Kotu ke chilade/कोटू के चिल्ले /फलाहार का खाना (Low Fat Pan cakes of Buck Wheat Flour)

Kotu Ka Chilada (Pan cake of Buck wheat flour)

Kotu (Buck Wheat) is a dark brown / black seed having 2-3 needles like spikes. The brown cover is hard and non-edible. The core is white and the edible part of Kotu. Normally after cleaning the Kotu seeds are ground to powder and sieved to get Greyish color Kotu flour. Kotu flour is used during fasting all over the India. In Northern India when fasting is done during Navratri, Shiv Ratri, and Krishna Janam ashtami grains and cereal are not taken on fasting day thus the fasting food consists of Sabudana Khichadi, Aloo Gutuk, Kotu ke Chilade and Tal Makhana kheer for dessert. Kotu ke Chilade are very good for snacks also.

Preparation Time: 1 hr.(soaking time)

Cooking Time: 30 min

Servings: 6 Medium size Chilade

Ingredients Required for Making Kotu ke Chilade:

• 250 gm. Kotu ka Atta (kotu flour, Buck wheat flour)

• 50 ml. Ghee (clarified butter)

• Salt (optional)

• Water

Directions For Making Kotu Ke Chilade:

• Take kotu flour in a bowl and add 100 ml water.

• Mix nicely to make a smooth paste.

• Add another 100 ml. water, mix and cover.

• Keep aside for 60 min. for the flour to soak in water.

• The batter should be of pourable consistency.

Batter for Kotu ke Chilade

• Spread 3-4 drops of  ghee on a tawa and heat.

Non-stick Tawa being heated with 4 drops of Ghee

•  When the tawa is hot pour one big ladle (approximately 40-50ml.) batter and spread it to round shape on the tawa.

Batter on the hot Tawa

• Cook on low medium heat till the surface starts drying.

Kotu Ka Chilada being cooked on one side 

•  Sprinkle 1ml. ghee from the edges of chilada.

• Cover and cook for 1 min.

• Remove the cover and pry the edges carefully.

• Turn the chilada carefully and spread 1ml. ghee from the edges again.

The batter spread to a round and cooked on one side to light brown color

• Cook for 1 min. the color of the chilada will becomes brownish.

• Remove from tawa and serve with Aloo Gutuk, Chutney and Pahari Kheere Ka Raita.

Kotu Ka Chilada (Pan cake of Buck wheat flour) http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2012/07/aloo-gutuk-potato-vegetable-kumauni.html

http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2012/06/hariyali-chutney-raw-mango-chutney.html

http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2012/07/pahari-kheere-ka-raita-cucumber-and.html

 https://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2012/07/aloo-gutuk-potato-vegetable-kumauni.html?m=0

Tips:

• Use Non-stick tawa. It is easier to make Chilade on non-stick tawa and the amount of ghee consumed also reduces.

• The tawa should not be very hot when batter is poured else spreading the batter will become impossible.

• If you are not using non-stick tawa then make sure your tawa is thick one.

Suggested Variations:

• Finely cut green chili and coriander sprigs can be sprinkled on the batter after spreading it.

• Little sugar can be added to the batter to give the chilade sweet taste and it will also add color and creepiness to the chilade.

TalMakhane ki kheer/ तालमखाने की खीर{Astercantha (Hygrophila) Dessert}

Talmakhana Kheer { Astercantha (Hygrophila) dessert}

Tal makhana is the fruit of lotus which is white in color with a tint of brown. It is very light and does not a strong flavor of its own. Fried Tal Makhana is taken as snack during fasting and the kheer of Tal makhana is offered as Prasad in Janam ashtami and Shiva ratri. It is a dessert for people who are fasting and do not partake any cereal or pulses during fasting. Thus in great demand not only during Janam ashtami and Shiva ratri but also during Navratri time also. A north Indian dessert made up of milk andTtal makhana is a delight to the taste buds.

Preparation Time: 10 min

Cooking Time: 60 min

Servings: 10 medium serving

Ingredients required for making Tal Makhana Kheer:

• 50 gm. Tal Makhana

Tal Makhana

• 2.5 - 3 Lt. Full Cream Milk

• 100 gm. Sugar or to taste

• 5 ml. ghee (clarified butter)

• 25 Almonds

Almond

• 15-20 cashew nuts

Cashew Nuts

• 15-20 raisins

• 5-6 strings of Kesar (saffron)

Directions For Making Tal Makhana Kheer:

• Clean the Tal Makhana for any hard brown cover on them.

• Cut them to half.

Cleaned Tal Makhana broken to half

• Cut Almonds and cashew.

Cut Cashew nuts

Cut Almonds

• Soak Kesar in 2 ml. milk.

• Soak 6-7 Almonds in water.

Almonds soaked in water

• Take ghee in a thick bottom wok / pan and heat.

Ghee being heated in a wok

• When the ghee is hot lower the flame add in it cleaned and cut Tal Makhana and fry them to light brown color.

Tal Makhana being fried in ghee

fried Tal Makhana ready for milk to be added

• Add milk and bring the flame to high and cook with continuous stirring till the milk comes to boil.

Milk added to Tal Makhana

Tal Makhana and milk mixture coming to boil 

•  Lower the flame and cook with occasional stirring (to make sure the Makhana is nit settling at the bottom and getting burnt) for 30-40 min.

Tal Makhana cooking in milk on low flame after

• The Makhana will start getting softened up and will start getting mixed in the milk, thus thickening the consistency of the mixture.

• After of almost 40 min. cooking the contents of the wok will reduce to less than half and the mixture will become of thick soup consistency and the color of the mixture gains pink tint.

Stage when sugar and dry fruits are to be added

• Add sugar to the cooked milk and makhana mixture and mix nicely.

• Cook for another 5 min. and switch off the gas.

• Add finely cut Almonds, Cashew nuts and raisins.

• Mix nicely.

• Add Kesar and milk mixture and stir nicely.

• Remove the peel from soaked almonds and break them to two parts.

• Take out in a serving bowl and decorate with soaked halves of Almonds, cashew and raisins.

Talmakhana Kheer {Astercantha (Hygrophila) dessert}

• Serve hot or chill the kheer and serve cold.

Tips:

• Make sure that if there is any hard brown color cover on Tal Makhana, then it should be removed.

• Tal makhana should be fried in low flame else they will become black and burnt.

• Stirring of kheer during cooking is very important as it will prevent settling at the bottom and getting burnt.

• If you want to serve the kheer cold then keep the consistency of kheer thinner than you would like to serve ,because on cooling it will become thick.

Suggested Variations:

• Tal Makhana can be roasted in wok or in oven before adding to the milk, this will help avoiding the ghee in kheer.

• Toned milk can be taken instead of whole cream milk, but this reduces the creamy texture of kheer.

• Powder cardamom can be added to the kheer before serving.

• Kesar (saffron) dissolved in milk can be sprinkled on the to of the kheer .

• To make kheer quickly cook fried Tal Makahana in 1lt. milk and then add 200 gm milk made Concentrated milk available in market) and mix nicely. Cook for 2 min, add nuts and kesar.

Sabudana Khichdi/ साबूदाना खिचड़ी (Sago cooked with ground nut powder)

Sabudana Khichadi

Sabudana is a very healthy, nutritious, tasty savory which is made from dried small balls of Tapioca starch. Sabudana khichadi is eaten during fasting in Maharashtra, Gujarat and some parts of south India. It can be taken as breakfast as well as evening snacks.  It is very nutritious and less oily preparation of sabudana and is my husband's favorite breakfast relished with curd.
Many people do not eat coriander in fasting food, so it can be avoided if sabudana khichadi is being made during fasting.

Preparation Time:  10-15 min.( not taking into account the soaking time).

Cooking Time: 15 - 20 min

Servings: Serves 4-5 large servings.


Ingredients Required For Sabudana Khichadi 

• 250 gm. Sabudana.
• 100 gm. Ground nut.
• 2 Potatoes (boiled and peeled.)

Boiled and peeled Potatoes

• 2 Green chillies finely cut.
• 2 Tea spoons Coriander leaves (washed and finely cut).
• 10 ml. Cooking oil.
• 1 Tea spoon Cumin seeds.
• 1 Tea spoon Mustard seeds.

Mustard,cumin seeds,curry leaves cut green chilies for seasonong

• Salt to taste.

Direction To Prepare Sabudana Khichadi : -

• Wash Sabudana in a sieve over running water
• Soak Sabudana in 100 ml water for 3-4 hrs.

soaked sabudana

• Roast ground nuts , remove the brown peelings, and grind to powder.

Powder of roasted ground nuts

• Crush the potatoes to small pieces.
• Take a thick bottom wok , put oil in it and heat till oil is smoking hot.
• Add cumin seeds , mustard seeds, green chilies and cook till seeds splutter.
• Add potatoes and cook for 2 min.

Boiled potatoes being cooked in the seasoning

• Add soaked Sabudana and mix .

Sabudana added to cooked potatoes

• Add salt , coriander leaves and mix.
• Cover and cook for 3-5 min. with stirring once or twice.
• Add ground nut powder and mix.

Groundnut powder added to sabudana

• Cover and cook for 5-10 min. till the color of Sabudana becomes transparent.
• Remove from heat.

Sabudana Khichadi without Fresh coriander leaves

Sabudana Khichadi with fresh coriander leaves

 Sabudana khichadi is ready to be served with curd / chutney

http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2011/10/green-coriander-and-mint-chutney.html

Tips : -

• Sabudana when soaked should not be soggy. The grains of Sabudana should be soft , fluffy and separated from each other.
• If too much water is added while soaking then the khichadi will become lumpy.

Suggested Variations:-

• Nuts like cashew/almonds can be added after cutting them fine.
• Those who do not like coriander can avoid it.