Buckwheat Spinach Thepla

Theplas are unleavened bread typically made using bajra/pearl millet/kambhu flour from the North western parts of India (particularly Gujarat). It is very healthy and flavourful due to the spices added to make the dough. They have longer shelf life than bread made with atta/wheat flour. So they are excellent for taking with us for travelling or picnics. They also can be enjoyed hot or otherwise and can be frozen for later use. I usually get bajra flour from the Indian/Asian grocery store here. But when I run out of bajra flour (it does happen), between my trips to the Indian stores, I use buckwheat flour (readily available in many supermarkets). The resulting theplas are excellent if not better than the original recipe. The buckwheat flour has a natural sweet-malty taste that makes these theplas more appealing to children as well. As usual, I try to add some veggies, particularly, leafy greens like Methi or spinach to the roti. Thus making sure that the fussy one in the house, aka, hubby gets to enjoy these usually scorned upon veggies. It is easy to make and Anjalie loves to help with the rolling out of the roti. Since buckwheat is gluten free this recipe can be easily adapted for gluten-free diets.


You will need:
2 cups buckwheat flour + plus extra for dusting
1 cup besan/chickpeas flour
2 tbsp curd
salt to taste
ginger- garlic paste 1/4 tsp
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
black pepper powder to taste
1/2 tsp chilli powder (for adults - optional)
500 gms spinach leaves- washed, coarsely chopped.
water, enough to make a smooth dough.
oil to grease the griddle

Milawat Paratha (mixed-up Paratha)

Parathas are flat breads that are usually stuffed with vegetable or meat fillings. Milawat paratha are a quicker version of the stuffed parathas. Instead of stuffing the flat bread, which will require rolling out twice, we just simply mix the filling into the dough for milawat parathas. They taste great and are full of flavour just like the stuffed parathas, but, just require less work. Weekends are great for making rotis for me since I will have Anjalie to help me roll them out :) I was planning on making Aloo/potato paratha and, so, had boiled some potatoes on Sunday. Just then, our friends called to ask if their 3 yr old could come over for a visit around lunch time and stay with us for the afternoon. I had only around 45 mins to finish making lunch and clear up the kitchen before they arrived so that we could all enjoy lunch together. So as a quick alternative, I decided to turn the aloo paratha into milawat paratha. It was not surprising that all of us, including our friends, enjoyed our lunch together and I got rave reviews for the parathas. So without further ramblings, here is the recipe...

You will need:

3 cups flour (I used equal amounts of atta, plain flour/maida and soya flour)

your choice of veggies: potatoes (peeled & boiled), 1 grated carrots/beetroot/broccoli/cabbage /cauliflower, spinach etc...

2 small tomatoes cooked, peeled and mashed

2 fresh chillies chopped (for adults-optional)

salt to taste

1 tsp ginger-garlic paste 

2 tbsp plain yoghurt (optional)

water enough to knead into dough

oil/ghee for greasing the skillet

Soya Chapathi

Chapathis are Indian unleavened flat bread that are usually made with wholemeal wheat flour, Atta, which has less bran than regular wholemeal bread flour. I have found soya flour to be a great natural emulsifier when baking bread that results in the softest crust and crumbs. Not only that, it is high in protein and low in calorie and so is naturally very healthy. So I made soya chapathi last night by replacing 1/3 of the atta with soya flour. Since, soya flour has less gluten compared to wheat flour I still needed atta to make my chapathi. The end result was very soft and flavourful chapathis which my 3 yr old daughter eloquently described as "Yummiest chapathis!" It is very easy to make and the method is quite simple. Anjalie, as usual, helped in mixing and rolling out the chapathis while I took care of the cooking. So young children can most definitely "help" with this recipe and it can be quality time for the adults and children together. You can use the same recipe to make regular wheat chapathis by replacing the soya flour with atta. So here is the recipe...


You will need:
2 cups atta/sifted wholemeal flour
1 cup soya flour
salt to taste
cool water (not cold) as needed to make a soft dough
flour for dusting
oil/butter/ghee as needed for cooking

Healthy Wholemeal Naan with sourdough starter (without tandoor oven)

Naan is a flat bread made from refined white flour that is leavened with yeast traditionally using wild yeast and lactobacilli from yoghurt. The dough is then cooked in Tandoor/clay ovens. However, it can made at home using conventional ovens by grilling or broiling the dough. It can also be made on stove top without oil and, personally, I prefer this method since it works out quicker for me. Naan can be found in most Indian restaurant and whenever we order a take out or eat out Naz usually prefers naan since it is "softer". I generally do not make it often at home and prefer to eat Tandoori rotis as a healthier option even when eating out. With all of us slowly getting better from the flu, I thought I will treat us all to soft Naan, but, with healthier wholemeal. The trouble with using wholemeal flour is that it does not have as much gluten as white flour and hence needs extra help to get it softer. So this wholemeal version works best with sourdough starter than with commercial yeast. This recipe can be adapted to make traditional Naan by replacing wholemeal flour with white flour and sourdough starter with 1 packet rapid raise yeast. Before I go to the recipe, I will tell you the end result of my experiment. All of us enjoyed the wholemeal naan very much with Naz commenting that he could not believe that it was wholemeal with it being "so soft". Nor could he get the "sourdough" taste. I had mentioned in the sourdough starter recipe that it is versatile and can be used in pretty much anything that uses yeast. This experiment of mine goes to show that it can be used even in recipes that are challenging for commercial yeast. Again, I have used my sourdough starter before and am sure that it works well. But if you are unsure about your starter or using it for the first time, you can add a 1/2 tsp of yeast to help with the raising just in case. Here is the recipe:


You will need:
200 g wholemeal flour
200 g white flour
200 g sourdough starter
salt to taste
water to make dough
1 tsp oil

Kulcha roti

Kulcha rotis are popular flat breads from the North of India. It is very similar to Naan (another variety of flat Indian breads) in the soft texture. The only difference between Kulcha and Naan is that Kulcha is unleavened bread and the soft texture is achieved using baking soda, yogurt and baking powder. However, Naan is leavened bread which requires yeast. Thus Kulcha requires very little raising time compared to Naan. Although, in some parts of South Asia, even Kulcha are made with yeast. Another difference between Naan and Kulcha is that Kulcha often has spices, potatoes or other ingredients mixed into the dough (not used as a filling like parathas). Both Naan and Kulcha are traditionally baked in tandoori ovens. But I just make them on the stove top on a tawa/skillet. Naan and Kulcha are usually festive/ special occasion (wedding) food in South Asia and not especially healthy when compared to wholemeal breads like tandoori roti or phulka. But indulging in these once in a while is a great way to enjoy them while still maintaining a healthy lifestyle. I learnt to make Kulcha from my college friend who is from the North of India and I usually use potatoes, fresh green chillies, garlic paste/granules and coriander while mixing the dough (just like she used to!). It does remind me of those good old days, but, I do not make these often since they are calorie heavy and not as rich in fiber like phulka roti. But tonight I decided to indulge myself a little. Kulcha are usually served together with Chole/Chana Masala (spicy chickpeas curry). But Kulcha goes well with any curry of your choice.

You will need:
1/2 cup (I use low fat) plain yogurt
1/4 cup (scant) water (use more or less)
1 medium potato boiled, peeled and mashed (optional)
3 cups of plain/all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 fresh green chillies chopped fine (optional)
1/4 cup coriander leaves chopped coarsely (optional)
1 tsp garlic salt granules/garlic paste (optional)
Salt to taste
1 tsp cooking oil
Butter/ghee (optional)

Besan-Soy masala roti (with spicy filling)

Besan, made from chickpeas, and Soy flours are rich in protein, fiber and other nutrients. Besan/Chickpeas flour is much better alternative to refined wheat flours. See http://www.tamaraduker.com/2009/07/fun-with-chickpea-flour/ for more info. Soy flour is another higher-protein, lower-glycemic alternative to refined wheat flour. For more information read: http://www.livestrong.com/article/467469-soy-flour-vs-white-flour/#ixzz2O7aDB4Io Combine these two flours together and they make very soft, healthy and filling rotis. Adding spices to these flours enhances the taste and flavor of these soft rotis making it a perfect combination of mouth watering and healthy food. 

I had a close friend, Sangeetha, who was also my class mate during Primary school. Her family used to make these rotis regularly and I loved it so much that they usually sent some extra rotis with her for lunch (whenever possible) just for me. When I got older, I learnt to make these rotis from Sangeetha's mum and these rotis are in fact one of my childhood favorites. I usually add a little bit of wholemeal flour to the dough, but, you can replace it with soy flour it if you want gluten-free rotis. The soft texture of these rotis is perfect for giving to young children and they are particularly tasty and appealing to them compared to wheat-based rotis. The roti is great on it's own with a little bit of mango chutney and plain yogurt (to balance out the spices if you want). But it also goes great with any curry of your choice. I have given these rotis, with plain yogurt, regularly to Anjalie since she was 6 months old. I used to skip the filling until she was 1 year old and then slowly started adding a little bit of the spices at a time. Now she enjoys them with the filling as much as the adults. Since she is not a big fan of chickpeas, otherwise, these rotis are a great way to get her to eat the nutritious peas. Another great reason for including these rotis as a regular meal is that the ingredients are all natural and does not use any processed/refined food. Moving on to the recipe...


You will need:


For the dough:
Besan/ Chickpeas Flour - 1 cup
Wholemeal wheat Flour - 1/4 cup
Soy flour - 1/2 cup
Oil - 2 tsp (you can also use ghee/butter)
Salt to taste
water to knead


For the filling: (you can adjust the amounts according to your taste)
Cumin Powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
black pepper (ground) - 1 tsp
Amchur/ground mango powder - 1 tsp (available, here in the UK, in all Indian/Asian food shops as well as Amazon)
Red chilly powder - 1 tsp (for adults)
fresh green chilly & coriander finely chopped - 1 tsp each (for adults) 
Turmeric powder -1/2 tsp
oil/butter/ghee - 2 tbsps

Roomali roti/Trinidadian Dosti roti

The Roomali/rumali roti is yet another flat bread recipe. It is incredibly thin, yet, soft roti and literally translates to handkerchief bread. It is very popular bread in the North of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and the Caribbean (including Trinidad). In Trinidad it is called dosti roti which translates to friendship bread. Like all their flat breads Trinidadians make this roti as well using plain/all purpose flour. In the Indian subcontinent these bread are made with a combination of wholemeal and refined wheat flours. Since refined flour has more gluten than wholemeal flour it is used in this bread to help stretch the bread as thin as possible and still maintain it's softness. The proportion of wholemeal to refined flour used depends on the region and varies from household to household. This roti is bound to be popular with the entire family since it is soft and thin and just melts in your mouth. You may need a large skillet/tawa or you can even cook them the traditional way on the inverted Indian griddle (kadai). The recipe instruction given here makes 10 big rotis. But you can divide the dough to make 16-20 medium/small sized rotis using regular skillet.

You will need:
2 cups of wholemeal wheat flour/atta
1 cup plain/all purpose flour
salt to taste
water to knead into soft dough (360 ml more or less)
Cooking oil for greasing and rolling (approximately 1/4 cup)

Trinidadian Dhal Puri/ Indian Dal paratha

Keeping to the Trinidadian food theme I thought I will post about another family favorite. In Trinidad it is called "Dhal Puri" and is made during celebrations at home (for festivals or weddings). In Trinidad, like most of their flat bread, this "roti" (despite being called Puri) is made with plain/all purpose flour. In India, this very same dish is made with atta (wholemeal flour) and is called "Dal paratha". Other than the difference in names and flours there are small differences in spices and herbs used which, I think, is mainly due to what is locally available. This dish is Naz's favorite and I make it for him as often as I can. It is labor intensive, but, well worth the effort and can be frozen (hurrah!). This is Anjalie's favorite roti as well and she calls it "lellow roti" due to the yellow dal filling :) Whenever I do make these, I make a whole bunch and freeze them (semi-cooked) for later use. In Trinidad, Dhal puris are made into very large sizes to form a wrap, unlike, the Indian Dal parathas which are made to the typical 6-8 inch rotis. Naz usually eats them as a wrap with semi-dry curry filling and they are handy when travelling or for lunch boxes. The recipe I give here is for the Trinidadian Dhal puris, but, you can replace the plain flour with wholemeal flour if you prefer to make the healthier Dal parathas instead. This recipe will make 6 big size dal puri wraps.

You will need:
For dal filling:
1/2 lb (1 cup) channa dal/yellow split peas
1 clove of garlic crushed
1 tsp ground cumin
salt to taste
1/2 tsp turmeric power.
For the dough:
1.5 lb or 4 and 1/2 cups of flour
salt to taste
1/2 tsp baking powder
water to mix a smooth dough

Oil for greasing

Aloo/Potato puri

Puri is unleavened bread just like roti, except, it is deep fried giving it a crispy-soft texture. Like most Indian unleavened bread, puris can be eaten as part of any of your meals and is versatile. Given a choice between puri and roti most children will pick puri due to the crispy texture and yummy taste of fried dough. Anjalie is just the same. In particular, she loves Aloo/potato puri. Potatoes makes the puri more soft and moist at the same gives a delicious taste. Aloo puris usually have a variety of spices and herbs added along with the potatoes to the dough and the collection of spices used usually depend on and varies from family to family. Some of fresh herbs typically used are coriander leaves, fenugreek (methi) leaves or fresh chillies. Some of typical spices used are dried mango (amchur), cumin powder and black pepper. Since Anjalie, like most children, prefers simple aloo puri with just mashed potatoes I have given the recipe for that. Feel free to add your favorite spices and herbs to the dough according to your taste. Just the plain aloo puri given here is very tasty and moist due to the potatoes that we, the adults, have started to enjoy it as much as Anjalie does.

Aloo Paratha/Potato flat bread/ Trinidadian Aloo prui

This is another easy home-made bread recipe that children can help with. The recipe can be adjusted easily to fit your family's taste buds and this bread is easy for travelling or lunch packs. By now Anjalie is very good at peeling onions and garlic and also at rolling out rotis. So I thought it will be a good idea to move on to peeling potatoes next. So we made aloo paratha for the weekend. Like I said earlier the children will have a great time "helping" with the potatoes. This traditional Indian dish is made with wholemeal wheat flour. However, the exact same dish is made with habernero peppers instead of green chillies in Trinidad with plain flour/maida and is called Aloo puri. You can use either of these flours, although, I tend to choose the wholemeal flour for it being the healthier alternative.

You will need 

4 medium size potatoes, boiled & peeled.
coriander/cilantro leaves - a handful
ground cumin- 1/2 tsp
salt and pepper to tatse
fresh green chillies finely chopped - to taste (optional)
Whole wheat flour/chapatti flour - 2 cups
Water to make dough

Phulka (oil-less) roti with mild Potato-peas curry and Rajma (spicy red kidney beans curry)

Phulka rotis are relatively easier to make since they require very little raising time and are very healthy as well since they are made with wholewheat. Additionally they are low-calorie too and use no oil. Preschoolers can be involved in the making of it too and makes for quality time with them while they get to see what they are eating. Hopefully, this will lead to healthier eating habits. The mild potato-peas curry is relatively dry and easier for younger children to eat and the slightly spicier Rajma can be great for older children and adults to enjoy with the roti. 

Sweet Poli (sweet stuffed flat bread)

Anjalie is used to eating rotis and it is easier for us and her to take them with us when we are travelling as well. No mess, no need for cutlery and no worries about spills in the bags. So I often make sweet poli (sweet stuffed flat bread) to take with us as dessert when travelling. It is similar to the paratha which is savory stuffed bread.

You will need
Channa Dal/ split yellow peas - 1 Cup
Sugar - 1 Cup
Plain/All purpose flour-2 1/2Cups
Cardamon Powder 1 Teaspoon
Butter/Ghee/oil -2 tbsp

Roti Canai/Veechu Barotta/Trinidad Basup shots (parathas)

Today I tried the Malaysian roti canai. It is called veechu barotta in Tamil Nadu and of course my recipe is the eggless one and not to be confused with kothu barotta. The barotta is usually eaten with salna if you eat meat or with veggie kuruma if you are a veggie in Tamil Nadu. In Malaysia it is eaten with curry sauce and is called Roti Canai. In Trinidad it is called paratha/Basup shots and is served with curry. So Naz and Anjalie usually get their curried chicken to accompany their rotis (recipe for curried chicken can be found at rice, dhal and curried chicken post). Here is the step by step method for making the roti. Be warned that it takes a while to make it and is high in calories. But the effort is worth it and can be enjoyed once in a while by the whole family.

Roti Canai served with curried chicken

 You will need:

4 cups all purpose flou

2 tbps of oil to knead the dough

1 cup of oil for spreading and cooking

water/milk to mix the dough.

salt to taste

Fry bake/poori with tomato choka (sauce)

This recipe is an adaptation from both Trinidad (where Naz is from) and India (where I am from). The only difference is that Fry-bake from Trinidad requires all purpose flour and pooris from India requires whole-wheat flour. It is easy to make and really great for the entire family to enjoy. I tend to make more pooris than fry-bake mainly because whole-wheat flour is more healthy and filling than refined flour. Anjalie who loves to make and eat any type of roti loves this one and hence this one features at least once a week in our kitchen menu. If Anjalie and her friends are anything to go by, these is sure to be children's favorite. It is crispy and crunchy but soft and deep fried...need I say more?

veggie parata

This traditional Indian dish has bread and veggies in one go and makes for a nice finger food for the little ones. If you like, you can add cooked dhal, mince tofu or quorn or minced cooked chicken to it as well. The down side is it can take a while to make. The plus side is it makes for a nice meal with a curry of your choice for the entire family and can be frozen and reheated. If cooking for the family, increase the amount of ingredients below accordingly.

You will need:

1/2 cup finely chopped mixed vegetables (carrots, cauliflower, cabbage, green beans, garden peas anything else you like)
1 small potato, boiled
salt and black pepper to taste
1/4 cup plain flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp oil/melted butter
1 tbsp yoghurt
Water to mix into a soft dough
Tava or a griddle pan