Avocado Bread Rolls / Avocado Laadi Pav.

I had a whole bagful of avocados laying on my kitchen counter. So came up with these delicious bread rolls and they turned out really good, crusty on the outside and soft and puffy on the inside, will be making it more often as I can sneak some healthy avocado in my kids food.

My kids gobbled the warm bread rolls slathered with butter :)

The bread rolls got a beautiful tinge of green from the avocado and yet the avocado taste was not overpowering at all.

A keeper recipe for sure !!

Ingredients.

2 cups all purpose flour,

2 tbsp potato flour(optional),

2 tbsp oats flour(optional),

1 tsp yeast,

2 tbsp sugar,

1 tsp salt,

1 avocado, mashed,

1/2 to 3/4 cup warm water or milk to make dough.

Method.

• In a bowl mix the flours, salt, sugar, yeast and mashed avocado well.
• Add warm water or milk and make soft dough.
• Cover and keep aside for a couple of hours till it doubles in size.
• Punch the dough and make round balls, I made 9 small balls.
• Lay them 1 inch apart on a baking sheet.
• Cover and keep aside for 30 minutes till they rise.
• Preheat oven to 350 F.
• Uncover and place the tray in the oven and bake for 25 -30 minutes till the rolls are golden brown in color and they sound hollow when tapped.
• Take out of the oven and brush with 1 tbsp oil(optional) and enjoy warm bread rolls.

Note.

I sprinkled sesame seeds, black poppy seeds and kalonji seeds(nigella seeds) on 3 rolls for a variation.

Can add chopped herbs to get herbed rolls. Or add chopped pista, flax seeds or some spices to get a savoury bread.

Place this dough in a loaf pan to get a bread loaf.

Next time will substitute part of all purpose flour with whole wheat flour.

When I made a second batch I added flax seed powder too.

Tandlachi Bhakar / Goan Rice Flour Flatbread.

Today is my Pappa's Birthday.

Tandlachi bhakar is my Pappa's favourite dish and every year my Ma would make tandlachi bhakar for breakfast for my Pappa's B'day and their Wedding Anniversay.

As Ma is not here with us to make this I just wish that today I could be in Goa and I could prepare this tandlachi bhakar for my Pappa for breakfast(sigh).

When one stays overseas,on the other side of the world, this is the major disadvantage, one cannot go and be with one's parents in joy or sorrow as and when we feel like :(

Like my Pappa I too like this bhakar very much so I tend to make it sometimes, I could munch on these all day long :)

I used to make it a lot specially when my daughter was allergic to wheat and could not eat chappati. My daughter was allergic to wheat, eggs and soy so, I used to make everything gluten free and egg free from breads to cakes to pancakes to....u name it and I used to make it, well that's another story to dwell upon some other time.

Back to tandlachi bhakar which is nothing but humble rice flour flat bread made the Goan way !!

Ma made different kinds of bhakars,like rava,wheat,nachni,etc but this one was a regular fare at my parents place.

Ma had many banana trees in her backyard and so she used fresh banana leaves for a lot of things from roasting fish(bangda) in charcoal to lining the bhakar's while roasting them on the griddle. Oh ...those bananas leaves impart an out of this world aroma to the humble bhakar.

There are 2 ways of making the bhakar either

1)add warm water in the flour and mix or

2)boil the water and then add the flour to the boiling water.

The latter produces more softer bhakar.

And there are 4 ways of flattening out the balls of dough,

1) dip fingers in water and place the dough on the hot tava and quickly spread it out using your wet fingers,

2) take the washed banana leaf and lay it flat on the counter and then flatten the dough ball using fingers dipped in water and then gently lift the banana leaf along with the flattened bhakar and keep it on the griddle along with the leaf,

3) roll the ball sandwiched between thick plastic bags(like Ziploc) or foil.

4) dip a cheesecloth in water and rinse and lay on counter, then spread the ball of dough using fingers dipped in water, then flip the bhakar on to the hot tava and take/peel off the wet cheesecloth,

I like the banana leaves method but as I do not get fresh banana leaves here in Canada and I do not like the frozen ones, I prefer the third method.

Pappa, A Very Happy B'day To You & this bhakar is for you all the way from Canada !!

Ingredients

1 cup rice flour,

1 cup water,

salt to taste,

pinch of sugar or jaggery,

1-2 green chilly , chopped fine,

1/4 onion , chopped fine,

4 tbsp grated coconut,

1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves(optional).

Method.

• Heat water in a pan. When boiling add salt,and the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
• Take off the heat and let rest for few minutes till cool enough to handle. Knead the dough for a few minutes to make it smooth.
• Meanwhile heat a tava or griddle on medium heat.
• Make 2 balls of the dough.
• Take a piece of foil and put the ball on it and put another piece of foil over it and then roll using rolling pin to make 3/4 cm in thickness(thick like a paratha).
• Lift the foil along with the bhakar and then flip the bhakar on the hot tava, foil side up, take off the foil and reuse to roll the next bhakar.
• Cover with a lid and let the bhakar cook for few minutes on one side, then using a spatula flip it on the other side and let cook till few brown spots appear and it puffs up like a roti.
• Take off the heat and apply a little oil or ghee and enjoy with dry khobra(coconut) chutney as in the picture.
• I prefer mine plain or dunked in hot tea !!!!!!! And so do my kids :)

Note

Sometimes Ma used to add dill leaves(shepo leaves) or grated cucumber to the dough.

I add chopped spinach leaves or grated butternut squash or zucchini to the dough for a change and extra nutrition for my kids.

1 cup yields 2 bhakars, you can double or triple the quantity as required.

Ma usually served it with green chutney or the Goan (khobarya chi chutney)dry coconut chutney as I have shown in the picture.

Update.

When my Dad read this post he reminded me that my mom also made this bhakar by soaking rice for few hours, then grinding it to a thick paste and then cooking it on a slow flame till it comes together into a ball. Add the rest of the ingredients (seasoning ) and then make the bhakars.

But that is a lengthy process so I think I will stick to the rice flour for now.

Chora Dal Dhokla / Split Cow Peas Steamed Squares.

I have a big container full of chora dal that I bought from the Indian store mistaking it for urad dal :(
So now I have to come up with ways and means to finish it off in recipes that my kids will eat and enjoy too.
I thought one way is to make dhokla coz my kids love dhokla and next means is to make dosa and idlis coz again my kids love dosas and idlis :)
I usually like to add rava and besan to any kind of dhokla that I make, love the texture that rava gives to dhoklas.

Ingredients.

1 cup Chora dal / split cow peas,

2 tbsp besan/chickpea flour,

4 tbsp rava/semolina,

2 tsp sugar,

1 tsp salt,

1/2 tsp haldi/turmeric powder,

1 tsp ginger green chilly paste,

2 tsp oil,

1 tsp Eno fruit salt,

3 tbsp yogurt.

Tempering.

1 tbsp oil,

1 tsp mustard seeds,

1 tsp sesame seeds/til,

Chopped coriander leaves for garnish.

Method.

• Soak dal in water for 4 hours.
• Drain and grind to a fine paste in blender using the yogurt..
• In a bowl mix the besan, rava, sugar, salt, turmeric, ginger green chilly paste and then add the chora dal paste and mix well. Add the oil and mix again.
• Add water (if required)to get the consistency of dhokla batter.
• Meanwhile get steamer and 2 plates ready.
• Add Eno to the batter, mix till frothy , immediately pour in the plates and steam on high for 15 minutes.
• Let cool for 5 minutes. Heat tempering ingredients and pour over the steamed dhokla.
• Sprinkle with chopped coriander leaves.
• Cut into desired shapes and serve with chutney or ketchup.

Note.

This quantity yielded 2 steamed plates (8 inches in diameter). Can half the quantity or steam in batches.

I used half batch to make ragi dhokla.

Add more ginger green chilly paste if you want a more spicy dhokla.

Omit the turmeric powder to get a white dhokla.

Can heat oil and then add to the batter or can add room temperature oil to the batter, both work fine.

Kaarle Bhaaji / Simple Bitter Gourd Stir Fry

Karela is called "kaarley" in konkani. And I am a big fan of karela. I simply love the vegetable in any form.
This is a simple stir fry for everyday meals.

Marinating the karela in tamarind is Ma's tip for reducing the bitterness in karela.
She made karela kappa(fry) and karela bhaaji with tomatoes and potatoes, but she never squeezed the juice out of the karela. She always marinated the cut karela in tamarind pulp for at least 1/2 hour.

Ingredients
2 cups chopped karela(thinly sliced),
1 medium onion sliced,
1 tbsp tamarind pulp,
salt to taste,
1/2 tsp turmeric powder,
1/2 tsp red chilly powder,
pinch of sugar,
2 tsp oil.

Method

• Apply tamarind to the karela and keep aside for 30 minutes.
• Heat oil in a pan on medium heat.
• Add chopped onions and fry till tender and translucent.
• Add the marinated karela and fry till karela is cooked.
• Add the salt, chilly powder ,turmeric powder and sugar and stir till everything is mixed well.
  There you go the dish is ready to be savoured with chapati or rice and simple dal.

Note.

Increase the red chilly powder if you want more spicy. I personally prefer to taste some of the bitterness in the karela.

If you don't have tamarind then use lemon or lime juice.

Add chopped garlic and ginger for a variation.

Masala Idli / Spiced Steamed Cakes

Made these masala idlis using rava idli batter.

Ingredients

Rava idli batter,

Tempering

1 tbsp oil,

1/2 tsp mustard seeds,

1/2 tsp cumin seeds,

1 tsp pepper corn powder,

1/2 tsp grated ginger,

1 tbsp cashew nuts(broken into pieces),

pinch of hing,

5-8 curry leaves.

1 tsp Eno powder.

Method.

• Heat oil, add all the tempering ingredients(except the Eno & batter).
• Add this tempering to the batter. Mix well.
• Keep a steamer and idli stand ready to steam.
• Add Eno to the batter, mix well and pour into greased idli molds and steam on high for 15 minutes.
• Take the idli molds out of the steamer and let cool for 5 minutes.
• Then unmold and enjoy with chutney or sambhar.

Note

Can add grated carrots or peas to the batter.