How I look forward to the weekends, no pressure of getting up early or fixing the hubby's breakfast by a particular time. One can snooze for some extra time with out feeling guilty. Though to be honest, I seldom end up lazing around, the habit of getting up early is now so firmly ingrained that even without wanting to, my internal body clock switches on to wake me up. I particularly relish savoring the early morning coolness when the intense heat of the day has still not set in.
Today being a Sunday have been taking it very easy. My help is off on a vacation and I am feeling so happy not to have somebody hovering over me. I know a lot of people get aghast to hear me say this (for them the more help the better) but both hubby and I feel very relieved to be on our own.
On the weekdays I usually stick to a healthy meal plan of granola, muesli, dry nuts,fruits, sprouts, and the so called 'healthy stuff ' works for breakfast, and for meals too it is the usual fare of a simple daal, roti, sabji and so on. This ensures that one feels less guilty on the weekends to indulge in indiscretions, like today when I gorged on my all time favorite, ajwain ki poori with latpate aloo (potatoes in a tomato gravy). This the one time when I really hog and don't fret about the extra kilo that I would surely be putting on. If I want to be very decadent then sooji ka halwa is an additional indulgence, but of late have been savoring too many cakes (trying a new recipe everyday may sound fun but believe you me how one has to sweat to loose all those calories) so skipped the mitha ( sweet).
Ajwain puri/pithi ki puri with aloo sabji and kaddu ki sabji is an out and out UP (Uttar Pradesh) morning nashta ( breakfast). My husband teases me that you can take a girl out of UP but not her food habits. Which on a sober note is so true, the food in UP is worth drooling over.
Way back in the early 80's my father was posted at Ghaziabad. In the initial days we stayed in the State Circuit House till our official residence got ready. Back then there used to be a bahadur ( caretaker) in most of these rest houses who would be the cook. Their idea of a good meal meant lots of onions and oil. Being a fairly devout Jain, my father did not have onion or garlic in his food, so for the time we stayed at the Circuit House our meals would come from this halwai shop called Banwari lal halwai. Everyday in the morning our tiffin would come laden with pithi ki kachori, kaddu ki sabji, methi launji, aloo latpate and his lovely crisp desi ghee jalebi's. Those were such simple times that Mr Banwarilal would personally come down to deliver the food to find out for himself whether we were happy with his meals. This shop was very well known in Ghanta Ghar market and for a very long time whenever any of the daughters and son in laws would come over to visit my parents it was a forgone thing that breakfast would be from Banwarilal's shop. Haven't tasted his food in ages but there is a similar shop in Dilli 6 which makes the same kind of food but minus the jalebi - (funnily Delhi has this different ethos of making jalebis in the evening. In UP doodh jalebi is a very traditional breakfast fare.) so when ever we go there nostalgia creeps in.
Here is my recipe for ajwain puri and latpate aloo. Its a quick and easy recipe and gets cooked in a jiffy- mostly half an hour. Hope you have as much fun eating it as I do.
Ajwain Puri
250 gms whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon ajwain(carom) seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt
Water as required
Oil for frying
Sieve whole wheat flour (gehun ka atta), add carom seeds and salt and mix well. Then add the water little by little, gathering the dough together till you have a slightly tight dough. The water is added slowly so that the dough doesn't become sticky. We are looking for a supple dough but firmer than a roti dough.
Divide the dough into small lemon sized balls and roll them out into a circular shape. Heat oil in a kadhai (wok). To test if the oil is hot enough for frying, drop a tiny piece of the dough in the hot oil, if it floats up then it is ready for frying the pooris. Slide in the rolled out dough and fry the poori pressing it slightly with the ladle, till it puffs up and the bottom side looks golden, then turn it over and fry on the other side till its properly done. Remove the pooris from the hot oil with a perforated ladle. Fry the rest of the pooris in a similar manner.
Latpate Aloo
Serves 2
4 medium sized boiled potatoes, peeled
3 tomatoes, roughly chopped
1/2 inch fresh ginger, cut into pieces
3-4 green chillies, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon jeera (cumin) seeds
1/4 teaspoon haldi (turmeric powder)
1/2 teaspoon dhania (coriander) powder
1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon methi dana (fenugreek seeds)
2 teaspoon oil
1 teaspoon kasoori methi (fenugreek powder)
1/2 teaspoon garam masala (blend of Indian spices)
Salt to taste
2 cups water
Heat oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds, then add the fenugreek seeds and stir till they start to change color.Add the finely chopped tomatoes, let the tomatoes cook till they soften to a paste and the oil separates. Lower the gas flame and add the fresh ginger, green chillies, turmeric powder, coriander powder and red chilli powder. Stir in the spices into the tomato paste and cook for a couple of minutes. Mash the potatoes and add them to the tomato paste, mix well. Now add the water and salt to taste, and cook the curry till the vegetable has a thickish gravy.
Finally add the kasoori methi powder and garam masala powder. Serve it hot garnished with julienned ginger slices and chopped fresh coriander sprigs. Enjoy the meal with chilled Boondi raita a great accompaniment, to this desi food.
Ajwain Puri
250 gms whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon ajwain(carom) seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt
Water as required
Oil for frying
Sieve whole wheat flour (gehun ka atta), add carom seeds and salt and mix well. Then add the water little by little, gathering the dough together till you have a slightly tight dough. The water is added slowly so that the dough doesn't become sticky. We are looking for a supple dough but firmer than a roti dough.
Divide the dough into small lemon sized balls and roll them out into a circular shape. Heat oil in a kadhai (wok). To test if the oil is hot enough for frying, drop a tiny piece of the dough in the hot oil, if it floats up then it is ready for frying the pooris. Slide in the rolled out dough and fry the poori pressing it slightly with the ladle, till it puffs up and the bottom side looks golden, then turn it over and fry on the other side till its properly done. Remove the pooris from the hot oil with a perforated ladle. Fry the rest of the pooris in a similar manner.
Latpate Aloo
Serves 2
4 medium sized boiled potatoes, peeled
3 tomatoes, roughly chopped
1/2 inch fresh ginger, cut into pieces
3-4 green chillies, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon jeera (cumin) seeds
1/4 teaspoon haldi (turmeric powder)
1/2 teaspoon dhania (coriander) powder
1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon methi dana (fenugreek seeds)
2 teaspoon oil
1 teaspoon kasoori methi (fenugreek powder)
1/2 teaspoon garam masala (blend of Indian spices)
Salt to taste
2 cups water
Heat oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds, then add the fenugreek seeds and stir till they start to change color.Add the finely chopped tomatoes, let the tomatoes cook till they soften to a paste and the oil separates. Lower the gas flame and add the fresh ginger, green chillies, turmeric powder, coriander powder and red chilli powder. Stir in the spices into the tomato paste and cook for a couple of minutes. Mash the potatoes and add them to the tomato paste, mix well. Now add the water and salt to taste, and cook the curry till the vegetable has a thickish gravy.
Finally add the kasoori methi powder and garam masala powder. Serve it hot garnished with julienned ginger slices and chopped fresh coriander sprigs. Enjoy the meal with chilled Boondi raita a great accompaniment, to this desi food.
