Lachcha Parantha / लच्चछा परांठा(Pan Fried Indian Bread With Ringlets)

Lachha-Parantha

Lachcha parantha is a delicacy of Mughal time which was made in main course along with Muglia mutton. In may be known by different names in south and north of Indian but the taste is same delicious and rich. This parantha is very in calories and fat as it has loads of ghee, but then we have to forget about calories if we want to enjoy some delicacies, until unless there is some health problem. Eating in moderation is never detrimental to health so do enjoy this parantha and let your family feast on these paranthas.

Preparation Time: 15 min.

Cooking Time: 10 minutes/ parantha

Servings: 6 Medium size paranthas

Ingredients required For making Laccha Parantha:

• 350 gm. Maida (Refined flour)

• 150 gm. Wheat flour

• 200 gm. Ghee (Clarified Butter)

• 1/2Tea spoon salt

• 100 ml. Water

Direction for making Dough For Laccha Parantha:

• Melt ghee.

• In a plate / bowl take

• Wheat flour

• Refined

• Salt

• 50 ml. melted ghee

• Mix all ingredients so as to form a uniform mixture.

Maida-Atta (Refined flour and whole wheat flour) for Lachha parantha

Ghee added to Maida-Atta and salt mixture

All ingredients mixed

•  Heat water to luke warm temperature.

• Add water in little portion (10ml. at a time) and mix with kneading action.

 Flour being kneaded

• Knead the mixture to soft but firm dough.

Dough for Lachcha Parantha

• Cover the dough and keep aside for one hour.

Kneaded flour covered and kept for 1 hr.

• Heat a thick tawa (iron plate) on medium flame.

• Divide the dough to 6 equal parts and make round balls of each portion.

• Roll the dough ball on the rolling board and apply 1 ml. Ghee on the rolled dough ball.

Rolled dough

• Pick the rolled dough  with ghee from one end and roll it to a till the other end is reached.

Melted ghee spread on the round rolled dough and being rolled to a roll

Roll of dough with ghee

• Flatted the roll and apply ghee 1 ml. ghee on it.

Roll flattened and ghee spread on it

• Roll it again from one end to other end to make a round shape.

• Secure the ends in place by pressing them firmly.

Roll with ghee rolled to round

• Sprinkle a little dry wheat flour and roll giving slight pressure with the rolling pin to make a rolled lachcha parantha of 6-7 cm. diameter.

Rolled Lachha-Parantha

• Place the rolled parantha on hot tawa and cook on medium heat till brown dots start appearing on the side touching the tawa. 

Rolled Lachha-Parantha on Tawa

• Turn and cook the parantha on medium heat till brown dots appear on the other side also.

• Spread 1 teaspoon (1 ml.) ghee on the parantha and turn it upside down.

• Cook for 30 seconds by pressing with a spatula.

• Spread 1 teaspoon (1 ml.) ghee on the other side also and flip it.

• Cook for 30 seconds the other side also after ghee has been applied on it. 

 Lovely Golden Lachha-Parantha

• Lachcha parantha is ready. Gently press the hot parantha from the edges with a crushing action and serve hot lachcha parantha with Vegetarian /Non-vegetarian Indian savories.

Lachha-Parantha

Tips:

• Make sure the dough for lachcha parantha is soft not hard like puri.

• Adding the ghee to the flour mixture is must to get crisp ringlets (Lachcha) in parantha, so do not reduce the amount of ghee.

• The amount of lachcha in parantha depends upon the way you make the roll after applying the ghee on rolled ball of dough. Better roll will produce more lachcha.

• Do not apply too much pressure after the roundel is made from the roll, else the ringlets (lachcha) will not come nicely.

•  2 ml ghee (one for each side) in required for pan frying. Do not reduce the amount other wise the parantha will not become soft and crisp. It will become limp or hard and dry.

Suggested Variations:

• Instead of water milk/butter milk (Which is not too sour) can be taken for kneading the flour.

• Instead of ghee 2 well beaten egg whites can be added to the flour while making dough. Beat 2 eggs white; add to the flour mixture along with salt and mix nicely to make the flour mixture look like bread crumbs. Add water in little proportions and knead to make the dough for parantha. Keep aside for one hour. Proceed as earlier for making the parantha.

• Refined flour with out adding samolena or whole wheat flour can be taken for making parantha.

Jeera Rice (Cumin flavored Rice)

Jeera Rice

Rice is the integral part of Indian food. In different parts of India rice is cooked in varied ways thus this series of blog is dedicated to rice dishes. Plain boiled rice is eaten with different accompaniments depending upon different parts of India. If in eastern part it is eaten with fish, in western India, central India, Northern India it is eaten with dal, Kadi, rajma, chole, mutton, chicken or for that matter anything with gravy is eaten with rice. In southern India Sāmbhar, rasam, curd, is the main accompaniment with plain boiled rice. Apart from plain boiled rice every part of India has got much to offer in rice. Jeera rice is very popular in North India.It is taken with all vegetarian as well as non vegetarian preparations.I love jeera rice with Kumaoni kheere ka raita.

Preparation Time: 5 min.
Cooking Time: 10min. 
Servings:   2 large helpings

Ingredients required for Jeera Rice

• 150 gm. Rice
• 5gm.Jeera (cumin seeds)( approximately 1 tea spoon )
• 1/2 Tea spoon Salt. (Or to taste)
• 10ml. Ghee (clarified butter) / cooking oil
• Water to cook the rice

Directions for Preparation of Jeera Rice

• Wash rice and soak it in 150ml.water for 10min.
• Take ghee / oil in a pressure cooker and heat on high flame.
• When the ghee/oil becomes hot add cumin seeds in it and let them splutter. 
• Drain rice and keep the water aside.
• Put drained, soaked rice in the cooker and lower the flame, and mix gently.
• Add salt and mix.
• Add the water which was kept aside after draining the rice.
• Mix nicely. Put the lid on Pressure cooker and Put the gas on high flame.
• When pressure builds in the cooker lower the flame and cook for 3-5min. 
• Remove from gas and allow the pressure in cooker to subside.
• Remove the lid and serve hot jeera rice with Rajma / Chole / Raita /Pickle..... 

Jeera Rice

http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2011/08/chole-aur-bhature.html

http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2011/08/rajama.html

http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2011/08/dal-makhni.html

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

 
 Tips:

• Jeera should become just light brown during spluttering. Do not allow jeera to become dark Brown/Black.
• The given proportion of water is for basmati rice. The quantity of water may vary for different type of rice.

Suggested Variations:

•   Soak 150 gm.rice along with salt and Jeera in 250 ml. water for 30 min.

Rice along with salt and Jeera (Cumin seeds) soaked in water

• Keep the container with soaked rice ,jeera and salt on high flame and cook till water starts boiling.
• When water boils, lower the flame and cover the container and cook on low flame.
• Keep checking every 5 min.

After 10 min. of cooking rice

• Time taken when rice is cooked in a thick bottom pan is roughly 20 min.

After 20 min. of cooking on low flame

•  Saffola rice is less starchy so it can be taken instead of basmati rice.

16 Tips To Make Your Kitchen Work Easy.

Despite of being a regular hand in the kitchen some times practical difficulties are faced. This blog has taken shape from the experience of my elders passed on to me when i was a new bee in the kitchen and saved me from many difficulties. I dedicate this blog to my granny, mother and all those ladies who taught me the finer points of kitchen.

• Make puree of tomatoes when less expensive and store in fridge as cubes. Handy and easy to use for one and all.

http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.in/2013/11/onion-masala.html

•  While making the gravy for any vegetable, chicken, mutton, Rajama, Chana .

• Do not make paste of onion, garlic, ginger and then fry.

•   Instead, first cut the onions, garlic and ginger to pieces.

•  Shallow fry them using little oil in a nonstick thick bottom wok.

• Once the mix of onion, garlic, ginger is golden brown allow it to cool and then grind.

               You will save time, energy and of course the oil required will   also be reduced. Thus making the food less oily!!!

http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.in/2013/11/onion-masala.html

• Instead of buying garlic, ginger pastes from market make it at home.

http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2012/11/home-made-ginger-garlic-paste.html

Home Made Ginger-Garlic Paste

•     For working ladies and mothers with very small children it is really helpful to store the cooked paste of onion, garlic and ginger in the fridge

          The cooked paste can be stored in deep freeze for a month without   

           getting  spoilt. Just take the required amount, thaw it and use.!!!!!!!!!:)

• If by mistake salt is added in excess then

• Take a medium size potato.

• Wash, peel and cut it to 4 big pieces,

• Add it to the vegetable along with little water and cook the vegetable gravy to required thickness.

• Remove the potato.

• Potato will absorb the salt and save you from trouble.

This can be done for vegetables with gravy, not to dry vegetables.

• If during cooking food gets stuck to the bottom of the container and starts getting burnt,

• Do not scrape it immediately.

• Remove it from gas.

• Remove the lid and allow it to cool so that the burnt smell escapes.

•  Once cooled remove the food layer by layer without disturbing the burnt part.

• Old bread from the fridge should not be discarded but can be cut to 2 cm. pieces and added to Poha.

• Old bread can be dried and powdered to use as crust for making cutlets/ fish fry.

• To maintain green color of spinach in Palak Paneer,

• Dunk the cleaned and washed spinach in salted boiling water and remove after 2-3 min.

• Grind it to thick and added the paste to the paneer masala and cook for just 2 min.

• Added 1 tea spoon of coriander leaves paste just before removing from gas

                  Vegetable will come out of beautiful green color.

• To increase the shelf life on Semolina (Suji), Ground nuts,and sesame seeds :, palak Paneer,

• Roast them before storing.

• While making vegetable of Okra (Bhindi),

• Do not add salt in the starting.

• Add all spices except salt, cover and cook on low flame.

• When all sliminess of bhindi disappears then add salt and mix gently and cook till done.

                   This way the okra vegetable will always come out nice and dry.

• As far as possible cook food in nonstick pans,

• This ensures less oil consumption.

• Least possibility if food sticking at the bottom.!

• For those who are weight conscious and so purchase toned milk,

• Instead get full cream milk.

• Heat it 10-12hrs. Before required time and keep in fridge.

• All cream (Malai) will get deposited at the top.

• Remove the cream and collect it in a bowl.

• After a week take it out and beat nicely using your fingers/fork/egg beater.

• Butter will separate.

• Remove the butter use it or heat it on low flame to convert it to Ghee.

• Add some curd to the left over milky liquid and keep it overnight, fat less butter milk is ready for consuming.

• Else heat the milky liquid, paneer will separate which can be used to make stuffed paratha/paneer bhujji.

Do not keep the cream in the fridge for more than 10 days else it will start getting rancid.

http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2012/10/making-ghee-clarified-butter-at-home.html

• Try to dry and store Methi, Palak, during season when it is less expensive.

• Just clean (do not wash) and shade dry.

•  It comes handy when vegetables are either very expensive or leafy vegetables are not available in market.

• Just take handful of dried vegetable soak in water for 10min., sieve wash with running water in a sieve.

•  Cook with potato pieces and make tasty  vegetable/add it to dough of whole wheat flour and make tasty puri, parathas.
• Kasoori Methi is nothing but dried methi leaves and is very expensive in market, so you will have home made Kasoori methi !!

• While cleaning chicken rub it with lemon it will not smell.

• While making chicken biryani do not discard the skin. Boil it with 2-3 cloves, 1cm. cinnamon stick, and pinch of nutmeg powder. Filter and use the stalk for cooking the rice instead of water, it will enhance the flavor of biryani.

• To the marinade of mutton add 2 tea spoons of raw papaya paste.

• Mutton with cook better and fast.

• Do not add papaya paste to chicken

Sukha Mutton (Mutton without gravy)

Sukha Mutton

 Dry mutton is a wonderful dish of mutton cooked in minimum oil. It used to be my specialty and when ever my friends in hostel wanted to have mutton I used to be busy in hostel kitchen of course annoying the cook as he used to find it really annoying to see me messing around in the kitchen . But he also used to agree that I make delicious dry mutton. We girls used to bribe him with one large portion of dry mutton for allowing me to work in the kitchen. What a wonderful time we had then!

Preparation Time: 30 min. (Marination time not included)
Cooking Time: 60 min
Servings: 5 large servings 

Ingredients required

• 1Kg Mutton 

Mutton washed and drained

• 1/2Kg Onion, finely cut.

Finely cut Onion

• 1 teaspoon garlic - ginger paste.

Ginger-Garlic paste

• 2-3 Bay leaves

• 2-3 cloves

• 3-4 corns of black pepper

• 1 black cardamom

Spices for Sukha Mutton

• 2 green cardamom

• 1/2 inches of cinnamon stick.

• 3-4 Teaspoon Red Chili Powder

• 2 Teaspoon Garam Masala

• Salt to taste

• 1ml. Ghee / Olive oil / any cooking oil if being cooked in non-stick wok, 20-25 ml. if cooked in normal wok.

• 2 Teaspoon Ghee (Clarified butter)

Ghee (Clarified butter)

Ingredients Required For marinade :

• 1/2 tea spoon turmeric powder

• 1 table spoon paste of raw papaya

• 3-4Teaspoon Thick Curd or 1/2 table spoon lemon juice

• 2 Tea spoon Red chilly powder

• 1/4 coffee spoon nut meg powder  

Spices and curd for marinade

Direction For Marination Of Mutton:

• Mix 

• Papaya paste

• Red chili powder

• Curd / lemon juice

• Nutmeg powder

All ingredients of marinade in a bowl

• Beat nicely to creamy consistency. 

Marinade for Mutton

• Mix this marinade with mutton nicely.

• Keep covered for 3-4 hrs.  

Marinated Mutton

Direction For Making Sukha Mutton:

• Take 1ml ghee / cooking oil in a kadhai and heat.

• When hot add all following ingredients:

• 2-3 Bay leaves
• 2-3 cloves
• 3-4 corns of black pepper
• 1 black cardamom
• 2 green cardamom
• 1/2 inches of cinnamon stick.

Spices being cooked in 1 teaspoon of ghee in non-stick pan

• Cook the above for 1/2 min.

• Then add onions and cook till light brown on color. It takes atleast 15 min.

Onions added to the spices and ghee

Onion cooked to brown color

• Add ginger garlic paste and cook for a min.

• Add mutton to the kadhai and mix nicely.

Marinated mutton added to the onion and spices mixture

•  Bring the flame to high and cook for 2 min.

• Add salt to taste, red chili powder bring the flame to low and cook with regular turning and stirring for 10 min.

Mutton and spices mixed and being cooked on low flame

After 10 min. of cooking on low flame

After 20 min. of cooking on low flame

•  Cover and cook on low flame till tender. Keep stirring regularly. 

Covered and being cooked on low flame

• If water is required sprinkling little amount at a time.

• Keep stirring every now and then so that the spices are evenly mixed and mutton is also evenly cooked.
• It will take approximately 45.min. minimum for the mutton to cook once added to kadhai.

• Add  garam masala  and 2 teaspoon ghee.

• Mix nicely and cook for a min.

• Take out in a serving bowl.

Sukka Mutton

• Decorate it with thick cream (optional), herbs /cherry tomatoes or simply rings of onion.

Tips: 

• For healthy cooking olive oil is best, but this dish tastes best when cooked in Ghee.

• Mutton should be washed thoroughly.

• Most of the cooking should be done on low flame to ensure spices and mutton mixing properly.

• Regular stirring and turning of mutton is must for even cooking of mutton.

• Non-stick container should be taken for cooking otherwise ghee / oil requirement becomes more.

Suggested Variation:

• If you want to cook it faster you can cook after 10 min. of cooking in pressure cooker.

• If cooking is done in pressure cooker then after pressure comes cook on low flame for 10-105min depending. let it cool by it self.

• Once the cooker is cooled open and keep it on high flame on gas, with continuous stirring till all water evaporates.

• Jeera (Cumin)powder can be added along with garam masala.

• Raw papaya can be avoided if not available. Raw papaya makes cook mutton faster.

• 1/4Teaspoon Black pepper powder can be added along with garam masala.

• 1/2Teaspoon amchur powder (Dry mango powder) can be added to mutton along with garam masala.