Mooli na Thepla, Kacha Papaya nu Shaak aur Masala Chai

Even though I belong to India's Roti heartland, I believe that it is the Gujaratis that have discovered the secret to making the best rotis in the world, and I have always loved their rotlis, theplas & puris. My latest attempt at thepla had me singing for joy, as after several tries at thepla in the past one year, I have finally hit upon THE formula that worked just like I wanted and I could not wait to share it with all of you.

This meal rescued two fibre rich vegetables, purchased with the promise of being turned into crunchy salads, but which had remained forgotten till these Gujarati recipes came along to rescue them. The papaya shaak, which is actually a cross between a salad and pickle is from this book by Asha Khatau .

Served with a dollop of dahi, or yoghurt, this combo makes a delicious, hearty Indian breakfast. The concluding touch to this meal was the best masala tea that I have ever made, the secret to which is hard to guess. Thanks to Trupti of The Spice Who Loved Me who shared her Dad's special tea. The mystery ingredient in this tea is kulfi masala! I brought home the only two brands of kulfi masala that I could get as I could not find the one she recommended , but what a difference it made to the tea! The recipe is here.


Mooli Thepla
Ingredients
1.5 cups of wheat flour
1 small radish (1/2 cup grated)
1 tbsp of oil
1 tsp sesame seeds
1/2 tsp coriander-cumin powder
1/2 tsp of chilli powder
1/2 tsp of turmeric powder
Salt to taste
Oil for cooking
Method:
Coarsely grate the radish. Mix the Flour, chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt, and oil
Add the radish and mix with the flour, squeezing the radish as you go. Sprinkle water, oif needed, little at a time till you get a nice smooth dough.

Make golf ball size balls of the dough and roll out about into a thin round.Partially cook the first side on slow heat first, turn it over and cook the other side similarly.Smear 1/2 tsp of oil on the first side and turn it over. Repeat with the other side.Now flip back to the first side, the thepla should have some brown spots. Repeat with the other side.

Do read this for another recipe for mooli thepla and an interesting story about chapati bais


Kacha Papaya nu Shaak (Raw Papaya Salad)
(adapted from Asha Khatau's book on Indian cooking)
Ingredients
1 small Raw papaya, peeled and sliced (or grated)

1” piece Ginger, finely chopped
2 Green chillies, slit from the middle
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
A pinch of asafoetida
A few curry leaves
1 tsp Oil
½ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves, to garnish
Method:
Heat oil, add mustard seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves, chilies, ginger and turmeric. Now add raw papaya, cook for a couple of minutes.


Add salt and cover till a bit soft. Add sugar, turn off the flame. Sprinkle lemon juice and mix well. Garnish with coriander and serve at room temperature.
Serve at room temperature with theplas.These Mooli na Theplas are going to Srivalli's Roti Mela.

25 comments:

  1. Mooli thepla looks goooood, as a Gujarati I must say, thepla bahu saras lage chhe :)) everything looks delicious!!!

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  2. Slurp! Love the color of that raw papaya, beautiful. Masala Chai, me want some NOW!!:))

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  3. nice mooli theplas...that raw papaya shaak is intriguing though, nice color....combo with masala chai does go to the roti land, doesn't it...:)

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  4. Delicious looking spread. Have to agree about Gujrathis and chapathis.

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  5. Thepla looks great.I have tried thepla once and loved it.Masala chai...YUM

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  6. lovely thepla with papaya nu shaak!..thanks for the entry

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  7. madhavi:
    Thank you !If you say so, then my thepla recipe has passed the test!

    asha:
    I was also excited about that pretty green colour and now i want a shirt of the same shade!

    bhags:
    you bet! a brekkie of parantha & chai is the ultimate bliss!

    aparna:
    Thank you. Gujrati rotlis rock!

    maheshwari:
    Thank you. Trupti's masala chai is truly fab!

    srivalli:
    Kudos to you for hosting such a great event!

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  8. wah ji wah wah ji wah wah ji waah wah wah... pata een i love mooli thepla....
    main bhi aajkal poore roti mela form mein hun.... read about shiv getting that cap for P.. sahi hai haan .. u both must b feeling so proud....

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  9. wow ... nice mooli theplas :)
    have never tried the shaak; sounds interesting tho ...

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  10. Everything looks gorgeous, Delhibelle. I don't know if I can find raw papaya where I live, but you can be sure I'll be looking for it on my next grocery trip!

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  11. My mom used to bring me packs of 200 theplas when she visited in London. I cannot express my gratitude to Gujaratis enough. Yours look totally professional!!

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  12. thanks for the link and also, your lovely email. Theplas and tea is one of my favorite combos.

    hug,
    trupti

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  13. Thank you so much for appreciating this simple meal :)

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  14. Very appetizing! I am a big fan of gujarati dishes and am sure going to try this one!
    Btw, I have tagged you :) Do checkout my blog.

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  15. trupti,
    thepla & chai is ultimate comfort food.and your chai recipe is pure genius!

    Sujatha:
    thanks so much ! will surely play, and come up with it soon:)

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  16. i too love mooli paraths, but since long didn't made it, after seeing urs, feels like making...
    Hey u have a award waiting for u in my blog, do check out..

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  17. Lovely theplas and the papaya sabzi too .. I have never liked raw papaya except as chatni that bengalis make .. which Idon't know how to make :p but maybe i'll try this now. Even I love parathas with kadak chai too. :-)

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  18. THat really looks awesome!! Loved the cooling color of papaya too. Great job

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  19. Hi Sharmila,
    Thanks!This is less of a sabzi and more of a salad/pickle!

    Meera:
    Thank you! All the fabulous rotis & theplas on your blog inspire me:)

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  20. Neha, Thank you SO much!
    I am honoured.

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  21. What a tempting combination.. I can't make theplas now but I'm off to make a cup of hot masala chai.. :)

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  22. Yummy! I have never tried khacha papaya nu shak..butit looks wonderful. Will give it a try!

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  23. Thank you for such vivid, yet simple recipes ! Must try and give you feedback :)

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