Muthiya Pulao

(Vegans can skip the ghee . )


This is another fast and full meal dish.
The word 'muthiya' comes from the word 'mutthi' or 'fist'. The small balls of kneaded besan are pressed with the fist to form the muthiyas.
Of course, the round besan balls can be used too .... but this shape gives a kind of novelty to this dish.

I had made the besan dough spicy and kept the rice plain flavoured.

The combination worked perfectly.



Need :
For the Muthiyas : Besan, haldi powder, red chilli powder, kasuri methi, a little cooking oil, amchur powder, hing and salt to taste.

For the pulao : Rice, sliced onions, chopped tomatoes, biryani masala, haldi powder, a little ghee, cooking oil, a little sugar and salt and sugar to taste.

How to : Knead the besan and all the ingredients with water. Make small balls and press them in the fist to make muthiyas.


Heat oil in a kadhai. Add the sliced onions and fry till they start to turn a little brown.

Add the rice and fry for some more time. Add the chopped tomatoes, haldi powder, salt and sugar.
Fry some more.

Now spread the rice and place the muthiyas on it.

Add water, just as you would to cook rice. Sprinkle a little ghee and biryani masala. Cover and cook till rice is almost done.


Turn off heat and let it stand for a while.

A piece of muthiya anyone? :-)


I had made a salad with it ... but it goes great with plain dahi or raita. :-)

Enjoy!

This goes to dear Srivalli who is hosting Rice Mela till 30th Nov.

Gatte ki sabzi

This is another Rajasthani dish that I have learnt not only to make but also relish. It may be common to a lot of people, but for me it took time to get the hang of it. And I realised it does not take much time. Not to mention being minimalistic.

This dish is a big help when you want that one curry dinner or when you have run out of green veggies. The only thing you will need to have at home is sour curd. And of course besan. :-)

Here's the recipe for Rajasthani Gatte ki sabzi.

Need : Besan, sour curd, red chilli powder, haldi powder, jeera, a pinch of hing, a little cooking oil, salt, water.

How to : Knead the besan with a little oil, salt, red chilli powder and water to make a dough.

Divide into balls and roll them on a flat surface to make long strips of gatte like so.



Heat enough water in a deep vessel. Add a little salt and oil to the water to prevent the gatte from sticking to each other.

Add the rolled strips into the water when it starts boiling. When the gatte get cooked, they will float to the surface (notice the small one).




You can check by cutting a gatta with a spoon to see if it is done.
Drain the gatte and cut them into small pieces. These can be stored in the fridge and used later too.

Heat oil in a kadhai and add jeera and a little hing. Now add the gatta pieces and fry. Add haldi powder , red chilli powder and salt.
Beat curd with a little besan ( to prevent curdling ). Add to the fried gatte and keep simmering till you get desired consistency.

Great with hot rotis. I love it with plain hot rice as it complements the spicyness of the dish.

Aloo Tikki Sandwich

Much as I stay away from canned / preserved food, I came across this dehydrated aloo mash in the stores that is a real boon.

All you have to do is add water to rehydrate it and you have mashed aloo in minutes. Make stuffed parathas,tikkis, .... whatever.

Made some tikkis and and a fast breakfast sandwich. There was nothing else that I could add .... if you want to, you can add mayonnaise / ketchup or a little mustard sauce too.

I had grated in some carrot too.

Need : Mashed aloo, frozen / parboiled green peas, grated ginger, grated carrot, chopped green chillies, onion sliced in rounds, cucumber slices, tomato slices, salt and freshly ground black pepper, a little cooking oil / butter, bread slices.

How to : Add the chopped green chillies, ginger, salt and the peas to the aloo and mix well. Shape into small tikkis.

Heat a non stick tawa and roast the tikkis with just a little spray of oil.

Toast the bread slices till brown. You can apply butter on them if you want to.

Arrange a tikki and some onion, tomato and cucumber slices on a bread and sprinkle salt and black pepper.

Cover with another bread.

Done! Great with a hot cup of tea . :-)