Kuttu Thalipeeth (Buckwheat and Raw Banana Flatbread)
Prep 30 min · Cook 20 min · Serves 2
Make
Ingredients
- kuttu (buckwheat flour) — 1/2 cup
- chana flour (besan) — 1/4 cup
- raw banana — 1
- cumin powder — 1 tbsp
- coriander powder — 1 tbsp
- red chilli powder — 1 tbsp
- turmeric powder — 1 tbsp
- asafoetida (1 pinch)
- coriander leaves — 5-6 sprigs (chopped)
- green chilli — 1 (finely chopped)
- oil — 3 tbsp
- salt (to taste)
- warm water (a little)
Method
- Toast the two flours (buckwheat and chana) in a dry kadhai, adding the chilli powder, asafoetida, turmeric and cumin powder (and the coriander powder) as they toast. Let the mixture cool.
- Boil the raw banana, cool it, then peel and grate or mash it finely.
- In a bowl combine the banana with the chopped coriander, green chilli and salt, then add the roasted flour mix and stir well.
- Add warm water a little at a time to make a soft dough, and divide it into balls about the size of a tennis ball.
- Pat each ball flat on a sheet of butter paper, wetting your fingers to spread it evenly.
- Heat a non-stick tawa with a few drops of oil, turn the thalipeeth onto it paper side up and peel off the paper. Poke four small holes near the centre and drop a little oil into each.
- Cover and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on low to medium heat, then turn carefully and cook the other side.
Fresh atta: grind small, use soon
- Millets keep for months as whole grain; flour is best ground as it is needed, because it turns rancid. (FAO, Sorghum and millets in human nutrition (1995))
- Bajra changes fastest: its grain stores for months, but its milled flour has a very short shelf life. (ICAR-IIMR scientists, Food Chemistry Advances (2023) (DOI 10.1016/j.focha.2023.100190))
- In an Indian study, untreated bajra flour stayed within the quality limit only about 2 days at room temperature. (ICAR-IARI, Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences (2016))
- Ragi flour keeps better than foxtail, barnyard or bajra flour (it carries less fat). (Planta (2024), review)
- Keep atta closed and cool: bajra flour kept best in polythene and worst in gunny sacks; grains should be dry and in airtight containers. (Chaudhary & Kapoor, J Sci Food Agric (1984); ICMR-NIN Dietary Guidelines (2024) (DOI 10.1002/jsfa.2740351113))
- Going off shows first as smell and taste — sour, musty or dusty, then bitter. (Lai & Varriano-Marston, Cereal Chemistry (1980))
So: buy the grain, grind a week’s worth at a time — less for bajra in summer.
Adapted from FSSAI, Shree Anna (Millets) Recipes, PDF p. 146 (printed p. 132), written in our own words.