Whats Cooking?

I have been away from my blogs from more than 5 months now. Frankly, so much has been happening that I am just not able to find the time to update (cliché, right?).

So to recap, I spent the last half of December 08 at my in-laws' place in West Bengal. Having Sikh in-laws' makes me feel blessed. Not only they are utterly nice and extremely fun-loving, but the food! Ah! Its so yummy! Food is not just something to full your tummy, they believe it is more than that. So everyday fare is a melange of spices, carefully measured, well-thought of and enjoyed always with a dollop of desi ghee (clarified butter). Of course, every meal always ends with dessert. Yes sir, its something special they are celebrating, they celebrate every meal they eat!

So, now that we are on the topic of Punjabi food, the first thing that comes to mind is - Makki di roti teh Saron da saag! Oh how I've waited all my life to eat this - in a Punjabi home, prepared by Punjabi people - authentic! So the first time I ate this at my in-laws' place, I did just that - ATE. Ate ate and ate some more! Of course, I kissed my mil's hands, but didn't ask her for the recipe. I just wanted to eat. Mmmmm... Well, what about my cravings for that food other times?! Blast my appetite, for just eating and not asking her for the recipe. So the next time I went to my in-laws', I made sure I ate Makki di roti teh Saron da saag (LOTS) and also asked for the recipe. Here it is! I took pictures while she was making it. I paid full attention :D

Saron da Saag - Traditionally, its a combination of the following green leafy vegetables: mustard leaves, radish leaves, spinach and bathua. Its cooked in earthenware pots and eaten with maize bread, i.e makki di roti.

Ingredients:

Saron - at least 2 bunches
Green chillies - 7 (depends on how how you'd like)
Ginger - fresh, peeled and grated - 2-3 tablespoons (again, depends on how karaara you want it)
Onion - 1, finely chopped
Cumin seeds (jeera) - 1 teaspoon
Salt
Desi ghee (or clarified butter) - 2 tablespoons

Method:

1. Cut the root-end of the saron and wash them thoroughly. I like keeping much of the stem too, its healthy and tasty as well. My mil did the same too.
2. Transfer them to a pressure cooker and add water, just enough to soak the leaves. Toss in 3-4 green chillies, slit lengthwise, add some salt and close the lid.
3. After 4 whistles (or 8 minutes), turn off the gas. The aroma starts to seep in, and you just can't wait until its all done and you're at the table hogging it! :D (thats what I felt at least).
4. When the steam goes off, cool it and blend the contents in a blender/mixer until it becomes a thick paste. Keep aside.
5. Heat desi ghee in a kadhaai (wok), and add a teaspoon of jeera.
6. When it starts to pop, add the grated ginger and onions and sauté until golden.
7. Add the remaining green chillies, and fry them for a while. This will make the saag very hot and spicy, just how it should be! Of course, you can reduce the number of chillies you use in the cooker as well as fry in the wok; it all depends on how hot you'd like it.
8. Add the saag and mix well. Add some more salt, if needed and mix well. Cover the wok with a lid and let it simmer until all flavours blend in. Stir occasionally.
9. After 8-10 minutes, turn off the gas and its ready!




Makki di Roti (Maize Bread)

This is the perfect "companion" for the saag above. Though you can always opt to eat saag with normal wheat bread, maize bread, like I mentioned, is the right one to go.
So ladies, and gentlemen who like to cook, without further ado, I present to you the recipe for Makki di Roti!

Ingredients:
1. Maize flour - 300 gms
2. Ajwain - 4 teaspoons
4. Luke warm water - a cup (all won't be used though)
5. Cooking Oil

Method:

1. Take the maize flour in a vessel like shown below. If you don't have a flat one like shown here, fear not, you can use any vessel in which you are comfortable kneading the dough.



2. To this, add the generous sprinkling of ajwain.



3. Add 2-3 tablespoons of warm water and knead well. Add more water, if you wish. But make sure you maintain the consistency. Kneading maize flour is not like kneading wheat flour; the latter needs more water. Hence, add 2 tablespoons at a time and knead. Then add more if kneaded... I mean, needed :D



4. To roll a bread, take a fistful of dough and flatten it into a round shape. Spread a well-oiled sheet of plastic on the chaklaa. If you don't own one, then you can always keep the oiled sheet on the kitchen platform. Place the round, flattened piece of dough on the sheet.

Rub a bit of oil on your hands and gently beat the dough, turning the chaklaa, or the plastic sheet after every 1-2 beats. Its an art, really :) Flatten it as shown.



5. Remove the bread gently from the sheet, and place it on a hot iron pan. Bake it on both sides until golden/slightly brown.





6. Serve hot, with a dollop of ghee on top of the bread, along with saron da saag :) Oh I'm craving one right now!



Serving Suggestion - Soak some ginger juliennes and green chillies (slit lengthwise) in lemon juice for at least 3 hours before serving. Serve this as pickle with the above. Its super yummy!