Cucumber Dhirde (काकडीचे धिरडे)

Ingredients:
1 cup grated cucumber,
1 cup jowar flour,
1 tbsp besan flour,
1-2 chopped green chillies,
1 tsp carom or ajjwain seeds (optional),
chopped coriander leaves (optional),
salt as per taste

Servings: 4 medium size dhirde

I used sambar cucumber for this recipe. You can use regular cucumber instead. Grate the cucumber and mix all the ingredients. Add very little water to get thick consistency (idli batter consistency).

Heat pan and apply little oil on the pan for greasing. Pour one ladle full of batter and lightly spread it in circular motion. Cover the pan with a lid and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes. Once the bottom side is brown and well roasted, flip the other side. Cover again with the lid. In about 2-3 minutes, the other side will be fried properly.

Dhirde is ready to serve. You can either serve it with a green chutney or curd based salad. My daughter loves it with ghee and sugar. 

Cucumber Thalipeeth (काकडीचे थालीपीठ)

I made this thalipeeth using mixed millets. I had bought sambar cucumber to use in Sambar. Thought of making this thalipeeth with leftover cucumber.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup of jowar flour
1/2 cup pearl millet or bajra flour,
1/4 cup nachni or ragi flour,
1 cup grated sambar cucumber,
few coriander leaves chopped,
1/2 tsp chilly powder or chopped green chillies,
1/4 tsp roasted jeera,
1 tsp sesame seeds,
salt as per taste

Servings: 3 medium sized thalipeeth

Mix all the ingredients and knead into a dough. If the mixture is too dry, add little lukewarm water to knead into a smooth dough.

Divide the dough into three round balls. Using palm, press the dough into flat bread, keep turning the dough slowly while flattening to uniformly apply pressure on all sides. It should be slightly thicker than chapati.

Heat a pan on the gas stove. Once the pan is hot, place thalipeeth on it. Sprinkle some oil from the sides to roast it. Make 2-3 small holes in thalipeeth at different places to help it cook well. Keep the flame on low. After 3-4 minutes, turn the thalipeeth to roast the other side. After another 3-4 minutes, thalipeeth will be ready. Serve it hot with chutney, a dollop of butter or freshly grated coconut and curd.

Spinach Flatbread (पालकाची भाकरी)

I read this in a recipe book and found it very interesting. I have never tried mixing anything with jowar or any other grain flours other than wheat. It turned out to be very tasty.

Ingredients:
a small bunch of palak or spinach leaves
1 1/2 tsp roasted jeera
3-4 garlic cloves
2 green chillies
1 1/2 tbsp besan or gram flour
1 1/2 cup jowar flour or multigrain bhakri flour (mix of raagi, bajra, jowar flour)
salt as per taste

Servings:
4-5 bhakris

Wash spinach leaves thoroughly. In a pan, add spinach leaves and cook for 2-3 minutes until the leaves start wilting. Turn off the gas and let it cool for 5-10 minutes. Grind together wilted spinach leaves, green chillies, cloves, roasted jeera. In a flat plate, mix together gram flour, paste of spinach with other ingredients, salt and add bhakri flour slowly. Keep mixing and kneading. Adjust the flour or water to make a smooth dough. Divide the dough into 4-5 round balls.

Procedure to make bhakri:
Dust some flour on a ball. Using your palms and a flat surface, lightly  press the dough ball and rotate it. Sprinkle more flour if the dough is sticking to your palm or the flat surface. Keep pressing and rotating until you get a nice round chapati sized bhakri. Take a flat pan and heat it on medium flame. Using a spatula, slowly lift the bhakri and carefully place it on the pan. Turn the flame to maximum and spread some water on the top surface of the bhakri. Let it cook for 1-2 minutes, taking care not to burn the bottom surface of the bhakri. Flip the bhakri, allowing the surface on which you had spread water to cook. After a minute, take the pan off the flame using a pair of tongs and invert the bhakri and place it directly on the flame. Bhakri will begin to puff up. Turn the bhakri again and cook the other side of the bhakri. Serve hot bhakri with fresh home made butter and vegetables of your choice. Bhakri goes very well with gravy vegetables.

Jowar flour dhirde (ज्वारीच्या पीठाचे धिरडे)

My daughter is fussy about eating vegetables. I make dhirde with grated or finely chopped vegetables to ensure she eats her vegetables.  She enjoys Dhirde with ghee and sugar or with a cheese slice.

Ingredients:
1 cup Jowar flour (jwari)
1/2 cup gram flour (besan)
1/4 cup Raagi or nachni flour (optional)
1 tbsp of semolina
1/2 cup finely cut coriander leaves
1/2 cup curd
1 1/2 cup water
salt to taste
1 tsp chilli powder

Servings:
Makes about 5, sufficient for 2 people

Mix all the ingredients and mix well to break any lumps of flour. The batter has to be that of thick dosa consistency. Heat pan and apply little oil over the pan. Take a ladle full of batter and spread uniformly at the centre of the pan. Cover with lid. Turn the heat on medium. After about 1 minute or once the bottom side is brown and netted, flip to fry the other side. Cover again with lid. Once both sides are fried properly, take dhirde off the heat.

Serve with any chutney of your choice. Dhirde are super easy to make and are usually made as breakfast recipe.

Note:
Any vegetable of your choice or a combination of vegetables like beetroot and carrot can be added to the batter.