BDC – Chef Jyoti Sharma

Mom of three kids who keep finding new ways of incorporating healthy eating habits in them . Her creative passions meets culinary in a unique way in her  expressive  art of cooking. She likes to share  recipes  on her portal with friends and  likes to get inspired by many of her peers who she believe is has something nice to share . Like every woman who is inspired by her own mom, she takes pride in cooking with love, just like her mom.
Her other creative passions also involves services to arts and music community despite of holding a professional IT background. 

Daal ( Serves 4)
Ingredients:
1 and half cup – Tuvar Daal Soaked and cooked in at least 6-7 cups of water as this will have to boil for good amount of time after seasoning .I like with tuvar daal as most authentic , but there are various combinations of daal made in different versions.
For seasoning :
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp funnel seeds
1 tsp coriander seed powder
1/4 tsp mustard seeds (Rai)
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
1/8 tsp of asetafisode ( hing)
1/4 tsp turmeric
5-6 curry leaves 
1 chopped tomato
1 or 2 green or red Chilli 
1/2 ginger paste
3/4 tsp sugar or jaggery  (optional or to taste)
1/2/ to 3/4 tsp lemon juice
Salt to taste 
Red chilli powder to taste
1 tsp fresh coriander leaves
1 tsp oil or Ghee
Method:
Heat the Oil or ghee good enough.
Throw in cummin ,rai, Jira ,funnel seeds,fenugreek seeds ,asetafisode, chillies,curry leaves,hing and let it splutter, add turmeric , chilli powder,coriander powder  and roast for few seconds ( careful not to burn it.)
Add chopped tomato and ginger paste  , let it roast  in oil and seasoning
Add sugar and lemon juice ( this can be added later too)
Add the boiled daal,salt to taste and boil it for 10 to 15 minutes  or till it thicken a bit.The divine aroma will start coming .
Switch off the gas ,add the finely chopped coriander leaves and give it  a stir.

Bati or Bafla ( Bun shaped Indian Bread )
For 8 Baflas or Batis
Ingredients:
1 cup of Ghee for dipping  ( you may use butter if you like, its optional)
2 cup whole wheat regular flour
1  cup bhakhari flour ( its a coarsely ground whole wheat flour)
3 tbsp of Curd
3 tbsp oil
Luke warm water for kneading the dough .
1/4 tsp Ajwain (Optional)
Salt to taste
Mix well all the above ingredients to form a dough and keep folding for 10 to 15 minutes .The consistency of dough should a bit lose than the regular chapati dough for Bafla .Although for Bati the consistency can be kept same as chapati flour or bit tighter as we don’t boil the dough.
Let the dough sit for 30 to 40 minutes
Mean while keep enough water in a pot to boil ,you may add a ting of turmeric and oil in this water .
Start making  round balls and press in center slightly  to make a bun shape and throw in the boiling water when ready. ( This step of boiling is skipped if you want it as Bati, put it in Oven without boiling).
Let the dough boil for at least 15 minutes  , its done when you see it floating on surface .
Remove baflas from water and let it set on side till all water is drained 
Meanwhile preheat oven for 400′ F 
Throw  the boiled  bafla  in oven for 400’F for 15 to 20 minutes ( depending on the oven you are using ) 
Note that if you have pizza stone ,it will work great ,or else place it on aluminum foil or baking tray in an oven.
You may turn it other way to bake if you see that it needs to brown a little bit and let it bake for another 10 minutes.  Note that you may want it just brown  as its already cooked from  when you boiled it .Thus it’s crisp from outside and soft from inside and can be easily broken or cut.
Remove from oven and set it on side .Take a ghee or butter in a bowl and melt it , dip the whole Bafla/bati  in it before serving .Using ghee is optional    but traditionally it’s  served  with ghee,  Daal , Churma /laddo and any  traditional dry curry on side. Its  very filling and can leave you snoring for hours …..enjoy that deep sleep ….I like to make it for Sunday lunch for lazy Sunday afternoons.

 
                                        Stuffed bell pepper rings (appetizer)
For Stuffing :
1 cup grated tofu ( optionally paneer or cheese ) 
1 tablespoon all purpose flour or besan 
Pieces of 1 brown or white bread  
Salt to taste
1 pinch turmeric
1 pinch of ground black pepper
1 small boiled mashed potato 
1/4 teaspoon of any spices of your taste pallet like italian seasoning /taco seasoning/tikka masala
1-2 tablespoon of oil for brushing
1 chopped green chillies – optional
1 tablespoon of  finely cut onion- optional
(You may try different stuffing if any flavor as far as the it appeals to your taste buds.)
2 any colored Bell  pepper, cut horizontally into a ring shape, not too thin, remove the seeds and cut remove anything extra in there. Also discard the end portion that is not shaped like ring . mostly the middle hollow portion of bell pepper is used. Sprinkle salt on these cut rings and leave aside for 10 minutes.
Mix all the ingredients for stuffing to make it into a batter like consistency. 
Preheat the griddle and brush with some oil. 
First lay the bell peppers and then start spreading the stuffing in the inside of the bell pepper rings and press slightly. Let it sit on griddle on medium – high flame and keep lightly pressing. Turn it just when you see the slight hue of brown – I like to retain the color of pepper and its firmness  while grilling but you have an option to grill it more to get the smokey flavor. However be careful not to over grill and loose the shape of pepper in the process. 
Once you have Grilled  on both the sides a savory aroma mixed with the flavor of bell pepper can be smelled. Serve was with green Chattni or ketch up.