Dhebras in Gujarati literally mean ‘lumps or rough thick chunks’.

Dhebras are unleavened bread therefore, which are rolled thick; unlike the chapatti or roti and cooked on a griddle.

You have probably tried the Sweet Dhebras, which Dhebras are made purely of wheat, uni-grained bread. The Savoury Dhebras uses more than one grain and is quite different in its preparation, taste and use. The Savoury Dhebras can is eaten at any meal or as a snack. It makes excellent ‘travel food’; tasty, filling and long shelf-life.

Try it with the Ripe Mango Curry (Fajeto), or good old Buttermilk or any Lassi, tea or coffee or other beverage or cooked meat or vegetable. The Savoury Dhebras, Doesn’t do too well with Salads, but goes well with Soups especially soups with a stronger flavour like a Tomato soup or Mulligatawny.

For 6 Savoury Dhebras:

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup gram flour (Channa ka Atta/ Chick pea Flour);

1 cup Pearl millet flour (Bajra ka Atta);

1 small bunch fresh coriander leaves, chopped fine;

6 green chilies, chopped fine;

2 cloves garlic;

1 inch piece ginger;

1 tbsp Sesame seeds (Til) OPTIONAL;

Salt and ground Black Pepper to taste

1 tablespoon ghee or oil or as needed (Ghee gives it a distinct and traditionally accepted flavour.).

METHOD:

Sieve together the Gram flour, Millet flour, and salt.

Peel and grind the ginger and garlic together into a smooth paste.

Now With water, knead the flour into soft fairly pliable dough.

Do not add Ghee to the dough

Add:  finely chopped fresh green coriander and Chilies, ginger-garlic paste, ground black pepper, Sesame (if using) and knead further.

Roll out into 6” roundels about 1/8^th of an inch / 0.3 cms/3 mm Thick.

Heat a griddle (preferably made of iron),

Brush ghee on both sides of the Savoury Dhebras,

Cook the Savoury Dhebras one at a time on the hot griddle on a medium flame,

Till the one side is brown,

Flip the Savoury Dhebras to cook on the other side equally brown,

Flip once again, and remove within 5 seconds.

Your Savoury Dhebras is ready to eat.

As a VARIATION and a more pungent version, one may replace the green chilies and the ginger-garlic paste with a paste of garlic, dry red chilies

pungent

and salt. In this case adjust the amount of salt added to the dough.

OR

For a more mellow taste, replace the green chillies with coarsely (very roughly) ground Cumin or Coriander Seeds or even whole Cumin or Coriander Seeds.

Kurkuria is a Parsi snack long forgotten and lost in memory. I first heard of it from a Parsi Manager of an Agiary (Fire Temple) in Mumbai. Marzban Palsettia is from the Village of Nargol, in Gujarat and mentioned that ‘amongst other Parsi snacks, he even made Kurkuria for his colleagues’. I was intrigued. When I found this recipe  amongst the family recipes, I thought to share it with you, my readers. The taste imparted by using the Palm Toddy as ferment is distinctive; that, perhaps, adds greatly to the appeal of the Kurkuria as against other fritters.

There is more than one kind of Kurkuria to be had with Tea—some with fruit some without. Each is made differently; I will share the recipes in due course.

It is interesting to know that Kurkuria is also, the name of two villages in India; one in the State of Assam and another in West Bengal.

Both places also have a weather Bureau which are  named the Kurkuria Grant Weather – AccuWeather Forecast for Assam India and one by the same name for West Bengal.

INGREDIENTS:

250 Gms fine wheat semolina (Rava);

250 Gms plain wheat flour (Atta);

250 Gms finely ground white flour (Maida)

500 Gms powdered sugar (you may grind fine, sugar crystals of use icing sugar) ;

250 Gms plain wheat flour;

½ bottle of toddy (if not available add a flat tsp of fresh yeast and treat the flour accordingly);

250 ml milk with thick cream added to it (cream optional)

3 tablespoons rose water;

6 eggs;

5 Gms cardamom and nutmeg powder mixed;

1 tbsp ghee as shortening (butter used instead of ghee will destroy the earthy flavour of the Kurkuria Fritters);

Ghee / other cooking medium as required for frying.

Sieve the semolina and wheat flour;

Add tbsp ghee;

Mix lightly.

Beat the 6 eggs lightly and add to the flour;

Mix.

Add milk with cream, Cardamom-Nutmeg powder, powdered sugar;

Mix.

Do not knead the dough at any stage.

Add a little Toddy at a time and bring the mixture to a dropping consistency.

Cover the mixture and put it in a warm place. Allow it to rise.

When it has risen add the rose water. Mix.

Heat the ghee in a deep pan and drop the dough with a table spoon in the hot but not smoking ghee.

Keep each ball of the Kurkuria apart when frying; ensure they do not bunch up or stick to each other;

Deep fry the Kukuria to a brown and serve with Tea.

A few grams of blanched, peeled almonds crushed to a powder, if added to the Kurkuria dough would go a long way in improving its taste.