METHI CARROT THEPLA

The best thing about a Thepla is that we need not keep any vegetarian or non-vegetarian dish by the side.... we can just have it with a yogurt based chutney, some salad and pickle.... The "transformed" self do love it! You will see me having it solo or even with a "gathi kochur dalna"... arbi veggie... not required but no harm having either! Nonetheless to say, my men are "bread" lovers of any kind! I eat everything these days from thepla to rasam vada to this island's signature dish.... chicken rice! Then you can see I sit on the stationery bike and go as slow as possible!Take it from me it does not help.... I will never advice anyone to be as lazy and insincere as I am. If you cannot go without carb, have it once a day and in less amount... exercise enough! The biggest concern of my parents about me was my obesity .... both parents were into sports including their son.... The father tried everything on me .... yoga to jogging to cycling.... In his mission to teach me cycling... he fell sick... I did not learn! I attended Ironman Monotosh Roy's yoga classes too.... amazing bodywork he had.... what skills! This girl never could stick to any form of exercise.... else yoga is the best gift you can give to your mind and body.... 

While the brother went for swimming classes, cricket classes in the evening escorted by his mother, the elder sister waited for them in the evening back from school.... she always "maintained" a good girl image which she may not be.... she quietly had the food Mani plated for her before going... then sat on the balcony with her story books... Till the sunset she would be there... then she would get into all adventures... spoiling one container full of "chirey".... flattened rice to prepare "chirer pulao" or 500gm suji / semolina for a halwa! In return I got no appreciation from the mother but scolding for messing up her kitchen.... It was the daddy who shielded me and forced himself to eat a "jeopardised" upma leaving aside his favourite "aam-kola-dudh-muri-chirey." After all these drama, around 8pm I sat with some text books... just when all the "fuchka walas" to "ghugni walas" had to visit the neighbourhood.... Then it was the "khusbu" coming from our kitchen.... it used to be almost 10pm... dinner time....

Food to me always had been more attractive than learning a theorem... that took me here... "kuch kam ka nehi"....  You see, its a Monday evening and my "kochur shak" is cut and put for boil. Tomorrow I will sit at the son's school... may enjoy some dosa along with the friend.... Blogging is not meeting any target but I love sharing my thoughts and the food we eat at home! Our guest today is a Thepla... the original one is on the drier side! My METHI CARROT THEPLA has a boiled potato in it! Carrot is not a natural love for this family... unless it is a "gajar halwa" or a "gajar barfi".... Since childhood, all my eye surgeons had told the mother to feed me carrots for a better eyesight.... she in turn tried to convince me.... "look at the Punjabis mamoni... they eat raw carrot and radish...most of them do not wear glasses".... mamoni got more busy deboning a "charapona" at a tender age of 8.... waiting eagerly for the weekend to have "ghee shambar pathar jhol".... 

Memories are beautiful and I do not go to anyone's door with it! I hate it when "shallow" minds make a mockery of it!.... I take five minutes to disconnect from people who hurt me or those who do not match my mental needs.... how much they try.... I will not be the same again.... "ghar tyara".... When do I blog  about Ilisher Matha Diye Kochur Shaak?.... Some day I would and that day there will be a mutton dish too by the side for my boy!

I remember I had thepla in Mumbai.... years before that I may have had it at school from the non-Bengali speaking friends... to be precise from the one named Jaya Gupta.... I remember this girl fed me amazing poha and bread upma! Her life story is no less than a Bollywood script. Coming from an authoritarian family.... she was forcefully married off at age 16.... just few months after our 10th board examination... She was sad.... me too was! Then we lost contacts and now when we got to see each other nearly after  25 years.... she is a mother of a married, professional daughter and a son who is on his feet too.... Thank God her professor husband helped her to continue with her studies.... She told me she did her studies alongside her kids.... and now she is a managerial head in an Automobile Company perhaps... She stays in Pune, the husband in Gujarat, the son in Delhi may be, daughter perhaps in Mumbai... she made it!... 

Thinking of these people I go ahead with vegetarian shares often.... A "thorer ghonto" was on my mind at first, then I changed my mind... I do not cross boundaries .... people know what or who I respect or what or who I do not! I do not play "selfie"games in social media everyday either, people have a lot of time! .... Lets try to do a little bit for everyone around! This METHI CARROT THEPLA should cater to the taste buds of the majority.... If Bianca and her likes can have tortilla, a thepla should be fine with some salad and the awesomely fresh chutney made with plain yogurt, mint leaves, coriander leaves and garlic. METHI CARROT THEPLA is an Indian, vegetarian flat bread.... not Bengali... so what? I have to learn and take hold over few more things that our mother never did.... No, I am not showing off... why should I? Can I perfect a Roti Jala or an Afgani Naan? The Thepla in my kitchen may not be that authentic, I added "bhaja mosholar guro" in the dough! When can I avoid those uneven edges of a flatbread?

Do take a look at my KANCHAKOLAR KOFTA CURRY with an updated picture... do it too, you will love!

KANCHAKOLAR KOFTA CURRY

INGREDIENTS :

FRESH FENUGREEK LEAVES : 200-250GM
GRATED CARROT : 1SMALL CUP
WHEAT FLOUR : 1 COFFEE MUG
GRAM FLOUR : 1/2 COFFEE MUG

REFINED FLOUR : 1/2 COFFEE MUG
CUMIN POWDER : 1 TSP
CORIANDER POWDER : 1 TSP
DRY RED CHILLI POWDER : 2 TSP
TURMERIC POWDER : 1/2TSP
SALT : AS REQUIRED
GHEE [CLARIFIED BUTTER] : 2TBSP + 1TSP FOR EACH THEPLA 

PROCEDURE :

Take the three flours, the washed fenugreek leaves and grated carrot, the spice powders, salt in a wide mouthed bowl.

Mix well the mixture and add water little by little as much required. Prepare a dough kneading it well for 10 minutes. 

Add 2tbsp ghee and knead further for 5 minutes. Cover with a moist cloth for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, remove the cover and knead again for few minutes. Tear out small portion and roll out round shaped parathas. 

I rolled them go as you like & used a round something to get a round shape!

Roast both sides of the paratha till light brown and then cook each, both sides well in 1tsp of ghee.

We, at this home enjoy them fresh with pickle, chutney and salad! The chutney on that day was made of plain yogurt, coriander leaves, garlic clove, green chillies and salt.

Enjoy the theplas when they are still hot!