Bhatura & Beef Fry

I remember my mother making this occasionally at dinner parties. Bhathura is one of my favorite food. I never found anything much tastier Bhathura than the one my mom made at home.

BHATURA

Ingredients:-

1. Maida/ Flour- 1 cup
2. Semolina/ Rava- 1/2 cup
3. Salt- To Taste
4. Sugar- 1 tsp
5. yeast- 1/2 tsp
6. Water- Enough for Kneading the dough
7. Oil- For Frying
8. Yogurt- 1 tbsp

Method:-

1. Mix yeast in lukewarm water and let it sit for 10 minutes or until the mixture becomes frothy.
2. Add semolina sugar, and salt to the flour and mix well.
3. Next mix oil and yogurt with flour. Add yeast water to the flour and make into soft dough; add more water as needed to make soft pliable dough.
4. Cover the dough and keep in a warm place for 3-4 hours. The dough should become almost double in volume.
5. Knead the dough well and divide the dough into  equal parts.
6. Shape dough into balls and roll into roughly 6 or 7 inch oval shapes.. Dust lightly with dry flour to help with the rolling.
7. Heat the oil in a frying pan on high heat.
8. Place the Batura in the frying pan and press it with a skimmer. This will make batura puff like a ball. Turn the batura; batura should be light creamy brown on both sides. Take the batura out and place them on paper towel to absorb the extra oil. Be sure to fry the batura in hot oil, otherwise batura will be very greasy.

TIPS:- You can also use soda powder instead of yeast, but I like it with yeast, because it will give you a rather bread like taste.

BEEF CURRY ( SEMI-GRAVY)

Ingredients:

1. Beef- 1/2 kg
2. Salt- to taste
3. Pepper- 3 tbsp
4. Turmeric- 1/2 tsp
5. Red Chilly Powder- 1 tsp.
6. Coriander Powder- 2 tbsp.
7. Kashmiri Chilly Powder- 1/2 tsp.
8. Black Pepper Powder- 2 tbsp.
9. Cloves- 3
10. Cardamom- 4
11. Fennel Seeds- 1/4 tsp.
12. Cinnamon- 1/2 inch stick
13. Black Pepper Corns- few
14. Cooking Oil- 3 or 4 tbsp.
15. Garlic- Thinly Sliced- 10-12 cloves
16. Ginger-Chopped- 1 tsp.
17. Onion- 2 medium Sliced
18. Curry leaves- few
19. Salt- To taste
20. Mustard Seeds- few

Method:-

1. Pressure Cook the Beef with some turmeric powder, chilly powder, salt, garlic, ginger and enough water on high flame until 4 whistles. (Make sure that you put just enough water that will cover the beef as water from the meat will come out once it is heated).
2. Dry roast chilly powder, Kashmiri chilly and coriander powder.
3. Crackle mustard seeds in oil along with curry leaves, followed by garlic, ginger and onion.
4. Add turmeric power, roasted powder mix, and the rest of the whole spices ( you can also ground them into powder and add)
5. Now add the cooked beef to the masala along with some water until oil surfaces on top.
6. Add enough black pepper powder.
7. Make sure to put more of pepper powder rather than red chilly, if you want the beef to  be more black in color
8. You can make the gravy thick  or thin or make it completely dry as per your choice.
9. Serve it hot with rice, breads, roti, chapatti etc.
10. You can similarly make mutton curry also in this manner.

TIPS:-

• Pour Few drops of oil when you pressure cook meet or lentils that will avoid the water to froth up when the pressure cooker releases hot air.
• Always note that when you mix two types of chilly, the heat will be double whether its green chilly or red chilly or pepper powder.
• Pepper powder is mild, but will catch on throat rather than on your tongue. You can adjust heat  as per your wish.