RAG Demo

Tag: Bread

  • Siddu

    Siddu is the comfort food of the Himachal hills, particularly the Kullu, Mandi and Shimla regions, where long, cold winters call for warm, filling food. Families make it on snowy days and festivals, and in recent years roadside stalls on the Manali highway have made it popular with tourists as well.

    The dough is wheat flour leavened with yeast and left to rise in a warm corner, then filled and steamed. Fillings vary from village to village: crushed walnuts and poppy seeds with green chilli and coriander, soaked urad dal ground with spices, or sweet versions with jaggery. Steamed siddu is soft, fluffy and slightly chewy, with a nutty, savoury centre.

    It is torn open and served with a generous pour of ghee, along with green chutney or dal. Leftovers are often pan-fried the next morning for breakfast. Siddu can be made a day ahead and re-steamed, and the walnut filling keeps in the fridge for several days. The steaming takes about twenty minutes, so plan for the dough to rise before you start, ideally in a warm kitchen.

    At a glance

    RegionHimachal Pradesh
    CuisineHimachali
    DietVegetarian
    CourseBread
    Prep time120 minutes
    Cook time25 minutes
    Total time145 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelMild
    DifficultyMedium
    Gluten-freeNo
    Key ingredientswhole wheat flour / walnuts / poppy seeds / ghee / yeast

    Ingredients

    For the dough

    • 2 cups whole wheat atta
    • 1 tsp instant dry yeast
    • 1 tsp sugar
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 1 tbsp oil
    • About 3/4 cup lukewarm water

    For the filling

    • 1/2 cup walnuts
    • 3 tbsp khus khus (poppy seeds), soaked 1 hour
    • 2 green chillies
    • 3 tbsp chopped coriander
    • 1/2 inch ginger
    • 1 tsp roasted cumin powder
    • 1/2 tsp amchur or anardana powder
    • 1/2 tsp salt

    To serve

    • 4 tbsp ghee, melted
    • Green chutney

    Method

    1. Dissolve sugar and yeast in 1/4 cup lukewarm water and leave 10 minutes until frothy.
    2. Mix atta and salt, add the yeast mixture and oil, and knead with the remaining water into a soft, smooth dough, about 8 minutes. Cover and leave in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours until doubled.
    3. For the filling, drain the poppy seeds and grind with walnuts, green chillies, coriander, ginger, cumin, amchur and salt to a coarse, thick paste with no added water.
    4. Punch the dough down and divide into 6 balls. Roll each into a thick oval about 12 cm long.
    5. Spread a heaped tablespoon of filling on one half, fold over, and seal the edges by pinching firmly. Shape into a slightly flattened oval bun.
    6. Cover and rest the filled siddus 15 minutes so they rise again.
    7. Steam in a greased steamer or idli-stand over boiling water on medium-high for 18 to 20 minutes, until puffed and firm. A skewer inserted into the dough should come out clean.
    8. Cut each siddu open across the top, pour in ghee and serve hot.

    Tips

    • Keep the dough soft; stiff dough makes dense siddus.
    • A urad dal filling (soaked dal ground with ginger, garlic and spices) is the other traditional option.
    • Brush the steamer plate with oil or line it with a banana leaf so they do not stick.

    Serve with

    Plenty of ghee, green chutney or a bowl of dal.

  • Methi Thepla

    Every Gujarati family that travels carries theplas. These thin, spiced flatbreads made with whole wheat flour and fresh fenugreek stay soft for three to four days without refrigeration, so they fill tiffins on train journeys, foreign trips and pilgrimages. The curd and oil in the dough are what keep them supple long after cooking.

    Methi gives a pleasant bitterness that is balanced by a little jaggery or sugar, turmeric, chilli and sesame seeds. Some cooks add a spoon of besan for a nuttier taste. The thepla is rolled thinner than a paratha and cooked with a light brush of oil, so it is soft and flexible rather than flaky.

    At home it is a breakfast or dinner bread, eaten with chhundo (grated sweet mango pickle), plain curd or a dry potato shaak. Many families make theplas in bulk on Sunday and use them through the week. Dudhi, spinach or leftover dal can replace the methi, and each variation has its loyal fans within the same household.

    At a glance

    RegionGujarat
    CuisineGujarati
    DietVegetarian
    CourseBread
    Prep time20 minutes
    Cook time30 minutes
    Total time50 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelMild
    DifficultyEasy
    Gluten-freeNo
    Key ingredientswhole wheat flour / fenugreek leaves / curd / sesame seeds

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups (240 g) whole wheat flour
    • 2 tbsp besan
    • 1 cup fresh methi leaves, washed and finely chopped (packed)
    • 1/3 cup curd
    • 1 tsp ginger-green chilli paste
    • 1/2 tsp turmeric
    • 1 tsp red chilli powder
    • 1 tsp coriander-cumin powder
    • 1 tsp white sesame seeds
    • 1/2 tsp ajwain
    • 1 tsp grated jaggery or sugar
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 2 tbsp oil, plus more for cooking
    • Water as needed

    Method

    1. Combine the flour, besan, methi, all spices, sesame, ajwain, jaggery and salt in a wide bowl. Rub in 2 tbsp oil.
    2. Add the curd and mix. Add water a tablespoon at a time and knead into a soft, smooth dough, a little softer than chapati dough. Methi releases moisture, so go slowly.
    3. Rub a few drops of oil over the dough, cover and rest for 15-20 minutes.
    4. Divide into 12 balls. Dust one with flour and roll into a thin circle about 7 inches across, turning to keep it round.
    5. Heat a tawa on medium-high. Place the thepla on it and cook for about 30 seconds until small bubbles appear, then flip.
    6. Brush 1/2 tsp oil on top, flip again and press gently with a spatula. Brush the other side and cook until golden-brown spots appear on both sides, about 1 minute total.
    7. Stack the cooked theplas on a plate lined with a cloth and keep covered so they stay soft. Cool completely before packing.

    Tips

    • Do not add salt to the chopped methi and leave it standing; it will turn watery and make the dough sticky.
    • For travel, cool theplas fully before stacking in a container lined with paper so condensation does not make them soggy.
    • Cook on medium-high; too low a flame dries them out and they turn stiff.

    Serve with

    Chhundo or sweet mango pickle, plain curd and masala chai.

  • Sel Roti

    Sel roti is the festive bread of Nepali-speaking communities in Sikkim, Darjeeling and Nepal, made in large quantities for Tihar and Dashain and for weddings. Families gather early in the morning to make them, and they are shared with neighbours and relatives and kept for days as a snack. Many households still keep the batter recipe by feel rather than measure.

    Rice soaked overnight is ground with sugar, ghee and mashed banana into a thick batter, then poured into hot oil in a large ring by hand. The roti puffs and browns, crisp at the edges and soft, spongy and chewy within, faintly sweet with the aroma of ghee and cardamom. It is eaten with tea, with aloo dum or with yogurt.

    At a glance

    RegionSikkim
    CuisineSikkimese
    DietVegetarian
    CourseBread
    Prep time30 minutes
    Cook time30 minutes
    Total time60 minutes
    Serves6
    Spice levelMild
    DifficultyHard
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientsrice / sugar / ghee / banana

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups raw rice (sona masoori or local rice), soaked overnight
    • 1/2 cup sugar
    • 1 ripe banana, mashed
    • 3 tbsp ghee, melted
    • 1/2 tsp green cardamom powder
    • 1/2 cup milk or water, as needed
    • A pinch of baking soda (optional)
    • Oil for deep frying

    Method

    1. Drain the soaked rice well and spread it on a cloth for 15 minutes to remove excess water.
    2. Grind the rice with sugar and banana, adding milk a little at a time, to a fine, thick batter that flows slowly like thick pancake batter. It should not feel gritty when rubbed between fingers.
    3. Stir in the melted ghee and cardamom. Cover and rest for 1-2 hours at room temperature. Add the baking soda just before frying if using.
    4. Heat the oil in a deep kadhai on medium heat until a drop of batter rises immediately with steady bubbles.
    5. Take a handful of batter in your fist, or fill a squeeze bottle, and pour it into the oil in a large ring about 12 cm across, closing the circle where you started.
    6. Fry for about 1 minute until the underside is golden, then flip with a long stick or skewer and fry another minute until both sides are reddish-golden.
    7. Lift out with the skewer through the centre and drain on a rack. Fry the rest, stirring the batter between batches.

    Tips

    • If the ring breaks up in the oil, the batter is too thin – add a spoon of rice flour.
    • Practise the ring shape on a plate with a squeeze bottle before trying it in the oil.
    • Keep the oil at a steady medium; too hot and the outside browns while the inside stays raw.

    Serve with

    Milky tea, aloo dum or thick yogurt.

  • Kerala Parotta

    Porotta, as it is usually spelt in Kerala, is the bread of the state's roadside thattukadas and hotels, eaten at any hour with beef fry, chicken curry or egg roast. It is thought to have arrived via Sri Lankan and Tamil migrant cooks and has since become a Kerala icon, so popular that its nutrition has been debated in public for years.

    A good parotta has dozens of thin, flaky layers that pull apart easily, crisp at the edges and soft inside. The secret is a soft, well-rested dough, plenty of oil, and stretching the dough until it is almost transparent before pleating and coiling it. After cooking, the parottas are stacked and clapped between the palms to loosen the layers.

    At a glance

    RegionKerala
    CuisineKerala
    DietEggetarian
    CourseBread
    Prep time30 minutes
    Cook time30 minutes
    Total time60 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelMild
    DifficultyHard
    Gluten-freeNo
    Key ingredientsmaida / egg / milk / oil

    Ingredients

    • 3 cups maida (all-purpose flour)
    • 1 egg
    • 1 tbsp sugar
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 1/2 cup milk
    • about 1/2 cup water
    • 2 tbsp oil for the dough
    • 1/2 cup oil for oiling and stretching
    • ghee or oil for cooking

    Method

    1. Mix the maida, sugar and salt. Add the egg, milk and 2 tbsp oil, then add water gradually and knead for 10 minutes into a very soft, smooth, elastic dough, softer than chapati dough.
    2. Coat the dough with oil, cover and rest for at least 2 hours, or up to 4 hours. Resting is what lets it stretch thin.
    3. Divide into 8 balls, coat each in oil and rest covered for another 30 minutes.
    4. On an oiled counter, flatten a ball and roll or press it out as thin as possible. Lift and stretch it with your hands, or toss it, until it is translucent and paper thin. Small tears are fine.
    5. Drizzle a little oil over the sheet. Gather it from one edge into loose pleats, like a fan, forming a long rope. Coil the rope into a spiral and tuck the end underneath. Repeat for all, and rest the coils for 10 minutes.
    6. Gently press each coil into a disc about 15 cm across, using your fingers rather than a rolling pin so the layers stay intact.
    7. Cook on a hot tawa on medium heat for 1.5-2 minutes per side, drizzling ghee or oil, until golden brown spots appear on both sides and the parotta is cooked through.
    8. Stack 2-3 hot parottas, and clap them firmly between your palms from the sides a few times to open up the layers. Serve hot.

    Tips

    • A soft dough and a long rest are non-negotiable; stiff dough tears and will not layer.
    • For an egg-free version replace the egg with 2 tbsp curd and a little extra milk.
    • Cooked parottas freeze well; reheat on a tawa and clap again.

    Serve with

    Beef fry, Kerala chicken curry, egg roast or vegetable kurma.