Grains & Flour Recipes | Page 4 of 13

Methi Moongphali Chawal: Fenugreek Peanut Rice

A nutritious one-pot meal in which fenugreek leaves, peanuts and ghee add their charm to rice. Methi moongphali chawal is just the answer for you if you *want* to consume fenugreek for its health-giving properties but find its – shall we say, potent – taste unpalatable.

This recipe is really quick to put together if you have the boiled ingredients and the spice base – methi chutney – ready beforehand. Do as I do – make a big batch of methi chutney, use it as side dish on Day 1 and in fenugreek peanut rice on Day 2. Ek panth do kaaj.

This colorful bell pepper rice is really quick to put together, especially if you have plain boiled rice made ahead.

I have broadly followed Divine Taste’s stir fried brown rice recipe for it – I used no onion or garlic and loved the touch of almonds.

Besan Sabzi - Gram Flour Squares in Curry

Besan ki sabzi is a curry we make for festive occasions: gram flour batter is cooked, cooled, cut and fried, then simmered in curry. It takes time, it takes skill – but the result is worth every bit of the effort.

Sattu Jaljeera Drink - Savory High Protein Drink

Sattu, or roasted gram flour, was once a little-known staple of rural Bihar. Not anymore. With more awareness of sattu’s nutritive profile – low glycemic index, fiber-dense, low sodium – “poor man’s protein” sattu is now hailed as a superfood.

Is there a delight greater than discovering that tasty comfort food is also extremely healthy, and that extremely healthy is also extremely affordable?

This sattu jaljeera drink combines sattu with jaljeera (cumin-based spice). It is really quick to put together and needs no cooking or fancy processing equipment. A great choice for “shortcut” breakfast or post-workout drink.

Bhindi Bhujiya Besanwali: Crisp Okra Discs

Bhindi bhujiya besanwali, with its crunch and bite, appeals even to those who turn their noses up at okra in other forms. Perfect on the side with rice and dal.

Chaulai Saag, Methi Dahi, Sambar, Green Chili, Chapatis

Saag – an Indian dish of leafy greens, eaten along with rotis or rice. A variety of leaves can be used in saag: spinach and mustard greens are popular choices, while chaulai (amaranth leaves) is used often in Bihar. Chaulai saag is a simple, dry preparation with amaranth leaves and a hint of spices.

Mid-April each year, the harvest festival (or the start of the regional New Year) is celebrated round the country in diverse ways. Punjab has its Baisakhi, Kerala its Vishu. Bihar welcomes the season with Satuaan (सतुआन), also called Satuaa Sankranti (सतुआ संक्रांति).

The prefix satuaa- comes from sattu (roasted Bengal gram flour), a staple food in Bihar. For Satuaan, it is customary to eat a meal with sattu as its star item. The festival ushers in the summer season, so associating sattu-eating with it follows sound logic: sattu’s cooling properties are an effective antidote to heat.

We keep up with tradition by having sattu in some form on the occasion. This year, we had sattu chokha.

Methi Moongphali Chawal: Fenugreek Peanut Rice

Bell Pepper Rice: Prettiness on a Plate!

Besan ki Sabzi: Gram Flour Squares in Curry

Sattu Jaljeera: Traditional, Low-Cost Indian Superfood Drink

Bhindi Bhujiya Besanwali: Fried Okra Discs

Chaulai Saag: Amaranth Leaves Stir Fry

Sattu Chokha: Comfort Food from Bihar