Kuttu ka Thepla Recipe: How to Make Healthy Fasting Bread for Sawan

If you are tired of eating simple dishes every day, such as rice, dal, or wheat flatbreads, and want something very tasty and spicy for lunch, we offer you an excellent recipe. Although you eat simple wheat flour flatbreads often, perhaps you have never tried crispy lentil puri with masala.

If not, be sure to try this recipe. These puris turn out incredibly crispy on the outside and aromatic on the inside, so they do not need a special side dish. They can be eaten deliciously simply with pickles, yogurt, or tea. Let's learn the simplest way to prepare this appetizing and crumbly flatbread.

Ingredients for Sesame Oil Lentil Puri

To start, you will need the following ingredients: half a cup of lentils (soaked for 3-4 hours), 2 cups of wheat flour, 2 tablespoons of dry cornmeal (for extra crispiness), 2-3 hot peppers (finely chopped), a 1-inch piece of ginger, 1 teaspoon of fennel seeds, 1 teaspoon of whole cumin, 1 teaspoon of coriander powder, half a teaspoon of red pepper powder, half a teaspoon of turmeric powder, half a teaspoon of masala, two pinches of asafoetida, 1 tablespoon of dried methi, finely chopped fresh cilantro, salt to taste, 1 teaspoon of oil or ghee for kneading the dough, and the required amount for frying.

Cooking Method

First, thoroughly drain the water from the soaked lentils. Then, place them in a blender jar together with ginger, fennel, and hot pepper and blend until a coarse paste is formed without adding water (it is important that the paste is not too fine).

In a large bowl, mix the wheat flour and dry cornmeal. Add the ground lentil mixture, red pepper powder, turmeric, coriander, masala, asafoetida, dried methi, fresh cilantro, and salt. Mix all ingredients thoroughly by hand, gradually adding a little water to knead a firm dough (the puri dough should be firmer than regular flatbread dough).

Cover the dough and let it rest for 10 minutes. After that, divide the dough into small balls. On a lightly oiled surface (do not use dry flour, otherwise the oil will get contaminated), roll each ball into a medium-sized round flatbread. Heat enough oil in a deep pan for frying; it must be well hot.

Drop the rolled flatbreads into the hot oil and gently press them with a spatula so that they puff up like balloons. Fry on both sides until golden-brown and crispy, then remove them.

Serve the hot sesame oil lentil puris with raita, potato curry, pickles, or your favorite sauce during lunch.

During the month of Sawan, people typically abstain from onion, garlic, and meat, opting for simple food. However, even simple food can be made delicious. Since light food is customary during Sawan, pumpkin tikki can be prepared, which turns out to be very appetizing and easy to make.

In the holy month of Sawan, devotees observe a fast in honor of Lord Shiva. But eating the same dish every day can become boring. Although boiled potatoes are often eaten, during these days, you can try simple and tasty pumpkin tikki. Pumpkin is a light food, and adding cottage cheese (paneer) enriches it with protein. This dish will help keep you full for a long time while having a wonderful taste. It is important to note that this dish requires not much oil to prepare, and it is easy to make during the fast.

Here is a simple way to prepare pumpkin tikki that will be useful during the month of Sawan. First, the pumpkin should be thoroughly washed, peeled, and then grated. If there is too much water in the pumpkin, it needs to be lightly squeezed to remove excess moisture. This ensures better binding of the tikki and prevents them from falling apart when frying.

Next, the grated pumpkin and cottage cheese are mixed in a large bowl. To them, coriander seed powder (jeera powder), Sendha salt, grated ginger, and finely chopped green chili are added. Then, rajgira flour and singhada flour are incorporated into the mixture, stirring all ingredients thoroughly. The mass needs to be slightly pressed; if it holds its shape easily, it is ready for shaping the tikki. A little extra flour can be added if necessary.

After this, small balls are formed, and then they are shaped into tikki by hand. All the tikki are prepared this way. Then, a pan is heated and lightly greased with ghee. The ready tikki are placed on the pan and fried over medium heat on both sides until golden and crispy. When flipping the tikki, care must be taken to ensure they do not fall apart.

When the pumpkin tikki become nicely golden and crispy on both sides, they are placed on a plate. They can be served hot with green fasting chutney, yogurt, or any other favorite vegetarian chutney. These tikki, made from pumpkin, cottage cheese, rajgira flour, and singhada flour, are not only tasty but also quite filling. If you want something unusual and delicious during the Sawan fast, this recipe can be an excellent choice.