How to Make Pure Besan at Home: Two Methods Using Chickpea Flour

Paratha is a popular breakfast dish in North India that is enjoyed immensely. Although many have tried parathas with potato, cabbage, and turnip, it is worth trying the Gujarati Raj Rani Paratha, which stands out for its taste and color combination, making it a royal dish.

This type of paratha is traditionally prepared in the city of Surat, Gujarat state. Its specialty lies in having a filling of vegetables and cheese, and it is topped with Sriracha sauce, mayonnaise, and cheese, giving it a tangy flavor. Visually, it resembles a pizza and can be served cut into small pieces. It can be made for a children's lunch or for a weekend breakfast.

Raj Rani Paratha Recipe

Ingredients for the dough:

Ingredients for the filling and topping:

How to make Gujarati Raj Rani Paratha?

First, you need to knead the dough. In a bowl, mix wheat flour, besan (chickpea flour), salt, and a little oil. Then, using water, knead a soft but well-binding dough. Cover the dough and let it rest for 10–15 minutes to make it easier to roll out the paratha.

Next, prepare the spicy vegetable filling. Heat a little oil or butter in a pan, sautéing garlic paste and finely chopped onion until lightly browned. Then, add carrots, beetroot, cabbage, bell pepper, boiled corn kernels, and French beans. Add mashed potatoes and grated cheese to them. Season the mixture with turmeric, red chili powder, coriander powder, coriander-cumin blend, chatni masala, and a small amount of magic masala. Finally, add green garlic leaves and fresh green coriander. Cook the filling for some time, then let it cool so that it does not leak out when shaping the paratha.

After this, take a ball of the kneaded dough and roll it out slightly. Place the prepared vegetable filling in the center, fold the edges, and gently roll out the paratha, ensuring the filling remains inside.

First, lightly fry the rolled paratha on a hot griddle on both sides. Then, brush the edges with oil and cook over medium heat until crispy. It is important to allow the paratha to cook completely so that the dough is not raw.

To achieve the signature Raj Rani look, drizzle a little Sriracha sauce and mayonnaise on the cooked paratha. Add the remaining vegetable filling, grated cheese, and hard cheese. It is advisable to cover it and cook on low heat for a few minutes so that the cheese melts. Finish by garnishing with fresh green coriander.

The hot Raj Rani Paratha is cut into small pieces, like pizza. It can be served with green chutney, tomato sauce, or cold yogurt. This paratha, rich in vegetables, cheese, and dairy products, turns out very tangy and delicious.

A small tip: when preparing the filling, do not add too much water, otherwise the paratha may tear while rolling. The mayonnaise and Sriracha sauce can be adjusted to your taste to avoid excessive spiciness or heaviness.

Cumin is indispensable in many dishes, whether preparing aromatic oil for curry, enhancing the flavor of vegetables, or adding spice to raita. Usually, people buy ready-made cumin in the store and use it as needed. However, there is a possibility to grow cumin right at home.

If you have an interest in gardening, you can plant a cumin bush in a pot on a balcony, roof, or any sunny spot. This does not require special knowledge of horticulture or a large garden. With a suitable pot, good soil, cumin seeds, and minimal care, you can successfully grow cumin at home. It is important to provide the plant with enough sunlight, water it as needed, and fertilize it regularly.

If you wish to plant cumin at home, the first step is to choose the right container. You need to use a pot that allows the plant's roots to develop freely. A mandatory condition is the presence of drainage holes at the bottom of the pot to prevent waterlogging, which can damage the roots. Clay, plastic, or other materials can be used for pots, as long as the water drains out normally.

For planting cumin, you should choose loose soil with good drainage. After filling the pot with soil, make a depression about half an inch deep and place the cumin seeds there. Gently cover them with a thin layer of soil and water lightly. It should be remembered that the seeds should not be buried too deeply. When buying seeds, it is important to ensure that they are viable, although not all culinary cumin seeds necessarily possess this ability.

For healthy cumin growth, sunlight is necessary, so the pot should be placed in a location where it receives plenty of daylight. A balcony or a sunny roof will suffice for this purpose. Caution should also be exercised when watering: you need to maintain soil moisture but avoid overwatering. If the top layer of soil begins to dry out, then it should be watered. Waterlogging in the pot can lead to seed and root rot.

The cumin plant needs nutrients for development. To do this, you can add organic fertilizers or vermicompost to the soil. Fertilize the plant regularly, observing its growth and the condition of the soil. However, excessive fertilizer should be avoided, as too much can harm the plant.

After the cumin plant grows, it will begin to flower, and then seeds will gradually form. This entire process depends on the season, the amount of sunlight, the type of soil, and the care given to the plant. Therefore, one cannot expect the cumin harvest to be ready in just a few weeks. Once the seeds have formed on the plant, they need time to mature and dry. When the seeds are fully ripe and the floral parts of the plant begin to wither, they can be carefully collected. Then, the seeds should be thoroughly dried and stored in a dry place to prevent moisture from remaining in them.

Sooji is an important component of Indian cuisine and is used in many dishes, including halwa, upma, idli, dhokla, and dosa. Despite its significance in the diet, most people buy sooji from stores, where it is often old or contaminated.

Consuming store-bought sooji containing impurities can negatively affect health. However, there is a way to prepare sooji at home. This is especially relevant before the festival of Navratri, when halwa made from sooji is necessarily prepared for the Kanya Puja.

Preparing this product is very simple, and with proper storage, it retains freshness for many months. Below is a simple instruction and secret tips for creating clean, grainy sooji from wheat.

To prepare, you need 2 cups of whole wheat (after cleaning), the required amount of water for soaking and washing, one teaspoon of sunlight or cotton cloth, and a sieve with small and large holes.

First, thoroughly wash and clean the whole wheat. Then, lightly spray the wheat with water and leave it for 15–20 minutes so that the outer layer of the husk becomes slightly moist and relaxed. After this, spread the moist wheat on a cotton cloth and dry it in the wind or under light sun for one to two hours. It is important that the wheat is not completely wet, but only the top surface is dry, while a slight moisture remains inside.

Place the dried wheat into a blender jar. Instead of running the blender continuously, it should be pulsed (on-off) only 2-3 times. This will prevent the wheat from turning into flour and will cause it to break down into fine grains.

The resulting mixture of ground wheat is first sifted through a sieve with large holes to separate large husks and whole grains. Then, the mixture is sifted through a fine mesh sieve. The fine flour that settles at the bottom should be discarded (it can be used for baking bread). The grainy residue left on the sieve is 100% pure and grainy sooji.

To keep the sooji fresh for a long time, it must be lightly roasted in a pan for 2-3 minutes over low heat, without adding oil or ghee. After it cools completely, the sooji should be transferred to a clean, airtight glass jar. In this way, homemade pure sooji will remain fresh for several months.