Masaledaar Chholay (Chickpeas in a spicy masala)

Last evening, after I was done with my work, I sat down with my favourite time-pass - reading recipe books! There is this set of 8 little books by Sanjeev Kapoor featuring salads and soups, maincourses - vegetarian and non-vegetarian, accompaniments and desserts. Total value-for-money pack, nice, simple do-able recipes...



I wanted to make something with chickpeas and was bored of the usual onion-tomato-chana masala. I had once tried pindi chholay from these books and it turned out awesome.
This time I tried the masaledaar choley which had a bit more masala compared to dry pindi choley. Also tried out the lachcha parathas from Tarla Dalal's site. Turned out to be a real hearty meal.
Topped it up with a glass of sweet lassi to complete the 'Punjab' experience !

Masaledaar Choley / Punjabi Chana Masala

Adapted from Sanjeev Kapoor's book

What you need -

1 1/2 cups Chickpeas / kabuli chana
2 tsp tea leaves
3 onions
6 cloves garlic
1 inch piece ginger
2 green chillies
3 tomatoes
handful of fresh coriander leaves
2 tbsp cumin seeds
2 tsp coriander powder / dhania
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tbsp coarsely ground anardana / pomegranate seeds
salt and oil

What you do with it -

Tie the tea leaves in a muslin cloth like a little potli / bundle
Soak the chana for 6-8 hours. Drain and cook in 3 cups water with salt and the potli of tea leaves
The tea leaves give the chana a nice dark colour
Peel, wash and chop onions. Peel, wash ginger garlic and grind together with the green chillies to a smoooth paste.
Chop tomatoes and coriander leaves
Dry roast cumin seeds and grind to a powder
Heat oil in a pan. Add chopped onions and saute till brown. Add ginger-garlic-green chilli paste and saute for 2 more mins
Add coriander powder, cumin powder, red chilli powder and anardana powder and saute well
Add drained chana and mix well Add tomatoes and half a cup of the water that the chana cooked in
Bring to a slow boil and garnish with coriander leaves

Sabudana Khichdi

There are a few things that I really like, but have completely given up on making them. 'Shavige bhath'(Vermicelli upma) and Sabudana Khichdi being among them...
It was always important to get the right brand from the right store and then soak it the right away for the exact amount of time...Somehow, these detailed procedures never work for me..My vermicelli upmas have almost always been a flop except for the times when I bought it from this particular shop near my mom's place - that was the only time it turned out right...

Vermicelli upma I can live without, but I really enjoy my sabudana khichdi and have tried it so many times, but got it right only this time, thanks to a great tip from my friend here, who had made some awesome sabudana khichdi...It was not the soaking, but the step after that which was more important apparently, and that one step I had never tried...



Sabudana khichdi is a popular 'upvaas' snack for Maharashtrians - their upvaas food / food during fasting for religious reasons is so totally yummy..
There is this simple, no-frills place called 'Prakash cafe' close to my cousin's place in Mumbai and their sabudana khichdi, batata vadas and sabudana vadas are to die for !

What you need -

1 cup sabudana / sago pearls
1/2 cup roasted peanuts
1 boiled potato
2 green chillies
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp salt
juice of half a lemon
coriander leaves / dessicated coconut to garnish

What you do with it -

Soak the sabudana in as much water as required to level the sabudana
Keep this for about 30 mins
Then drain the water out and spread the sabudana on any absorbant paper for about 15-20 mins, till all the water is completely drained out
They glisten like little pearls once this is done
Chop the boiled potato and coarsely crush the peanuts
Heat a tbsp of oil in a pan and add cumin and mustard seeds
When they splutter, add the turmeric powder, green chillies and cut potato
Fry till the potato is coated well and browned a bit
Add the sabudana and salt and cover and cook on a low flame for about 4-5 mins
Add the crushed peanuts and stir for minute more
Turn off the flame and add the lemon juice
You can garnish with coriander and grated coconut

Green papaya salad (Thai)

This is my second year in Ahmedabad and like it always happens, though I hate admitting it, we have settled in better - got used to the weather to some extent, though I cant stop complaining about it after living in my dear ol' Bangalore for almost all my life this far...
What has made me feel most 'settled in' here is that I know few more people here now and that I've had visitors almost every month since July...parents, in-laws, cousins, and last weekend, my dear friend from Bangalore was here...

Shopping, eating, chatting up, it was such fun, just like the good old days from college, though we now also discussed hair colours to hide the greys !!

We decided on a Thai menu for lunch - green papaya salad, green curry and pineapple basil rice...
Raw papaya was something we had to go looking for in Bangalore, but here its used pretty frequently in cooking, and I was so excited the first time I saw one in the market



The salad has a lovely combination of heat from the chillies, garlic, sugar and the tangy taste from the lemon...the raw papaya and the peanuts add the crunch factor





Adapted from Nita Mehta's Thai Vegetarian Cooking

What you need -

1 medium sized raw papaya
1 tomato
1/2 cup roasted peanuts

Dressing -

1 tsp soya sauce
3 tbsp lemon juice
4 tsp sugar syrup (I used 3 tbsp of sugar, didnt have time to make the syrup)
1/2 tsp red chilli flakes
1/2 tsp salt
3 green chillies
1 clove garlic

What you do with it -

Crush together the green chillies and garlic to a rough paste Mix this with all the other ingredients of the dressing
Peel and grate the papaya into thick long shreds
(In the book, she says you can cut into juliennes, I tried that once and its really painful - grating is an easier option)
Cut the tomato into four, deseed and cut into small squares
Add the grated papaya and tomato to the dressing and mix well
Cover with a cling film and chill for at least an hour so the flavours penetrate
Mix in half the roated peanuts
Lightly crush the remaining peanuts and top the salad with it

Kasuri Methi Aloo Gobi

After an action packed holiday in Bangalore-Coorg-Chennai-Pondicherry, all in 10 days, we were back home and wanted some simple food. As usual, we had overeaten at every single meal and just wanted the basic roti-sabji dinner.
This aloo-gobi is simple and tasty and gets done in about 20 mins. With hot phulkas and a cool cucumber raita, it was a fast and easy dinner.

I also managed to unpack the bags and set up my shiny new 'Preethi' mixer from Chennai, which many friends had suggested. This apparently works really well with the idli-dosa batter grinding. Haven't started using that option as yet, but will do, very soon...



This aloo gobi I make, uses a lot of kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves), which is one of my favourite herbs...It has a slight bitter taste and a strong smell especially when fried in oil, but does a lot to the taste of what you add it to.


What you need -

2 tsp kasuri methi
3 medium sized potatoes
2 cups cauliflower florets
1 tomato
1.5 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1.5 tsp amchur powder
1/2 tsp chaat masala
2 cloves garlic chopped
small piece of ginger sliced
1 tsp salt

What you do with it -

Peel the potatoes and cut into bite-sized pieces
Rinse the potatoes and cauliflower in some water with turmeric powder
In a deep bottom pan, add 2 tsp of oil and the ginger, garlic, kasuri methi, turmeric powder, chilli powder and let it sizzle
Add the potatoes and cauliflower and then add the coriander powder, cumin powder and salt and mix well so that the powders coat the vegetables well
Add 1/4 cup of water, cover and cook for 5-7 mins
Add the chopped tomato and stir once
Cook for another 2-3 mins or till done
Sprinkle amchur powder and chaat masala
Serve hot with rotis