Food talk
 Soya special

Made with nutritious black soya beans, bhatiya-jholi is a great
substitute for breakfast cereals, writes Pushpesh Pant

IT’s believed to be the source of A-grade vegetable protein, yields oil, milk and cream sans cholesterol and, of course gifts us tofu so beloved to a quarter of mankind. In recent years, many innovative products based on it have flooded the market — nuggets/ barhi, granules/ keema enhancing the options available to vegetarians manifold. Soya is, indeed, a magical bean.

It is surprising that it is not appreciated much in India. It is only in the hilly region of Uttarakhand that bhatt (black soya beans) are given their due. They are used to provide body to rasa, the exceptionally nutritious lentil soup cooked for hours in a cast-iron karahi and greatly appreciated in the solo performance in chutkani. About a generation ago, dry-roasted soya beans were a popular snack consumed by fistfuls as families warmed themselves sitting around the hearth gossiping, telling tales, exchanging riddles using every trick in the bag to fortify the body and mind to cope with the long and cold winter nights.

Another recipe, now on the verge of extinction, is bhatiya, a porridge made with black soya beans that paired with jholi — a thin karhi "was till a generation ago a cherished seasonal delicacy. The traditional recipe, for some reason we haven’t been able to fathom, uses no salt — it is added as per taste by individual diner usually in the form of a chutney like hare dhania ka namak ground with fresh coriander leaves and laced with green chillies. Our beloved son, stricken with nostalgia, cooked bhatiya at home recently and we discovered that it makes a great substitute for breakfast cereals.

Bhatiya - Jholi

For the bhatiya
Ingredients

 Black Soya beans 250 gm

Method
Pick, wash and soak the beans overnight and drain. Grind to a coarse paste. If using a blender, stay with short bursts. Place an iron karahi on the stove and put the bean paste in it, along with a litre of water. Bring to boil. Then reduce heat to low medium flame and cook uncovered to thicken stirring at regular intervals.

For the jholi
Ingredients

Besan ˝ cup

Radish (medium-sized) one

Dahi 1 cup

Dhania powder 1 tsp

Haldipowder ˝ tsp

Red chilli powder ˝ tsp

Red chilli whole one

Oil 2 tbsp

A large fistful of fresh methi leaves

Salt to taste

For the green salt

A large sprig of hara dhania

A small sprig of hara pudina leaves

Green chillies two

Salt to taste

Method
Clean and wash methi leaves and chop these coarsely. Scrape and wash the radish cut in large pieces and pound to crush. Heat oil in a pan to smoking point. Then reduce the heat to medium and add the chilli; when it changes colour put in the radish and the methi leaves and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes. Now blend the dahi with two cups of water, whisk well and pour in the pan. Add the powdered spices, along with salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and cook for about half an hour stirring regularly. Remember the jholi is much thinner than the karhi cooked in the plains. Ground all the ingredients listed for the green salt into a coarse paste adding a little water. Serve the bhatiya with jholi and hara namak for a refreshingly different, nourishing and tasty meal.





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