With women’s day coming up, I started thinking about the women in my life who have shaped me, and made me the woman I am today. And this list wouldn’t be complete without mentioning my mother. Even though I lived far from her most of my adult life, she was a big part of it, until she left us 7 years ago. She still is, as her memories warm me and help me navigate daily activities.
She was a kind woman despite having a tough childhood. She completed her education after marrying my father, and worked alongside him so that me and my 3 siblings led a comfortable life. Is it just me, or a lot of our memories associated with our mothers involve food? My mother cooked everyday for our voracious family of 8 before leaving for work in the morning! And even her “simplest” meals seemed like treats to us.
One such simple, yet tasty and nutritious meal I remember is bajra, or pearl millet, bhakri with a mixed vegetable sabji and moong khichadi. She prepared it religiously on every Sankranti and has recently become a staple in our household because of its nutritional benefits, especially compared to wheat rotis.
Millets, traditionally eaten in every Indian home, are being forgotten today because of a lack of knowledge about how to cook them! Instead they are replaced by the far less nutritious wheat. So today, in celebration of my mother’s strength and determination I would like to share her bajra bhakri recipe with you.
- Boil one and a half katori full of water in a pan and add 1 tablespoon of oil and 1 teaspoon salt.
- To this add one katori of bajra flour and after mixing well with a spatula, cover the pan and after keeping for a minute or so, put off the stove and let it rest for 10 min.
- Now make a nice dough using your hands and during the process add two teaspoons of sesame seeds.
- Take portions and roll them into bhakri.
- The above process in Marathi is called ‘ukad dene’ meaning steaming. This process softens the otherwise dry bajra flour.
- My mother didn’t make bhakri regularly so this process made it easier for her to roll the bhakri.
- Her bhakri tasted yummy with the mixed vegetables and sesame chutney!
At SONKAN we believe that the food we eat should be tasty but also healthy! And our mothers, grandmothers and aunts knew how to do just that. So, let’s celebrate these strong women by helping forge future generations the way the #womenwhoshapedus.
Share the story of the woman who made you the woman you are, along with a healthy millet recipe. This small gesture will help us create a collection of healthy food recipes using the forgotten millets for today’s health conscious women! Tag us on Instagram
Sonkan will compile all of your recipes into a handy ebook which will be sent to ALL participants. But keep checking here to see the collection in real time!
1.
I shared the recipe for ‘Bajra chi Bhakari’.
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