Radish Green Subji with Bajra Roti

For winters, bajra is good for the body as it produces heat. It is also a very healthy, gluten free diet with very good taste and flavor. Bajra roti with radish green subji is a great combo; we got introduced to it in our childhood by our family friend, Urmila Aunty. Thanks to her, it has been one of our favorites for cool winters.

Original recipe Source: Urmila aunty

Ingredients:

For Roti:
1. Bajra flour - 2 cups
2. Salt as per taste
3. Oil - 1 tbsp
4. Ajwain - 1/2 tsp
5. Butter/ oil/ghee - 2 tbsp

For Subji:
1. Radish greens - 1 bunch
2. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
3. Carom seeds -1/2 tsp
4.Asafoetida - 1 pinch
5. Salt to taste
6. Chili powder - 1 tsp
7. Dry mango powder - 1/2 tsp

Method:

For Roti:
Step 1: Mix all the given ingredients and then add water little at a time and mix until you get a soft dough. Leave it for 15 minutes.
Step 2: Divide into portions that make 2.5" diameter ball. Pat it into 0.5 cm thick circles using a plastic cover so that it peels of easily.
Step 3: Heat a tawa, grease butter/ oil/ ghee and roast it on both the sides well. Make rotis on medium heat to ensure it is cooked well in the center. Keep pressing with flat ladle on the surface of the roti while cooking to avoid cracking and for uniform cooking.

For Subji:
Step 1: Clean and wash the radish greens and then finely chop them.
Step 2: Heat oil in a pan, crackle cumin seeds and carom seeds, sprinkle asafoetida and then add the chopped radish greens.
Step 3: Saute for a minute and then cover with a lid. Stirring occasionally, cook until the green is soft.
Step 4: Then add salt, chili powder and dry mango powder. Toss for another 2 minutes and switch off.
Step 5: Serve hot with bajra roti.

TIPS:
* I used dry mango powder as I went out of stock of tomatoes; I think that's used in the original recipe.  Using tomatoes gives it a moist texture and more tangy taste.
* Shredded jaggery is another superhit combo with bajra roti.
* Don't mistake the whitish pieces in the subji for onions, they are the baby radishes that came with the bunch of greens :)

Simple fine salad

We had our lunch at Cholaiyil Sanjeevanam yesterday. I would say it was a heaven on plate, ok...plantain leaf; very wholesome it was :)
The Rajakeeyam, royal lunch started with five super shots namely 1. Dates juice 2. Nuts milkshake 3. Salted vegetable stock 4. Minted buttermilk 5. Flavored rice starch followed by several morsels of vegetables; uncooked, semi-cooked and fully cooked that included plantain stem, plantain flower, squash, pumpkin, green leafy vegetables and others. Then both steamed red rice and white rice were served with pureed dal, sambar, morkuzhambu, rasam and buttermilk along with paruppu payasam. The food served is said to be had in the same order of serving for best results ;) After you are done, they pour a spoon of honey into your palm that is said to help digestion and finally will be given a natural beeda along with the nominal bill of Rs.220 per Rajakeeyam lunch. Good lunch :) :) :)

Original recipe Source: Sanjeevanam restaurant

I tried something with this inspiration at home today for lunch but very few items relatively.

1. Beet root soup
2. Simple fine salad
3. Plantain stem raita
4. Steamed cabbage salad
5. Plain rice
6. Capsicum sambar
7. Roasted papad
8. Cumin flavored buttermilk

We both usually have max of 3 items (rice, vegetable, curry) for a meal. But it was so good to have many items in a single meal, its a balanced one, huh :)

In this post I share the simple fine salad that is not the imitation but the inspiration from rajakeeyam salad. I think they had mixed chopped cabbage, beet root, raw mango with some salt. So simple yet tasty. My version below:

Ingredients:

1. Cabbage - 1 cup finely chopped
2. Beetroot - 1/2 cup finely chopped
3. Onion - 1/4 cup finely chopped
4. Lemon - 1/2
5. Salt to taste
6. Pepper powder - 1 pinch

Method:

Step 1: Mix all the ingredients and serve chilled.

TIPS:
* You can also add vegetables like carrot, capsicum, etc.
* For more spicy salad, add finely chopped green chilies and season with cut coriander leaves.

Mooli Paratha

Mooli paratha is a very good option to use the radishes for people who do not like them in salads or subjis. Some people make stuffed parathas with radish and some saute the radish before adding but I make a simple  and hastle free version of mooli paratha that I've shared here.

Original recipe Source: No specific source

Ingredients:

1. Radish - 3 small

2. Green chilies - 2

3. Salt as required

4. Wheat flour - 2 1/2 cups

5. Carom seeds - 1/4 tsp

6. Oil - 1 tbsp

7. Butter - 3 tbsp (optional)

Method:

Step 1: Wash, peel and grate the radishes; add little salt and keep it covered for 5 minutes. 

Step 2: In a mixing bowl take wheat flour, salt, carom seeds, oil and  chopped green chilies.

Step 3: When you open the grated radish, you'll see the juice of radish has come out. Now, squeeze the juice in a cup tightly with your fist and add the dry grated radish into the mixing bowl. 

Step 4: Mix the dry ingredients well; then add the extracted radish juice to the dough and mix to get a soft dough. Keep aside for 10 minutes.

Step 5: Divide the dough into equal sized portions say 6 -8 in number. Roll them into flat circles with the help of dry flour.

Step 6: Heat the tawa, grease with some butter and roast one side of the paratha, when you see brown spot on it and bubbles on the other side flip to the other side and roast with some more butter. You can dry roast them or use oil or ghee. 

Step 7: Serve hot with pickle and curds.

TIPS:
* For me usually there would not be need for adding more water as the juice would give enough moisture. In case you use less radish relatively or if the radish that you use is dry, add some plain water.
* If the dough becomes too gummy add some more flour.