Monday, February 8, 2021

Lauki (Gardudde/ Bottle Gourd)- Rava Bhakri (Dosa).


“Lauki (Gardudde/ Bottle Gourd)- Rava Bhakri (Dosa)” … Bhakri is a simple and easy to prepare delicious snack from Konkani Saraswat Cuisine usually prepared with Rava and served for breakfast … I love preparing them with addition of different veggies or flours in mix and match and they have always turned out great in taste … here is a scrumptious one with addition of gardudde … turned out soft and yummilicious …

** Once again, I bring another combo of my favorite Bhakri, a dish I love to prepare with lots of variations more so during upwas/ fasting days for lunch. We love having this for lunch as it not only fills the tummy but also is an allowed item that we Konkani Saraswats relish on fasting days as we avoid only non-veg. onion, garlic, rice and rice items. The traditional method of preparing bhakri is by adding freshly grated coconut to rava with some spices which I have included before, you can check out the same by either using label option or going via a common link to all bhakri items shared in the blog which is at the bottom of this recipe.

** With changing times and after going through a very hard period of almost an year of 2020 due to pandemic covid, people have now become more cautious about food and stick many a times to home cooked ones. Personally in my home we have drastically cut down on outside food for over a decade now and hardly have them, except on rare occasion or if we are attending functions. Addition of veggies to bhakri turns it softer and increases its nutritional value which is a boon as children are otherwise fussy about eating them. This time I have added in grated lauki/bottle gourd which is excellent for overall health, so try it out.

** Here is my simple method of preparing healthy~delicious “Lauki (Gardudde/ Bottle Gourd)- Rava Bhakri (Dosa)”... My Style ....

** Ingredients :
Rava (Bombay Rava)/ Rulav : 2 cups
Wheat Flour/ Govan peetHa / Atta : 2 tblsp
Curds/ Dahi : ¼ cup.
Lauki/ Bottle Gourd/ Gardudde : 1 cup grated without outer peel.
Green Chillies/ Hirvi Mirchi/ Tarni Mirsang : 5-6 cut into pieces
Curry Leaves/ Kaditpatta/ Karbevu : 5-6 finely chopped.
Coriander Leaves/ Dhania/ Kottambari Pallo : 1-2 tblsp finely chopped
Hing/ Asafoetida Powder : 1 tsp
Salt/ Namak/ Meeta : to taste

** Oil for frying the bhakri.

** In a large wide stainless steel bowl add in the grated lauki/ gardudde, finely chopped green chillies, hing, salt to taste, curds, curry leaves, coriander leaves and mix well. Now add in the wheat flour and rava and further mix well adding only that much water how much is necessary to get a semi thick bhakri batter.

** See to it that you do not add in much water. Addition of more or less water depends upon the rava. Keep the batter aside for 15-20 mins. The rava soaks in water and dries during this time, so this step is necessary as if not allowed to swell while frying them, the bhakri will not turn soft within and crispy outside.

** Once the resting period is over, check consistency and add in some water if necessary and mix well. The mixture must be smooth and there should be no lumps in them. The texture should be that of bhakri/ thick batter, a ball consistency, as you should be able pat it on hot tawa directly into a round bhakri.

** For Making of Bhakri : Heat tava to smoking point, reduce the heat to minimum. Take small amount of mixed batter, say the size of a cricket ball and pat it on a hot tava directly to form small bhakri. Be careful while doing this to prevent your hand from getting hurt, if you have no knowledge do observe from one who knows it.

** Keep dipping your palm in water slightly before you pat the bhakri, this is necessary to avoid the bhakri paste from sticking your palms and also give it a nice round shape. If you are not confident, you can pat it on a silicon ware or on banana leaf and then flip it on the tava by placing the same upside down and removing it.

** Again there is another way of preparing it, you can slightly increase the amount of water in the batter, mix well and then with the help of a round bottomed spatula (davlo) drop in a small bowl full of batter on the tava and then pat it with the back of the rounded back pressing the same well to evenly form a bhakri

** Again, you can prepare small, medium or large sized bhakri as per individual choice. If you are preparing smaller ones and you have a large tava you can add in 2-4 at a given time too. Once you have patted the bhakri on the hot tava, pour some drops of oil on all sides of the bhakri and a few on top and let cook.

** When bottom side is done and the paste on the upper portion does not stick to your hand when you touch gently, pour a few more drops of oil on top side and slowly flip over the bhakri and cook on the other side too. Do not overcook as the bhakri should remain soft but firm and not too crisp nor should it get burnt on any side.

** Repeat the process with remaining batter until all the batter is consumed or the required number of bhakri is prepared and done. This bhakri should be served hot, so in order to avoid serving cold, you can prepare the batter and keep it in the fridge and prepare and serve the same as and when required too.

** “Lauki (Gardudde/ Bottle Gourd)- Rava Bhakri (Dosa)”is done and ready to be served. A delicious snack that we Amchi Konkani Saraswat relish for breakfast or during upvas/ fasting period as eating of rava is allowed in our community. This is one dish that can be relished any time of the day, but tastes best when served hot.

** Bhakri is usually served with fresh homemade butter, chutney or pickle. You can serve it with any other spicy gravy type dish too and it tastes wonderful. The size of the bhakri depends on individual liking, you can make bigger/ smaller size too, and add in 2-3 or more at one go if the tava is large. Do enjoy this with your family and friends.

** I am sharing below a common link for “Bhakri” that which you can follow, where in you will find many more variations and preparations of the same. Do try out various methods of preparations and enjoy with your family and friends

No comments:

Post a Comment

Thanks.