Black Eyed Peas Mint Hummus

Hummus have been my Butter for past 2 years. Btw.. I am one of those girls who take Bread and Butter literally. We live for our Bread and Butter, Eat for it and I can even die for it too.... There is something hypnotic in the aroma of hot lightly toasted bread and butter melting and oozing all over it. Its Heavenly... It can give me utmost satisfaction and is seriously the best taste, fragrance and sight for me... My nose turns to the direction of the bakery where bread is being baked and sometimes while walking with K, he has to drag me in the opposite direction because I will be walking with smile on my face, eyes half shut and nose taking in all the baking goodness aroma. God! I can be embarrassing sometimes...

Hummus is basically a Middle eastern dip made with Tahini, Chickpeas and is a staple food in many parts of middle east. Eaten mostly with vegetables and pita bread. It can be called a health food as its full of proteins and omega fatty acids and is a really good snack.

So for past 2 years on and off and for past 6 months dedicatedly, Hummus and Pita have been my Bread and Butter. It became so especially when my nutritionist allowed me to have it everyday as my evening snack. Thats when I really started looking forward reaching home and putting this pita bread in my grill toaster and spreading hummus generously all over it and munching and stuffing it in my mouth while sipping tea in between. So is the case with K by the way.

Over time I have found an easier version thats suits me and my taste buds. I don't like using canned chick peas or garbanzo beans as it may be called and soaking it overnight is too tedious! So one day just by experiment, I ended up making it with Black eyed peas. K doesn't like its name so we call it Benaam Dal (Nameless Pulse). He generally likes it made salad. But that day he didn't and I was craving Hummus as I was out of stock of it. Then there I found my Eureka Moment and ever since this is my staple recipe for Hummus. Its easier because you dont need to soak it overnight. Black eyed peas can be boiled within an hour's time. Awesome! Isn't it?

Here is how its made : 

Ingredients : 

1 Cup Boiled Black Eyed Peas aka Nameless Pulse

2 Tbsp of Tahini or more if u want

2 cloves of garlic

1 Tbsp Finely Chopped Mint leaves

Salt to taste

Juice of two medium sized lemons and their zest.

Olive oil and Cayenne Pepper to garnish

Method : 

Mix everything in blender.  Thats it! Really! Just spread it the way they do and pour on olive oil and sprinkle cayenne pepper and binge on it. Yuhuhuhuuu!

Masale waale Aloo : Our Khaandaani(Family) Favorite Potato Recipe

It was a ritual for anyo who is going to Ludhiana to meet our Uncles and Aunts and cousins to bring packets full of Chana Masala for everyone here. We would use our ration wisely so as to make sure we have enough till we get another batch. 

Most of my uncles and aunts own their own Chhole Bhature business and doing well in it. Ludhiana uncles have two branched of Chhole Bhature shops one most fondly called outside Kachehri (District Court).

Apart from making our khaandaani Masala Chana from this Chana Masala, the other most cooked dish from this masala was Masaale Waale Aloo. It used to be one of the delicacy dishes to be cooked when a special guest would be arriving who would have keenly requested it to be cooked as it is so finger licking cooked. One can just keep eating it fresh cooked hot ghee dripping parathas.. typical Punabi Parathas...

I as such do not like Potatos, I feel they don;t have any taste of their own except starchy feeling.. but same is the case for me with Paneer but being a punjabi my instincts are conditioned to eat both without being so rational and logical. So I many a times end up cooking potato but with peas or aloo Paratha loaded with chana masala yum!

This recipe came to my mind when this time I forgot to bring my quota of Chana Masala from India and this very feeling made be crave it like anything so I cooked it and ate with much pride with whatever leftover chana masala I could find feeling like a chana masala addict who would just do anything for just a pinch of it to consume.. God! I sound like an addict! Do I? Lolz....

This one ingredient recipe is so easy to cook that you can think of it and its done(provided, you have boiled potatoes at hand!)

Here is how we at our Khaandaan Make it.. :

Ingredients : 

3-4 Medium Sized Boiled Potatoes

2  Tsp Chana Masala

Salt to taste if your chana masala doesn't have it in already...

1 tsp Oil

Pinch of Julianne Ginger and Green Chilies and Cumin Seeds

Thats it! Tadaaaa...

Method : 

Mix Potatoes and Chana Masala and salt if needed and set aside and in the meanwhile heat oil and add  everything now let is cook for about a minute or two and Ten Ten Teden!! Its done!

Garnish with anything you want and serve or don't eat it all! HeeHee HaaHaa!

Mumma's Spiced Makhana

I still remember the Steel Dabba full of Spiced Makhanas in Navratri days when it used to be our tea time snack in fasting week. On first day mostly, mumma would make this just before the evening and whole house would smell of goodness of ghee and with just handful spices my goddess would cook up some amazing snack to munch on while fasting.. oops.. we are supposed to be fasting.. Okay in those fasts we are allowed anything we can categorize as fruit based and Makhana is indeed fruit based yes!

Basically Makhana is a lotus seed or often called as eurayle or onibasu. It grows in wetlands like thy way lotus grows and the seeds are roasted more or less like popcorn. I have personally not yet seen the seeds as such but I know Makhana is amazing... How thee caught my attention is a little story...

When I was in junior school, in class 4, on 45th Republic day, the school had organized a parade near the school area where a group of band with many many musical instruments would be played by us students march passing near the whole locality of the school. I was playing Flute yey! After that school served us Aloo Poori and halwa tp everyone of us. It was a memorable day not only because I played flute! not the it was any less that an achievement for me playing baba black sheep and "saare jahaan se achcha" on bansuri! But especially because of 3 reasons.. First of all was that, we all ate on Taat Patti(long strips of jute/taat)  on which in those time we used in our morning assembly so that we can pray in Sanskrit and do Yoga. Secondly, our teachers served us the food very lovingly on Pattal(Plates made of dry leaves). Third and most importantly, when it was my class's turn to eat, aloo sabzi got over and my class was served with this amazing Makhana Sabzi, the taste of which I can never forget. This was my love at first taste with Makhana!

Coming back to Mumma's Spiced Makhana.. This one came to my mind in this year's navratri when I finally found a stock of Makhana in Mustafa Centre in Singapore. Finally! I quickly grabbed this highly overpriced pack of makhana and cooked it the very next day and since then its a staple in my house with K gulping half of the stock in just 5 minutes. Mumma shallow fries these in a lot of ghee but I have tweaked it a but to suit my cooking style by using less ghee but it still tastes almost same..(can't taste same because only mumma's cooked makhanas can taste like mumma's cooked makhana... ) 

Its so easy to cook that you can cook it while you are watching your 30 minutes TV series without missing a scene. Here is how :

Ingredients : 

250 gms raw Makhana

a pinch of asetofida

2 tsp salt

1 tsp Red Chilli Powder

2 tsp Dry Mango Powder

1/2 tsp Black Pepper Powder

1 tsp Chaat Masala

2 Tbsp Ghee (to make it vegan you can replace Ghee with Coconut butter or any flavor vegan butter you like because flavor is what makes this one stand out!)

Procedure : 

Heat a wok or a pan on low heat which can contain this much Makhanas, 250 gms sounds less but makhanas are like popcorns so they take more space. Add Ghee and let it heat up a little. Add Asetofida and makhana and immediately start tossing vigorously otherwise the bottom ones will soak up the ghee and top ones will remain dry. This will might result in you chasing makhanas everywhere on your kitchen counter just the way it happens with me.. or is it only me? :O 

Now just let it sit like this and go watch your TV series. In break one which might come after around 10 minutes, toss it again and now add the rest of everything... the seasoning and check if the heat is too high .. then lowers it a bit.. if heat is too high, the bottom ones will burn.. we want to crisp them up..  go back break might be over by now... in next commercial break come back and toss it again now go back and finish the 30  min series.... by now the makhanas would be crispy and awesome... do the texture test and pop one in mouth.. it wont be too hot.. if its it crunchy... its done.. now fill it up in a popcorn bowl and munch on it in next TV Series or movie...if not done, it would be done in another 5-10 min....  then you can fill it up... :)

P.S. : I think this can be done in Oven on 180 Degree but I am yet to try this... I will try is for next batch which might be in Jan'14 end.  If you happen to try it before me.... please leave a comment telling how it was .. so that I can can learn from you.. Till then.. have a Merry Merry Christmas and a happy happy new year! 

Chiwda Matar

"What should I cook for Breakfast? I am confused.... Please give me some suggestions na..." I asked him on a Sunday morning few months after marriage. Stretching my overslept body hoping he would say don't cook...I will cook for you. "Make some Chiwda Matar?" He said. I agreed to without even disappointment because I was as hungry as I was lazy I was feeling this morning.. even a suggestion on what cook was enough for my hungry stomach. When I am hell hungry, my mind stops working... so was the case this morning. No actually it was noon by the time we finished out morning cup of tea watching Indian news on while me trying to steal the remote to view a glimpse of some TV serial to feel just like any Indian Girl. 

When I tasted my cooked product, It was just as good as it always had been, full of potatoes, onion, tomato, peanuts, peas and Chiwda. But KC gave his review by asking me to avoid adding anything besides peas only and it was not as it is cooked in his house. For next few times I cooked with just peas and it was not upto the par till Last year when I saw my sister in law, KC's sister cooking it in our Singapore Kitchen. I was fasting that day so I couldn't taste it so all my attempts failed till I actually got a chance to eat in our Banaras Kitchen again cooked my my SIL - Didi we all fondly call her. It was heavenly tasty. Little Sweet, Little Sour and tangy and so much flavor with just 2 Ingredients.

Chiwda Matar is actually a Banaras - Varanasi Special Dish cooked with just two ingredients as the name says and a lots and lots of flavor. You can find it served in Restaurants there especially in Kaashi Chat Bhandaar where the food is a never ending feast in its narrowly organized chairs and tables of uncountable servings of chats and Chiwda Matar and Rabdi and Rasmalai and what not! The first bite of it made me think that how was I living without knowing such good dish all my life. Last year in Banaras I ate it again in Kaashi Chat Bhandaar but what Didi cooks is par Excellence. I am still trying to perfect it perhaps I would need few more servings of this dish lovingly cooked by her. Till then join me in  trying to perfect it.....

Chiwda Matar( or as its pronounced : CHEW DA MATAR .. I love it.. :D)

Ingredients : 

1 Cup Chiwda : Flattened Rice Flakes

1/2 Cup Peas ( I use frozen as they are easily available here. But fresher the better, just cook them well then)

Salt, red Chilli Powder to Taste
1 Tsp Ginger finely Chopped

1/2 Tsp Turmeric

a pinch of asetofida(Heeng)

2-2.5 Tsp Sugar

1-1.5 Tsp Raw Mango Powder (Aamchoor)

1 Tsp Garam Masala

1 Tsp Jeera(Cumin Seeds)

1 Tbsp Ghee to cook

Some more Ghee to top it

Loads of Chopped Fresh Coriander to garnish

To Cook :


Wash the Chiwda in a colander and place it  a bowl once water is drained little. Try to do it with soft hands to avoid breaking it. Wash twice before placing in the bowl. Add Salt, Chilli powder, Turmeric, Sugar and Aamchoor and mix gently and keep aside to marinate for around 10 min.

In the meanwhile, put a wok to heat and add Ghee in it. Once warm, add asetofida, jeera, ginger and peas in it. Cover with a lid and cook on Medium to low heat till peas are cooked. Now add the marinated Chiwda to it and mix very gently and cover again for another 1-2 minutes for everyone to say hello, nice to meet you.. Friends? to each other.. 

Now add garam masala and check seasoning.. If tastes like heaven.. its perfect, otherwise adjust sweet and sour as per your taste.. once done.. add coriander and serve with extra serving of ghee on top and enjoy your happy happy sunday or monday or any day morning... :)

P.S. : If it tastes a little dry, sprinkle little water on it  before adding coriander and cover an cook for another minute... ( as instructed by Didi.. works like magic..)

Papa's Pickle! : Raw Mango and Onion Pickle

I had been thinking what should be my first recipe here. Then I thought, what was the first recipe memory of my life? Then I found my first recipe. It was Papa's Pickle!

I still remember our home where my grand parents and parents lived when Government of India alotted them home to shift from refugee home in Sadar Bazaar of Delhi. Flash forward to another partition and this time a wall in the middle of the house. One side us and other side Papa's brother family. The door less almirah where we used to put our stuffs was the place where Papa used to put the pickle in summers. In the top shelve backside at the right corner. I know it so well because this is the only thing I remember about this pickle apart from its taste and recipe. In summers when we would have delicious raw mangos to make the Great Indian Mando Pickle, Papa used to pick up 2-3 Mangos from my mom's stock to make our own pickle. It was so exciting as it was like a mission for me and Papa to get 3 mangos and 2 onions and make pickle. The recipe only calls for 2 ingredients and is real fast to prepare but we needed to wait for 2-3 days until the pickle is ready to consume. It was like an achievement when Mama's Pickle could only be eaten after 1 month of preparations and Papa would reach to the top shelf and take out his pickle and say .. " In the meanwhile.. you can try my pickle!" wow.. So triumphant! 

Here is how we made the pickle : 

3 Raw Mangos.. Really raw.. like green inside and out! 

2 Medium sized Red Onions

2 Tea Spoon Red Chili Powder(Dont worry about adding so much red chilli powder, This will eventually sink to bottom once the Onion and Mango become tender. This way extra chilli will be left in the juices of the pickle. You can either throw it away or keep to add the stews spoon by spoon)

2 Tea Spoons Salt

Method : 1. Cut Raw Mango in medium long bite size like below and Slice Onion fairly thick.

              2. Add Salt and Chili Powder and mix well. 

              3. Put in a sealed container and wait for two days.

              4. On Third day take it out and eat it like a king!

This pickle goes really well with Punjabi Favorite.. Chhole Bhature and It can even be eaten between two slices of bread which we used to do when really really hungry.. or just like a condiment.... I also put it in my salad... and enjoy my dose of fatherly love..

Hello!

So.. a new start... hope to start posting soon... :)