Shakal'er Jol Khabar-Paratha and Aloor Torkari

Its being quite a while that I have updated my breakfast label, isn’t. May be due to my focus was entirely shifted towards meals specifically for lunch and dinner. Just in case you are wondering why there is a sudden urge to update breakfast recipes. The reason for this was reading this article by Vir Sanghvi about breakfast and the customs associated with it. If you wish you may go right ahead and Read It Here .

I do feel there are really good but if not great food writers in our country like Jiggs Kalra , Vir Sanghvi and Rahul Verma.In case you are wondering who Rahul Verma is, then you should perhaps read the Sunday Graphiti from Kolkata Telegraph. I do personally think, he has been writing some good food articles and from which I have fondly collected some of paper clipping as well. Later I realized I can now catch up with the on-line edition of graphitti also Click here.

Breakfast has been quite an important affair of our culture or should I say our food culture. In northern India, ladies would start their day frying puris in hot oil and making halvah for breakfast for their loved ones. Sometimes they would be having aloo ka paratha with a bowl of yogurt. Down south when I talk about homely breakfast food, I start picturing –vadas , idlis ,dosas, upma, uttapam and delicious appams as part of a wholesome breakfast .And then in west India  –all the pohas, theplas and khandvis and dhoklas , do you still need some more description.
A milk and cereal/corn flake still is a very “Angrezi Nashta” for many of them and people do not consider this as their breakfast. People still are reluctant of some foreign intrusion and when it comes to daily food habits, it’s still a quite contentious issue.
But if you compare the pace of life now and with our fore-fathers, you do feel there is not enough time for a proper planned elaborate breakfast these days. Even being a homemaker myself, I still find it difficult to prepare paratha or roti with torkari/subzi everyday and then again packing lunch box for DH and daughter and that too before 7.30 in the morning (we do not have any supporting systems or helping hands here as some of you have back home called as “maids”) So, I can imagine the plight of a working woman here, even if she wishes she cant get along well with all the demands a typical busy weekday morning brings with it.
So usually what it used to be a daily affair is now a weekend affair or may be once a week now. I do like to make paratha and aloor torkari/sabzi usually on weekends or may be once a week which is what this post is all about.
All other day is it’s usually a bowl of milk and cereal, 2 toast preferably whole meal bread, 3-4 toasted cashews or almonds or dates and some fruit slices. There are some more breakfast ideas if you wish to see then -Go Here
Debate over the benefits of having cereal and milk over aloo paratha with a bowl of yogurt will go on and let people decide what suits for themselves.
Bottom line or catch point is –Eat all but in moderately and wisely and always remember you are what you eat or think.

Now to the recipes-

Aloor Chechki

Potatoes 3-4 cut into cubes

3-4 green chilies

Salt as per taste

1/2  tsp of turmeric powder

For tempering

2-3 tbs of cooking oil

1 tsp of kalaunji/nigella seeds/ kalo jeerey

Or 1 tsp of panch phoron

Method

Cut potatoes in small cubes.

Now heat up a saucepan, add oil.

Temper the oil when hot but not smoky, with panch phoron and green chilies slit in between.

This recipe is one of our favourite ways of utilizing potatoes.

Add the cubed potatoes; add seasoning like salt, turmeric powder.

Fry them well for 5-7 mints.

Add about ¼ cup of water, and cover it with a lid and cook till potatoes turn soft.

Paratha

1 cup of Maida/Atta

Knead the dough with enough water to a pliable constituency.

Now take small portion from the dough, and roll over into small disc.

Apply generously cooking oil all over it, fold it in half and then again fold in as making a small triangle or cone.

Roll this small triangle into a large one and make parathas over hot griddle or heavy cast iron skillet/tava.

Serve with aloor chechki and one pantua.If you can make pantua/gulab jamun from scratch then probably you can make it from gitts ready made packets( I have made them from the packets this time) instructions are given how to make the gulab jamuns.Enjoy your weekend with traditional breakfast.

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