Receta Punjab -- Makki di Roti & Sarson ka Saag
Method:
Combine all the ingredients. Add some hot water and knead the dough into a smooth, pliable dough.
Since there is no gluten in corn flour, it is not possible to roll them out like regular rotis. Rotis have to be pressed out with fingers on a well greased plastic ziploc bag or something that helps to make the rotis and transfer them without breaking onto the tawa/ griddle.
Heat a griddle/ tawa. Grease a plastic ziploc bag. Divide the dough into lemon size balls. Flatten a ball on the bag and using your fingers press it out into a fairly round and even roti. If you have never made rotis with gluten free flour, this is quite a frustrating process -- there will be lot of cursing, crying and yelling while making the rotis. But keep faith, even if the rotis break -- they will still taste good. So keep making the rotis, no matter how broken and ugly they look. Check out DK's post for step by step pics.
Carefully transfer the roti onto the hot tawa. Cook till brown spots appear on both sides. Brush with ghee and serve them hot.
Sarson ka Saag:
To go with the makki di rotis, I made Sarson ka Saag, a delicious curry made with greens. I actually made this dish quite a few times after seeing it on Nupurs blog few years back. It uses broccoli rabe, which is easy to get here in US, instead of mustard greens. I added some grated paneer because I had some in the fridge and a dish without paneer for Punjab seemed 'not right' for me.
- Broccoli Rabe - 3cups, chopped
- Spinach - 10oz. frozen spinach
- Paneer - ½cup, grated (optional)
- Green chilies - 2
- Besan/ Chickpea flour - 1tbsp
- Onions - 2 large, chopped
- Ginger+garlic paste - 2tsp
- Tomato puree - 1cup
- Turmeric - ¼tsp
- Red Chili powder - 1tsp (adjust per taste)
- Garam Masala - ½tsp
- Heavy Cream - 2~3tbsp
- Salt - to taste
Method:
Pressure cook broccoli rabe with 1½cups of water for 1~2 whistles. When the cooker is cool enough to handle, add the frozen spinach and besan into the cooked broccoli rabe. Mix well and mash with the back of a spoon -- or use an immersion blender to get a smooth consistency.
In a large pan, heat 1tbsp oil, saute onions till lightly browned around the edges. Add ginger+garlic paste and cook for 1~2 minutes.
Add turmeric, red chili powder and salt; mix well and cook for 1 more minute.
Add tomato puree and cook for 3~4 minutes. Cover the pan if the curry starts to splutter.
Next add the pureed or mashed greens, bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
Finally add garam masala and paneer, mix well and cook for 2 more minutes before turning off the heat.
Serve with makki di roti and Enjoy!! I also made a simple dal tadka and jeera rice for a filling meal.