Lasan Na Ladwa {Garlic and Millet Bread Balls}

Lasan Na Ladwa {Young Green Garlic and Millet Flat Bread Balls}
Thought I would introduce you to an old friend:
In Gujarat, where the family and neighbors leave early in the morning to farm they usually eat a full meal for breakfast and take along a packed tiffin. So it’s very common on my maternal side of the family to have a full blown dhar, bhat and shaak meal as early as 6AM. Mornings in winter in Gujarat would start off with the aunties, supervised by grannies making fresh rotla's as a take along kathiwayadi snack called rotla ne lilu lasan; topped off or stuffed with sizzling, smoky, young green garlic and makan (freshly hand-churned butter pronounced "mah-kahn"), and that is how I have always had rotla with green garlic.
When I got married, I learnt how to make the Lasan na Ladwa from my MaaiL. My MaaiL’s ladwa's carry a generous amount of finely chopped young green garlic, and copious amounts of oil.
Once the ladwa’s are formed, they are given a dum/dhungarvu/smoked/with a live coal and some ghee which gives it the unique smoky garlic flavor. It is so similar to the Gujarati version of rotla ne lilu lasan, but just formed into a ball.
Young green garlic looks very much like a scallion, with a deep green stalk and a pale white hairy bulb, and extremely-garlicky fragrant. It can often be found midsummer in Asain stores or really good farmers' markets in early spring. On the East Coast I grow these in pots and containers, in the spring and harvest in the summer, then put in another batch mid summer for an early fall harvest. I plant garlic as I see green shoots coming from garlic cloves or just stick separated cloves in pots. The later harvest goes into making Lasan na ladwa for the winter, the earlier harvest is used for adding to Kadhi, parotha dough, bajiya, or a potato and green garlic shaak.
Ingredients
3 cups of Bajra/ Pearl millet flour- sieved
1 tbsp. whole wheat flour/roti atta (optional- I use it, but omit for a GF version)
1 tsp. salt - or to taste
1-2 cups of warm water
Lasan Na Ladwa
3-4 rotla - made from the above recipe
2-3 cups finely chopped green garlic
1 cup olive oil + more to make a wetish mixture- depending on how much oil the rotlas absorb.
1 tbsp. oil
piece of coal + some foil folded into a square
Sieve the flour and salt together in a wide bowl or plate.
Add ¼ cup water at a time to knead into a semi-soft dough.
Keep kneading for 4-5 - the more you knead the better the rotlo.
Divide the dough into equal portions and shape them into large balls.
Dust the work surface with some bajra flour and place the balls on it. Flatten the balls with your fingers and while moving the rotlo in a circular motion to make 5” circles
Heat a terracotta tawa or a non-stick pan on medium heat.
Place the rotla on it gently on the pan to avoid the bubble or what granny called the “bhumro”
Dip your fingers in some water and sprinkle the surface on the topside of the rotla with water - this is to dust off any excess flour.
After a minute, gently lift up the rotla to check the underside, if it has small blistery dots, its almost most cooked, flip and cook the other side.
Using a wooden roti presser or a kitchen cloth formed into a ball gently press the surface of the rotlo to puff up or
Cook it on an open medium flame until it puffs up
After the rotlas have cooled a bit, then crumble the Bajra rotla using the pulsing function on a food processor or using your hands, similar to making a churmo (breadcrumb like texture).
Transfer to a pan with a lid
Heat the olive oil until smoking point
Layer the chopped garlic over the crumbled rotla
Take the hot oil and pour it over the garlic in a circular pattern so that all the garlic gets a sizzle from the oil.
Immediately cover with the lid.
After a few minutes stir it all together to combine, the mixture should be wet
Heat a piece of coal/coconut charcoal until red hot, meanwhile take a piece of foil and fold it into a square a couple of times to form a base the size of a mason jar lid.
Create a small well in the middle of the garlic /rotlo mixture and place the foil bowl/lid in between, then using tongs lift the hot coal and place it into the middle of the foil.
Take about 1 tablespoon of oil and pour it over the hot coal, and as it starts to smoke, cover with the lid and let it smoke/give dum for 5-6 minutes.
After 5 minutes remove the coal and the foil and start to form the ladwas( round balls slightly larger than a golf ball), the size of the ladwa depends on your fist,
I make them slightly larger than ping pong balls and smaller than a tennis ball.
It can either be eaten loose, which would be called Hara Lasan as traditionally served by the Memon community, but I make them just like my MaaIl used to.
Serve with chai and plain yogurt on the side.
Freeze any leftovers in between parchment paper and warm in the microwave.
#eastafrican #food #recipe #vegetarian #cooking #lasan #ladwa #lasannaladwa #greengarlic #ladoo #winterfoods