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Tawa Ka Tikla

July 20, 2017 By appu Leave a Comment

Tawa ka Tikla

This is a classic dish made by Marwaris. It’s healthy, wholesome and extremely satisfying. As a kid, I took it for school lunch almost three times a week. It’s made with whole wheat flour, so – healthy!! Ghee – good fats! Ajwain – great digestive. Whats not to like. And it’s yummylicious to boot!

The name Tawa ka Tikla is derived from the fact that it is made on a tawa (girdle) and there is no roasting on direct fire – like the normal roti’s and chapattis. The other Tikla we make is fried in ghee. Lethally tasty – that one too!

When we were growing up, we had no gas stoves at home. We were as organic as it could get. The food was cooked on a mud stove, and charcoal was used to light the fire. Of course, the kitchen got as black as well -soot, but Oh My! the food that we ate had an aroma which no smoke machine can impart. All fresh, earthy and hearty!

The stove was large and there was additional place around to keep the ready food. All the dal, rice and veggies were kept in that area. It would be hot and therefore kept the food also piping hot. No reheating, no microwave. The chapati was made directly on coal – no smell of gas and no artificial flavours. The cook would dust off the soot, liberally dribble homemade ghee and serve it to us. And nowadays, we crave “wood-fired” pizza!!

My grand mom’s man Friday would clean the stove after every meal with water, washing away all remnants of food, leaving the place clean and shiny. We needed no pest control. The hot stove would allow no cockroaches to roost. The burnt coal was converted to ash, and that was used to wash the vessels. We had to recycle before it became a fancy word.

Once every few months the man Friday, would lovingly renew the stove with fresh mud and fill up the cracks and crevices.

The simple grub was nourishing and rich and healthy. I still maintain that I hated the veggies because it was insipid at it’s best. But that was the fault of the cook and not the system. I have still not eaten that kind of dal and chapati ever again.

My sister still makes this dish – Tawa ka Tikla. I had forgotten all about it until one day I got a longing and craving to eat this ghee laden yummy snack. I could eat only one, but back in school it was a staple and I could polish off a whole lot with pickle, in the name of lunch.

It’s very simple to make. It can be cooled and kept in an airtight container for a week plus.

SOME NOTES:

Enough ghee should be put into the dry ingredients so that the flour when closed into a fist stays intact and does not fall down and disintegrate like powder.

Warm water should be used to make the dough. Add it slowly, making the consistency a bit rubbery. Each flour quality reacts its own way, so a little more or less water might have to use, than specified in the recipe.

Please don’t try to go easy on the ghee. It’s a very indispensable ingredient and if you are following the latest health trends, – then – ghee is a vital and important fat and should be consumed in restrained quantities.

The holes are made, so that the Tikla does not puff up, and gets firm and semi-crisp, as you keep pressing and cooking it.

While rolling the dough, if it’s too sticky and is cracking and breaking up, it means that the dough needs more flour and a dribble of water. Add little at a time according to consistency.

Here is the video

http://therecipelarder.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/tawa-tikla-converted-with-Clipchamp.mp4

 

It’s an excellent and nutritive dish for kids tiffins, to keep as a quick snack. Top it with hummus, a mix of cucumber tomato kachumber, serve it with hot garlic chutney, with dry potato veggie – Just go for it. Dig in!!

I hope you make it and enjoy it. Cheers!

Tawa Ka Tikla
Print Recipe
Made with whole wheat flour, this traditional Marwari dish can take the place of a quick lunch, or a satisfying snack.
  • CourseBreakfast, Brunch, Snack
  • CuisineIndian
Servings Prep Time
12 - 15` pieces 10 minutes
Cook Time
15- 20 minutes
Servings Prep Time
12 - 15` pieces 10 minutes
Cook Time
15- 20 minutes
Tawa Ka Tikla
Print Recipe
Made with whole wheat flour, this traditional Marwari dish can take the place of a quick lunch, or a satisfying snack.
  • CourseBreakfast, Brunch, Snack
  • CuisineIndian
Servings Prep Time
12 - 15` pieces 10 minutes
Cook Time
15- 20 minutes
Servings Prep Time
12 - 15` pieces 10 minutes
Cook Time
15- 20 minutes
Ingredients
  • 2 Cups Whole Wheat flour (atta)
  • 1 Tspn salt
  • 1 1/2 Tbspn Ajwain (caraway seeds)
  • 1/3 Cup Ghee (for making the dough)
  • 1/3 Cup Ghee appx - for cooking the tikla
  • 1/2 Cup Plus Filtered water
Servings: pieces
Instructions
  1. Mix all the dry ingredients and give it a good whisk
  2. Heat the ghee mildly. You should be able to dip your finger into it.
  3. Add the ghee, and mix it well
  4. When the dough is held in your fist, it should not disintegrate and should hold for a few seconds.
  5. Once its mixed well, slowly add the water.
  6. Do not add it all at once
  7. Keep adding the water and keep kneading.
  8. The dough should be such that it's easily rollable, and not break when its being rolled.
  9. So if it breaks while rolling add a tspn or so of whole wheat flour and a dribble of water.
  10. This happens because the flour is not consistent in quality. Your flour could be different from mine. It could soak more water or less.
  11. Once the dough is ready, knead it on the counter.
  12. Make small balls and keep aside
  13. Roll each ball, on the counter into a small roti.
  14. Do not make it very thin. The video gives you an estimation.
  15. Once all the rotis are rolled, set the girdle on medium heat.
  16. Keep the ghee ready.
  17. Keep a ladle ready, which can help you press and flip the tikla.
  18. Once the girdle is warm, put the roti on it. You can put as many rotis as you like, as long as there is place for them to be flipped and not bang into each other and break.
  19. Once the girdle down side is semi cooked (see video), flip it.
  20. Add ghee to the top and to the sides (see video)
  21. Poke holes with the same spoon. Do so gently. It just needs some air perforation and does not need to go all the way through totally.
  22. Keep pressing and flipping.
  23. Do so till both sides are caramel brown.
  24. At this point it will be soft. It will harden a little more when it cools down.
  25. Blot on a kitchen towel.
  26. Keep cleaning your girdle intermittently, before cooking another lot, otherwise the left over oil will smoke and char your tikla.
  27. Serve hot, with mirchi (green chilly) ka or nimbu (lemon) ka achaar (pickle)
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Filed Under: Breakfast, Lunch, Snacks Tagged With: ashes, charcoal, easy food, ghee, Lunch, make and keep, marwari cuisine, mud stove, old culture, old fashioned, organic, rajasthan, recycle, satisfying, snacks, Staple, tawa ka tikla

Mango and Milk

May 16, 2016 By appu 4 Comments

I am off to the USA tonight – for 3 weeks. My daughter, backbone and sounding board, graduates in a few days. Life has come on a full turn for us very very proud parents. From a broken toothed sweet child, we see an independent, perfect-toothed young lady in her graduation gown, entering a brand new phase of life. I will put on a few pounds of pride weight on the 28th of May 2016!! Congratulations Kanak Somani. We love you!

Kanak loves this dish, and much as I would love to take some mangoes to USA, and make it for her, I have no intention to get delayed meeting my babies (the son meets us too!)  because of food and customs issues!!

mango milk - aka aam doodh

mango milk – aka aam doodh

————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Are you overdosed with Mango yet?? C’mon – it’s such a limited season. How can I refrain from posting these recipes? But this is the last one – I promise! And it’s the best one.

mango milk

mango milk

Mango milk – or Aam doodh as we call it in Hindi – was described to me by one of my favourite people – Manjari. Sister to my husband, and sister of my heart! I have always been a fan of milk. Of FULL FAT milk!! According to me, any other milk other than full fat should be fed to the calves. Watery skimmed milk is blemish to the world of dairy. I grew up drinking glasses and glasses of milk. I hated eating – it was a waste of time. Drinking milk, on the other hand, was quick and it was tasty. Till much, to my angst, I had to stop. I could no longer digest those copious quantities.

milk

milk

But once in a while, I still crave milk. And when that sweet Manjari mentioned this recipe I had to try it out. I make it once in a while during the mango season. And when I feed myself spoonfuls of mango soaked and rose water fragrant milk, I close my eyes and imagine my milk drinking days. I relish every single drop and spoon.

mango milk

mango milk

The tantalising flavour of mango, and milk with sugar and rose water can take you to a paradise like a garden, where the flowers are in full bloom, the wind balmy on your face and a small spring singing next to you. Bees are humming and butterflies that sit close to you, take off with a small flap of their wings after having their fill of nectar. The sun shines bright, through the shade of a mango tree. The fragrance of slowly ripening mangoes satiate your senses and send you to lethargic sleep. And when you wake up, you are pleased to no end!

Sigh!!!

Such is the charisma of this quick dish.

Whoever invented this recipe deserves a standing ovation and a lifetime supply of mangoes. And when mangoes are out of season, the supply will be of milk! This person should never be wanting off any of this two food, for the rest of her life!

Enjoy! Do let me know how you liked it.

PS: Mango milk uses Rose or Screwpine water. Please don’t mix water with essence. Water is an extract of the flower petals. It’s natural and organic. Essence is potent and most times has a chemical like aftertaste. So if you do use essence, use just a few drops. Vanilla essence will overpower the taste of mango, whereas these flower waters lend it an amazing balance.

More information on Screwpine Water here.

 

Mango and Milk
Print Recipe
Charming mango and milk dish.
  • CourseBreakfast, Brunch, Dessert, Side Dish, Snack
  • CuisineIndian
Servings Prep Time
1 person 10 minutes
Passive Time
4 hours
Servings Prep Time
1 person 10 minutes
Passive Time
4 hours
Mango and Milk
Print Recipe
Charming mango and milk dish.
  • CourseBreakfast, Brunch, Dessert, Side Dish, Snack
  • CuisineIndian
Servings Prep Time
1 person 10 minutes
Passive Time
4 hours
Servings Prep Time
1 person 10 minutes
Passive Time
4 hours
Ingredients
  • 250 ml Full fat milk
  • 2 Tspn sugar
  • 2 Tspn Rose / Screwpine water (Gulab or Kewra water)
  • 1 Mango
Servings: person
Instructions
  1. Add sugar to the milk and stir to dissolve it. Use a large container. The milk will chill faster, and you need to dip your hand into it for a later step.
  2. Chill.
  3. Peel and cut the mango into cubes. Keep aside.
  4. Take the seed of the mango, and dipping it into the milk with your hands, rub all the pulp into the milk.
  5. Stir and add the mango cube.
  6. Add the rose or screwpine water and stir again.
  7. Chill for 2 hours minimum. The flavour of the rose/screwpine water seaps in, as does that of the mango pulp and pieces.
  8. Serve chilled.
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Filed Under: Beverages, Breakfast, Desserts Tagged With: chilled, cold, full fat milk, Mango, milk, yum

Strawberry Jam – no preservatives.

April 19, 2016 By appu 3 Comments

Sincere apologies for not posting a recipe sooner.

We were on holiday in Japan – (more details here – in a few days). It was hectic and beautiful, raw, and a completely new experience for us. PS – you must have seen the Instagram updates? I posted all the different kinds of food we ate there.  (I hope you are connected to my Instagram? It’s the same as the name of the blog – therecipelarder)

We have a farm in Mahabaleshwar. It’s 2 years old, and we have managed this year, to grow loads and loads of veggies. By the time I made the strawberry jam, the temperatures were already soaring and some of the vegetable plants had lost their jive. But the ones that live, fill me with awe. Awe because – hey! we are growing and eating our own vegetables. That’s a big dream come true for me.

Fresh Garlic bulbs

Fresh Garlic bulbs

Cherry Tomatoes

Cherry Tomatoes

Chillies - green and red

Chillies – green and red

Bottle gourd.

Bottle gourd.

Just a year ago the farm was a barren land of red mud and stones. The only greenery that could be seen was the forest surrounding the farm. As it is, because of the heavy rains in Mahabaleshwar, we have restricted variety of flora and fauna. While the fruits are not plenty, vegetables seem to thrive there. Especially the ones which grow on the ground (bottle gourd, watermelon, strawberry.) and vegetable plants which have not very huge tall growing stems.

Mulberries and strawberries prosper there. They grow easily and aplenty.

strawberry in the field

strawberries

closeup of mulberry

pink and black mulberries

mulberries in all stages.

mulberries in all stages

I got this recipe from a long time Mahabaleshwar resident. Mr Jaysing Mariwala. (read about him in the link!) He told me to wait till the fag end of the strawberry season, to make the Jam. The reason, he said was because the strawberries are more sugary, plumb and juicier after the sun gets stronger, post-winter.

strawberry jam on dig

The variety we grow is called Sweet Charlie. They are smaller than the other varieties and sweeter and the same time there is a subtle tartness to it. And unfortunately, the shelf life is very small too.

The strawberries are first mixed with sugar and lemon ( since no pectin is used – lemon acts as a preservative). Then they are crushed by hand (and oh! the fragrance!) and left in the sun for a few days. Since Mahabaleshwar sun is hot and intense I love making the Jam there.

strawberry jam with strawberries

Strawberry Jam, with no pectin.
Print Recipe
Hand made, sun soaked, no perservative. The best chunky strawberry jam recipe. All Natural.
  • CourseSauces and Jams
Servings Prep Time
1,750 kg 30 min
Cook Time Passive Time
1.5 hours 3-5 days
Servings Prep Time
1,750 kg 30 min
Cook Time Passive Time
1.5 hours 3-5 days
Strawberry Jam, with no pectin.
Print Recipe
Hand made, sun soaked, no perservative. The best chunky strawberry jam recipe. All Natural.
  • CourseSauces and Jams
Servings Prep Time
1,750 kg 30 min
Cook Time Passive Time
1.5 hours 3-5 days
Servings Prep Time
1,750 kg 30 min
Cook Time Passive Time
1.5 hours 3-5 days
Ingredients
Ingredients
  • 2 kgs Strawberries washed, dried and leaves removed.
  • 900 gms fine grained sugar
  • 3 pieces lemons deseeded and quatered.
Other stuff
  • large steel vessel
  • net cover
  • steel plate left in ice compartment.
  • sugar thermometer
  • plate of ice
Servings: kg
Instructions
  1. Clean and quater the strawberries. Don't make very small pieces. Add sugar, strawberries and lemon together in the vessel. Take care that no lemon seed gets into the mixture.
  2. Clean your hands well, and crush the mixture, using palms and fingers. Keep scooping the mixture and crushing it, till you feel most of the strawberries have been crushed at least twice.
  3. While doing this, see that you take the lemon pieces from the mixture and crush those too. Don't crush lemon too many times or too hard as your jam could get a bit bitter. Just give them a good rub with your thumb and fingers.
  4. Once you are satisfied that your strawberries are crushed to your liking, clean the sides of the vessel, cover it with the net, place it in a plate of water (ants!) and set it in the sun. At this point, please know that there is no step later on to pulp the strawberries further. So if you want gooey fine jam, crush the strawberries some more. Though for this recipe I recommend chunky strawberries.
  5. The mixture will kind of bubble in the sun. You don't particularly need to stir it. Just let it soak in the sun.
  6. When you feel the sugar has melted, and the strawberries have kind of fermented, its time to make the Jam. (The mixture will have frothy bubbles, and no grain of sugar will be seen)
  7. Set the vessel on high flame and start cooking it. V V IMP - Keep stirring the jam continuously. I cannot stress strongly enough on this very important point.
HOW DO YOU KNOW JAM IS DONE
  1. The jam should start looking thicker. All the sugar should have melted and evaporated. The colour should have got darker.
  2. TO TEST--- Set a metal plate in the ice compartment. When you feel that the jam is coagulated enough, take out a spoon and set it on the plate. Remove the plate from the ice compartment only when you are ready to do this step. Set the plate back in the ice compartment for 2 min. Take it out - if the mixture has set on the plate (a little like jelly), your jam is ready to be taken off the heat. Alternately - use a sugar thermometer. The jam sets at 105 Deg C. (220 Deg F)
  3. Set it immediately on a plate of ice, to stop the cooking.
  4. Let it cool, and bottle in sterile jars. Be patient. The Jam might look a bit runny at first. After a few days it will set a little more. Don't declare it a failure immediately.
    Let it cool, and bottle in sterile jars. 
Be patient. The Jam might look a bit runny at first. After a few days it will set a little more. Don't declare it a failure immediately.
Recipe Notes

Experiment with flavours -

Add a bit of fresh Rosemary, just at the end stage of cooking?

Ginger - grated - again at the end of the cooking stage.!!

Mix some very coarsely crushed black pepper. Imagine that flavour, sweet with a hint of pepper at the end.

The flavours you can play around with are limitless. Let your thoughts run wild.

 

How to sterilise the jars ?

Well I just put them in the washing machine, with the water set to very hot.

It comes out dry and clean.

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Since the jam has no preservative, you will need to refrigerate it. I live in Mumbai, where the humidity levels are very high and the heat higher. So I have no choice.

strawberry jam

strawberry jam jar

Filed Under: Breakfast, Cakes, Sauces Tagged With: canned goods, home made, mahabaleshwar, no pectin, no preservative, organic, strawberry jam

Meet the Author

For the 21 years and some months that I have been alive, there has been this crazy, eccentric, always-charged-up woman with a full-time job of being a mother to 6 (2 children, 4 dogs).

In her spare time she blasts music on her DJ console, reads like a maniac, downloads shows (because God forbid she runs out of something to watch), runs an entire household, and to top it all off, manages a very successful catering business which makes the most delicious food in the entire world. Once you have her food, everything else will taste like stale socks.

This is what you call "Maa ke haath ka khana".

- Kanak

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