chappatties though, as I’m assuming they'd be too brittle and tough.  With these, I used fifty percent organic whole wheat flour, as well as a few other tricks to notch up the taste and texture.

1 cup besan flour
1 cup whole wheat flour (or more)
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin seed
½ teaspoon dried chillies
1 tablespoon melted ghee

1 cup hot water

2 tablespoons melted ghee (perhaps less if you're sensible)
3 green onions, chopped
¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves
a few mint leaves (optional)

Besan, or chickpea flour is stickier than wheat flour, so I don’t like getting it on my hands.  Because it produces a tougher and stickier dough, kneading is much more easily done with a machine, so I suggest that if you have one, use it.

In the machine’s bowl, add all the dry ingredients and stir, then add the ghee and stir some more.  Pour in the hot water, and set the machine on to slow speed to begin, and move it up to medium once the flour is largely incorporated.  Here In Alberta, which is dry as dust most of the time, our flours tend to be very dry, and we need extra water. 

My friend Jeanne, who bakes bread nearly every day, advises me to add the full amount of water to begin with, and then add extra flour if the dough feels too wet.  Add the extra flour just a tablespoon at a time. 

You know you have the right consistency when the dough doesn’t try to glue itself to your fingers. 

 Don’t add too much flour, as you’ll be adding a bit more later when rolling these out, and if too much flour is used, the dough will be dry and brittle. Once the dough is well mixed, remove the stirring tooll and attach the dough hook.  Knead the dough for at least seven minutes.  The dough should feel springy and cheerful when it’s done.  The machine is excellent for this, because it won't complain about the stickiness, or the amount of time spent kneading. 

You can let it rest for up to a couple of hours, or you can use it right away.  Separate the dough into golf ball sizes.  Beginning with the first ball, flatten it, then on a very lightly floured surface, roll it out.  Brush on a thin coat of ghee, and sprinkle on some onions and cilantro leaves.  A bit of chopped fresh mint is delightful too, if you have it.  

Fold the chappattie over and roll out again.  Although I can get them nice and round on the first go, I have never yet managed to roll them out round the second time.  Hopefully I’ll improve with practice.

My roundness is lost after the stuffing and folding!

My non-stick griddle works best when I have it on 5, with 12 being the top temperature.  Many cooks go with a hotter griddle, but I wind up scorching the dough, and making a mess.  Once upon a time I had a cast iron griddle, which worked very well, but I gave it away, and now I’m on a hunt for another.

Anyway, you don’t need to grease the griddle.  Pick up the rolled chappattie, and if it’s too dusy with flour, brush off the excess and place on the griddle.  In a few moments in will begin to change colour.  Use a spatula or back side of a spoon and brush the top side with a thin coat of ghee.  Gently press down on air bubbles.  Flip it when it’s a darker beige all over.  Brush the next side with ghee and let cook, still pressing down a bit on the air bubbles. 

You don’t need to hang over it during the entire cooking time, you can roll out the next chappattie, but it’s always nice to make these with two people, one rolling and one flipping and buttering.   Flip over one last time, let cook a bit more, and remove to a warming pan.  Each chappattie should be finished in about two to three minutes. You can brush more ghee on when laying it in the warming pan, if you wish.  Ghee, (clarified butter) always improves the taste, but do think of your innocent arteries.

These can be eaten with just a bit of plain yogurt and Indian pickles for a simple meal, or can be a side dish to a big feast. 
 

A blurry picture of a fabulous feast!  Still learning the DSLR fanciness.

The stuffing can be varied to almost anything.  I haven’t tried it yet, but crumbled paneer would be nice, and chopped peanuts would be mighty delicious.  What would you use?  Please drop me a line in the comments below!

Whole Wheat Naan

 

Whole Wheat Naan 

There’s something about yeast that lends a flavour and aroma to baked goods that baking soda and other leavening agents can’t replicate.  It tastes warm and friendly somehow, maybe because it actually is.  All those cute little yeast people, blinking at the first splash of moisture and warmth, yawning, waking up, meeting the other yeast people, frothing… 

Naan involves more effort than chappatties, but is so worth it.  A bit more planning ahead is needed, but what else could give you more pleasure?  Even the raw dough smells fabulous.  Begin at least an hour and a half before sitting down to eat.  (Don’t worry, you get a break while these rise, later.)

2 teaspoons instant yeast (one packet)
1 tablespoon jaggery powder
½ cup warm (not hot) water

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon melted ghee
3 tablespoons dried milk powder
½ cup warm water (perhaps more or less)
1 tablespoon or more kalonji seed (nigella seed)

2 tablespoons or more ghee

I used instant yeast, because that’s what I had on hand.  Even so, I wanted to give it the best start possible, so I mixed it with the jaggery and warm water, and set it aside while I got the other ingredients together.

If you like to knead, you can put these ingredients into a regular bowl.  Otherwise, use a stand mixer, and add the flour, salt, melted ghee, and milk powder.  If about ten minutes have passed since you woke up the yeast, it should be frothy and cheerful.  Pour it into the flour, and using the dough hook, start stirring, very slowly.  My province of Alberta is an arid place indeed, so our flour has a tendency to be quite dry.  As the mixture came together, I added the warm water in dribs and drabs.  Eventually I needed a bit more than a half cup.  If you are in a humid environment, you will likely need less, so go slowly and carefully here.

Once the dough is mixed, turn up the speed and let the machine do the kneading for you.  If you prefer to knead it yourself, knock yourself out.  You want a nice, springy and elastic dough.  When you have that, pour a few drops of ghee or other oil into a large bowl, roll your dough ball around in the oil to coat it well, and place it in a warm, draft free spot for an hour or so. 

 

Once the dough has doubled, punch and deflate, then knead it a bit more, pulling it into balls a bit larger than golf balls.  Just before rolling out a ball, flatten it a little with the palm of your hand.

Assuming you don’t have a tandoori oven, I suggest you put a griddle on medium heat. Roll out the first naan on a lightly floured surface to about an eighth inch thick.  As the naan is getting thinner, sprinkle on the kalonji seed on one side, and use the rolling pin to continue to flatten the dough and press the seed in deeply.  

I used to sprinkle the kalonji onto the dough and then get dismayed when it scattered off, bouncing all over the counter, stove top and floor.  I’m now thanking the creator of this website  for teaching me a better method.  
 

Flatten a bit before rolling out on a slightly floured spot.

The first naan usually looks peculiar, but trust that the rest will be better.  It doesn’t need to be round, in fact a tear drop shape is traditional.   Normally naan are rolled out round, and quickly smacked into a tandoori oven, where gravity takes over, causing the naan to stretch downward. 

I have a big iron oven/fireplace in my yard, but haven’t yet dared to try making naan in it.  Maybe one day.  In the meantime, the griddle works well enough. 

Place the rolled out naan on the griddle, and begin rolling out the next ball, keeping an eye on the griddle.  When the naan starts to puff up, brush it with ghee, and flip it over.  I am spare with the ghee, especially on a weeknight when we have no company.  It’s up to you how much you want to use.  Brush the flipped side with a little more, and get back to rolling out your next naan. 

 

The griddle heat is relative.  My stove dials go up to twelve, but five seems to be the best heat for my griddle.  A lower heat doesn’t puff up the naan quickly enough, and higher heats cause burning.  I roll out dough quite quickly, and have a smooth operation between the flipping, cooking, rolling, removing the one and putting down the next. 



Now it's ready to be flipped.

 

Each naan takes probably a couple of minutes. As they are cooked, place them in a covered pan or in a big piece of aluminum foil that loosely covers.  Serve warm.

These naan are soft, yet the kalonji seed is crunchy.  The flavours and aromas are so homey and enticing, you could make a regular practice of producing these friendly little breads. 

 

I served these with sag paneer made with spinach and kale, found in my vegetarian recipes!