Chipotle rotti - an Indo Mexican fusion bread you can't resist

What if I were to tell you that butter is good for you? What if I were to prove that there is indeed good butter in nature? What if I were to say that you can indulge in the buttery richness of this rotti without feeling guilty about how it always ends up sticking to those particular areas around your waist? Well, I am not the first one to profess the goodness of the natural butter found in Avocados (it is rightly called butter fruit in India) nor would I be the last one. Back in India, one of my childhood friends from Karwar (her family was from Karwar - a small town almost on the border of Kerala and Karnataka) who had settled in Mysore first introduced me to this deliciously bland fruit as her grand mom had carried a basket full of them when she came visiting.

The old lady had multiple avacado trees in her backyard and had picked some for her city bred grand children. As kids anywhere would be expected to behave, we got many of those butter fruits, cut them open sitting in the vast backyard and ate them up just scooping out the flesh. It was not a fruit we would find easily in vegetable markets in Mysore, nor did nammamma ever found a recipe that incorporated this fruit into it. So, butter fruit generally remained a somewhat neglected wild fruit of the backyard trees. While some of the fruits were devoured by kids like us, most  just dropped to the ground to become one with mother nature over time. I think the fruit has finally found its way to glory in India and I find many of the upscale super markets carrying this on a regular basis.

When I first tasted guacamole at Chipotle, I knew it was a dish that would stay in my kitchen and our hearts forever :-). Infact DD & I like the buttery avacado so much that once Subway introduced their now popular avacado spread (for an extra 50c on the 6 inch sub) we probably were two of Subway's customers that always asked for avacado in their sandwiches and many times boycotted the locations if they didn't carry the avocado :-). Back to Chipotle, this is one of the few restaurants I tend to relax knowing that my vegetarian cravings are going to be fully satisfied without ever worrying about what I get served. My favorite order has always been the bowl with lots of black beans, vegetables, guacamole, salsa (mild, medium and hot :-)). It is a complete meal even without the rice or the roti.

On the first visit, I thought Chipotle was the ultimate Mexican food until I realized much later it was a very Americanized Mexican food :-) similar to most Indian joints here. So I stopped claiming Chipotle to be my authentic Mexican source especially after accidentally ending up in a 'real authentic' Mexican place in San Diego once. The food tasted quite different from that of Chipotle and going by the natives that were enjoying the food there, I think it was more Mexican than Chipotle would ever be. But I got what I wanted in both the places making me a happy customer.

Whether authentic or semi-authentic, Mexican food is distinguished by the use of beans especially the black beans and the pinto beans. The real re-fried beans can be very heavy and disturbing to the stomach if you are not used to the real deal but you can certainly make a lighter version of them at home. I have been making Avocado rotis for over a decade now ever since a friend in CA shared her tip of making soft rotis by adding ripe avocados to the flour. I keep making variations of the recipe mainly based on how I feel that particular day. In India, there is a practice of adding lentils or dal to the roti dough to make it fortified with proteins, nammamma used to get the whole wheat ground in the mills and she would add about 1/4 of moong dal while she took it to the mill. Her rotis always had this softness and taste I have never been able to replicate yet.

Since I depend on the packaged whole wheat flour, all my additions to boost the nutrient factor are done externally while making the dough. One of the days when I started to make the rotis, I saw 2 ripe avocados on the counter and set them aside to add to the dough. I wanted to try something different and pulled out a can of black beans from the pantry. Some spices, a little sauteing and everything went into the bowl to make a rich, buttery dough that incorporated a good serving of proteins. Thus was born the chipotle rotti that fuses the distinct Mexican beans and avocados with Indian spices and green chilies :-). If you were to be an impassioned observer of the magic that happened in my kitchen on the said night, you may say that this really is a mish-mash of ideas that have been already tried and tasted but I like to think that I had a brilliant brain wave and sorta created a new recipe that burst with the robustness of the beans, silky smoothness of avocado and a slight tang from the lemons :-).

You do not need any oil or ghee for these rotis, they turn out super soft and stay that way for 2-3 days making them a great travel recipe or for sending to your daughter (or son) who has been busily studying for finals away from home :-). I have used very limited and most commonly available spices in the kitchen, you can tailor this to your family's taste buds.

How to select perfectly ripe avocados? 
The skin is not crinkly (which means it has aged beyond what you are looking for), color of the skin is dark green and the fruit is just soft to the touch. Also look for a smooth surfaced fruit that does not have dents or dips on it. If you happen to bring home a slightly firm avocado, keep it outside the refrigerator on a counter top for a couple of days before cutting them up for use.

What do you need to make Chipotle rottis? 
Makes about 10 regular sized rotis
1.5 cups of whole wheat flour + plus a little for dusting
1 can of black beans
1 medium sized ripe avocado
2-3 green chilies (adjust to taste) - finely chopped
1 Tbsp lime/lemon juice
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
1 Tsp salt
1/2 Tsp red chili powder (adjust to taste)
1/2 Tsp coriander powder (skip if you don't have it)
pinch of turmeric powder
2 Tbsp finely chopped onion
1 Tbsp oil
1/8 Tsp mustard
1/8 Tsp cumin

How do you make Chipotle rotti? 

• Heat oil in a big pan, add mustard and cumin. 
• Once the mustard starts to pop, add finely chopped onion and green chilies and saute for a couple of minutes until the onion sweat. 

• Open the can of beans and wash them thoroughly under running water for 2-3 times until the water runs clear. 

• Add the beans to the pan followed by salt and the dry spice powders.
• With the help of a potato masher, mash the beans completely so it becomes a soft blob.

• Taste and adjust this mush for salt or spices, add chopped cilantro and switch off. Let it cool completely. 
• Wash and cut the avocado vertically, remove the seed by gently giving it a push with a spoon. 
• Scoop out the pulp into a wide mixing bowl, mash it gently, add the cooled beans mixture and bring them together with your fingers. 

• Add whole wheat flour in spoon fulls and keep mixing to make a dough, you are looking for a slightly firmer than regular roti dough. 
• Gently knead the dough for 1-2 minutes, make a smooth ball, cover and let rest for 10-15 minutes. 

• Heat a flat griddle on medium heat. 
• Break lemon sized balls from the dough, smooth them out and dip in dry flour. 
• Gently roll them out with a rolling pin into a disc of 5 inch diameter and 1/8th inch thickness. Use dry flour to dust as you roll. 
• Once the griddle is hot (spray a couple of drops of water and if it sizzles immediately you are good to go), transfer the roti onto the griddle. 
• Let the under side cook for 30-45 seconds or until it develops small red spots before turnign the roti over to the other side. 

• Cook until both sides have no raw flour surfaces, take it out onto a plate. 
• Repeat process for all the remaining dough. 
• If you are packing the rotis for travel, let them cool down before packing or else serve them hot with any chutney or plain yogurt. 

Notes: 

• Keep the volume ratio of beans+avocado mixture and whole wheat flour same when you make the dough. If the mixture if high on beans and avocado, rotis tend to be very supple and will need gentle handling while rolling and cooking but they taste great. 
• Mustard is just my South Indian touch:-), you can skip this and add cumin powder instead of whole cumin along with other dry powders. This makes the dough easier to roll out into rotis. 

• Do not rest the dough for very long (optimal time is 15 minutes). If you want to keep it for longer, wrap in a cling wrap and refrigerate it. The dough turns darker in color as it rests due to the oxidation of avocado and the natural hue of black beans. Do not let that worry you. 
• Adding lemon/lime juice to the avocado helps retains its color while also adding that touch of sourness to the rotis. 

Bisi Puliyogare - full of authentic flavors, made easy and instant version of a traditional recipe

Any hikers, trekkers out there among you readers? Care to read through my weekend hiking expedition? I promise I will treat you to a traditional South Indian recipe today, made the easy way.

I grew up in a town where every measurement was with respect to a moutain (or hill), we lived at the foothills of Chamundi Hills and took that name as part of conversation every time. As tall as, as steep as, as gorgeous as were the list of comparisons & attributes in daily life. When we were building a house, the first thing my father did was add a stone bench to be put in the corner of the terrace from where we had a clear view of the chamundi hills. It looked divine with the lighting come Dasara time. I have stood there taking in the breath taking perfume of blooming jasmines as a newly married, have sat on that bench trying to pacify a little baby as a young mother, sat alone or with my father as we talked through the setting Sun, with the hills always in the background. I don't remember exactly how many times I have climbed those 1000 steps leading to the temple at the top, a favorite pastime with visiting cousins and siblings. Stopping for a tender coconut near the Mahishasura(the demon killed by the Goddess), feeding bananas to the monkeys on the way or sitting down on a random step to eat puffed rice with fresh coconut pieces is all part of that trekking. Akka says she even carried me as a chubby toddler on her waist once :-).

Couple of weeks back, on the whim, we decided to do some mountain trekking. It was in the coming as we live surrounded by mountains - big & small, all around us beckoning us to climb. So while the tired DD slept, the two of us went looking for a mountain hike and ended up parking at the base of Mount Si. While I kept insisting that as beginners we should be climbing the Little Si and not Mount Si, BH bravely took the decision for both of us and we ended up climbing the big brother of the 2 mountains here in the state. Off we went, a little huffing and puffing, totally unprepared (mentally and energy wise), but made good and reached the half way snag in a decent 2 hours. But my knees were crying fowl by that time and though BH was rearing to reach the peak, he had to stick to his marital vows of never abandoning me (especially on a mountain trail) and hike back with me. A little disappointing weekend.

Doing a few stretches and massages helped the creaky knees and I was up and ready to go this Saturday again. Not to forego the peak experience, we stuck to the Little Si this time, the mountain is very cajoling and coaxing for beginners like me, the trails are not all vertical and there are stretches of ups and downs giving ample opportunity for a racing heart to come back to normal beat. The weather was perfect, and though the Sun played a little hide & seek, we were warm without being hot. At 1500ft, this mountain is about half the height of my favorite Chamundi Hills from Mysore. And as I reflected that I was able to climb Chamundi Hills many times without feeling tired at all, the ever practical BH muttered something like, "you were a teenager then", he avoided all further discussions though on the topic. I am totally convinced that I married a real smart man :-).

It is a very humbling experience when you reach the top and look around to see the surroundings. Once you leave the cameras and phones inside the backpack pockets, you enjoy the nature around you much more and feel one with it. I will go back again, may be try the big one next time.

OK, I am done with my weekend expeditions and now onto a much loved recipe from the South of India. There are variations to this from state to state with a common basic theme and plan. Tamil nadu adds a bit more tamarind, while Karnataka brings in a sweeter taste with jaggery and Andhra does a quick take on the gojju/pulikachal and just boils the tamarind water. Any of these or all of these are wonderfully tasty and have a treasured place in a South Indian's heart. This is a very good travel food since it keeps well and infact grows tastier the day after you make it. It provides that very essential salty, cleansing effect on long travels or hospital beds. Yep, I am talking about Puliyogare/Huliyanna/puliyodharai/pulihora/puli sadam.

Now if you are familiar with this dish, you will immediately drool and then become wary thinking of the labor intensive, time consuming process of making the gojju or the paste for the puliyogare. While that is the traditional method of making this yummy rice dish, I am here to the rescue with an equally traditional and time tested method to achieve the same results. Granted, you can go buy an MTR mix and use it but it is not definitely the same as the real deal and if you are ready to spend as many minutes as it takes to cook and cool your rice, come along with me for a simple way to make this dish.

This is a staple prasada (offering) in many South Indian temples and without any additional spices or a lot of seasoning, it still tastes heavenly, may be the ambiance and the mood has a lot to do with the food tastes. For BH, puliyogare is always eaten with slightly sour yogurt, that is how he was introduced to it in Kadambam restaurants as a bike driving road warrior. I love my day old puliyogare with a little bit of sliced onions. Find your own comfort zone of eating this dish.

We had a neighbor in Mysore who was Nammamma's friend and they exchanged a lot of recipes. She made a real killer puliyogare using the gojju method but she also taught amma this short cut way to make the same dish especially on days when you had a lot going on. It is called bisi puliyogare since the hot rice is already half way prepared to the final stage. This comes in handy and gets ready quickly, I will come back with the gojju version another time, until then, use this recipe to satiate your puliyogare hunger.

What do you need to make Bisi Puliyogare? 
2 cups rice - I use sona masoori variety
A small apple size tamarind
1 Tbsp salt - adjust to taste
1 Tsp crushed jaggery/brown sugar
1 Tbsp rasam powder
1/4 Tsp turmeric powder
1 Tbsp grated coconut/kobbari
Spices to roast & powder: 
1 Tsp chana dal
1/4 Tsp fenugreek seeds
1 Tbsp sesame seeds
1 Tsp dhania/coriander seeds
1/2 Tsp cumin
1/2 Tsp black pepper
1-2 dry red chilies
4-6 curry leaves
1 Tbsp grated dry coconut/kobbari
Seasoning:
2 Tbsp oil
1/8 Tsp asafoetida
1 Tsp mustard
1 Tbsp chana dal
2-3 Tbsp peanuts (per taste)
12-15 fresh curry leaves

How do you make Bisi Puliyogare?

• Soak tamarind for 20 minutes in 1 cup warm water and extract the juice, discard any pip/seeds. 
• Wash rice in 2 changes of water, add salt, tamarind extract, crushed jaggery, rasam powder, turmeric powder and 3 cups of water. See notes for managing the water content. 

• Add 1/2 Tsp of oil and cook the rice (either rice cooker or pressure cooker) until done. 
• Meanwhile, heat a heavy pan on medium heat, add all ingredients listed under spices to roast except for coconut and frequently stirring, roast them until fragrant (takes about 2-3 minutes).
• Add the grated coconut, mix and switch off. 

• Keep aside to cool and make a fine powder. 
• Once done, spread the rice in a wide plate or bowl, sprinkle grated dry coconut,  the spice powder and let it cool down. 
• Heat oil in a pan, add mustard, chana dal & peanuts. Let mustard & peanuts pop. 

• Add asafoetida, curry leaves and switch off after 30 seconds. 
• Pour the seasoning over the rice. 
• Once rice is cool enough to handle, mix everything together gently keeping the fluffiness of cooked rice. 
• Let it stand for 20 minutes before serving. 

Notes: 

• 2 cups of rice typically takes 4 cups of liquid to cook, measure the amount of tamarind juice you add and then substitute with water. 
• Adding a few drops of oil while cooking rice helps the grains to remain separate. 
• Tamarind can vary quite a bit in sourness, you may need to experiment a little or go by instinct while adding the tamarind extract. 
• Puliyogare should balance salt, sweet, hot and sour tastes well to taste good. 
• Use good quality rasam powder to bring in the taste, the roasted spices add to the freshness. 
• You can use either black sesame seeds or white ones, the black ones give a deeper color. 

Sweet potato rotis - soft Indian bread with sweet potatoes

Necessity is the mother of invention, right? Everyone becomes creative in the face of need. This roti is one such recipe from BH's consulting days. I am sure many of you have been or are currently in the same boat with a spouse travelling on work. Eating out may sound fancy but definitely has its health deterrents, especially if you have to do it long term. In the initial days, when I wasn't used to quick cooking and needed time to plan and execute, my cooking was limited to 2-3 times a week. A large scale cooking on Sunday afternoon (some 2-3 curries and rotis/parathas) with idli or dose hittu (batter) ready for the week, supplemented by a mid week cooking on Wednesday or Thursday :-). It was a great confidence booster to come back home after work with a hungry toddler in tow and find something readily available in the refrigerator. I am older, wiser and can cook faster now so I don't do bulk cooking anymore and we sit down for a family dinner most evenings.

But back in the days when BH was travelling, he would be gone most of the week days. While he used to have lunch with colleagues, he preferred to have something light at his hotel room at night. I used to be constantly on the look out for recipes that were healthy, wholesome and had longer shelf life. We both prefer rotis to rice and curries just because of the reduced mess in eating. BH is a totally non fussy eater so pleasing him through food is a no brainer. While stuffed parathas not only taste great but also stay soft, it requires additional work preparing the stuffing. Instead you can get the same delicious (Well, almost :-)) rotis by adding the ingredients into the dough.

I usually get my brand of whole wheat flour for making rotis. Nammamma in the days when she sent cleaned wheat grains to the flour mill would also add moong dal to make rotis nutritious, that is my mom's concept of multi grain flour long before the super market isles exploded with them.

Today's roti is a tried and tested recipe with two key ingredients. Both add to the taste and nutrition value of these rotis. I won't bore you with a wiki like sermon on the nutritional benefits, a quick look up on the all powerful, all invasive internet will give you what you are looking for (and much more of what you are not looking for also). I have added flax seeds powder  - you can get this as flax seeds meal in super markets or just powder flax seeds in a dry blender and add it while mixing the dough.

What do you need to make sweet potato rotis? 
1 big sweet potato (I used the white colored, you can use the pink or red ones)
2 cups whole wheat flour + 1Tblsp for dusting
2 Tblsp milled flax seeds or powdered flax seeds
1 Tsp salt (adjust to taste)
1 green chili - chopped fine (optional)
2-3 twigs fresh cilantro - chopped fine

How do you make sweet potato rotis? 

• Trim the ends of sweet potato, cut into 4-5 pieces and boil it in microwave or pressure cooker until soft.
• Once the boiled sweet potatoes cool down, peel the skin and mash it into a paste.
• Add chopped cilantro and green chilies (if using) along with salt and mix well. 

• Add the wheat flour and flax seeds powder and mix it into a soft dough. You will not need water as the boiled potatoes generate enough water content.
• Knead for 1-2 minutes and let the dough rest for 20 minutes. 

• Pinch off golf ball sized dough, shape it into a ball and roll it into a circular roti dusting as needed with dry wheat flour.
• Heat a flat griddle and roast the roti on both sides until it is cooked and light brown spots appear. 

• Enjoy warm, soft rotis with any pickle or chutney and a side of buttermilk or yogurt.

Notes: 

• I did not use oil while roasting, you can if you prefer.
• I sometimes add a Tsp of white sesame seeds into the dough which is optional. 
• The dough tends to become softer as you let it rest, take that into account as you do not want a very sticky dough on hand. 
• Based on the quality of sweet potato, sometimes the prepared dough tends to get sticky, add dry wheat flour if needed and knead for a couple of minutes before you roll into rotis. 

Perfect travel companion - Minapa rotti or Dibba rotti

What do you carry when you travel and know for sure you will crave for some home cooked food? I usually make puliyogare, rotis, gojjavalakki, curd/yogurt rice in addition to crunchy snacks when we go on road trips. Minapa rotti goes on our travel menu very often. We love to drive long distances and though we eat outside on the road, I pack one or two meals worth of home cooked food. I had not heard of minapa rotti until I got married, it is a favorite food here at home. It stands travel well and is delicious eaten with a side of spicy avakkai (mango pickle from Andhra).

Since everyone at home likes it, amma makes it even during 'non travel' times for a lazy breakfast or dinner. My inlaws usually carry these when they travel and pack it with avakkai, infact every time they head home from here I get a request for 'double roast' minapa rotti and sajjige for the air travel :-). Packed with proteins, eaten with the heavenly avakkai, minapa rotti-avakkai combination is just delectable. The crispy outside is called 'pechhu' in Telugu and we have fights over who gets the most pechhu at home as all of us like the crispy part.

The rotti is called minapa rotti as it is made from minapa pappu or urad dal and also known as dibba (thick/fat) rotti since it is atleast 1/2 - 1 inch thick. The batter is very similar to idli dough and does not need as much fermentation as the idli dough. So you don't have to wait for it to ferment but can make these the same day you grind the dough.

Minapa rotti with Avakkai (Thanks Rajyam atta for the delicious avakkai)

What do you need to make Minapa rotti?
1 cup urad dal/minapa pappu/uddina bele
2.5 cups idli rava
1 Tsp methi seeds/menthilu/menthya
1 Tblsp salt (adjust to taste)
3 Tblsp cooking oil
water

How do you make Minapa rotti?

Preparation of the dough:

• Soak urad dal & methi seeds in water (the dal should be completely immersed in water) for about 4 hours.
• Wash and soak idli rice separately for about 4 hours.
• Grind urad dal + methi seeds with limited water to a smooth paste, the consistency should be that of thick cream.
• Squeeze water from the soaked idli rice and add it to the ground paste.
• Add salt and mix it all well to form a homogenized mixture.
• Cover & set aside for 4-6 hours in a luke warm place.

Batter ready for minapa rotti

Preparation of Minapa rotti:

• Heat a pan with edges, put 1 tsp of oil.
• Ladle in the dough and let it slowly spread until it reaches the edges.
• You need to put enough dough to make the rotti about 1/2 inch or more in thickness.
• Drizzle drops of oil on top, cover and let it cook in medium heat for about 3-4 minutes.
• When you shake the pan, the rotti needs to slide easily to indicate it is done, avoid lifting the rotti off its base till done. 
• Carefully flip the rotti (if you have master chefs at home, ask them to do the cool chef trick and flip it over) and drizzle drops of oils around the edges and let it cook for another 3-4 minutes without covering. 
• Crispy outside, melting soft inside minapa rotti is ready. 
• Slide the rotti into the plate, serve it with avakkai or any pickle/chutney of your choice. 

Minapa rotti flipped over

Notice the peeled off 'pecchu' from one of the pieces :)

Variations: 

• You can add thin cut onion strips - once you ladle in the dough, spread onion strips on top before covering it, this gets cooked well when you flip the rotti to the other side and forms a nice onion coating. 
• You can add grated vegetables to make it more nutritious.

Tips: 

• Minapa rotti dough should not over ferment, the taste needs to be sweetish unlike the idli batter. So do not set it aside longer. 
• Minapa rotti has to be thick and cooked in medium heat to get that crispy outside - melt in the mouth inside texture, do not spread it thin, it will not be worthy of travel and will taste like a burnt dosa or something :-).
• Do not spread the batter in the pan, help it to naturally find the edges by tilting the pan a little.