Haryana, the land of Rotis, Ghee & All things nice!

First things first. Chandigarh, the city beautiful, my home town, the first planned city in India..... can you tell I looooooooooooove Chandigarh? So Chandigarh tees up as the capital city of two of THE most fabulous states in India, Haryana & Punjab.... I wanted to lead the write-up for Haryana with Chandigarh :), all done, so here goes!

And then, right after Chandigarh, the next thing closest to my heart, the Bhagwad Gita... In the very first verse of Bhagwad Gita, Kurukshetra (one of the cities of Haryana) is described as region of righteousness' - a place of great historical and religious importance, revered all over the country for its sacred association with the Vedas and the Vedic Culture. It was here that the battle of Mahabharat was fought and Lord Krishna preached his philosophy of karma, and how one's destiny is deeply entwined with one's duty, so do thy duty and the destiny shall follow!

I digress - this is not supposed to have been a sermon - but the girls know how dear I hold the Bhagwad Gita to my heart, so they listened patiently :)....

• Civilizations from the days of yore. Haryana itself is home to over 100 early Harappan sites (2500-2200 BC), distributed across multiple districts across this small state. The Rakhigiri village is sitting on top of a rare archaeological site that is older and larger than Mohenjo-daro, perhaps the best-known human settlement of the Indus Valley civilization!

• Also often times referred to as the “Gateway of North India”, successive streams of Huns, Turks, and the Afghans invaded India and decisive battles were fought on this land.

• The most striking feature of Haryana is its language, rather, the manner in which it is spoken. Popularly known as Haryanvi, Bangaru, or Jatu, it is perhaps a bit crude but full of earthy humor and straightforwardness. I smile coz there's the "sound familiar?" comment from Dad that I keep hearing... I could've have written this for Punjab and Punjabi as well - I should know since that's where my roots are!

• Farming & modernization. One of the wealthiest states in India, a large part of the economy in Haryana is dependent on farming... home to the most famous long grained rice not only in India, but the world, Basmati rice! Haryana became the first state in the country to provide electricity to 100% of its rural population, in an effort to promote and support its farmers!

Haryanvi cuisine is like the people of Haryana – simple, earthy, and inextricably linked to the land....the emphasis is on food that is wholesome, fresh, and prepared with little or no fuss at all.

Their staple food is wheat or bajra so it is indeed the ‘Land of Rotis, vegetables and plenty of milk and ghee.

• In the spirit of the "land of ghee and rotis" tagline, we decided on Daal ka paratha (a flatbread, stuffed with the goodness of lentils and spices), Sarson ka Saag (a luxurious blend of greens, with mustard leaves being the predominant candidate, tempered with ghee and limited spices), Paneer Bhar Bhar ke (a paneer overload, where the gravy and the pieces are ALL paneer!), Hara Dhaniya Choliya (a typical vegetarian street food from Haryana, green chickpeas sauted with ghee and onions), and Kurkuri Gobi (a crunchy, spicy cauliflower preparation);

• And an offering for the sweet of tooth, including Gond ke Laddu (healthy, wholesome and nutritious sweet balls made of wheat flour, edible gum, jaggery, ghee and almonds), and Gajar ka Halwa (a quintessential north Indian dessert, made of carrots doused in ghee, jaggery and dry fruits)

Daal ka Paratha

What you'll need:

• 1-11/2 cups of any left-over daal (lentils)

• 3-31/2 cups whole wheat flour

• 1 red onion, finely chopped; 3 green chillies, finely chopped; 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

• Water for kneading the dough; canola oil for basting the parathas

This is my go to option when I want to use up any left over daals or vegetables in the fridge. I just knead the dough with all the ingredients above, adding only enough water to make a semi-soft dough. Divide the dough into balls, perhaps a little bigger than the size of a golf ball. Using a rolling pin, roll out the ball into a circular shape about 6-7" in diameter. Place the rolled paratha on a heated flat pan... once the paratha looks like its semi-cooked, turn it over, and baste it with oil sparingly... flip it over again and baste on the other side as well, using a flat spatula to ensure that the paratha is cooked on the full surface. Remove from the pan, and move on to the next one! We eat these just on their own, with any gravy based food preparations, with yogurt, with dry dishes... anything at all!

Sarson ka Saag

What you'll need:

• 1 bunch of mustard greens (~1 lb); 1 bunch of bathua greens; 1 bunch of fenugreek leaves; 1 bunch of spinach leaves - each of these, washed under running water, patted dry, and then chopped fine

• 1" ginger root, coarsely cut into pieces; 5 green chillies, coarsely cut; 10 cloves of garlic; 1 red onion, chopped

• 3 tblsp cornmeal, made into a paste with 1 cup of water, plus 1 additional cup of water

• 2 tsp salt; 1 tsp turmeric pd; 1/2 tsp red chilli pd; 1/4 tsp asafoetida pd

• 2 tblsp ghee (clarified butter); cubes of butter for garnish

Above: The varieties of greens on the left, and the finished product on the right

Grind the ginger, green chillies and garlic to a coarse mix in a grinder. Place the cleaned and chopped greens in a pressure cooker, and add two tblsp of the ginger, garlic, green chillies mix to it. Now add in the cornmeal (having dissolved it in a cup of water), plus the additional cup of water and 1 tsp of salt. Pressure cook until one whistle (or until the pressure builds up) and then cook for an additional 6-7 minutes. Let the pressure release on its own - don't rush this! Once cooled, run the mix through a mixer/grinder to blend the saag to a smooth creamy texture.

Now for the tempering... enter the ghee! Heat the ghee in a thick bottom pan, add in the asafoetida, and then the chopped onions. Once the onions become translucent, add in the remainder of the ginger, garlic, green chillies mixture and saute until the raw smell has disappeared. Add in the saag blend, and stir in the tempering. Sprinkle the salt, turmeric and red chilli pd, and let it cook, covered, for another 10 minutes. Serve hot with a garnish of butter on top! This is one of my kids' favorites when we visit my parents in Chandigarh - a winter staple, followed by Gajrela (Gajar ka Halwa) to cater to our sweet cravings!!

Paneer Bhar Bhar ke

What you'll need:

• 2 lbs of paneer, 11/2 lbs cubed, and the remaining 1/2 grated

• 2 tblsp oil; 1 tsp cumin seeds; 1/4 tsp asafoetida pd

• 4 roma tomatoes, diced; 1" ginger, chopped; 10 garlic cloves, chopped; 5 green chillies, chopped; 1/2 cup cashews, broken pieces (optional)

• 2 tsp salt; 1 tsp turmeric pd; 1 tblsp coriander pd; 1/2 tsp red chilli pd; 2 tblsp kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)

• Fresh cilantro, chopped, for garnish

I call this my paneer-on-paneer dish. Paneer squared. Death by Paneer.... well not death, but definitely a glimpse of heaven! In the land where milk products abound, paneer isn't necessarily a very common base for food, as much as it is in Punjab... but an absolute favorite for me growing up in Chandigarh, and the tradition continues with my girls as well, so thought I'd treat them to some as part of the Haryana cuisine :).

Heat 1 tblsp of oil in your pan - add in the ginger, garlic and green chillies, and saute until they become lightly browned before adding in the tomatoes and cashews (optional). Simmer the mix on low heat, covered, for 5-7 minutes until the tomatoes have softened. Let the mix cool, and once cooled, blend this mix to a smooth paste, and set aside.

Heat the remaining oil in the cooking pan, and once heated, drop in the asafoetida pd and cumin seeds until they crackle. Gently pour in the paste, add in the salt, turmeric pd, coriander pd and red chilli pd and stir the spices in while cooking for 3-4 minutes. Add in the kasoori methi as well as the grated paneer... stir gently with the spatula so the grated paneer absorbs the spices and flavoring. Now add half a cup of water, stir it in (just so the gravy isn't too thick - this is also optional)... and finally the cubes of paneer. Make sure each cube is covered with the gravy, lower the heat and let it cook, covered, for another 8-10 minutes. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves and serve hot with your roti/paratha of choice!!

Hara Dhaniya Choliya

What you'll need:

• 2 lbs of choliya (green chickpeas/Bengal chickpeas) - you can use frozen, or fresh ones if you find them in an Indian grocery store

• 2 small red onions, thinly sliced; 2 roma tomatoes, diced; 4 green chillies, slit length-wise; 8-10 garlic cloves, chopped

• 1 tblsp ghee; 11/2 tsp salt; 1 tsp turmeric pd; 1/2 tsp red chilli pd; 1/2 tsp cumin pd

• Fresh cilantro, chopped, for garnish

If you're using frozen choliya, take a pot of hot water, and drop the choliya in so these can thaw while you get the tempering ready. In a kadai (thick bottomed wok), heat the ghee until it melts. Drop in the sliced onions and saute until the onions are very lightly browned. Add in the garlic and green chillies, sauteing for another 3-4 minutes. Then add in the tomatoes, salt, turmeric, cumin pd and red chilli pd, mix and let this cook until the spices start separating from the ghee. Finally add the choliya to the mix - make sure you don't add any water... you want to make this a dry dish, to keep the flavors crisp and zesty... this is a brilliant way to get some yummy snack in, or as a side to any meal, and is a very good source of protein as well for a vegetarian diet!

Kurkuri Gobi

What you'll need:

• 1 head of cauliflower, broken into rough floret pieces

• 1 tsp cornflour; 1 tsp turmeric pd; 1 tsp red chilli pd; 11/2 tsp salt; 1 tblsp oil

• 1 tblsp ghee; 1 red onion, finely chopped; 2 tblsp of chopped ginger; 1 sprig curry leaves (optional); 1 tsp coriander seeds

• Fresh cilantro, chopped for garnish

Wash the cauliflower florets in running water and pat them dry. Make a thin paste with 1/2 cup of water and the cornflour, turmeric and red chilli pd. Mix the florets and the paste together and make sure the florets are evenly coated with the paste. I then tossed these into an air-fryer, drizzled a tblsp of oil on these, and air-fried these at 390F for 20 minutes.

In a separate pan, heat the ghee, and once heated, toss in the curry leaves and coriander seeds until they crackle. Then add in the onions and ginger, and saute until browned. Finally toss in the air-fried cauliflower florets and the salt, and let this cook for about 10-12 minutes on medium heat, until done.... remember to NOT cover the pan, coz you want the florets to retain their crispy crunchiness. Garnish with the fresh cilantro and serve as an appetizer or with your meal! We had some as part of both :D!!

Gond ke Laddu

What you'll need:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour; 1/2 cup ghee (4 tblsp ghee separated); 3 tblsp whole milk

• 1/4 cup gond (edible gum); 1 cup jaggery, and 1 cup water

• 1/2 cup almond slices; 1/2 cup dry grated coconut

• 1/2 tsp cardamom pd; 1/4 tsp ginger pd

This dessert is often used in the villages as the ball of energy for farmers as they head out for working the fields early morning... and can be stored for 2-3 weeks in the winter months, and sometimes even longer! Here we go!

Add 4 tblsp ghee to the flour and mix well until the ghee is blended into the flour. Add in the milk and mix well again. Pat the mix down into a bowl and let it rest for 25-30 minutes. After 30 minutes, mix the flour blend again and using a sieve, ensure that the mix is sieved and separate well into a fine powdery mix. Next, heat the remaining ghee and add in the gond crystals, frying these on low-medium heat until they are fluffed up fully. Turn these over with a slotted spoon, and make sure these get evenly browned on all sides - remove from the pan using a slotted spoon, and let the gond cool for a few minutes. Once cooled, use a rolling pin to crush the gond crystals, and add these, along with the almonds, coconut, cardamom pd and ginger pd to the sieved flour mix. Finally, add the jaggery and water to a heated pan, and mix well, until the jaggery is fully melted and blended well with the water. Add the jaggery melt to the flour mix, and using a spatula, mix the ingredients well to a homogenous mix. Once slightly cooled, make the laddus using your palms, perhaps the size of a golf ball... your laddus are ready to be consumed!

Gajar ka Halwa

What you'll need:

• 3 tblsp ghee; 5 long carrots (~1-11/2 lbs), peeled and grated

• 1 cup jaggery (preferred, else you can use sugar); 1 cup whole milk

• 1/2 lb of khoya (concentrated, "curd" version of milk)

• 1/2 cup raisins; 2 tblsp sliced almonds

This is one of the easiest desserts that hail from the northern heartland of India, and very popular during the winter months as well, just like Sarson ka Saag. Heat the ghee in a thick bottomed pan, and add in the grated carrots. Mix well so that the ghee evenly coats the carrots, and bhuno (saute :)) over medium heat for a good 15-20 minutes, until the water from the carrots has dried up. Now add in the jaggery, and keep stirring the pot until the jaggery melts completely - slowly add in the milk and the raisins, and continue cooking until the milk is completely dried up... you'll need to take care to keep stirring occasionally so that the milk and/or the sugar doesn't stick and burn at the bottom of the pan. This process could take 40-45 minutes - its long but the end result - SO WORTH IT!.

Finally, take the pan off the heat, grate the khoya and fold it into the warm halwa. Sprinkle the sliced almonds on top, and serve warm after dinner!