More Pakoras!

The Pakora Mood continues! In an earlier post, we talked about the innate “Indian-ness” of the Pakora having originated in India thousands of years ago. We also talked about the enormous variety of Pakoras that exists across the country.

In today’s post, we will explore another delightful Pakora that’s a hot favourite during the festive season – the Paneer Pakora. Some folks think that the Paneer Pakora is something that vegetarians have to reluctantly make do with while their non-veg friends are tucking into Chicken Pakoras. Rubbish! If made properly the Paneer Pakora can be just as enticing as any other non-veg counterpart.  The real skill lies in the art of combining the right spices to make the flavour of this dish come alive.

So let’s get started on our exciting, mouth-watering homemade version of the legendary Paneer Pakora. Here are the ingredients that you will require.

Ingredients:

• Indian Cottage Cheese (Paneer): 200 grams
• All Purpose Flour (Maida): 4 tablespoons
• Gram Flour (Besan): 2 tablespoons
• Corn Starch: 1 tablespoon
• Mustard Oil: 100 millilitres
• Cumin (Jeera) Seeds: 1 teaspoon
• Red Chilli Powder: 1 teaspoon
• Turmeric (Haldi) Powder: Just a pinch
• Carom (Ajwain) Seeds: Half a teaspoon
• Coriander (Dhania) Powder: 2 teaspoons
• Breadcrumbs: 12 tablespoons
• Black Pepper Powder: Half a teaspoon
• Salt: to taste

The quantities mentioned above are for preparing two servings. Adjust the quantities proportionately to suit the number of servings that you require.

Preparation:

Cut the Paneer into slices that are around one inch by one inch in length and breadth, and around half an inch thick.

Dry-roast the cumin seeds.

Crush the carom seeds using the back of a spoon.

Spread the breadcrumbs out on a plate or a tray.

In a mixing bowl add the Paneer slices, red chilli powder and turmeric along with one teaspoon of coriander powder and one teaspoon of salt. Mix well to ensure that the Paneer slices are well-coated in the spices – but do this gently so that the Paneer slices do not break into smaller pieces. Keep aside.

Method:

Let us get started on making the batter for your Paneer Pakoras. In a bowl, add the all purpose flour, gram flour, corn starch, dry-roasted cumin seeds, ground carom seeds, black pepper powder and salt to taste. Add the salt carefully, taking into account the fact that you have already added salt to the Paneer and spices mixture. Also add the remaining teaspoon of coriander powder. Mix well. Then add a little water to the mixture and then whisk it to create a smooth batter making sure that it isn’t too watery in consistency. That’s why it is best to add the water a little at a time.

Heat the Mustard Oil in a pan on a High flame. When the oil reaches its smoking point streams of aromatic white smoke will rise from the surface of the hot oil. Reduce the flame to Medium. The oil is now ready for you to begin the deep-frying process.

Take a piece of spice-coated Paneer and dip it into the batter. Then roll the batter-coated Paneer piece on the breadcrumbs, ensuring that the piece is well-coated in breadcrumbs. Repeat the process for all the pieces of Paneer. Use the palms of your hand to ensure that the breadcrumbs adhere properly to the batter-coated Paneer.

Now, place the Paneer pieces in the hot oil and deep-fry. It will take a minute or so for one side to be fried. Then turn the piece over and ensure even frying on both sides. You may need to flip the piece over several times till the Pakora becomes crisp and crunchy. It is best to fry the Pakoras in batches to avoid burning them.

Many people prefer to place the Pakoras on paper towels after deep-frying in order to drain the excess oil – but that’s unnecessary when your deep-frying medium is cold-pressed Mustard Oil. This oil is a very healthy cooking medium that is scientifically proven to be absorbed into food in very small amounts during deep-frying. So relax!  

Your traditional Paneer Pakora is now ready. Serve them hot with chutney, sauce or any other dip of your choice. Even your non-vegetarian friends will start asking for more – wait and see!

You can find more recipes at : https://www.purioilmills.com/recipes-in-english/

The Season for Snacking!

The festive season is upon us and this time around it’s going to be different… because after more than two long arduous years, people are eagerly looking forward to celebrating this festival with wholehearted joy and elation.

One of the favourite snack foods that are prepared in large quantities during these celebrations is the Pakora – traditional Indian fritters that come in a wide range of variants and flavours. The Pakora has been around since ancient times. In fact, the word “Pakora” has Sanskrit roots; it is derived from the Sanskrit word “Pakvavata”. “Pakva” means cooked and “Vata” comes from “Vataka” which refers to a deep-fried cake made from pulses. Ancient Indian treatises and cookbooks like the Lokopakara (dating back to 1025 CE) and Manasollasa (from 1130 CE) mention Pakoras prepared by deep-frying gram flour preparations in Mustard Oil.

In today’s post we will explore a Pakora that is hugely popular all across north India: the famous Chicken Pakora. This variant is a later development. Well-known food writer Vir Sanghvi states that the Chicken Pakora was created in Peshawar sometime in the 1930s by a chef and restaurateur named Kundan Lal Gujral.

Kundan Lal creatively combined Indian batter-coated deep-frying with North West Frontier cuisine style marinating and Tandoor grilling to create his signature Chicken Pakora. In today’s post we will be preparing a homemade version of this mouth-watering north Indian delicacy. 

Here are the ingredients that you will require.

Ingredients:

• Chicken (boneless): 500 grams
• Gram Flour (Besan): 100 grams
• Rice Flour: 2 tablespoons
• Ginger-Garlic Paste: 2 teaspoons
• Lemon Juice: 2 tablespoons
• Mustard Oil: 100 millilitres
• Cumin (Jeera) Seeds: Half a teaspoon
• Red Chilli Powder: 2 teaspoons
• Garam Masala: Half a teaspoon
• Curry Leaves (Kadi Patta): 2 tablespoons
• Coriander (Dhania) Leaves: 2 tablespoons
• Salt: to taste

The quantities mentioned above are for preparing four servings. Adjust the quantities proportionately to suit the number of servings that you require.

Preparation:

Cut the boneless chicken into pieces that are around an inch in length. Wash the pieces and let them dry a little. Sometimes just patting them dry is enough.

Coarsely chop the curry leaves.

Finely chop the coriander leaves.

In a mixing bowl add the gram flour, rice flour, ginger-garlic paste, lemon juice, cumin seeds, red chilli powder, garam masala, curry leaves and coriander leaves along with salt to taste. Also add one tablespoon of Mustard Oil and four tablespoons of water. Then add the chicken pieces and mix well. Put the mixing bowl in your refrigerator for at least two hours.

Method:

Heat the remaining Mustard Oil in a pan on a High flame. When the oil reaches its smoking point wisps of white smoke will rise from the surface of the hot oil. Reduce the flame to Medium. The oil is now ready for you to begin the deep-frying process.

Place the batter-coated chicken pieces in the hot oil and deep-fry. To get the texture of the Pakoras crisp and crunchy, it is best to fry the chicken pieces in batches.

When you put the chicken pieces in the hot oil for the first time, let them sit for around two minutes or so. Then start flipping them over to ensure even frying on all sides. Keep flipping them over in the oil till the pieces become crisp and take on a golden brown colour.

A normal practice after deep-frying is to place the Pakoras on paper towels to drain the excess oil. However, you don’t really need to do that when your deep-frying medium is cold-pressed Mustard Oil. That’s because not only is Mustard Oil a healthy cooking medium packed with a wide range of health benefits, it is also proven to be absorbed into food in very low amounts during deep-frying.  

Your traditional north Indian Chicken Pakora is now ready. Serve it hot with a condiment of your choice. Let the festive celebrations begin!

You can find more recipes at : https://www.purioilmills.com/recipes-in-english/

A Tasty Treat for Teatime

Let’s get creative! Instead of the usual biscuits, sandwiches and fried savouries that we have alongside our cups of tea, let’s change the menu. Let’s shake things up a bit. Let’s give our taste buds a completely different teatime experience.

In today’s post we will move away from fried snacks and instead use the Grill function of your oven to make the humble cauliflower come alive in a gastronomic explosion of flavours. The snack we will be making today is called Tandoori Gobi. In the old days, the cauliflower pieces would have been grilled slowly over a charcoal fire in a large clay oven known in north India as a Tandoor. But to simplify the process, we will use a modern day oven set to Grill.

Here are the ingredients that you will require.

Ingredients:

• Cauliflower (Gobi): 1, large
• Gram Flour (Besan): 4 tablespoons
• Hung Curd (Chakka Dahi): 400 grams
• Curd (Dahi): 150 grams
• Cashew Nuts: 50 grams
• Mustard Oil: 4 tablespoons
• Butter: for basting
• Garlic (Lasun): 4 cloves
• Ginger (Adrak): 1 half-inch piece
• Red Chilli Powder: Half a teaspoon
• Cumin (Jeera) Powder: 4 teaspoons
• Garam Masala: 3 teaspoons
• Mint (Pudina) Leaves: 2 tablespoons
• Lemon: 1
• Black Pepper Powder: to taste
• Salt: to taste

The quantities mentioned above are for serving six persons. Adjust the quantities proportionately to suit the number of servings that you require.

Preparation:

Wash and cut the cauliflower into large florets. Add the florets to a pot of water and bring the water to a boil. Add a teaspoon of salt to the pot and let cauliflower boil for around five minutes or so. The purpose is to half-cook them prior to the grilling process. When this is done, turn the flame off, carefully drain the water and keep the boiled cauliflower florets aside.

Dry roast the gram flour in a frying pan. Keep stirring until the gram flour darkens in colour. Remove from the heat when this is done. Keep aside.

Peel and wash the garlic cloves.

Peel, wash and grate the ginger.

Coarsely chop the mint leaves. Divide the chopped mint leaves into two equal portions.

In a blender, blend the cashew nuts, garlic cloves and grated ginger along with the Mustard Oil. Also add half the hung curd (around 200 grams). After blending, transfer the contents to a mixing bowl.

Add the remaining hung curd to the mixing bowl, stirring the curd slowly into the mixture. Also add the red chilli powder, cumin powder (3 teaspoons), garam masala, black pepper powder and salt to taste. Mix well. Then add the dry-roasted gram flour and mix again.

Next, add the boiled cauliflower florets to the mixing bowl and ensure that all the florets are well-coated in the mixture. Now allow the cauliflower to marinate for around 30 minutes. When you have completed the marinating process, skewer the marinated cauliflower florets using satay sticks. You are now all set to start the grilling process.

Method:

Line the oven grill with aluminium foil and preheat the oven to 200^o C. Place the skewers in the oven and grill for around 25 minutes till the outer surfaces of the cauliflower pieces get charred. Occasionally, baste with butter using a brush. Remember to turn the skewers to ensure even grilling.

While the grilling process is on, let’s prepare the mint-curd mixture that is an integral part of this dish. In a mixing bowl, add the curd along with the remaining teaspoon of cumin powder, a pinch of red chilli powder, a pinch of salt and half the chopped mint leaves. Mix well.

Once your grilled cauliflower florets are done, remove the satay sticks from the oven.

Your innovative homemade Tandoori Gobi is now ready. To prepare each plate, spread the mint-curd on the plate. Place a satay stick of grilled cauliflower pieces on top of this mint-curd mixture. Garnish with the remaining chopped mint leaves and squeeze some lemon over the top. And you are all set to turn your teatime into a fascinating flavoursome experience. You can also serve this as a delectable snack at dinner parties. Your guests will love it!

You can find more recipes at : https://www.purioilmills.com/recipes-in-english/

Feisty Fritters

The Indian Pakora (Fritters) is a fascinating snack food item. It is quick and easy to prepare. It offers a wide range of flavours for your taste buds. It has subtle regional variations that add exciting new dimensions to your culinary explorations. And the sheer variety that exists across India is absolutely mind-boggling!

It would be inaccurate – even erroneous – to look upon Pakoras as various ingredients randomly plonked in gram flour batter and then deep-fried. There are little tips and tricks and secrets that go into the making of each type of Pakora. The vegetables are treated differently, and so are ingredients like paneer, fish and meat. There is no one-size-fits-all way to make the perfect Pakora.

We will demonstrate this aspect in today’s post in which we will be making the ever-popular Gobi Pakora (Cauliflower Fritters). To get the authentic traditional flavour of these fritters it is essential to use cold-pressed Mustard Oil for deep-frying. These days many people use refined oils – but without Mustard Oil you will never be able to get the taste right. These recipes have been around for generations and back in the old days there were no refined oils.

So let’s get started – here are the ingredients that you will require.

Ingredients:

• Cauliflower (Gobi): 1, large
• Gram Flour (Besan): 60 grams
• Corn Flour: 30 grams
• Rice Flour: 2 tablespoons
• Vinegar: 1 teaspoon
• Mustard Oil: 7 tablespoons
• Ginger-Garlic Paste: 1 tablespoon
• Red Chilli Paste: 1 teaspoon
• Curry Leaves (Kadi Patta): 5
• Coriander (Dhania) Leaves: 1 tablespoon
• Black Pepper: Half a teaspoon
• Salt: 2 teaspoon

The quantities mentioned above are for preparing one plateful of Gobi Pakora, probably enough for two persons (depending on how hungry you are). Adjust the quantities proportionately to suit the number of servings that you require.

Preparation:

Wash and cut the cauliflower into large florets.

Coarsely chop the curry leaves.

Finely chop the coriander leaves. 

Method:

Heat water in a pan and bring it to a boil. To the boiling water, add the cauliflower florets along with the vinegar and one teaspoon of salt. Let the cauliflower cook for around four minutes or so, and then turn the flame off. Drain the water from the cauliflower, and keep the florets aside.

Next, we are going to prepare the batter for your Pakoras. In a mixing bowl take the gram flour, corn flour, rice flour, ginger-garlic paste, red chilli paste, curry leaves, coriander leaves, black pepper and one teaspoon of salt. Also add a tablespoon of Mustard Oil and mix well. Add enough water to prepare a batter. For best results you should ensure that the batter does not become too thick, otherwise it will not coat the cauliflower florets properly.

Place all the cauliflower florets in the batter and ensure that every floret is well-coated in the batter. Keep the florets in the batter for at least 20 minutes.

Heat the remaining Mustard Oil in a pan on a High flame till the oil reaches its smoking point. When this happens, thin streams of white smoke will rise from the surface of the hot oil. Reduce the flame to Medium and start the deep-frying process.

Deep-fry the batter-coated cauliflower florets till they turn golden-brown in colour and become crisp. It is best to fry the cauliflower in batches to avoid getting them burnt during deep-frying.

Next, with all the fried cauliflower florets in the pan, turn the flame up to High and fry for a minute or so. Keep stirring as you do so. Then turn the flame off. This second round of frying is a technique used to ensure that the fritters are crisp and crunchy.

Your delicious Gobi Pakoras are now ready. Serve them hot with ketchup, mustard sauce or any chutney of your choice. Enjoy the lip-smacking delights of this traditional Indian snack food.

You can find more recipes at : https://www.purioilmills.com/recipes-in-english/

Punjabi Pavement Pleasures!

Our exploration of India’s dazzling variety of street food has taken us to pavements, lanes, by-lanes and food carts all across India. We have savoured endless delicacies and found ways to re-create their magical flavours at home, in the safe and hygienic surroundings of our kitchens.

In today’s post, we retrace our footsteps to return to a state that we have visited several times in the past – a region that presents an absolute delight for foodies. We are going back to Punjab to relish a rather unique kind of Pakora (fritters), a fascinating street food item called Amritsari Fish Pakora. This blog has already explored the delights of the legendary Amritsari Fish Fry. Now it’s time to try its close cousin!

Here are the ingredients that you will require.

Ingredients:

• Boneless Fish Fillet: 600 grams
• Gram Flour (Besan): 150 grams
• Rice Flour: 2 tablespoons
• Corn Starch: 1 tablespoon
• Egg: 1
• Curd (Full Cream): 50 grams
• Onion: 1, medium-sized
• Mustard Oil: 50 millilitres
• Ginger-Garlic Paste: 4 teaspoons
• Lemon Juice: 2 tablespoons
• Vinegar: 2 tablespoons
• Red Chilli Powder: 1 tablespoon
• Chaat Masala: 1 teaspoon
• Carom (Ajwain) Seeds: 1 teaspoon
• Salt: to taste

The quantities mentioned above are for preparing two servings… in Punjab, where appetites are big! Anyway, the quantity is actually enough to serve four persons. Adjust the quantities proportionately to suit the number of servings that you require.

Preparation:

Cut the boneless fish fillet into pieces that are roughly 2 inches by 2 inches.

Break the egg in a bowl and beat it.

Peel, wash and cut the onion into slices. Use your hands to separate the slices into rings.

Use the back of a spoon to coarsely grind the carom seeds.

In a mixing bowl, take the fish pieces. Add the ginger-garlic paste, lemon juice, red chilli powder and salt. Also add a tablespoon of Mustard Oil. Mix well and keep aside. Let the fish marinate in this mixture for around 30 minutes.

Method:

While the fish is marinating, let’s get started on making the batter for your Amritsari Fish Pakora.

In a mixing bowl add the gram flour, rice flour, corn starch, beaten egg, curd, vinegar, and finally the ground carom seeds. Mix well to make a smooth batter.

Add the marinated fish pieces to this batter along with the marinade. Toss gently and then keep the mixing bowl aside for around 15 minutes.

Heat the Mustard Oil in a pan on a High flame till the oil reaches its smoking point. At this point aromatic streams of white smoke will rise gently from the surface of the hot oil. Reduce the flame to Medium.

Carefully place the batter-coated pieces of marinated fish in the hot oil and deep-fry till the pieces become crisp and take on a golden-brown colour. It is best to fry the fish in batches so that they don’t get burnt. Once all the pieces of fish are fried, turn the flame off.

Transfer the deep-fried fish pieces to a serving platter. Sprinkle the chaat masala over the top and garnish with onion rings.

Your traditional Amritsari Fish Pakora is now ready. One bite and you will understand perfectly well why this snack is such a super-hit in Punjab. So grab a plateful… and Chak De!

You can find more recipes at : https://www.purioilmills.com/recipes-in-english/

Indo-Oriental Fusion

India is a land with a delightful array of crossover cuisines that have evolved across thousands of years. In the past we have discussed Persian, Mughal, Portuguese, Colonial and Awadhi influences on this blog. Today, let’s explore the Oriental influence, in particular, the Szechuan culinary influence.

According to historical records, Chinese settlers began arriving in Calcutta (now Kolkata) in the late 1770s. They brought with them their culinary styles and practices which were radically different from traditional Indian cooking systems. Most of their everyday dishes were boiled or steamed – and they were too bland for the Indian palate. Also, the cooking medium used by the Chinese settlers was pork lard, which didn’t suit the Indian digestive system at all. But over time, some Chinese dishes, especially the spicy Szechuan ones, became popular in Calcutta. Today, after hundreds of years of evolution and experimentation, there is an interesting Indo-Oriental fusion that has given this cuisine a unique flavour – and foodies just love it! 

The dish we are preparing today is one such Indo-Oriental fusion recipe called Chilli Paneer – hugely popular across India, whether you are in Calcutta or Delhi or Chandigarh or Mumbai. You can find it almost everywhere, from Chinese Food restaurants and eateries to roadside food carts and street food stalls. And that’s the version we will be making today – totally desi and totally delicious!

The ingredients that you will require are listed below.

Ingredients:

• Indian Cottage Cheese (Paneer): 600 grams
• Onions: 2, medium-sized
• Capsicum: 1
• Green Chillies: 7
• Mustard Oil: 6 tablespoons
• Light Soya Sauce: 3 tablespoons
• Dark Soya Sauce: 1 tablespoon
• Vinegar: 4 tablespoons
• Sugar: Half a teaspoon
• Black Pepper Powder: Half a teaspoon
• Salt: to taste

The quantities mentioned above are for preparing four servings. Adjust the quantities proportionately to suit the number of servings that you require.

Preparation:

Finely chop four green chillies. Slit the other three green chillies vertically.

Cut the Paneer into cubes and place the pieces in a mixing bowl. Add the light soya sauce, dark soya sauce, vinegar, sugar, black pepper powder and salt along with the finely chopped green chillies. Then add a teaspoon of Mustard Oil and mix well. The roadside eateries also add a pinch of Ajinomoto to the bowl but we don’t recommend it for health reasons. Place the bowl in your refrigerator and let the Paneer pieces marinate for two hours.

Cut the onions into small pieces.

Coarsely chop the capsicum.

Method:

Add the remaining Mustard Oil to the pan and heat it on a High flame till the oil reaches its smoking point. When this happens, aromatic white smoke will rise slowly from the surface of the hot oil. Reduce the flame to Medium and continue cooking.

Add the onions to the hot oil and sauté for around a minute or so.

Next, add the capsicum and continue to sauté for another couple of minutes.

Now add marinated Paneer pieces along with the marinade. Gently stir to mix all the contents of the pan. Cook till the Paneer pieces are done. Just before switching the flame off, increase the heat to High and give the contents a final stir.

Transfer the contents of the pan to a serving dish and garnish with slit green chillies.

Your Indo-Oriental fusion version of Chilli Paneer is now ready. Serve it hot. You can have it as a side dish with fried rice. It can also be eaten as a snack item.

You can find more recipes at : https://www.purioilmills.com/recipes-in-english/

Himachali-Style Kachori

Once again we find ourselves in a snacking mood and this time we head high into the picturesque hills and valleys of Himachal Pradesh to savour one of their traditional snacks.

This is a snack called Babru, which is – in essence – a Himachali version of the Kachori and is made with black gram.

Here are the ingredients that you will require.

Ingredients:

• Black Gram (Urad Dal): 500 grams
• Flour (Aata): 1 kilogram
• Mustard Oil: 100 millilitres
• Baking Powder: Half a teaspoon
• Salt: to taste

The quantities mentioned above are for five servings. Adjust the quantities proportionately to suit the number of servings that you require.

Preparation:

Place the black gram in warm water and let it soak overnight. The next morning drain the water and de-husk the black gram. Then grind the black gram into a coarse paste.

Method:

Take the flour in a mixing bowl and add the baking soda. Mix well. Then add water, a little at a time, to make dough. Knead it well.

Tear off small portions of the dough and use your hands to shape them into palm-sized balls. Use a rolling pin to roll each ball into a circular shape (don’t make it thin like a Chapatti.)

Add a portion of the black gram paste to the centre of each of the circular dough pieces. Then shape each piece into a ball again. Repeat the process of using a rolling pin to roll the stuffed dough balls into circular shapes that are around 3 inches in diameter.

Heat the Mustard Oil in a pan on a Medium flame. When the oil reaches its smoking point and starts emitting puffs of aromatic white smoke, turn the flame down to low.

Deep-fry the stuffed dough circles till they turn golden brown in colour. Keep turning the pieces over to ensure even frying on both sides. It’s best to deep-fry in batches to avoid burning the pieces.

Your Himachali-style Babru is now ready to be served. Traditionally it is eaten with any vegetable dish or with a pickle of your choice. It also makes an excellent accompaniment for hot cups of tea on a cold winter’s evening.

You can find more recipes at : https://www.purioilmills.com/recipes-in-english/

A Traditional Teatime Delight

In the northern and north-western parts of India, there is a delightfully crunchy teatime snack called Mathri. Food historians say that Mathri originated in Rajasthan. In ancient times, merchants had to travel long distances across the desert to ply their trade and they needed to carry a food item that would not turn stale and rancid over time. The Mathri emerged as a convenient snack that could be packed and carried by these merchants from place to place.

It is this delightful snack that we’ll be making today – but ours will be a healthier version made using cold-pressed Mustard Oil. The commercially prepared Mathri and the ones made by roadside tea stalls are fried in oils of dubious quality. Our homemade version will be safe and hygienic so you can reach out and grab a few whenever you feel a little peckish. 

Here are the ingredients that you will require.

Ingredients:

• All-Purpose Flour (Maida): 250 grams
• Whole Wheat Flour (Atta): 60 grams
• Mustard Oil: 50 millilitres
• Ghee: 3 tablespoons
• Dry Fenugreek (Methi) Leaves: 2 teaspoons
• Cumin (Jeera) Seeds: 1 teaspoon
• Carom (Ajwain) Seeds: 2 teaspoons
• Asafoetida (Heeng): Just a pinch
• Black Peppercorns: 2 teaspoons
• Salt: to taste

The quantities mentioned above are for preparing a batch of around thirty pieces of Mathri. Adjust the quantities proportionately to suit the number that you require.

Preparation:

Coarsely grind the black peppercorns.

Crumble the dry fenugreek leaves into flakes.

Let’s begin with the dough for your Mathri. Heat the ghee and pour it into a mixing bowl. Add the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, fenugreek, cumin, carom, asafoetida, ground black pepper and salt. Use a spoon to mix all the ingredients.

When the mixture is cool enough to touch, use your hands to mix the ghee evenly with the flour and dry spices.

Make sure that the mixture is dry and granular (like crumbs). This will ensure that your Mathri will have a crisp flaky texture – the way it is meant to be.

Add water, a little at a time, to make soft dough. You don’t have to knead this dough the way you do while making Chapatti. Just make sure the dough holds all the ingredients together without falling apart. When the dough is ready, cover it with a moist kitchen towel and keep aside for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, divide the dough into small portions that can be rolled into little balls using the palms of your hands. You should have approximately 30 balls of dough when you are done.

Use a rolling pin to flatten each ball to medium thickness. You don’t have to roll them into perfect round shapes; Mathri tends to be a bit irregular. You may also notice that the edges are slightly broken; that doesn’t matter either.

When you are done rolling, use a fork to prick holes in the round dough pieces. This will ensure proper, uniform frying.

Method:

Heat the Mustard Oil in a pan on Medium heat. After a while the oil will reach its smoking point and will emit whiffs of aromatic white smoke. Your oil is now ready for you to start the deep-frying process.

Deep-fry the round pieces of dough, turning them over at frequent intervals to ensure even frying on both sides. Fry till they turn golden brown in colour.

If you find the fried dough turning dark brown (or getting burnt rather quickly), turn the flame down to Low.

Do the deep-frying in batches to make the process more manageable and to avoid burning the dough.

Place the freshly fried Mathri on paper towels to drain the excess oil. Let them cool down to room temperature and then store them in an airtight container.

Your delicious homemade Mathri is an ideal accompaniment for a hot cup of tea. In north India, it is also eaten as a snack with mango pickle.

You can find more recipes at :  https://www.purioilmills.com/recipes-in-english/

Teatime Thrills

Teatime on a chilly winter’s evening has a charm of its own. The weather is just perfect for a plateful of delicious, hot Pakoras to accompany the steaming cups of Chai. So let’s make a Pakora that is typically made in winter using Fenugreek (Methi) which is in season during the cold weather.

Today’s recipe is called Ragi Methi Pakora and it is made with flour that comes from red millets (Ragi) which is known to be healthy. The health quotient of this recipe is further reinforced by the use of cold-pressed Mustard Oil as the deep-frying medium. Mustard Oil is packed with vital nutrients and is known to be good for not just the heart but the entire cardiovascular system. 

To start with, here are the ingredients that you will require.

Ingredients:

• Fenugreek (Methi) Leaves: 300 grams
• Red Millet (Ragi) Flour: 125 grams
• Rice Flour: 50 grams
• Mustard Oil: 100 millilitres
• Baking Soda: Half a teaspoon
• Green Chillies: 2
• Lemon Juice: 1 tablespoons
• Red Chilli Powder: 1 teaspoon
• Salt: to taste

The quantities mentioned above are for two servings. Adjust the quantities proportionately to suit the number of servings you require.

Preparation:

Coarsely chop the fenugreek leaves.

Finely chop the green chillies.

Method:

Take a mixing bowl. Add the chopped fenugreek leaves, Ragi flour, rice flour, green chillies, lemon juice, red chilli powder and salt. Mix well.

Next, add water, a little at a time, to make a batter that is of medium thickness in consistency. To this batter, add the baking soda and mix well.

Heat the Mustard Oil in a pan on Medium heat. After a while the oil will reach its smoking point, emitting whiffs of aromatic white smoke. Turn the flame down to Low.

Use a ladle or a large spoon to carefully drop a spoonful of batter into the hot oil. Deep-fry till the Pakora takes on a golden brown colour and turns crisp on the sides.

Repeat the deep-frying process for the rest of the batter.

Place the Pakoras on paper towels to drain the excess oil. However, it is worth noting here that since we have used cold-pressed Mustard Oil as the deep-frying medium, it is not only healthy but also proven to be absorbed in food in very small quantities while cooking and deep-frying – so even if you don’t drain the excess oil, that’s fine.

Your Ragi Methi Pakora is now ready. Serve it hot with ketchup, chutney or any other condiment of your choice. Create happy moments with every cup of tea all through the winter months.

You can find more recipes at :  https://www.purioilmills.com/recipes-in-english/

Mustard Plus

Cold-pressed Mustard Oil is a lot more than just a cooking medium. In Indian cuisine like Kashmiri Wazwan and various Punjabi, Himachali and Bengali recipes, it is also used as a “Taste Agent”, adding a distinctive flavour and a spicy zing to the dishes.

In today’s post, we will explore a recipe in which Mustard Oil enhances the overall flavour of the dish, elevating it to a different level altogether. This is a snack called Curried Mustard Potatoes on Toast.

The ingredients that you will require are listed below.

Ingredients:

• Potatoes: 4
• Mustard Oil: 4 tablespoons
• Mustard Seeds (Rai): 1 teaspoon
• Onion: 1, large
• Garlic (Lasun): 4 cloves
• Ginger (Adrak): A half-inch piece
• Cumin (Jeera) Seeds: 1 teaspoon
• Nigella (Kalonji) Seeds: Half a teaspoon
• Asafoetida (Heeng): Just a pinch
• Red Chilli Powder: Just a pinch
• Turmeric (Haldi) Powder: Just a pinch
• Garam Masala: Just a pinch
• Lemon Juice: 2 tablespoons
• Coriander (Dhania) Leaves: 1 tablespoon
• Bread: 8 slices
• Salt: to taste

The quantities mentioned above are for serving four persons (with two slices of Curried Mustard Potatoes on Toast each). Adjust the quantities proportionately to suit the number of servings you require.

Preparation:

Wash and peel the potatoes. Boil them in salted water for around 20 minutes. Use a fork to check that they are done. Drain the water and let the boiled potatoes cool down to room temperature. Cut them into bite-sized cubes. Keep aside.

Wash, peel and dice the onion.

Finely chop the garlic.

Grate the ginger.

Coarsely chop the coriander leaves.

Method:

Heat the Mustard Oil in a pan on Medium heat. When the oil reaches its smoking point and starts emitting whiffs of aromatic white smoke, turn the flame down to Low.

Add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, nigella seeds and asafoetida. Sauté for a minute or so.

Next, turn the heat up to Medium, add the onions and stir-fry. Add the turmeric powder and continue to stir-fry.

When the onions turn light brown in colour, add the garlic and ginger, and fry for around half a minute.

Next, add the red chilli powder and garam masala. Continue stir-frying for another 30 seconds.

Now add the potatoes, sprinkle salt over the top of the potatoes and stir well to mix all the ingredients. Turn the flame down to Low, cover the pan and cook for around five minutes. Uncover the pan at intervals and stir. When the potatoes are nice and soft, turn the flame off.

Take the bread slices and toast them. Carefully place the potato mixture on top of each toast. Sprinkle lemon juice over the top and garnish with coriander leaves.   

Your Curried Mustard Potato on Toast is now ready. You can enjoy it as an evening snack with hot cups of tea or coffee. You can experiment with different toppings like mayonnaise, melted cheese, mustard sauce or yogurt. You could even cut the toast into small squares and make canapés to serve as hors d’oeuvres for dinner guests. Use your imagination – and enjoy!

You can find more recipes at :  https://www.purioilmills.com/recipes-in-english/