pav bhaji / paav bhaaji

Pav bhaji is probably the most coveted fast food in India. Though it is widely believed to have it's origin in bombay, millions of people relish this delicious dish everyday all over India.

Earlier today, I cooked Pav Bhaji for 200 people. I was very lucky to have Gunjan, Sagar and Tracy to help with the Bhaji. With their help, we finished cooking the bhaji in under two hours. At the event, we COMPLETELY SOLD OUT! Unfortunately we had to turn a few people away but at least there were 200 satisfied (hopefully) foodies. Here're some pictures from the event:

Source: Den Angelles

Ingredients: to serve 8

24 hamburger rolls (3 at least per person)
butter 300 grams
potatoes 400 grams
onions 200 grams
cauliflower 200 grams
eggplant 200 grams
peas 200 grams
tomatoes 200 grams
capsicum 200 grams
ginger garlic paste (make fresh preferably) 2 tablespoon
cumin seeds 1 heaped teaspoon (i wouldn't mind 1.5 actually)
badshah/ everest (i *know* these are good) pav bhaji masala 1 teaspoon for simple, 2 teaspoon for spicy
coriander for garnishing
lime - 1, cut into half and another cut into pieces for serving
Salt to taste

Heat 100 grams butter in a saucepan, add cumin seeds, and fry diced onions.

Dice all the veggies (except peas of course) and boil potatoes, cauli, peas, eggplant, capsicum together. The veggies should be soft in 20 minutes. Potatoes and Caulis take the most time so try and crush them and see if they aer soft.

By the time the veggies are 5 mins into boiling, add the ginger garlic paste and continue cooking it. By the time the veggies are 10 mins into boiling, onions should be soft and you can add pav bhaji masala and tomatoes. This masala should be done by the time the veggies boil (20 minutes time period). Add the boiled veggies, salt and another 100 grams butter to the onion tomato mix and mash, mash, mash and then mash again. Dilute just a little bit if it's very thick. Bhaji should have the consistency so that it can be flipped with a turner. Garnish with chopped coriander, squeeze one lime and mix. Give each person a small piece of lime if they want to add it later. You can also serve pyaaz (onion) and tamatar (tomato) kachummar with it - recipe coming soon :)

For the hamburger rolls, you can baste them with butter and fry them in a pan. I like the rolls pan fried but still a bit soft.

Making your own Garam Masala

We can find dozens of varieties of "Garam masala" packets in Indian  Grocery Stores and Supermarkets, but making your own garam masala is both satisfying and better for your dishes. Another advantage of making your own garam masala is that different dishes need different ingredients in different proportions. Hence, one size fits all is not the best solution.

The following are the major components of a standard Garam Masala:

cardamom (50 grams)

clove (25 grams)

  

star aniseed (50 grams)

cinnamon (50 grams)

   

bay leaves (50 grams)

  

black pepper (25 grams)

 

black cardamom (50 grams)

 

mace (25 grams)

 

You should make sure that all the whole spices are dry. Roast them separately in a frying pan stirring frequently (since each has a different temperature at which they cook and release flavour). Generally, each spice would take about two minutes to roast. You can take it off the heat once they start browning (in case of black pepper and black cardamom, you will see them expanding, that's when you take them off).

Let the whole spices cool down for about 10 minutes and then grind them together in a grinder (easier), or using a mortar pestle (crazy). Store the garam masala in a dry glass bottle and use it within 3 months (it stays pretty much forever, but it loses the flavor eventually).

Pulao / Pulav

Pulao is an Indian rice dish, a variation to the Persian Pilaf. It goes really well with marathi kadi. Pulao is a healthy and light dish that has many different versions. The one I am covering is an onion cauliflower pulao.

Ingredients:

Onion - 1 large
Garlic - 2 cloves
Cauliflower - 200 grams
Potato - 1 medium (can do without as well)
Peas - 100 grams (Can do without as well)
Rice - 250 grams *basmati*
cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon (important)
Chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon (1 if you like it spicy)
Turmeric - 1/2 teaspoon
Coriander powder - 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Oil - 30 ml

Optional:
Coriander leaves to garnish
Pomegranate seeds to garnish

---------

slice garlic cloves nice and fine. chop onions. soak rice in room temperature water. heat oil and add the cumin seeds. once dark brown, add the garlic and onion. fry for 2-3 mins and add the cauliflower and potatoes diced into small pieces. fry for another 2 minutes. rice must have soaked for 5 minutes by now. wash the rice and drain the water out. add the rice to the pan and stir so that the rice gets covered in oil. all this happens on high heat so the rice might stick to the base. Add the spices (chilli, turmeric, coriander powder) and salt with 50 ml of water. After a minute, add 600 ml of water, let it cook on high for 2 minutes, then turn heat to 3 o'clock position or low, cover and cook for about 20 minutes (At the 10 minute mark, stir through once and add the peas).

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and pomgranate seeds if available.

Plain daal

Here's a version of daal that I made when Gunjan was recently under the weather. Among all the different varieties, I can safely say that this is my favorite.

Ingredients (for 2):

1. Daal - 150 grams
2. Whole chillies slit (fresh, or dried) - 2
3. Cumin seeds - 1 heaped teaspoon
4. Oil - 20 ml
5. Salt - 1/2 teaspoon (or, to your taste)
6. Turmeric - 1/4 teaspoon (or even lesser)
7. Coriander - a decent bunch (chopped)

Wash the daal (to get all chemicals off it), and boil it in 1ltr water with slit chillies, turmeric, salt in a pressure cooker for 15 mins) or a saucepan for 25 mins on high.

Once boiled, heat the oil in a narrow saucepan or a tadka pan if you can get one. When oil is hot, add the cumin and when dark brown, add to the daal. Add 300 ml more water so that it becomes soupy, boil covering it on high for another 5 mins and add the chopped coriander.

twitter

hey all,

i have finally decided to get on the twitter-wagon. it would be really nice so that i can:

. put mini recipes/ cooking suggestions online
. make restaurant recommendations
. crack pathetic jokes before i forget them
. and more...

my twitter id is bluephonebox . Right now i am relatively inactive but will pick up the pace soon!

take care,
gaurav

Tiramisu

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Image from http://www.faqs.com/

Another of Alka aunty's recipe - DELICIOUS, and not as heavy as the Tiramisus you get outside :-p

Ingredients:

Scotch fingers
Fresh cream 250 gms
Mascorpone cheese 500 gms
2 cups of strong black coffee (Illy/ Vittori are pretty good!)
Rum - 50 ml (other liquors also work)
Chocolate powder - to sprinkle
Sugar - 2 tablespoons
Castor sugar - 4 tablespoons

Blend cream, cheese and castor sugar together.
Add sugar to freshly brewed coffee and let it cool. Then add rum to it.
Then dip scotch finger in coffee and lay them out on tray(serving dish). This forms base layer.
Put half of cheese mix on top (layer 2)
Put another layer of coffee soaked biscuits. (Either soak biscuits or lay it out or lay biscuits and pour coffee on top) (layer 3).
Put rest of the cheese mix (layer 4).

Sprinkle chocolate powder on top.
Put it in the fridge for a few hours at least before serving. overnight recommended.

Rabdi

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We are in Melbourne right now and the best thing about the city is Alka Aunty's Rabdi - kicks any desserts ass by a long stretch. It's a very heavy Indian dessert usually served as a sauce for jalebi or rasmalaai.

Ingredients:

Milk (1.5 ltrs)
Pistachos - 25gms(= crushed)
Saffron - a pinch
Sugar - 100 to 200 gram (really depends on how sweet you like it)

Put milk in a 2.5ltr+ microwavable bowl (should leave some room for milk to rise). Boil in a 1000W to 1200W for 10 mins, take it out, stir it, and put it back. Repeat this process till the milk reduces to 600 ml. Add sugar and again, repeat the process of boiling for 10 mins two more times. Blend the milk using a stick blender (or whatever! - can't believe I just used that word). Add saffron, pistachos and leave to cool. Once it reaches room temperature, put it in the fridge.

You can add readymade rasmalaai (alka aunty swears by Bikano rasmalaai) and have excellent dessert :-)

curry cooking tip

if you are making curry using onion ginger garlic, add the paste one serving spoon at a time to the oil to avoid splattering - true story!

poha or pohe (flattened rice)

i was talking to 2 of my students last weekend, charanya and sanjay, when the topic of food came up (are you really surprised!?!?) and there was some mention of poha (flattened rice) which is a staple breakfast dish in many parts of India. Indorians are quite the sucker for this magnifico dish

ingredients to serve 2:

200 grams medium / thick poha (NOT thin)
3 green chillis (optional, can reduce or skip if you want mild)
1/6 teaspoon (also known as a pinch :D) turmeric
salt to taste
1 1/2 teaspoon sugar (yes)
1/3 teaspoon mustard seeds
4 tablespoons oil
garnish (optional) coriander leaves and pomegranate.

rinse the poha in a saucepan for about 30 seconds and drain the water. you don't have to drain every single drop because the remnant will fluff-up the poha. just drain it until you start getting drops coming out.

throw the salt, sugar and turmeric on this and leave for 10 mins (you can sprinkle water on it twice or thrice during these 10 mins if you think it's not moist enough). 8 mins into the waiting process you can heat the oil in a saucepan on high and when hot add the chopped chilli and mustard seeds (some people like onions and curry leaves too). turn heat on low, then throw the poha in (you can add diced boiled potatoes and peas at this point if you want but i prefer it simple), stir frequently, cook for about 2 minutes sprinkling water twice or thrice.

sprinkle lemon juice before you have it! optionally, also garnish with chopped coriander leaves and pomegranate seeds and you got yourself a winner :) i find coriander gives an amazing flavor but the world won't end if you don't have it at hand ;)

Dahi ka Kachummar

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if you make tikkas/ keema/ tandoori chicken, usually there are two accompaniments - green coriander chutney, and dahi ka kachummar...

kachummar is essentially a salad that has been mixed very well with hands to get some juices out.

this one is similar to raita but thicker and more flavorful.

ingredients:


200 gms yoghurt
200 grams red onions cut into thin rings
1 cucumber diced fine
1 tomato diced fine
a bunch of coriander and mint
1 lemon

1/4 teaspoon chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon anaar-daana powder (pomgranate seeds, dried and crushed)
salt as per taste

add all the ingredients together and mix really well, don't shy away from crushing it a bit.

serve with fresh pomegranate seeds as garnish if available :)

daal fry

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i am sorry i don't yet have a picture for this recipe yet, but i will post it soon :)

daal fry is a restaurant classic in india. the usual family orders are for 1 daal fry, 1 paneer masala, 1 veg jalfreizi, 2 tandoori roti, 2 parathas and 1 jeera rice :D

oh, about the daal -

ingredients (to serve 4, alongwith another dish):

250 gms toowar daal
1 large onion
1 large tomato
4-5 bay leaves
2 cardamoms
3 cloves
1 large cinnamon stick
1 level tablespoon cumin seeds
1 bunch coriander
3/2 teaspoon chilli powder (2 teaspoon for the adventurous
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
6 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
1 finger of ginger, chopped fine
1 teaspoon salt
50 ml oil

boil the toowar daal in a pressure cooker on high for 15 minutes. if you don't have a pressure cooker, use a narrow, deep saucepan and boil on high for 30 minutes in (1.5 ltrs water whichever way you boil it)

while it's boiling, chop the onions and tomatoes (separately :D) into small pieces (about .5 cm by .5cm for the engineers) and chop the coriander alongwith step (just remove the root and you're good). keep them aside.

heat oil in a pan, and when hot add the cumin seeds followed by whole spices (bay leaves, cardamom, clove, cinnamon). sitre for about 30 seconds and add the onions, fry on medium heat for 5 mins and add ginger garlic, cook for another 2-3 minutes, then turn heat high and add the chilli, turmeric and coriander powders, along with salt and 50 ml water. stir well so that spices solution cooks properly. add the tomatoes and immediately add the boiled daal (with the water). cook on high for 10 mins stirring occasionally and garnish with coriander to serve :)

Raita

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There'd be heaps of Indians who laugh at this post because making Raita in India is like being able to boil eggs, pretty much everyone knows how to make raita. Still, it might be a little mysterious for rest of you, in terms of how do you get the mild refreshing aroma, what can i put in it, how thick should it be, etc...

here i have a few recipes of raita for you all.

1. Boondi raita: You can get "boondi" from any decent indian grocery store. You can also make it yourself. Just google boondi recipe on youtube. It looks like this - 

Ingredients:

500ml european style yoghurt

1/4 (or even lesser) teaspoon red chilli powder

1/4 teaspoon roasted cumin powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon mint sauce OR (a handful of finely chopped mint + 1 teaspoon sugar)

handful of chopped coriander

OPTIONAL but yummmmm - some pomegranate seeds

Process: mix all ingredients together - yes, that IS the whole recipe. 

---------------------------------------

2. Vegetable raita:

The vegetables replace the boondi in the first version. The veggies should be chopped fine. You can use one or more of the following in order of preference:

a. Cucumber

b. Onion

c. Carrot

d. Tomatoes (firm)

e. Cabbage shredded

f.  Zucchini

g. pineapple (it's not a veggie - big deal!)

h. green mango (just a little bit gives a tangy taste)

Vegetables that should never be used for raita are:

a. Potatoes

b. Eggplants

c. Okra :D (although bhindi ki sabzi when mixed with yoghurt is DIVINE!)

bhindi ki sabzi

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today, i'm gonna include this recipe for the simple yet delicious bhindi (okra/ lady finger).

there are a couple of ways of making this delectable vegetable and there's no way you can go wrong unless you add water :D

ingredients:

bhindi - 1/2 kg
onion - 1 large
oil - 40 ml
cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
coriander powder - 2 teaspoon
turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
salt - 1 teaspoon

cut the bhindi into rings of 1 cm thickness, or vertically into 4 pieces, either is ok.
chop the onions into small pieces.

heat the oil in a saucepan and add the cumin seeds. the cumin will turn whitish and then dark brown. add the onions when cumin turns brown (this should be about 10 seconds if the oil is hot), fry the onions on medium heat for about 8 mins stirring occasionally. turn the heat high and add the spice powders (not salt) with 1/4 cup of water, stirring it so that the spices get cooked properly. once the water is evaporate, the spices would be cooked. now add the cut bhindi and turn the heat to low-medium (4 o'clock) and add salt. cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring twice or thrice during this time. best served with chapaatis, daal and rice.

mutton biryani (new recipe better, faster, tastier :p)

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Hi all,


I had an old recipe for mutton biryani on this blog but I am accepting room for improvement and here's the newer, better, nicer, tastier, and easier version.

ingredients (to serve 4 like me)

2 kgs mutton with bone
1 tablespoon meat masala
1 teaspoon turmeric
250 gram yoghurt
50 ml mint sauce

100 ml oil
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon black cumin


whole spices
   6 bay leaves
  10 whole cardamom
  3 black cardamom
  4 cinnamon sticks
  3 star aniseed
 

3 large onions
10 cloves garlic
50 grams ginger

2 tablespoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon chilli powder
salt to taste

300 grams long basmati rice (don't be stingy, get the best one!)
a pinch of saffron (so that it's covers a teaspoon - sorry can't explain it better)
sultanas 50 grams
cashews 100 grams
coriander and mint leaves 50 grams each
eggs - 4

first mix the meat, yoghurt, meat masala turmeric and mint sauce and leave overnight at least (24 hours is even better)

blend onions, garlic and ginger.

heat oil, add cumin and black cumin and the whole spices and then the onin paste.

after cooking on low-medium for 30 minutes, turn the heat to high and add the coriander powder, chilli powder, and the marinaded meat. cook on high for 10 mins and then low for 2 hours

when the meat is done for 2.5 hours, start boiling the rice in 2-3 ltrs water half way through (this should take 15 minutes and the meat would be done for 2 hrs 45 mins by now). drain the water out completely. mix saffron in 1/4 cup of hot water and when the color and flavor comes out, mix with rice. chop the coriander and mint and mix with rice, along with cashew, sultanas, half the salt. (the meat would be done around 2 hrs 55 mins by now and would be PERFECT!)

add rest of the salt in mutton and mix.

now spray a deep oven dish with oil and add a layer of 2 cm deep layer of rice, and then add a layer of mutton pieces. drizzle with some of the curry from mutton. another layer of rice, then mutton, then a drizzle of curry. you WILL have extra curry left over. don't dump it into the rice or else it wouldn't be biryani, it'd be khichdi :D

into the oven at 165 degree Celsius for 30 minutes. meanwhile boil the eggs for putting on top. done :)

vada pav / pao

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Vada pav is the indian version of a burger. contains a fried patty of potato and some spices including  chilli, garlic, cumin, salt, etc  coverd in gramflour batter between two bread rolls and a generous quantity of lahsun ki chutney on the patty .

the idea behind such simple foods is to be able to eat them on-the-run - quite literally. when i was in my teens and went to bombay, the sight of labourers having two vada pavs for lunch was everywhere!

the food is high in carbs which is exactly what physically challenging professions need. also since these men and women are mostly running around the city with no fixed job location, bringing food from home is a bit difficult (not to mention, pointless if you can get a lunch for 5 Rs - 10 years back - now maybe 15rs or 30 cents).

i made vada pavs at home but instead of deep frying i just pan fried the patty. was yum!

will post a pic soon that i have on the sd card of my camera.

marathi lahsun ki chutney (the one you get with vada pav)

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seriously, there can't be a simpler recipe for anything!

grind together roasted peanuts (200 grams), garlic cloves (10-15), chilli powder (1-2 tablespoon based on how hot you want it), salt (1.5 teaspoon)

THAT'S IT!

rajma recipe (red kidney beans curry)

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hey :)

rajma (red kidney beans) was probably one of the first dishes i made completely by myself (after maggi noodles, i.e.). we used to have rajma, chapatis and green coriander chutney on virtually every special occasion at our place or jagrat's. so, after watching mummy and aunty cook it for so many years, i had the recipe pretty much memorized!

there are a couple of ways of making rajma and i like the one where you don't really have so much garam masala in the final product but just the taste of it. you can achieve this by boiling the rajma with a bag containing the different whole spices. squeezing this bag can later to get the most out of it, before throwing it away. not having the cinnamon sticks and bay leaves makes it easier on the stomach too.

ingredients (to serve 6 gluttons or 8 normal people :D) -

for the bag / potli -
3 star aniseed
2 big cinnamon sticks

5 bay leaves

3 black cardamom (badi elaichi)

put these in a musline cloth and tie a double knot.

rajma 500 grams

salt 1 tablespoon

for the curry paste (blend the following together)
3 medium sized onions
50 grams ginger (it's quite nice in rajma, but you can skip it if not a fan)
5 (+/-5) cloves of garlic

for the curry
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1/4 tablespoon shaahi jeera/ black cumin seeds
1/2 tablespoon chilli powder
1/3 tablespoon turmeric
1/4 tablespoon cumin powder
1 1/2 tablespoon coriander powder
300 grams of tomato soaked in hot water for 20 min (you can soak them after you start the cooking process)
100 ml oil

on one stove, pressure cook the rajma in 2 ltrs water, salt, and the spice bag/ potli. on high heat for 20 minutes and low-medium for 30. if you don't have a pressure cooker, boil it in a stockpot for 30 minutes on high and 30 minutes on medium, till soft (not mushy).

on the other heat the oil, and add the two cumin seeds to it. when browned, add the onion ginger garlic paste and cook on medium/ low-medium for about 15 mins till the oil starts coming out. turn heat to high. mix the remaining 4 curry powders in 50 ml water and add to the paste getting cooked. stir frequently to avoid sticking to the base. blend the tomatoes but not too smoothly and add. turn heat to medium and cook for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. when the oil starts to separate, add the whole thing to the rajma and cook on medium for another 10. garnish with generous amount of coriander.

serve with rice/ chapati/ bread/ lavaash/ by itself ... it's all good!

have lots of greens with this - that's why it goes very well with palak paneer.

cheers
gaurav

mango pickle / aam ka achaar (achar)

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Hey,

Sydney it all set to witness warmer temperatures of around 28 degrees and the weather's perfect to set mango pickle. I have set chilli, garlic, and lime pickles before but always heard that mango pickles are tricky so never tried them ... until now :)

went to the markets are 06:00 only to find that fridays are wholesale days. so i couldn't pick up a couple of kgs of raw mangoes. So my brain is going "that's it, quit!" but despite all my instincts asking me to drive back home quitely, I go to this HUGE wholesaler and query, "what's the minimum amount i can buy?". "10 kgs", comes the stern and dismissive reply. ok, then, 10 kgs it is...



so - enough small talk. here's the recipe




before i begin, please note that two things are most important in this process - dryness, and cleanliness. You get a little moisture in somewhere and say adios to the pickle. You have a little dirt/ bacteria on your chopping board/ knife/ hands - bye...

chapter 1: the softening process

wash mangoes thoroughly and wipe them with clean cloth. cut the mangoes into 16 pieces (or less if you like chunky pieces, or, more if you like mushy pickles). Make sure to remove any bad mangoes/ bad parts as these might spoil the party. Keep the raw (white) mangoes separate from the semi-raw mangoes (yellowish)...





add 1 tablespoon turmeric and 2 tablespoon salt for 2 kgs of mangoes. mix well, cover / cling wrap and leave in sun for a day.






(btw, the recipe i am following closely is here)

Next day, early morning, heat 3 ltrs of mustard oil for 5 kgs of raw mangoes and let it cool down. (I guess you heat and then cool it to disinfect and de-moisturize the oil).

Drain the moisture out of the mangoes as much as you can.

For the pickle spice. For 5 kgs of mangoes -

1. 200 grams fennel seeds (1/2 crushed, 1/2 intact)
2. 100 grams onion seeds (kalonji) (1/2 crushed, 1/2 intact)
3. 400 grams salt
4. 1 teaspoon asafoetida powder
5. 200 grams chilli powder (lesser if you done want so spicey)
6. 200 grams flattened yellow mustard seeds



mix the ingredients together, add to the mangoes, add the cooled-down oil.



mix well and jar for three days in clean, dry bottles.





After three days, add the leftover oil so that it (the oil) comes at least till the brim. Leave it for at least a month, shaking/ stirring it everyday - but - with a CLEAN spoon. and no licking ;) !

lauki ke kofte

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holy moly, i was writing the title of this post and as usual, i was about to write its english translation when i realized it is "balls of long gaurd". LMAO! But I hope that it doesn't put you off your appetite since this is a healthy version of one truly delicious dish. "Healthy" because instead of frying the balls (ahm...), you can steam them followed by pan frying to hold the shape when put in the gravy.

Ingredients:

For the Koftas:
Long Guard/ Lauki - 1.5 kgs
Ajwain - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt - 1/2 teaspoon
Finely Chopped Chilli - 6-10
Finely Chopped Garlic - 3-4 cloves
Finely Chopped Ginger - Finger-size
Lemon Juice - 2 tablespoon
(Besan 4 tablespoon and 1/2 tablespoon Baking Powder)
OR
(4 tablespoon self raising flour)
Jeera (Cumin) powder - 1 teaspoon




Peel, Grate the lauki and mix it all together (don't add water unless required as the lauki leaves water when grated which is enough to hold it together). Done!

Make golf ball sized balls. Now either steam it/ boil it/ deep fry it (deep frying is of course the tastiest, but from health perspective, steaming is perfect!). Steam for 6 minutes. Pan fry the steamed balls so that they hold their shape when put in gravy.

For the gravy -

Ingredients

Finely chopped Onion - 1 medium
Finely chopped Tomatoes - 2 medium
Jeera (Cumin) seeds - 1 teaspoon
Oil - 4 tablespoon
Spice mix paste -
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder,
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder,
1 teaspoon coriander powder,
the three mixed with 50 ml water
Salt 1/2 teaspoon

Put the cumin seeds in hot oil and add the onions. Turn heat to medium. When they are light brown, turn heat to high, add the spice paste. Add tomatoes as soon they start sticking to base (as we don't want to burn the spices). Turn heat to medium again and cook for another 10 minutes till it thickens. Add 1/2 liter water and cook for another 10 minutes. Add the koftas and serve. Yupp - easy :)

Baafle

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The Malwa region is well known for it's lazy people. Second to only genetics, this is attributed to they widespread consumption of Baafle'.

Ingredients:

Wheat flour (aata): 4 cups
Maize flour (makke ka aata): 1 cup
Yoghurt: 1 cup
Ghee : 1 cup
Salt: 1 teaspoon
Turmeric: 1/2 teaspoon
Ajwaain (Carom seed): 1 teaspoon
Lukewarm water: as needed

Mix the two flours, salt, yoghurt, ghee, turmeric and carom seeds well together. then start adding water and kneading till you get a soft dough. to answer the question how soft is soft, make sure that it's not too wet (when you poke the dough with your finger, it shouldn't stick to your finger) and not too hard/ dry (when you poke the dough with finger, the dough should slowly come back to it's position). *Important* leave the dough for 30 mins to ferment.

boil water with 2 to 3 tablespoon of ghee and when it comes to a boil, add the dough balls (roll round balls and press slightly from top and bottom). don't crowd it otherwise, they'll stick to each other. remove. Boil the baafle for 20 minutes and put them in an oven pre-heated at 200 degrees (you should turn the oven on mid-way through the boiling process to make sure it's hot enough when baafle are boiled). Bake for 30 minutes (turn after 15 minutes) and you are done.

you can dip them in ghee if you are going to burn it off at soccer/ gym/ wherever. otherwise DON'T!

accompanying pics and daal recipe soon...