Day 18 of Lockdown: Innovative and tasty indian food recipes to try during lockdown

We are all adapting and cooking food with the ingredients available in our kitchens. This is the time when we put our minds and cook innovative dishes with the available items. Here are a few tasty dishes that you can try to cook at home.

 Breakfast Meal Recipe - Paneer Kulcha

These yummy kulchas are made with a spiced paneer filling.

 Preparation Time: 2 Hours 30 Minutes

Cooking Time: 30 Minutes

 INGREDIENTS

- For kulcha dough

1. 1 cup whole wheat flour 
2. 1 cup all-purpose flour
3. ¼ tsp baking soda
4. 2 tbsp curd
5. 1 tbsp oil or ghee
6. 1 tbsp sugar
7. 1 tsp salt or add as required
8. ⅓ to ½ cup water or as required

 - For stuffing

1. 200 grams paneer
2. 3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
3. 1 or 2 green chillies, chopped
4. ¼ tsp red chilli powder
5. ¼ tsp garam masala powder
6. ¼ tsp ajwain
7. ½ tsp dry mango powder
8. salt to taste
9. oil or ghee
10. butter
11. sesame seeds

 INSTRUCTIONS  

1. Add all the above-mentioned ingredients for kulcha dough except for water. Mix well
2. Add 1/4 cup of water and keep adding water in parts while kneading the dough. Mix and start kneading.
3. Make a smooth and soft dough. Cover it up and keep it aside for about 2 hours.
4. Crumble or grate the paneer and add all the herbs, spice powders and salt to it. Mix well
5. Taste it and add more salt, green chillies, red chilli powder, garam masala powder and dry mango powder. Cover it and keep it aside.
6. After 2 hours, knead the kulcha dough again and make medium sized balls from it. Keep the dough balls covered for about 15 to 20 minutes before you proceed.
7. Dust the dough balls with a little whole wheat flour and roll them into 5-6 inch circles.
8. Put 2 to 3 tbsp paneer stuffing in the centre. Bring its edges together and join them at the centre. Press at the top and sprinkle a few sesame seeds on it.
9. Sprinkle some flour on it and roll to a large round of 6 to 7 inches.
10. On a hot tava, place the paneer stuffed kulcha.
11. Flip to the other side when this side is partly cooked. Spread ghee or oil on this side and flip again. Put some ghee or oil on this side as well.
12. Flip a few more times while making sure it is cooked and browned.
13. Put ½ to 1 tsp butter and spread it on the kulcha. Serve it hot.

Lunch Meal - Litti Chokha

It is a traditional dish of Bihar and Jharkhand.

Litti Chokha Recipe:

Preparation Time: 1 Hour

Cooking Time: 45 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

- For the outer cover of litti

1. 2 cups whole wheat flour
2. ¼ tsp salt
3. 1 tsp ghee or oil
4. ¾ to 1 cup water

- For stuffing of Litti

1. 1 cup sattu
2. ½ tsp cumin seeds
3. ½ tsp saunf 
4. ½ tsp ajwain
5. ½ tsp nigella seeds (kalonji)
6. ½ tsp red chilli powder
7. 1 to 2 tsp chopped green chillies
8. 1 tsp finely chopped ginger
9. 1 tsp finely chopped garlic
10. 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
11. ¼ tsp black salt
12. salt to taste
13. 2 tsp lemon juice
14. 2 tsp mustard oil
15. 1 to 2 tbsp of water or as required

 - To serve

1. baingan chokha
2. tomato chokha
3. aloo chokha
4. ¼ cup melted ghee or as required

INSTRUCTIONS

- Make dough

1. Take 2 cups whole wheat flour and 1/4 tsp salt in a bowl and add 1 tbsp ghee or oil to it. Mix well.
2. Add water in parts and knead the dough until it is smooth. Cover and keep it aside.

- Make stuffing

1. Take 1/2 tsp cumin seeds and 1/2 tsp saunf in a mortar pestle and crush them. Keep it aside.
2. Take 1 cup sattu in a bowl or pan and add the crushed seeds. Then add the ingredients mentioned above under "for stuffing of litti."
3. Then, add 2 tsp lemon juice and 2 tsp mustard oil to it and mix well.
4. Sprinkle 1-2 tbsp water all over and mix the flour with water. Stuffing mixture should neither be too dry or too wet.

- Shaping litti

1. After half hour, make small balls from the dough. Roll these dough balls into 5-6 inch circles.
2. Put 2-3 tbsp of the stuffing in the centre of the circle. Get its end together and join them. Now, press the joined part and roll the ball using palms in a round ball.
3. Keep the littis under a napkin. Make all the littis and then place them on a baking tray, greased with a little oil. The baking tray needs to be greased well.

- Baking litti

1. Place them in a preheated oven at 200 degrees celsius. Before you start baking, Preheat the oven for about 20 minutes at 200-degree celsius.
2. After about 10-15 minutes of baking, flip each litti and put the tray back in the oven.
3. After another 10-15 minutes, remove the tray and flip all the littis. Put it back again and repeat one or two more times.
4. Bake the littis till its crust is done with light brown spots on them. It may take around 45 minutes to bake these.
5. Brush them with melted ghee all over. Serve these with the chokha. Dip the litti in ghee after breaking it and then eat with the chokha.

- Baingan chokha

1. Rinse 1 baingan in water and put it on a wired rack on a stovetop. Keep turning it after 2-3 minutes on the flame making sure it gets cooked evenly.
2. Check if it is done using a knife. It should slide easily in baingan. Now put the baingan in a bowl of water to cool it.
3. Peel and chop it. Then, add it in a bowl and add chopped ingredients - ⅓ cup onions, ½ tsp green chillies, ½ tsp garlic and 1-2 tsp coriander leaves.
4. Add 1 tsp mustard oil. Add salt and mix.

- Tomato chokha

1. Rinse 2 tomatoes in water and roast them on the stovetop. Turn them and roast evenly. They should get charred.
2. Roast till they are completely cooked and check using a knife. Let them cool and peel them. Now chop them and put in a bowl.
3. Add chopped ingredients - ½ tsp green chillies, ½ tsp garlic, 1 tbsp coriander leaves, ½ tsp mustard oil and ½ tsp lemon juice to it. Add salt and mix.

- Aloo chokha

1. Boil 2 potatoes till they are completely cooked. Let them cool down.
2. Peel and mash them. Add chopped ingredients - 1/3 cup onion, 1/2 tsp green chillies, ½ tsp garlic, ½ tsp mustard oil and ½ tsp lemon juice to it and mix well.

Dinner Meal - Dal Fry

Dal fry is a popular Indian dish made using pigeon pea lentils, onions, tomatoes and spices.

Dal Fry Recipe:

Preparation Time: 15 Minutes

Cooking Time: 10 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

- To pressure cook

1. ½ cup tuvar dal (arhar dal)
2. 1.5 cups water for pressure cooking

- For dal fry

1. 1 onion, finely chopped
2. 1 tomato, finely chopped
3. 2 green chillies, chopped
4. 2 to 3 dry red chillies
5. 10 to 12 curry leaves
6. ½ inch ginger + 3 to 4 garlic crushed
7. ½ to ¾ tsp black mustard seeds
8. 1 tsp cumin seeds
9. 1-2 pinches hing
10. ½ tsp turmeric powder
11. ½ tsp red chilli powder
12. 1 tsp Kasuri methi
13. ¼ to ½ tsp garam masala powder
14. 2 to 3 tbsp oil or ghee
15. ½ to 1 tsp lemon juice
16. 1 to 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
17. 1 to 1.5 cups water
18. salt to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Take ½ cup tuvar dal and rinse it in water for a few times.
2. Add the dal in a pressure cooker, add a pinch of turmeric powder and 1.5 cups water.
3. Let it Pressure cook for about 8-9 whistles on a medium flame till it is cooked. Now mash the dal gently using a whisk or a spoon. Keep aside.
4. Take another pan and heat oil or ghee and add the mustard. Wait till it splitters.
5. Then, add the cumin and saute. Add the onions and saute till they turn light brown in colour.
6. Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute for a few seconds and then add the green chillies, red chillies, curry leaves and stir it well.
7. Add rest of the spice powders. Stir and saute.
8. Add the tomatoes and cook till they are soft and oil starts to release from the sides.
9. Add the mashed dal, water and salt as required. Stir properly and let it simmer for about 4-5 minutes until you achieve the desired consistency. It should be of medium consistency.
10. Add crushed Kasuri methi and garam masala powder. Let it simmer for a minute. Switch off the flame and add chopped coriander leaves.

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here are some interesting recipes that you can try for the coming few days while we all are stuck in our homes during this lockdown.

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