Doodhi & Zucchini Thepla

Wishing everyone a very Happy Dassehra. You might be thinking why am I not very actively posting delicious and creative recipes on my blog? Some of you might have seen simple dinner pictures on my Facebook page.  Yes, that's true. I was fasting for Navratri. Eating one meal and day and keeping away from onion and garlic :) Also, with my parents being here, I try to make food that they are sought of used to. I don't suddenly want to introduce new taste that they are not familiar with.

Like I said in the last post, we received beautiful, freshly harvested lauki/ doodhi and Zucchini from our neighbors. While I could have made Spicy Zucchini Noodles or stir fried or grilled Zucchini that we love, I wanted to introduce my parents with this new veggie into the taste that they would like. I thought of making thepla (gujju version of paratha or pan fried flat bread). With all spices mixed into shredded zucchini and the amount of water content in this veggie, theplas turned out soft and super delicious.

I used combination of doodhi and zucchini in this recipe. Use only doodhi, zucchini, methi, or any leafy vegetable of your choice to make thepla.

Ingredients:
1 cup shredded doodhi/lauki/bottle gourd
1 cup shredded zucchini
1 tbsp. salt or to taste
1 tsp. turmeric powder
1 tbsp. red chilli powder or to your taste
2 tbsp. coriander powder
2 tbsp. oil
2-3 cups of whole wheat flour (depends on the amount of moisture in the veggies)
Dry flour to roll thepla/parathas
Oil of shallow frying.

• Mix shredded doodhi and zucchini together. Add salt, spices, and oil and let it rest for 5-10 minutes. This will help zucchini sweat moisture which will be used to make the dough to the correct consistency.
• Add flour to make the dough soft. 
• Knead it well. You need not let it rest as it might get more soft.
• Divide the dough into 10-12 parts.
• Make a ball, roll it in dry flour and roll to form a 6-7 inch disc.
• Place the rolled disc on hot griddle on medium heat.
• After 2-3 minutes flip the disc to cook on other side.
• Use a tsp of oil and apply on cooked side.
• Flip it again and apply oil.
• Cook on both sides till you obtain color of your desire.
• Serve with plain yogurt of chilli pickle or just fried green chilli.

Here is step-by-step recipe to make theplas:

Doodhi and Zucchini shredded in my Cuisinart food processor.

Mix shredded doodhi and zucchini together. Add salt, spices, and oil and let it rest for 5-10 minutes. This will help zucchini sweat moisture which will be used to make the dough to the correct consistency.

I tried to make this dough in my Kitchenaid dough maker.

Add flour to make the dough soft. 

Knead it well. You need not let it rest as it might get more soft.

Divide the dough into 10-12 parts.

Make a ball, roll it in dry flour and roll to form a 6-7 inch disc.

Place the rolled disc on hot griddle on medium heat.

After 2-3 minutes flip the disc to cook on other side.

Use a tsp of oil and apply on cooked side.

Flip it again and apply oil.

Cook on both sides till you obtain color of your desire.

Serve with palin yogurt of chilli pickle or just fried green chilli.

Enjoy Zucchini Theplas!

Comments are welcome, but please do not post outside links or advertisements. 

Doodhi Na Muthia

We are still settling in our new house, and although the living space is small and I cannot fit in all my kitchen stuff, we are enjoying our backyard. We have corn which will soon be harvested. I don't know if it will be a mature one but anyways we will still enjoy babycorn. Fenugreek leaves are growing well and we will soon make Aloo Methi. We have also planted few winter veggies like cabbage, cauliflower, peas, and brussel sprouts. We are really looking forward to enjoying them. 

There are many advantages to a backyard, but the most important one are the wonderful neighbors we have. Few weeks back, while we were working in our backyard we heard our neighbors call our names over the fence. They shared their treasure, their wonderful produce with us. :) You can't imagine how happy and excited I was. We received a freshly harvested, beautiful, long, Indian Lauki/doodhi and deliciously juicy Zucchini. I was really overwhelmed by their gesture. So sweet of them to share their fresh produce. I had not much to think about the recipe. We love muthia and that is where doodhi would be used in. Of coarse it was too huge for just muthias, so our Gujarati mind immediately pictured Doodhi na Thepla and Doodhi no Halwo :) 

Ingredients to make Doodhi na Muthia

2 cups grated doodhi/lauki/bottle gourd

1 tbsp. salt

1/2 tsp. turmeric

1 tbsp. red chilli powder

3 tbsp. coriander powder

Pinch of hing

3 tbsp. sugar

Juice of 2 fresh limes

3 tbsp. oil

Pinch of baking soda

1/2 cup chickpea flour/besan

2-3 cups wheat flour

For tempering/tadka

3 tbsp. oil

1 tsp. mustard seeds

Chopped green chillies

4-5 curry leaves

Chopped cilantro for garnish.

• To grated doodhi/lauki/bottle gourd add salt, turmeric, chilli powder, coriander powder, hing, sugar, lime juice, baking soda. Mix well till sugar dissolves. 
• Let it rest for 5 minutes. This will help doodhi sweat moisture.
• Add chickpea flour and wheat flour. Mix well to form a soft dough. The amount of wheat flour depends on the moisture of doodhi. You might have to add more flour if there is more moisture and the dough is very soft.
• Divide the dough into 7-8 equal parts.
• Grease your palms and roll each portion into a cylinder.
• Lay it onto a greased flat sieve to steam.
• Steam for 15-20 minutes or till done.
• Remove from the steamer and let it rest for 4-5 minutes.
• Slice into pieces and enjoy as is or temper them.
• Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, chopped green chillies, curry leaves. Add sliced muthias and mix well to the temper. Let it crisp lightly.
• Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Here is step-by-step pictorial recipe:
Peel and grate doodhi.

Add spices and mix well.

Let it rest for few minutes before adding the flours.

Make a soft dough.

Divide into equal parts to make cylinders.

Place in a flat sieve and steam for 15-20 minutes.

Cut into pieces and enjoy as is.

Or temper with mustard seeds, green chillies, and curry leaves.
Garnish with fresh cilantro.

Enjoy this healthy snack!

Comments are welcome, but please do not post external links or advertisements.

Bun Maska

Bun Maska, this used to be our school recess snack or evening snack after coming back from school!!

A small joint very close to our house would sell pav, bun, khari biscuit, butter biscuits, nankhatai cookies, and all bakery products. Ramdas, the owner of that little joint eventually knew us well since we would buy all bakery products from him. They were fresh and delicious :) Bun maska was a treat. We were not allowed to have this everyday. (Indian mom's do not allow outside food and bread based food a lot :) ) But, there were few days when mom would just ask us to buy bun maska as our recess snack. Some days this would be our evening snack after coming back from school. My sister and I would quickly go an bring 2 bun maskas for us. Ramdas would slit the bun into half, lathered with a cube of Amul butter, cut into pieces, and back into a small paper bag.

Although this is my sister's favorite snack, she does not like tiny, sweet, tutti frutti in it. As a child she would pick out every bit of it and give it to me...Super happy me!!! I just love them. After I got married, I discovered how my husband was so similar to my sister. Their eating habits, their talks, things that they like, their choice of food, everything was so similar. And to my surprise when I made these buns I recently discovered that my husband loves the buns but not the tutti frutti in it :) I cannot describe my reaction. I was happy because he picked out all the tutti frutti and handed it to me, but I was really amazed at see how two individuals born and brought up in two different families are so alike. WOW!!

So based on my knowledge of baking and my recipe of pav that I slightly tweaked, I came up with this buttery, sweet buns with little bits of tutti frutti in them.
 
Ingredients:
1+1/4 cup water (microwaved for 30 seconds to make it warm)
1 sachet (2+1/4 tsp) yeast
1 cup milk powder (you could also use milk instead of water and milk powder)

5 tbsp. butter
6 tbsps. Sugar
1 tsp. salt
3 cups of all-purpose flour + more to knead the dough
1/2 cup colorful tutti frutti 
2 tbsp. milk to brush on top of the bun
1 tbsp. butter to brush after buns are baked

• Mix sugar, warm water, and yeast together and leave it aside for 5-7 minutes.
• Add milk powder, salt, butter, and flour to make a soft dough.
• Remove the dough on a clean surface. Use dry flour and knead the dough well for 8-10 minutes.
• Keep in a bowl in a warm place for an hour to proof the dough.
• Remove the dough on a clean surface and knead the dough again for 8-10 minutes by hand or 3-4 minutes in a dough mixer.
• Mix in the tutti frutti while kneading it.
• Divide into 16 parts.
• Roll into small balls and arrange into a greased tray 2-3 inch apart. You do not want the buns to touch each other after proofing.
• Cover and let the balls rest for and hour. You can let it proof for slightly more time than an hour.
• Lightly brush some milk over the buns.
• Preheat the oven to 450F and bake the buns for 8-10 minutes or till golden brown.
• Remove the buns and lightly brush with some butter for shine.
• Cool them on a rack and serve with delicious butter.
• Bun Maska with hot chai tea is just perfect!!

Here is step-by-step recipe:

Mix sugar, warm water, and yeast together and leave it aside for 5-7 minutes.

Add milk powder, salt, butter, and flour to make a soft dough.

Remove the dough on a clean surface. Use dry flour and knead the dough well for 8-10 minutes.

Keep in a bowl in a warm place for an hour to proof the dough.

Remove the dough on a clean surface and knead the dough again for 8-10 minutes by hand or 3-4 minutes in a dough mixer.

Mix in the tutti frutti while kneading it.

Divide into 16 parts.

Roll into small balls and arrange into a greased tray 2-3 inch apart. You do not want the buns to touch each other after proofing.

Cover and let the balls rest for and hour. You can let it proof for slightly more time than an hour.

Lightly brush some milk over the buns.

Preheat the oven to 450F and bake the buns for 8-10 minutes or till golden brown.

Remove the buns and lightly brush with some butter for shine.

Cool them on a rack and serve with delicious butter.

Enjoy Bun Maska with hot Chai!

Comments are welcome, but please do not add comments with external links or advertisements.