Ratali Bajri Thalipeeth

Ratali Bajri Thalipeeth it is today! The Christmas break is done with. I am back home after a long vacation and you as you must have already guessed, I am craving for some home-made healthy meal after eating out for the whole 3 weeks. But mind you, let me tell you that Australia (where we vacationed) has a lovely eating culture. Good vegetarian food options prepared with care and hygiene are available everywhere. However, nothing can beat ghar ka khana, right?

So here we go with our power-packed recipe of ratali and bajra thalipeeth (Sweet potato pearl millet pancake); sweet potatoes and bajra are the best foods for winter and tastes the best especially when it is -9 degrees outside 😉

Ingredients for Ratali Bajri Thalipeeth: (Makes 2 thalipeeth)

Ratali (sweet potatoes): 200 gms/ 2-3 small ones

Bajri flour (pearl millet) – 0.5 cup

Green chilli – 1 big one

Ginger – 0.5 inch

Aamchur powder (dry mango powder) – 0.25 tsp

Sesame seeds – 4-5 tsp (yes, this much is needed)

Turmeric powder – 0.5 tsp

Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Hing/asafoetida – a pinch

Ajwain (carrom) seeds – 0.25 tsp; crush in your palm and add to release the oils

Coriander leaves, finely chopped- 1 tbsp ( I added spinach as I ran out of coriander leaves)

Salt to taste

Ghee/oil for roasting the thalipeeth

Method:

Boil the sweet potatoes. Allow them to cool and peel them. Now mash the potatoes in a bowl. Crush the ginger and green chilli in a mortar pestle or grind it the mixer. Now, add the bajra flour, ginger-chilli paste and the other ingredients + spices to the bowl. Mix it well to form a smooth dough. There is no need to add water. However, if you feel that the dough is dry, add a tablespoon of water at a time and mix well.

Rest the dough for 10 minutes.

Make equal portions of the dough and pat it on the tava/griddle using a little water to wet your fingers. Now, heat the tava. Wetting your fingers will ensure that the dough does not stick to your hand while patting the thalipeeth. Also the thalipeeth will be easy to spread on the tava if it is not hot. You can sprinkle a few drops of water on the hot tava to cool it down before making the next thalipeeth.

Make a few holes in the thalipeeth to ensure uniform cooking. Do not make the thalipeeths too thin or else they will break apart. Smear ghee on the thalipeeth and allow it to roast on a medium flame till it gets done on one side. Flip it over and cook on the other side.

Serve it with a side of dahi (curd) and achaar (pickle) for a yummy meal.