1,000 Indian Recipes (308 page)

1.
Prepare the ginger-chile paste. Then, in a bowl, add all the ingredients except the yogurt and mix well with clean fingers. Add
¹
⁄
₂
cup yogurt and mix with your fingers in round circular motions until the dough starts to gather. (Add 1 or 2 tablespoons more flour if the dough seems sticky, or some water if it seems too firm.)

2.
Knead for about a minute, pressing your knuckles lightly into the dough, spreading the dough outward, and gathering the ends together toward the center with your fingers. Push the center down and repeat pressing and gathering a few times until you have a soft and pliable dough that does not stick to the fingers. (If, while kneading, the dough sticks to your hands, put a little oil or water on them.)

3.
Cover and let rest at least 1 and up to 4 hours at room temperature. (This allows the gluten to develop.) If keeping for a longer period, refrigerate the dough.

4.
To make the breads, preheat the tava or griddle over medium-high heat until a sprinkling of the flour immediately turns dark brown. Wipe off the flour and proceed. While the tava is heating, with lightly oiled hands, divide the dough equally into 12 to 16 balls and cover with foil to prevent drying.

5.
To roll and cook the breads, follow the directions for
Basic Griddle-Fried Breads
, starting from Step 4.

Griddle-Fried Opo Squash Breads

Lauki Ka Thepla

Makes 12 to 16 breads

Opo squash, also known as marrow squash in English or
lauki
in Hindi, is a long and large, pale green summer squash with a mild flavor. This squash, like the others in its family, is very watery, so no water or yogurt is needed to make the dough. Zucchini and yellow summer squash are good alternatives here.

1 cup stone-ground whole-wheat flour

¹
⁄
₄
cup chickpea flour (besan)

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon turmeric

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon salt, or to taste

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon ajwain seeds

¹
⁄
₈
teaspoon ground asafoetida

¹
⁄
₂
small opo squash (about 1 pound), grated

1 large clove fresh garlic, minced

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 to 3 fresh green chile peppers, such as serrano, minced with seeds

1.
In a large bowl, add all the dry ingredients and mix well with clean fingers. Add the squash, garlic, oil, and green chile peppers and mix with your fingers in round circular motions, until it starts to gather into a dough. (Add 1 or 2 tablespoons more flour if the dough seems sticky, or some water if it seems too firm.)

2.
Knead for about a minute, pressing your knuckles lightly into the dough, spreading the dough outward, and gathering the ends together toward the center with your fingers. Push the center down and repeat pressing and gathering a few times until you have a soft and pliable dough that does not stick to your fingers. (If, while kneading, the dough sticks to your hands, put a little oil or water on them.)

3.
Cover and let rest at least 1 and up to 4 hours at room temperature. (This allows the gluten to develop.) If keeping for a longer period, refrigerate the dough.

4.
To make the breads, preheat the tava or griddle over medium-high heat until a sprinkling of the flour immediately turns dark brown. Wipe off the flour and proceed. While the tava is heating, with lightly oiled hands, divide the dough equally into 12 to 16 balls and cover with foil to prevent drying.

5.
To roll and cook the breads, follow the directions for
Basic Griddle-Fried Breads
, starting from Step 4.

Basic Rajasthani Rolls

Baati

Makes 10 to 12 rolls

Baati
rolls are thick (about 1
¹
⁄
₂
inches), disc-shaped with a slight depression in the center. They are a specialty of the northwestern state of Rajasthan and are made mainly with whole-wheat flour mixed with chickpea flour or fine semolina.

This recipe comes to me from my son-in-law's mother, Pushpa Khatod, and according to her, the dough for all
baaties
is best made by hand, as opposed to in a food processor, because any over-processing of the dough reduces the rolls' flakiness.

There are three basic steps to this preparation of these rolls, and several ways to do each. First, you can steam or boil the
baaties
, as explained in Step 3 of this recipe. Then you brown them (Step 5), either in the oven or on a grill, or you can deep-fry them (see
Basic Deep-Fried Puffed Breads
). Once done, if baked or grilled, then the
baaties
are bathed with
ghee
—you dunk them in a pan of melted
ghee
, then drain them, or simply baste them as we do in this recipe (basting is not needed if you deep-fry).

If not
ghee
-dunked,
baati
rolls are rather dry. They are authentically served with a special
dal
(legume dish), such as
Rajasthani Mixed 5 Beans and Lentils
or with
Rajasthani Chickpea Flour Bits in Yogurt Sauce
. A side of potatoes, such as
Rajasthani Potatoes with Cashews and Raisins
completes the meal.

2 cups stone-ground durum whole-wheat flour

1 cup fine-grain semolina or chickpea flour (besan)

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ajwain seeds

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 teaspoon sugar

¹
⁄
₄
cup melted ghee (or butter or vegetable oil) + 1 tablespoon ghee for basting

²
⁄
₃
to 1 cup water

1.
Place the whole-wheat flour and semolina (or chickpea flour) in a large bowl and mix in the baking soda, ajwain seeds, salt, and sugar. With clean fingers, rub in the ghee (or butter or oil), then add the water a little at a time to make a firm but pliable dough that does not stick to your fingers. Cover with plastic wrap or the lid of the bowl and let rest about 1 hour. (This allows the gluten to develop.)

2.
With lightly oiled hands, divide the dough equally into 10 to 12 balls and cover with foil to prevent drying. Working with each ball of dough separately, flatten it to make a 3- to 3
¹
⁄
₂
-inch disc, then bring the edges up toward the center and pinch together to seal. Press down lightly on the seal with your thumb to make a slight depression, then flatten the rest of the dough once again to make a 2
¹
⁄
₂
-inch disc (the depression must show). Repeat with all the remaining balls.

3.
To steam: Place the baaties in a metal or bamboo steamer set over or in a pot half-filled with water. (The bottom of the steamer shouldn't touch the water.) Steam them (in 2 batches, if necessary) 7 to 10 minutes, or until a knife inserted in a baati comes out clean.

4.
To boil: Half fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil. Then place as many of the baaties in the water as will fit comfortably. Cover and simmer until they float to the top, about 10 minutes.

5.
Lightly grease a large, heavy baking sheet. Carefully remove the rolls from the steamer or the water and set them on the baking sheet.

6.
To brown in the oven: Pre-heat the oven to 400°F. Place the baking sheet on the center rack and bake until the rolls are lightly golden, 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn the baaties over with tongs and bake until golden-brown, another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and place each one individually on a clean pot holder or kitchen towel. Crumple lightly to break open and expose the insides. Return to the oven and bake another 5 to 7 minutes, or until the insides are lightly golden, baste generously with the ghee, and serve.

7.
To brown on a grill: Preheat a grill to medium-high heat (400°F) and grill the baaties, turning them occasionally, until crispy and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Baste generously with the ghee and serve.

Potato Stuffed Baati Rolls

Aalu Bhari Baati

Makes 10 to 12 rolls

Even though they are made with the same dough as the plain
baaties
, the stuffed ones take on a new identity because of the stuffing—which can, essentially, be any dry-cooked vegetable,
dal
, nuts, and, on rare occasions, minced meats. This is from Pushpa Khatod (my daughter's mother-in-law). Pushpa takes a shortcut with these
baaties
—once stuffed and ready to go, she simply bakes them in the oven.

¹
⁄
₂
recipe
Rajasthani Potatoes with Cashews and Raisins

2 cups stone-ground durum whole-wheat flour

¹
⁄
₄
cup fine-grain semolina