Panki and Jalebis
(Rice pancakes cooked in banana leaf, from Gujarat)
Serves: Four Time required: 45 minutes + proving time

Panki
For the green chutney:
1 bunch coriander leaves, chopped
2 to 3 green chillies, chopped
1 2.5-cm piece ginger
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp roasted split gram
juice of 1 lemon
a pinch of hing
For the tempered chillies:
2 tbsp ghee
100 g green chillies with stem, washed and halved
1 tsp hing
1 tsp amchoor
1 tsp roasted cumin powder
juice of 1 lemon
salt to taste
For the panki:
1 1/2 cups rice flour
2 cups sour yoghurt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp methi seeds
salt to taste
1 tsp green chilli-ginger paste
2 large banana leaves, cut into 15 cm X 15 cm squares
oil for cooking

To prepare the green chutney:
GRIND all the ingredients in a chutney grinder with a little water to a smooth paste.
Refrigerate till required.
To prepare the tempered chillies:
Heat the ghee in a small pan and add the chillies and hing to it.
Cook until the chillies are slightly soft. Add the other ingredients and cook for three to four minutes, ensuring that the spices do not burn. Remove from heat and cool. Use as required.

To prepare the panki:
Place the rice flour, sour yoghurt, sugar and methi seeds in a large vessel. Mix thoroughly to make a smooth batter. Cover and keep overnight in a warm place. The batter should be fermented and sour. Add the chilli-ginger paste and salt to taste. Mix thoroughly.
Apply oil on the banana leaves and set aside.
Heat a frying pan or flat griddle and put a little oil in it.
Place one oiled leaf on it and pour three to four tablespoons of batter and spread evenly. Cover with another leaf with the oiled part on the batter, and cover the whole parcel with a deep vessel. Allow the panki to cook for three to four minutes. It should look like a light pancake, riddled with bubbles. Turn over and cook on the other side as well.
Serve hot, straight off the banana leaf, with the green chutney and chillies.

Pitla And Bhakri
(Besan curry with millet bread, from Maharashtra)
Serves: Four
Time required: One hour

For the bhakri:
2 cups millet (bajra) flour
salt to taste
2 tbsp yoghurt
water as required
For the pitla:
1 cup besan
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp lemon juice
salt to taste
2 1/2 cups water + buttermilk
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
2 spring onions, finely chopped
4 green chillies, slit
3 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp hing
4 curry leaves
For the chilli-garlic thecha:
10 green chillies
6 cloves garlic
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ghee
Accompaniment:
White butter
To prepare the chilli-garlic thecha:
Coarsely pound the ingredients together in a mortar.
To prepare the bhakri:

Season the flour with salt. Add yoghurt and water to the flour to make a soft dough. Dust a lump of dough with flour and pat it on your palm to flatten it out. Using a rotary motion, make a round, flat bread, as thick or thin as you desire. Place this carefully on a griddle, roast, flip and roast the other side. Put on direct flame for a few seconds to make it crisp. Repeat with the remaining dough.
To prepare the pitla:

Make a smooth paste of the besan, turmeric powder, lemon juice, salt and buttermilk. Add the ginger-garlic paste, spring onions and green chillies.

Heat the oil in a wide pan. Add the mustard and cumin seeds and allow them to splutter. Add the hing and curry leaves and fry for two minutes. Add the besan batter, stirring to prevent the formation of lumps, and bring to a boil. Adjust the seasoning and cook on low heat for seven minutes. Serve hot with bhakri, chilli-garlic thecha and white butter.

Vegetable Biryani
(Northern Indian-style layered rice with vegetables, traditionally served with yoghurt)
Serves: Eight to 10
Time required: One hour

2 cups basmati rice, washed and soaked
salt to taste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp ghee
6 tomatoes, liquidised and sieved
3 cups mixed vegetable, cubed and boiled
4 medium onions, sliced and fried
For the paste:
2 tbsp oil
10 to 12 Kashmiri red chillies
4 medium onions, grated
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tbsp cumin powder
1 tbsp khus-khus
1/2 cup grated dry coconut
2 pods garlic, peeled
5-cm piece garlic
5-cm long bay leaf
5-cm long cinnamon stick
4 each cloves and cardamoms
Cook one cup of basmati rice in 21/4 cup salted water. Cook the other cup of basmati rice in 21/4 cup salted water to which turmeric powder has been added. Set aside separately to cool.
Roast all the ingredients for the paste in oil till they emit a fragrant aroma. Cool and grind to a paste with a little water. Heat the one-fourth cup of ghee in a wide pan and fry the paste till the ghee separates. Add the tomato puree, vegetables and salt to taste. Cook till the mixture is dry. Allow to cool.

To assemble:
Grease a shallow metal or glass dish with one tablespoon of ghee. Spread the yellow rice on this. Smoothen the surface and top with the vegetable mixture and then the plain rice layer. Press down to even the surface. Cover and set aside.

When almost ready to serve, place the dish in a preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove and unmould onto a platter. Garnish with the fried onions and serve hot, with yoghurt as an accompaniment.

Spicy Misal
(A spicy mixture of sprouts from Maharashtra)
Serves: Four
Time required: 45 minutes

For the misal:
1 cup small matki, soaked and sprouted
1/2 tsp each black masala
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp chilli powder
2 cups water
3 tbsp oil
2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
2 medium potatoes, boiled and diced
2 tsp lemon juice
salt to taste
Accompaniments:
1 cup each poha chivda and farsan
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
1 lemon, cut into eighths
4 to 6 pavs
To prepare the misal:
WASH, drain and boil the matki until tender. Drain and set aside.
In one cup of water, dissolve the black masala, garam masala and chilli powders.
Heat the oil in a large deep saucepan and add the ginger-garlic paste. Stir-fry for one minute. Add the masala mixture and potatoes. Stir-fry till the oil separates. Add the boiled matki and the remaining cup of water. Bring to a boil and simmer on low heat for 10 to 15 minutes. Add the lemon juice and salt and keep hot.

In each of four bowls, first place one tablespoon of poha chivda at the bottom and top this with a tablespoon of farsan. Pour a ladle of misal over this. Garnish with the onions and coriander leaves. Serve with lemon wedges and pavs.

Saat Padi Roti And Gatte Ka Saak
(Rajasthani bread with flour dumpling vegetable)
Serves: Four
Time required: One hour

For the roti:
1 cup wholewheat flour, sieved
1/2 cup flour, sieved
2 tbsp melted ghee
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp spicy mango pickle
1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
3 to 4 tbsp ghee
For the gatta:
1 cup besan, sieved
1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp each hing and salt
2 tsp oil
2 tsp yoghurt
2 cups boiling water
For the gravy:
1 tbsp ghee
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
a few red round chillies
a few curry leaves
1 bay leaf
1 cup sour yoghurt + 1 cup water
1 tsp besan
1 tbsp coriander leaves
1 tsp each chilli powder and salt
1/2 tsp each turmeric, coriander-cumin, amchoor and garam masala powder

To prepare the roti:
Mix together both the flours. Make a well in the centre and pour the hot ghee in it. Cover over with flour and set aside for five to 10 minutes. Mix together the flours and the ghee. Add the salt, pickle, coriander leaves and turmeric powder. Knead to a semi-soft dough, and set aside for half an hour. Roll the dough out into a big circle a little less than a centimetre thick. Apply ghee with your fingertips to cover the dough. Roll up the dough circle like a flute. Cut into discs 1 1/2 cm high. Take each, press lightly on your palm, and roll out into a 12.5 cm circle. Roast on a hot griddle with a little ghee, turning on both sides. Serve hot with gatte ka saak.

To prepare the gatta:
Mix together the besan, chilli powder, hing and salt. Add the oil, yoghurt and enough boiling water to make a stiff dough. Work with one-fourth cup of dough at a time, rolling it into thin cylindrical shaped sticks. Drop into boiling water to cook. When the sticks rise to the surface of the water, remove, drain and allow to dry on a cutting board.

To prepare the gravy:
Heat the ghee in a saucepan, add the cumin seeds, chillies, curry leaves and the bay leaf. Add the yoghurt and water mixture. Add the remaining ingredients and the gatta pieces. Bring to a boil. Simmer till the gravy is thick. Adjust the seasoning. Serve hot with the roti.

Aloo Papadi Chaat
(Great roadside fare at home!)
Serves: Four
Time required: 30 minutes

250 g crisp puris
2 potatoes, boiled, peeled and cubed small
1/2 cup chickpeas, soaked, boiled and drained
2 cups thick yoghurt, beaten and sieved
salt, chilli powder and chaat masala to taste
roasted cumin powder to taste
1 cup sweet chutney (recipe below)
250 g fine sev
100 g salted boondi
1/4 cup finely chopped coriander leaves
For the sweet chutney:
200 g dates
1 walnut-sized ball of tamarind
2 cups water
salt, black salt and chilli powder to taste

To prepare the sweet chutney:
Place all the ingredients in a pressure cooker and cook for two to three whistles. Cool. Liquidise and sieve the chutney.

To assemble the chaat:
For each person, arrange six to seven puris in a shallow bowl. Layer with the potatoes, chickpeas and yoghurt. Sprinkle over with the salt, chilli powder, chaat masala and cumin powder. Drizzle with the sweet chutney. Garnish with the sev, boondi and chopped coriander leaves.

Jalebis
(From Gujarat, this is now an Indian favourite)
Serves: Six to eight
Time required: 30 minutes + proving time

2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups yoghurt
1/2 cup warm water
3 tbsp hot ghee
1/2 kg sugar
1 tsp cardamom powder
1 tsp powdered saffron
ghee for frying
For the garnish:
3 to 4 tbsp sliced almonds and pistachios
a few rose petals

Soak the flour in the yoghurt, warm water and the three tablespoons hot ghee. Beat this mixture vigorously till lump-free. Cover the vessel and keep in a warm place overnight. If the weather is cold, leave this for two nights.

Make an one-string sugar syrup. Add the cardamom and saffron powders to this and keep warm on a low flame.

Close to serving, heat the ghee in a deep, broad kadai. Beat the jalebi mixture to a dropping consistency. Fill into a cylindrical piping bottle. Pipe spiral-shaped rounds in the hot ghee, not too close to each other. Turn over periodically with tongs. When golden coloured, remove and soak them in the hot syrup for five to seven minutes. Remove to a serving platter and serve immediately, garnished with almonds, pistachios and rose petals.