Bhajani (Roasted Multi-Grain Flour)

Bhajani (Roasted Multi-Grain Flour)

 

Type:	Flour –	Ready to Use	4 Kg.	Processes: Roasting Grinding. Use without sifting.
Nutritive Value:	Carbohydrates	Proteins	Fiber (Soluble & Insoluble)	Mineral Salts
Cooking Time:	Pre-preparation:	1 Hour	Serving:	- - -
	Preparation:	2 Hours	Eating:	- - -

Name:	Bhajani (Roasted Multi-Grain Flour)
Preface:	This is a popular, versatile and typical Foodstuff originating from Maharashtriyan food culture. It is a Ready-to-use Flour prepared by roasting and grinding many grains and pulses. This can be used in many ways to prepare many cuisines (at 11th hour and otherwise) within 10 minutes. Many tasty recipes can be prepared using this flour. We have already prepared two of them and we will learn many more. But its main characteristic / property is its Nutritional Value. So, it can be used in many other recipes as an ingredient or fortifying agent.   Traditional recipes of this flour are so famous and popular in Maharashtra that people can’t stay without them even on fast-days. So they have invented “Fast-Bhajani”. (Bhajani is already very fast but we will discuss method of preparation of “Fast-Bhajani” sometime later.)
	So, now we will prepare this versatile foodstuff – “Bhajani”.
Pre-preparation:	·         Bring and clean different Grains, Dals and Pulses. ·         Wash and dry rice.
Preparation – Materials and Methods:	1) Simple Method – Purchase ready “Bhajani” from the market. But ... Advantages of preparing “Bhajani at Home – ·         Self control over selection, purchase, cleaning and roasting of grains and pulses. ·         Self control over selection and proportion of different types of contributing grains and pulses. Pulses are costlier. Their proportion is always less (for more profit) in ready “Bhajani” available in the market. (Grain-Pulses ratio 5:1 or 6:1) ·         With Grain-Pulses ratio 4:1, Home-made “Bhajani is always much cheaper. ·         Freedom to experiment and to change the ingredients and their proportions according to needs. ·         Preparation of “Bhajani” is a very simple procedure and it requires only 2-3 hours on any holiday, every 2 months. 2) traditional Method 1 – ·         Materials: Different Grains (Rice, Jwari1, Wheat and Bajari2) – Total 4 Kg.; Different Dals (Harabhara6 Dal, Mung7 Dal and Urad8 Dal) – Total 1 Kg.; Dhane15 and Jeera16. (Grain-Pulses ratio 4:1) ·         Method: Roast all Grains, Pulses and Dhane-Jeera separately and allow them to cool. Then grind them (by power grinder) to make a bit coarser powder. (We are resisting the temptation to ask you to use Traditional hand grinder for good weight maintaining or weight reducing exercise. Because, immediately you will ask, what is hand grinder and where can it be found?) 3) Traditional Method 2 – 18-Grain Method ·         Materials: In this method, 7 Different Grains (Rice, Jwari, Wheat, Bajari, Wari3 Nachani4 and Maize5) – Total 4 Kg; 11 pulses (Gram, Mung, Urad, Masur9, Toor10, Mataki11, Chawali12, Peas, Black Beans13, Pawata, Hulage14, etc. in Dal form – if available – or in whole grain form, in equal proportions) – Total 1 Kg; Dhane and Jeera are used. (Grain-Pulses ratio 4:1)    ·         Method: Same as above. 4) Our Method – ·         Materials: All available Grains (Rice, Jwari, Wheat, Bajari, Wari Nachani and Maize)  – Total 3 Kg.; All Available Pulses (Gram, Mung, Urad, Masur, Toor, Mataki, Chawali, Peas, Beans, Pawata, Hulage, Soyabeen, etc. preferably whole grains or Dals with husk) – Total 1 Kg.; Dhane and Jeera. (Grain-Pulses ratio 3:1)   ·         Method: Same as above.
Fortification:	·         Due to Roasting of Grains and Pulses, Bhajani is easier to digest and the ‘Bio-availability’ A of Nutrients increases. ·         Nutritional value of Bhajani (since it contains Pulses) is always better than that of cereal flour. Particularly in respect of ‘Essential Amino Acids’ B. (Deficiency of some Essential Amino Acids in cereals is compensated by presence of those in pulses.) ·         Increasing the number of different cereals and pulses reduces the possibility of deficiency of any essential amino acid in “Bhajani”. So, in our method (and in 18 grain method) all available pulses are used.  ·         This (and use of whole pulses) also reduces the cost of “Bhajani” (equal to average). ·         Proportion of pulses is also increased to 3:1 in our method and it can be increased to 2:1 according to the need (for higher protein content for children, pregnant women, old people and ill people). ·         Use of whole grains and pulses gives their full nutritional advantages (including Proteins in cereals). It also increases the taste and fiber content of “Bhajani” and reduces its ‘Glycemic Index’ C.
Skills:	·         It is necessary to roast grains carefully and evenly to avoid over-roasting and burning. It is difficult in many dark colored grains. ·         It is also necessary to roast grains separately as roasting time of each is different.
Afterthoughts:	·         “Bhajani” looks blackish if prepared by our method. In these days of fairness craze, it’s not fair. But, in our opinion taste and value is more important than fairness, at least in case of edible things (whatever these things are). ·         Since “Bhajani is a very good and versatile basic ingredient, in addition to traditional recipes, we should invent different new ways of using “Bhajani and search for new recipes. ·         In near future, see such many old and new recipes using “Bhajani” on this blog.

1. Dhaanya – Grains

1)    Jwari – Jwar, medium sized whitish yellow staple grain in Maharashtra. ‘Bhakari’ (Flat thin bread or Roti) is made from its unfermented flour.

2)    Bajari – Pearl millet. Blackish medium sized grain used to prepare ‘Bhakari’, steamed balls or porridge.

3)    Wari – Warai. Whitish yellow small sized grain. It is usually used to prepare “Rice” or porridge on Fast-Days.

4)    Nachani (Ragi) – Finger millet. Reddish-brown small sized grain used to prepare ‘Bhakari’ or porridge and is used in baby foods.

5)    Maka – Maize, Corn. Whitish yellow or yellow larger sized grain to prepare “Bhakari”, Roti (Makkeki Roti), Corn Flour or Pop-Corn.

2. Kadadhaanya – Pulses

6)    Harabhara – Gram  

7)    Mung – Green Gram

8)    Urad – Black Gram

9)    Masur – Lentil

10) Toor (Tuar) – Pigeon pea

11) Mataki – Moth bean

12) Chawali – Black-eyed pea

13) Black Beans (Kala Ghewada) – Many varieties of beans are available in Maharashtra. (Black-beans, Brown Beans – Rajama, Tiger Beans – Waghyaa Ghewada, White Beans, etc.) But Black-beans are popular and commonly used in Maharashtra in preparation of Usal – Cooked beans with gravy – and “Bhajani”.

14) Pawata & Hulage – Pawata is commonly used fresh (not dried) to prepare “Usal” in winter. Hulage is a commonly available pulse in Konkan but is rare in other parts of Maharashtra. 

15) Dhane – Coriander Seeds.  

16) Jeera – Cumin Seeds. Dhane and Jeera in mixed powder form are commonly used in Maharashtriyan cuisines for taste and flavor.  

A.    Bio-availability: Actual availability to the body, of a nutrient in any food, after digestion and absorption, is it’s Bio-availability. For example, Spinach contains lots of Calcium and Iron Salts. But due to interaction between Iron and Calcium, both become unavailable. In addition, some Calcium is in the form of Oxalate salts, that is not available to the body. So, Spinach is said to be a (theoretically) good source of Iron and Calcium, but Bio-availability of both is very poor.

B.    Essential Amino Acids: After digestion proteins are converted into Amino Acids (simplest protein nutrients that can be absorbed in the body). They are again used to synthesize body’s own proteins (a very important process in the body.)There are 22 natural amino acids that can be used to produce proteins. Out of these 9 are called essential because they must be obtained from food (i.e. they cannot be synthesized by converting other amino acids or in any way in the body). Deficiency of these in the diet leads to poor or no protein synthesis in the body. 

C.   (Glycemic index –GI): Carbohydrates are digested into simple molecues of Glucose that are absorbed in the body to raise Blood Glucose Level (Blood Sugar Level – BSL). Pure glucose (thet need not be digested) is absorbd immediately and totally and raises BSL in a spike. The ability of any carbohydrate to raise BSL as compaired to that of Glucose is known as Glycemic Index of that Carbohydrate. (GI of Glucose is considered as 100). With some exceptions (Vomitting, Diarroea, starvation, fastin in diabetic under treatment, etc.) it is better to eat Low-GI foods for Health and Fitness.