Makki di rotti te saron da saag...There are so many photos of the saag preparation and a tutorial to make the makki di rotti , so no foodie blabber this time . Straight to business.
The first step is quite time consuming . It is advisable to wash and clean the leafy greens in advance , boil them with the needed things and freeze it for future use. Thereafter your job will be easier whenever you want this for lunch or dinner.
500gm of spinach , 250 gm of bathua , 250 gm of fenugreek greens, and a kilo of mustard greens . This much of greens you have to chop roughly and then boil with a cupful of chana daal , one chopped onion, 2 inch piece ginger chopped and a few green chillies. I prefer to pressure cook for 10 minutes after the first whistle.
Blend this mixture . I prefer a coarse textured saag so i blend it coarsely , you can blend it smooth if you want the other way. After this the saag can be froze for later use , tempering with the tadka whenever required...
For the tadka , heat mustard oil or ghee in a kadai and throw in some cumin seeds and coriander seeds (must use this), Then add some coarsely ground onion, ginger,garlic and green chillies...stir fry till cooked but no need to brown them.
Add the everyday curry powder , a generous pinch of garam masala and fry till the spices get aromatic. sprinkling some water to prevent the mixture from burning .
Make a coarse paste of fresh tomatoes and add to the frying mixture , add salt and fry till the tomatoes get cooked .
The cooked mixture looks like this...Add red chilly powder if you like it hot . I don't add red chilly powder normally. Some times i add boiled peas at this stage.
Now the coarse paste of the saag goes in , mix well and let it simmer for 5 minutes . A little bit of roasted and powdered kassori methi makes the saag very aromatic . Add it and let the saag be covered for a few miutes , off heat , before serving.
Topped with white butter , piping hot . Makki ki roti on the side , white butter melting teasingly. Many people can't imagine makki ki roti without butter , but i like it both ways , with butter or without it.
Another day , we had it with amul butter for dinner . The night picture is here.......
smoke et al...
As i said , and you all know for sure, making the makki ki roti is a matter of practice . With the right instructions , the task becomes workable though . So the instructions with my tips are here to follow...
I made just one roti for lunch one day just for myself. That day i decided to take pictures as there was ample time to indulge in taking pictures , washing hands , taking pictures , washing hands..... you understand what it means when we have only two hands...
1/2 cup of makki ka atta (corn meal) in a bowl , pour hot water over it (about 70 degree C)
Mix well using all fingers , knead with a rubbing motion so that the dough becomes soft . The corn dough has less pliability so it helps to rub it more so that the bindins is right . As you rub , adding more water if needed , it takes more water than wheat flour, the dough becomes smoother and softer.
Make a smooth ball...
Dust with flour...I used wheat flour as the corn meal we use is a bit coarse , not suited for dusting...
Use the rolling pin to roll the roti with soft hands , not a very smooth edge but that is fine..my mother used to make perfectly smooth rotis with makki ka atta...
This roti is a bit thicker than chapati , some people can make it very thin too , mine is a mediocre score...lifting up the roti from the rolling board can be tricky . Still no worries...lift the rolling board ( i have a light weight aluminum rolling board so it's easy for me , a stone rolling board will be difficult to lift and invert) ...invert it and take to roti on your other hand , now flip to the tawa/pan.
Let it brown lightly both sides , then bring it to naked flame and let it puff up..
Or a bit of ghee can be applied to the roti like we make parathas and that way too it is good . If i am planning to do that i normally add some methi leaves and salt to the dough and the methi wali makki ki roti is even more flavorful...
Serve hot with butter or without it...
Who says our traditional khana is not healthy...what can be more healthy that this...
This platter of makki ki roti and sarson ka saag has brought many complements to me , many emotional ones too , as this kinda food brings back memories , nostalgia and a pure sense of contentment .... making this at home is always like a great indulgence for me....
