Recipes
Kacchi Haldi ki Sabji is a unique and traditional winter delicacy from Rajasthan that celebrates the vibrant and nutritious fresh turmeric root. This royal Rajasthani specialty transforms raw turmeric into a delectable curry that not only tantalizes the taste buds but also offers remarkable health benefits.
A winter culinary treasure
The dish is particularly cherished during the winter months when fresh turmeric is abundantly available in the market. Characterized by its earthy, peppery flavor and slightly bitter taste, the sabji is carefully balanced with generous amounts of ghee and yogurt. It provides warmth to the body and helps maintain body temperature during cold weather.
Nutritional Powerhouse
Beyond its delicious taste, fresh turmeric is renowned for its incredible health properties. It is a potent source of antioxidants with anti-inflammatory benefits that may help improve brain function, lower risks of brain diseases, and potentially assist in managing conditions like arthritis and depression. In traditional Indian cuisine, turmeric is often called the "poor man's saffron" and is valued for its medicinal qualities.
The preparation typically involves roasting grated turmeric in ghee, combining it with a spiced yogurt base, and creating a rich, golden-hued curry that is best enjoyed with roti, rice, or traditional Rajasthani breads
Sesame, Gud ki Gajak or Chikki is eaten at the time of winter or more specifically at the time of Makar-Sankranti/Lohiri in North India.This dessert is very simple and rustic and you can eat it as snack at any time of the day.This is very healthy snack as sesame seeds keep the body warm at the time of winter and Jaggery is very good for digestion.Dry fruits can be added to enhance the crunchy texture of the dish.I have added Rose water to enhance the flavor and profile of the dish.
Ram Laddu sounds like a sweet dish but actually it is one of the famous savory street food and is exclusive delicacy of Delhi-NCR region. Ram Laddus are scrumptiously delicious chaat and if you go in any part of NCR regions you find lots of vendors selling these Laddus.It is made of Split Chick pea(Chana Dal) and split Moong Dal together. Dense ground Chana Dal gives it the round shape hence it is known as "Ram Laddu".In this recipe. I used just Moong Dal as its very easy to digest and you can still get round shape of the Ram-Laddu. Traditionally, it is served with sour Coriander Chutney and grated Reddish but you can add yoghurt and sweet Sonth Chutney to it to enhance the flavor profile of the dish. Grated Reddish is used for garnishing. In this recipe I used grated carrot, yoghurt as well.You can relish this fried snack at Tea time.
Ram Laddu sounds like a sweet dish but actually it is one of the famous savory street food and is exclusive delicacy of Delhi-NCR region. Ram Laddus are scrumptiously delicious chaat and if you go in any part of NCR regions you find lots of vendors selling these Laddus.It is made of Split Chick pea(Chana Dal) and split Moong Dal together. Dense ground Chana Dal gives it the round shape hence it is known as "Ram Laddu". Traditionally, it is served with sour Coriander Chutney and grated Reddish but you can add yoghurt and sweet Sonth Chutney to it to enhance the flavor profile of the dish. Grated Reddish is used for garnishing. In this recipe I used grated carrot, yoghurt as well.You can relish this fried snack at Tea time.
BATHUA/BATUWA KI KADHI
Kadhi-Rice is famous soul food of North-Indian delicacy. Bathua Kadhi is prepared in winter and more specifically it is winter delicacy only. Adding Bathua takes it to the different flavor profile and enhance the health quotient of the dish. Bathua Kadhi is made of Gram flour,Bathua and yoghurt mixture which is cooked in lots of spices. Kadhi is best served with Rice only but you can have it with Roti, accompanies with some cooked vegetables as well.
Roti is staple food in every Indian household. Roti is so humble that it goes well with every Curry,Dal or Raita dish.Adding Bathua in the dough of Roti change the flavor profile of it. It makes Roti more healthy and of course it provides different color too. Even if you don't have anything to eat with Roti just take achaar or just sprinkle Salt and Pepper onto it . Make a roll and viola!!!! you have your dinner or lunch ready in a minute in the form of Roti roll. You don't really need too many ingredients to make Roti. Just Whole Wheat flour, Mashed Bathua, water and season it with pinch of Salt. Making Roti is not really a rocket science but get hands on to it, roll it perfectly and then puff it up perfectly is really an art. When it puffs up like a ball that's when you are perfect in making Roti.
Bathuwa is something I was looking for more than a decade in USA. I was so badly craving for it that I started to talk about it to grocery store owners that why they don't get Bathua in winters...?. I really used to have long conversation with my friends which include all the regrets of not having Bathua in States and missing all Bathua delicacy back home in India;
Bathua Raita,Puri,Parantha,Kadhi,Roti,Dal,Bhujia and what not. So I used to tell my friends that how much I love it and badly I miss it. One day a miracle happened and all my decade old wait came to an end. One of my friend with whom I had talked about "Bathua" She called me from the grocery store and told me she has found the "Salvation of my years long wait" and she is getting it for me. Such a nice and sweet gesture of hers.I am so blessed to have friends like you Binita dear. I was like going gaga and flipping and jumping when I saw it first time here in States. Immediately, I made "Raita" because that was fastest recipe I could make at that point of time. Moreover, I called the grocery store and ask them to reserve few more bundles for me. So that I can store it in frozen/dry form for the future use.I was so overwhelmed that Next few days I spent making every possible recipe before it all runs out.
So what is Bathua/Bathuwa..? Bathua is kind of weed and grows well unnecessarily/unintentionally with Wheat crop in northern part of India.At least that's what I know about it. This leafy plant has so much health benefits and admired in all over North region that every person knows its recipes. Its comes only in winter(November- February) and immensely beneficial and has all the micronutrients which a human body needs.It keeps the body warm to tolerate the bitter cold of Northern India.
This leafy vegetable is so popular in my house that we would consume it day and night, everyday for all winter.Raita and parantha are the most famous. Here are some of the recipes of Bathua :
BATHUA KI KADHI
BATHUA KE PARANTHE
BATHUA KA RAITA
BATHUA KI ROTI
BATHUA KI POORI
Poori is deep fried bread and much smaller in size than Roti. Poori is "Pride" of every important occasion in indian household. It is made of wheat flour and Carom seed(Ajwain) is added to increase digestive quotient of it as it is deep fried. Dry Potato curry complements Poori very well but it can be eaten with any gravy curry or sometimes with sweet dish as well. Poori-Halwa specially in Navratri, Poori-Rabdi are some classic combination.
Bathua Poori is like normal Poori but it has Bathua in it. It is so famous in winter that you can get chance to eat them in marriage parties. Adding Bathua is like adding some color to it. So it is green instead of golden brown.
Bathua ka raita is something which I have grown up eating in winters every day and night for all winter months.Raita is everyone's favorite back home. This recipe is very simple. Just blench the Bathua in boiling water for couple of minutes and then mash it coarsely, mix it with Yoghurt and seasoned with Salt,Pepper,Roasted Cumin,Black Salt and in a jiffy the most famous and admired North-Indian delicacy of winter is ready to be served with any meal.You can always use the blender to make it a fine paste but then it blends with Yoghurt so well that you can't really figure out what is mixed in the Yoghurt. Coarse paste provide the body to the Raita and increases the flavour profile of the dish. So I like hand mashed Bathua.
Sesame,Peanut and Gud ki Gajak or Chikki is eaten at the time of winter or more specifically at the time of Makar-Sankranti/Lohiri in North India.This dessert is very simple and rustic and you can eat it as snack at any time of the day.This is very healthy snack as sesame seeds keep the body warm at the time of winter and Jaggery is very good for digestion.Dry fruits can be added to enhance the crunchy texture of the dish.I have added Kevda water to enhance the flavor and profile of the dish.
Pinni is North-Indian dish usually eaten in winters.Winters are so cold in northern part of India and this dish works as saviour by keeping the body warm.Traditionally, it is made of Urad Dal but you can make it with whole wheat flour also.Whole wheat flour is roasted with ample amount of pure Ghee and then edible gum and dry fruits are added in it.It has a crunch in it due to the edible gum.Cardamom powder gives this dish a nice aroma.As this recipe doesn't have any moisture.It can be stored for almost couple of months.This dish is so sinfully good that you can't resist yourself having just one.You can have it as dessert or in breakfast with milk.