Rajma and Missi Roti - A hearty rustic lunch

Rajma, Missi Roti and Musk melon - A hearty lunch. We had jeera rice too but I was too hungry to take a picture:)

The weather has been playing pranks again. In my last post I decided that we were going into an early autumn and we found the skies opening up during the last two days drenching us wet and proving me wrong:)!

My daughter has bounced back to her old self. Thanks to all those who were here wishing her well and those who thought of us in your good wishes. She wanted something really hearty and tasty after having survived on repeated doses of plain khichdi for a whole day and only rasam and rice the next day. I make rajma sometimes like this and sometimes a little different. No, not too differently, but I think the roasted flour makes this version quite 'saucy' - the recipe will come in the next post. Jr.H would have loved to have today's beans with garlic bread as I normally do that when I cook rajma this way but I was not in the mood to bake anything yeasty. This is the second time in a row - last time we ate the oven-dried tomatoes before I could top it.

"Is it going to be phulka or paratha?" She asked. I replied paratha and she wore a bored look but later when she saw the ingredients she guessed, "let me see. YEAH!! It is missi roti, isn't it?"

Missi roti is an unleavened bread from Rajasthan, the city famous for deserts, dunes and palaces. Missi roti is made with whole wheat flour and chickpea flour spiced with chillies, onions (optional) and red chilli powder. Optional additions are carom seeds (ajwain) and cumin seeds (jeera). It is believed that they help in preventing gas formation after consumption of 'chickpea'. Here is how I make it. We love the nutty aroma of besan(chickpea flour) so this perfectly agrees with all of us. Missi roti can be accompanied by any subzi but I like it with rajma or jalfrezi.

Dish: Missi Roti
Yield: About 10 5" round flatbreads
Time taken:30 minutes including resting time

Missi Roti - Besan and Atta roti from Rajasthan, India

Ingredients:
1 cup - Chickpea flour / Besan
1.5 cups - Wholewheat flour / Atta
2 - Green chillies
1/8 tsp. - turmeric powder (optional)
1/4 tsp. - red chilli powder (to taste)
2 tbsp. - finely chopped onions (optional)
1 tbsp. - Oil
2 tbsps. - coriander chopped fine
Salt to taste
Warm water to knead (Approx. 1/2 cup)

Method:
Mix the dry flours together with the other ingredients except water.

Add water a ladle at a time and bring the flour together into clumps.

Splash a little more water and knead with your hands to form a smooth dough. Add water little by little as besan tends to get sticky easily.

Grease lightly with a little oil and rest the dough for 10 minutes before making parathas.
Pinch out some dough and form a 1" smooth ball. Flatten and roll gently, dusting with whole wheat flour as and when needed, into a 4" circle.

You can bake it on a flat griddle at this stage but I like it better folded and baked. Here is how I do it.

Brush very little oil and roll from end into a rope. Roll the rope back and forth lengthening it by an inch.

Apply very little oil lengthwise and coil the rope into a circle again.

Flatten the circle slightly, dust with flour and again roll into a 4-5" circle.

Place on a moderately hot tawa. Flip a minute later, apply a little oil, spread it all over and flip again. Repeat and bake pressing with a ladle to help the layers puff slightly. When golden brown on both sides, remove and serve with subzi or rajma.

I will post the rajma in my next post.

The missi roti goes to Susan's 14th legume love affair.