A - Z Indian Street Foods ~ K for Khakra & Chana Bhel

I had thought of posting another Andhra street food for ‘K’ but the recipe was so time consuming that when the time came for action, I neither had the energy nor the inclination to try it. Instead I went for Kalyani’s khakra bhel that was cook free and fuss free. The recipe has been in my bookmarks folder since she posted and I was itching to try it for quite some time now. Bhel must be one of the simple street food fare that can be created at home. With additions, deletions and substitutions of ingredients, one can come up with variations. Khakras, the spicy, toasted flat breads from Western India come in as substitute for flat pooris in this bhel and add a nice crunch along with sev. Khakras come in a lot of flavors and I used the coriander-chilly variety in this bhel. Chickpeas are a nice addition to this bhel besides adding protein factor. I tried her dry / sookha version and enjoyed this yummy bhel. 

Ingredients:

2 khakhras (spicy flattened toasted breads) (I used the coriander-chilly variety.)

1 cup puffed rice / murmura

Boiled and salted chickpeas as needed (black or white variety)

1 green chilli, finely chopped

½ minced Onion (optional)

½ chopped tomato (optional)

Grated or finely chopped raw mango

Green chutney to taste

Dates-Tamarind chutney to taste

Salt to taste

Chaat Masala to taste

Ingredients for topping:

Sev

Finely chopped coriander leaves
Minced onion & tomato if using

Method:

* Crush the khakra into small pieces. Add all the other ingredients except the toppings to a mixing bowl. Mix well and toss once. 

* Taste and adjust the ingredients’ quantities if needed. Top with sev, minced cilantro minced onion and tomato.

* Serve immediately as the puffed rice gets soggy if allowed to sit.

So far, on this series,
A for Aloo Kabli
B for Bajra Vada
C for Chooda Matar
D for Dahi Batata Puri
E for Elaichi - Kesar Lassi
F for Fulwadi
G for Ghugni Chaat
H for Hare Chane Ki Chaat
I for Indori Garaadu Chaat
J for Jamun Bun

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 87

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Rice Dishes ~ A for Achari Chole Pulao

 
It's time for another mega marathon. Readers who follow my blog may have noticed that I do participate in an event called blogging marathon based on preset themes and this month, there are going to be 26 recipes posted here as part of that event. Participants had a choice of picking any one ingredient or one category for each week of  the month or the entire month. I chose to base my recipes on one ingredient for the entire month. I picked 'rice' as my ingredient and my focus mainly remained on Indian based one pot meals that can be put together quickly and easily. And of course there is some sweet stuff thrown in the mix.

The first one in the series is going to be achari chole pulao. Achar in the title refers to the Indian style spicy pickle that is being used in the cooking and chole are the garbanzo beans. In India, serving a spicy pickle along with rice based dishes like a khichdi (a savory porridge) is norm but this pulao is unusual in the sense where a pickle is part of the cooking. It lends an interesting base to the dish whereas garbanzo beans add nutrition to the dish. If you have the garbanzo beans ready, this pulao makes a quick one pot meal. If using canned beans, rinse thoroughly before using. Serve it along with yogurt to make it a quick meal.

Ingredients:
1 cup Basmati rice
3/4 cup soaked and partially cooked garbanzo beans / chana
2 tsp. ghee/oil
1 tsp. cumin seeds
Whole spices - I used 10 black peppercorns, 2 cardamom pods, 2 cloves, 2 bay leaves, 1 star anise
1 tsp. ginger paste / minced ginger
1 onion, sliced lengthwise / minced
1 tomato, chopped
2 tbsp. mango achaar / pickle
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. garam masala (optional)
1/8 tsp. turmeric powder
Minced cilantro to garnish
1.5 cups water
 
Method:
* Soak rice in water for about 10-15 minutes and drain.
* Heat oil / ghee in a pan or a small sized pressure cooker directly. Add cumin seeds and the whole spices and saute until cumin seeds start to turn a shade darker. 
* Next add ginger and onion to the pan and saute until done. Next add tomatoes and cook until mushy.
* Add salt, chili powder, turmeric powder and garam masala if using. Saute for few seconds and next add mango pickle to the pan and stir.
* Finally add rice and garbanzo beans, saute for few seconds and add the required amount of water. 
* Transfer the contents to a pressure cooker, cover the lid and cook for 3 to 4 whistles.
* If not using a pressure cooker, cook on low flame covered, until the rice grains appear done. (A little extra water may be needed if not using cooker.)
* Let cool a little before serving and fluff t with a fork if needed to separate the grains.
* Serve it along with yogurt to balance the flavors.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 68.

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Channa ni Daar ~ Parsi Style ChickPeas

I am going to post 'Parsi dishes' this week as part of the blogging marathon. The present day Parsis in India descend from a group of Zoroastrians who fled Greater Iran to escape religious persecution during 8th / 10th century and migrated to Gujarat and Sindh regions. Over the centuries, Parsis have integrated themselves into Indian society while simultaneously maintaining or developing their own distinct customs and traditions. The same applies to their cuisine as well and over the time, it has evolved into a delicious blend with Persian, Indian and western influences. Today's post, channa ni daar comes from 'Eat, Live and Pray', an online compilation of Parsi recipes. I guess this dish is the Parsi take on the popular Punjabi chole. The spices here are not roasted before grinding as Parsis believe that the aroma / flavors of the spices are more pronounced this way. We are a chole loving family and so obviously us, including the kids enjoyed this Parsi variation and I found this an easy preparation compared to the Punjabi version.

Ingredients: (yield 3 - 4 servings)
1 cup garbanzo beans 
2-3 tbsp oil
2 onions, thinly sliced
1/8 tsp. turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1 tbsp. roughly minced cilantro to garnish
Ingredients to grind:
4 dried red chillies
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. coriander seeds
1" piece ginger
6 pepper corns
1/2" cinnamon piece
2-3 garlic cloves (I omitted it.)

Method:
* Wash and soak garbanzo beans in water for about 8 hours or overnight to facilitate fast cooking. Drain the soaked water and rinse the beans well. Add 2 cups of water and pressure cook for 3 whistles (or more depending upon the cooker) until they are cooked. They should be soft but still hold their shape when done.
(Canned garbanzo beans can be substituted if there is no time to start from the scratch. Skip the above steps of soaking and cooking if using canned variety and use 2 cups of beans instead of one. Remember to rinse the beans well before using to get rid of the slimy liquid.)
* Heat oil and fry the onion slices until they brown. Reserve a quarter of fried onion slices for garnishing.
* In the meanwhile, grind all the ingredients mentioned under to grind. Add the ground paste and turmeric to the (3/4th quantity) fried onions in the pan. Fry for about 5 minutes.
* Then add the cooked chana and salt. Simmer for about 5 minutes or until a little gravy is left. Turn off the stove.
* Garnish with the reserved fried onion and cilantro.
* Serve warm with rotis.

This is my post under 'Parsi dishes'. Check the blogging marathon page to see what my fellow marathoners are cooking for BM#52.

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Aloo - Chana Chaat

 

The next one in the 'Chaat' series is going to be this lip-smacking aloo chana chaat that can be a wholesome meal on it's own. This can be turned into an oil-free dish if you skip the garnishing of sev and puri / papdi. Some planning is ready if you are planning to make this dish from scratch since this chaat's star ingredient is cooked garbanzo beans. In case if you have some cooked beans handy or a can of garbanzo beans lying in your pantry then it can be prepared quickly. The below recipe can just be used as a reference point. One can omit or add ingredients as per their choice. And of course the seasonings and chutneys that go into the dish depends upon one's taste buds and so use them accordingly. 

Ingredients:
1.5 to 2 cups cooked garbanzo beans / Kabuli chana
1 potato / aloo
1 tomato (optional)
1 onion (preferably red onion.)
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp chaat masala
Black salt to taste (optional)
1 tsp lemon juice
Green chutney to taste
Sweet chutney to taste
4 to 6 crushed papdi / poories
2 to 3 tbsp. minced cilantro to garnish
Fine sev to garnish

Preparation:
1. Soak chana / garbanzo beans overnight and boil until tender. Drain and keep it aside. (Indians usually cook the beans in a pressure cooker to quicken the process.) Drain and rinse the beans thoroughly if using canned beans.
2. I peel the potato, cut into small cubes and cook it in the microwave adding a little water. It takes around 5 - 7 minutes to cook potato in the microwave depending upon it's strength. One can cook the potato in a pressure cooker or in a sauce pan on stove top too. Just cook until fork tender.
3. Finely chop onion. Usually red onion is used for chaats as that is the commonly available onion variety in India. However white onion can be used if you don't have red ones handy.  
4. Finely chop tomato and keep it aside. Mince cilantro finely.
5. If you are preparing chutneys, papdi/pooris and sev at home then keep them ready before assembling the chaat. Store-bought sev, papdi / pooris and chutneys can be lifesavers during time crunches. I used the store bought sev, sweet chutney and ready to fry pooris for this recipe. I haven't posted the green chutney recipe yet. I grind cilantro leaves, mint leaves, green chillies, salt and lemon juice.
 
Click the links below if you are looking for these recipes.
Date-Tamarind chutney 
Papdi 
Sev

Assembling the Chaat:
* Combine garbanzo beans, potato, onion, tomato, salt, chaat masala, black salt if using and lemon juice in a mixing bowl.
* Add green chutney and sweet chutney as per taste and mix gently.
* Divide the mixture in individual serving bowls.
* Garnish each bowl with crushed papdis / pooris, minced cilantro and sev. Add some more sweet chutney and green chutney if desired.
* This can be served as a starter at parties, an evening snack or as dinner.

This goes to BM #48, under "Chaats" theme. Check here to see what my fellow marathoners are cooking during Blogging Marath on #48.

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Himachal Pradesh Cuisine ~ Chana Madra

This time my husband came to my rescue a little in the recipe hunt, compared to my Bihari post. He is somewhat acquainted with the state of Himachal pradesh as his first job was in the Mandi region. Instead of saying straight away that he doesn't remember anything, he was able to recall some recipe names of the pahari region. He even mentioned that kaali dal is the most commonly prepared dal there. Surprisingly even provided me a tid-bit that curry leaf trees used to grow wildly on the road sides in the region he lived and local people had no idea what to do with those leaves. 
I went searching for recipes based on the names my husband threw at me and landed here and decided to go with chana madra as my kids and I love chana based dishes. Chana madra can be loosely translated as a tasty, chana/garbanzo beans based kadhi. One that is very very mild in my world. It was so mild that my daughter who can't stand spicy curries was the one who enjoyed it the most with her rotis. Next time I prepare it, I would prefer to add some red chili powder into it. 

Ingredients: (4 servings)
1.5 cups chickpeas, soaked overnight and cooked (or use 3 cups canned chickpeas)
2 tbsp raw white rice

1 pod of green cardamom
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 cloves 
1/2 inch cinnamon stick
1 black cardamom 
A pinch of asafoetida
1 tsp. coriander powder
1/8 tsp turmeric powder
1 cup yogurt (Whisk well until smooth.)
1-2 tbsp ghee 

Method:
* Soak rice and green cardamom in about a quarter cup of water for at least 30 minutes.
* Drain and grind the rice - cardamom mixture adding just enough water to grind. Keep it aside.

* Heat oil in a deep pot preferably a non-stick one, to smoking point on medium heat. Add cumin seeds, cloves, cinnamon, black cardamom and asafoetida.
* When cumin seeds start to brown, add coriander powder and turmeric powder. Stir for 20 to 30 seconds without burning.
* Add the cooked chickpeas and the yogurt to pot. Keep stirring continuously to avoid yogurt from curdling. Do not worry even if it curdles a little. 
* When the mixture comes to a boil, add the ground rice mixture, salt and about 1.5 cups of water. The rice mixture tends to thicken the gravy very quickly and end up being lumpy if you don't add the water.
* Let it cook for about 20 minutes while stirring the mixture frequently. Add the ghee and turn off the stove. Serve with rotis / steamed rice.

The original recipe mentioned to cook madra further on a slow flame for about 30 minutes. I skipped the step since the madra was already cooked well. 

Check here to know what other marathoners are cooking.

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Falafel

Falafel ~ National food of Israel & Egypt

This is going to be a part of BM # 37 under the theme of "National Foods". I am in a hurry and will update the post later. I have just given the ingredients and method as I had to update for the blogging marathon. 

Ingredients: (Make a dozen.)
2 cups soaked and coarsely ground chickpeas (and/or fava beans)
1 cup packed parsley and/or cilantro leaves
1 - 2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 big onion, finely minced
1 tsp. cumin powder
1 tsp.coriander powder
1/2 tsp chili powder / 1 -2 green chilies, minced
Salt to taste
3 -4 tbsp. all purpose flour to bind
1 tsp. baking soda
Oil to fry falafel (I used canola oil.)

Method:

* Soak chickpeas overnight in water such that they are immersed well in water. Drain them in the morning and pat dry with a kitchen towel. Or leave it to air dry. This tip really helps to keep the mixture dry. Do not cook them.

* Pulse chickpeas in a food processor to grind them coarsely. Pulse garlic, onion, parsley and chilies if using just at the end to combine. Add salt, chili powder, flour, cumin powder, coriander powder to the mixture and combine well.
Do not grind the mixture into a paste. It should be granular. I like it a bit on the coarser side and just kept it that way.

 

* I have noticed that Middle eastern bloggers or the natives who make falafels recommending to refrigerate this mixture anywhere from 30 minutes to overnight. Also some don't add any binding mixtures like the flour. I didn't refrigerate it. 
* Falafels can be deep fried, shallow fried or even baked. I chose to go with deep frying this time. Heat a pan with oil. When you drop a pea sized mixture into the hot oil, if it sizzles and comes to surface then it is ready for frying. 
* Add baking soda to the mixture just before frying. Take a lemon sized mixture and gently pat it into a disc. 

* Gently drop this into the hot oil. Repeat the step and fry as many discs as your pan can hold. Fry on low medium flame until they turn brown through out. Keep flipping in between with a spatula.

* Remove them with a slotted spoon and drain them on absorbent towels. Repeat the steps with the remaining mixture. Serve them warm.

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Aloo Tikki Chole Chaat

I love aloo tikki chole and samosa chaat so much that whenever I cook chole masala at home, I purposely cook extra to enjoy these chaats later. I eat them to my heart's content without any guilt and so when I saw aloo tikki chole in the combo dishes' list during BM #36 announcement, I couldn't give it a miss. :) Even though I prepare them quite often at home, I didn't get a chance to post them so far since I mostly prepare them for our dinners and blogging / photography takes a backseat during dinner preparations. However for BM, here it is.
When preparing tikkis at home, one naturally has control over what goes into it and can add ingredients according to their preference. You can just add chili powder / minced green chillies if you don't like any other spices or go with extra addition of coriander powder, garam masala and chaat masala to the below mentioned ingredients. I personally prefer corn starch over bread crumbs for binding and have used it. Feel free to use bread crumbs if you prefer it. The following recipe gives my preferred version - spicy and slightly tangy tikkis.

Ingredients for tikkis: (Yield about 10 tikkis)
4 medium sized potato (I had more than 2 cups of mashed potatoes)
1/8 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp amchur powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder (optional)
Salt to taste
2 tbsp. corn starch
1 - 2 tbsp. minced cilantro
3 - 4 tbsp. oil to shallow fry

Method:
1. Peel and cut the potatoes into big chunks. Cook in a pressure cooker for 2 whistles or on stove top until they are done. If using a microwave, cube the potatoes to quicken the cooking process. Drain the cooked potatoes and let them cool. Mash the drained potatoes well.
2. Combine the mashed potatoes, spice powders, salt, corn starch and cilantro in a bowl. Mix well and divide the mixture into 10 portions. Roll each one into a ball and flatten it a bit to form a patty.
3. Heat 1 - 2 tbsp. oil on preferably a non stick pan on medium flame. When the oil is hot, reduce the heat to medium and place the tikki in the hot oil. Place as many tikkis as the pan can hold without overcrowding.
4. Cook until the bottom side of the cutlet turns golden brown. Flip the cutlets using a spatula and drizzle some more oil around the edges of them. Cook until the other side turns golden brown too. Transfer them onto absorbent towels.
5. Repeat the steps with the remaining mixture.

Aloo tikki chole chaat:

 (This picture is kind of cheater's version since the chaat contains veggie patties.)

Here is aloo tikki chole chaat for you in a nut shell. Spicy potato patties are cooked until golden brown and are topped with spicy chickpea curry, tongue tickling green and sweet chutneys, sharp minced onion, crisp sev and finally yogurt to balance off the flavors. And if one doesn't prefer to stress too much and not prepare everything from scratch, store bought chutneys and sev can be great lifesavers.
Now coming to aloo tikki chole, we need the following -
Aloo tikkis (recipe above)
Chole masala (recipe here)
Dates - Tamarind chutney (recipe here)
Cilantro - Mint chutney
Sev - I have used thin and thick sev. (recipe here)
Minced red onion
Minced cilantro
Yogurt

* Arrange a couple of tikkis on a plate and pour about 2 ladles of chole masala over them. Spoon chutneys over and sprinkle some sev. Garnish with onion and cilantro and round off with a ladle of yogurt.

This is my "Aloo Tikki - Chole Chaat" post under "Combo Dishes" theme for BM#36. Check here to know what other marathoners are cooking. 

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Aloo Chole

I hardly ever prepare in advance when I am doing theme based cooking as this marathon for instance. Most of the cooking happens on the day I post unless it is a cloudy day. This time however I had the fudge post ready in my drafts. Based on that, I went with the choice of alphabets for this week's marathon and ended up cooking another dish in advance too, only not to use it at the last moment. See, advanced planning never works for me. :) Yesterday, I had prepared aloo chole and thought of using that instead of the initially planned one. And so, this delicious, protein packed Aloo Chole is for the letter "A". I kept the dish to the basic version as I was not in the mood for an overtly spiced one.

Ingredients: (4 servings)
2 cups cooked garbanzo beans / Kabuli chana
1 Tbsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp grated ginger
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
2 onions, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
2 potatoes, peeled, cubed and cooked
1 tsp chole masala
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp chili powder or as needed
1 Tbsp kasoori methi
Cilantro to garnish

Method:

* Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds. When they start to turn brown, add ginger, onion and turmeric powder. Stir and cook until the onion turns translucent. Next add the tomatoes and cook until they turn mushy.
*Take out a small portion of the cooked beans and grind it adding a small amount of water.
* Now add this ground paste, the rest of the cooked garbanzo beans, potato, salt, chili powder and chole masala to the onion - tomato sauce. Add some water if needed. You can use the water used to cook the beans. Bring the mixture to a boil. Add kasoori methi, stir once and let it simmer for a few minutes, for the flavors to mingle.
* Garnish with cilantro and serve with roti / bhature / naans.


Check here to know what other marathoners of BM#25 are cooking.

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Guilt free Snacks ~ Oven Roasted Chickpeas / Garbanzo Beans

Baked garbanzo beans is going to be my last post of the BM#21 under "Copy Cat" theme. This perfectly crunchy, guilt free snack comes from Vardhini of Cook's Joy. I had noted it down in one of the previous marathons and this recipe did yield very good results. I thoroughly enjoyed this non greasy, healthy snack.

Ingredients:
1.5 cups chickpeas /garbanzo beans / chana
Salt and chili powder to taste
Cumin powder and/or any spice powder preferred as per taste
Oil to spray or a Tbsp of oil

Method:
* Soak garbanzo beans overnight and pressure cook them for about 3 whistles, without turning them mushy. Drain and cool the beans.
Skip this step if you are using canned beans. Rinse the canned beans before using.

* Preheat the oven to 400 deg F. Line a baking sheet with aluminium foil and keep aside.
* Add salt, chili powder, cumin powder / any other spice powder preferred to the beans and mix well. If you are not spraying the oil, you can add a Tbsp of oil to the beans mixture and mix well.

* Spread the beans on the prepared baking sheet. Spray it with oil.
* Place the sheet in the preheated oven and bake for 40 - 50 minutes or until they turn crunchy. Actually I baked for an hour and left the sheet in the turned off oven for 10 minutes more.

 

The original recipe mentioned that the beans would turn rock hard if baked longer than needed and so, pay attention to the beans at the final stages of baking.

 

Check what other marathoners are cooking, here.

 

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Chana Pulao

On the sixth day of  BM#13, here is one more protein packed lunch box idea. Any beans can be substituted for chickpeas.

Ingredients: (4 servings)
1 cup Basmati Rice
3/4 cup chickpeas (chana) soaked overnight / canned chickpeas (Rinse chickpeas if using canned ones.)
Salt to taste
2 Tbsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 onion, sliced lengthwise
2 tomatoes
To grind: 1 inch piece ginger, 2 cloves, 1 inch cinnamon piece, 1 tsp coriander seeds, 1 green chillie, 1 red chillie and 2 Tbsp shredded coconut

Preparation:
* Cook rice adding 2 cups of water. Let cool.
* Pressure cook chickpeas.
* Add all the ingredients mentioned under "to grind" and grind to a paste adding a few Tbsp of water if needed.

Method:
* Heat oil and add  cumin seeds. When they start to brown, add onion and fry until golden brown. Then add tomatoes and cook until mushy. Add the ground paste and saute for a few minutes.
* Add chickpeas and salt and give it a stir.
* Next add the rice and mix well.
Serve with raita or plain yogurt.

Check here to find out what the other marathoners participating in this BM are cooking.

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Chana Masala / Chole / Spicy Chickpeas Curry

The mouthwatering Punjabi dishes have become synonymous to north Indian cuisine among the Indian restaurants world wide.This chole or chana masala is one of the ubiquitously found and most popular one among the above genre. Depending upon the cooking methods, there may be slight variations in the flavor and the color of the dish but the basic idea remains the same. Call it chole masala / chana masala / Punjabi chole, cooked garbanzo beans are served in a spicy tomato - onion base and is a truly delectable one for spicy food lovers.
It is a surprise that I haven't posted this chole recipe yet considering the fact that it is prepared at least twice a month in my home. It is a favorite of mine and my son's. Anyhow better late than never and here goes the recipe, my style.

Ingredients: (Yield 4 servings)
1.5 cups garbanzo beans / chana
1 Tbsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp grated ginger / ginger paste as needed (I usually use 2 small chunks of ginger and grind it at the end along with some onion- tomato sauce.)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
2 onions, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp chana masala powder (Any good quality store brought powder will do.)
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder (optional)
1 tsp kasoori methi
Cilantro to garnish

Method:
* Soak garbanzo beans overnight in plenty of water. Throw away the soaked water in the morning and rinse the soaked beans well with fresh water. Place the drained beans in a pressure cooker with enough water to cover them. Cook until tender. Alternatively, the beans can be cooked in a sauce pan too but it takes longer.
* In the mean time, heat the oil in a pan and add cumin seeds. When they start to turn brown, add ginger, onion and turmeric powder. Stir and cook until the onion turns transparent. Next add the tomatoes and cook until they turn mushy.
* If you prefer gravy, take out a small portion of cooked onion - tomato mixture and a few Tbsps of cooked beans. Grind the mixture adding a little water if needed.
* Now add this ground paste, the rest of the cooked garbanzo beans, salt, chili powder, coriander powder and chana masala powder to the onion - tomato sauce. Add some water if needed. You can use the water used to cook the beans. Bring the mixture to a boil. Add kasoori methi, stir once and let it simmer for a few minutes, for the flavors to mingle.
* Garnish with cilantro and green chillies if desired. Serve with roti / bhature / naans.

Note:
1. Even canned garbanzo beans can be used if you have time constraints but remember to wash the beans thoroughly before using.
2. Soaked beans can be put in freezer in advance so that they come handy while cooking. A better option would be to freeze the cooked beans. However remember to cool the beans immediately after cooking and freeze.

Linking this to blogging marathon #12 under "delicious dals" theme. Check out the Blogging Marathon page to find out what other marathoners have been cooking.
Today is the last day of marathon and here is a recap of what I posted so far -

Under "Something Sweet" theme
Day 1 - Carrot - Apple Muffins
Day 2 - Kesar Sandesh / Sondesh 
Day 3 - Chocolate Chip - Oatmeal Cookies 
Day 4 - Microwave Apple Crisp
Day 5 - Blackberry Cobbler
Day 6 - Dates - Coconut Kheer
Day 7 - Eggless Banana - Semolina Cake

Under "Delicious Dals" theme
Day 1 - Masoor Dal Khichdi (Masoordal)
Day 2 - Dalia - Cilantro Chutney Podi (Dalia & Urad)
Day 3 - Chayote Kootu (Chana dal)
Day 4 - Alasanda - Vankaya Pulusu (Chori beans)
Day 5 - Dry Sweet Pongal (Moong Dal)
Day 6 - Moong Sprouts - Aloo Tikki (Green gram)

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Spinach - Chickpea Wraps

My kids, especially my daughter loves vegetable wraps and sandwiches and so when Pavani posted these wraps in one of the earlier blogging marathons, I bookmarked them and tried immediately. She showed how these wraps were picnic friendly and so obviously I feel that they are opt ones for lunchbox as well. These wraps have a chickpea curry + a salad blend filling and are nutritious and yummy ones. The only thing to remember is to prepare a very dry filling. My filling was a little on the wet side since I made them for a weekend lunch. :)

Ingredients:
Tortillas (I used spinach ones. Even rotis can be substituted.)

A blend of lettuce, julienned carrot, sliced red onions

For chickpea filling:

2 cups chickpeas
1 Tbsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1/8 tsp turmeric powder
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tomatoes
Salt & chili powder to taste
1/2 tsp chana masala

Preparing the filling:

* Soak chickpeas in water overnight and pressure cook until tender. Keep aside.

* Heat oil in a sauté pan, add cumin seeds and ginger. Once the seeds start to splutter add turmeric and onions. Sauté until they soften; next add tomato and cook until done.

* Then add the cooked chickpeas, channa masala, red chili powder, salt and mix well.

* Cook until the curry is almost dry. Take care that the curry is not watery since the wraps are going to be soggy.

Assembling the wraps:
* Microwave each tortilla for a minute.
*  Place chickpea curry filling and the salad mixture on the bottom half of the tortilla and fold the ends over the filling, roll and wrap to make the sandwich.

This is my Day 5 entry for the blogging marathon#10, with the "lunchbox" theme. Check here to find out what the other marathoners are cooking. This goes to Susan's MLLA, guesthosted this month by Simona.

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Chole Panjim

Chole Panjim adapted from: Gourmet Indian in Minutes

Is anyone familiar with Chole Panjim? I wasn't until I saw the recipe in the above mentioned cookbook. Punjabi style chole is so popular in Indian subcontinent that it needs no introduction. Similar with pindi chana but chole panjim is somewhat unknown I should say. This Goan chole recipe is no way related to the standard chole served at North Indian homes / Indian restaurants worldwide. This colorful dish uses some of the common ingredients of the local cuisine such as the coconut and chillies, replacing the spices of a Punjabi chole preparation. I should say I fell in love with this dish more than the standard chole because of the familiar ingredients and flavors. J A 'must try' for chole / chana lovers.

And for people who are not familiar with Indian geography, Panaji / Panjim is the capital of the Indian state Goa.

Ingredients: (3 - 4 servings)

3 Tbsp oil

1 tsp ginger - garlic paste (I omitted garlic.)

1/4 cup grated, dried coconut (unsweetened)

6 dried, very red chillies (I used Byadagi variety.)

1 tsp garam masala (I sprinkled a little at the end and did not use the whole quantity.)

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 big onion, finely chopped

1 tomato, finely chopped (optional and was not part of the recipe.)

2 cups canned / cooked chickpeas

Salt to taste

Minced cilantro to garnish

Method:

* Heat a Tbsp of oil in a pan and add ginger (and garlic if using). Sauté for a few seconds and then add the red chillies and coconut. Fry on low flame until the coconut browns. Turn off the stove and let cool. Grind this fried mixture and garam masala (if using now) to a fine paste adding required water.

* Heat 2 Tbsp oil in another pan and add cumin seeds. When they start to brown, add the chopped onion and fry until translucent. Then add the tomato and cook until mushy.

* Next add the ground paste, cooked chickpeas and salt to the onion - tomato mixture. Add water if needed and bring it to a rolling boil. * Garnish with cilantro and serve with some warm rotis.

Chole Panjim is my "Cooking from Cookbooks" themed, Day 3 post of BM #7. Check what my fellow marathoners are cooking.

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Simple Chole

I would go with this simple chole, when I am not in a mood for a concoction of spices . I find the flavor offered by coriander powder suffices the need.  

Ingredients for 4:
1 cup Garbanzo beans / chana - soaked overnight or at least 8 -10 hours and cooked
2 Onions - peeled and chopped
2 Tomatoes - chopped
1 tsp Coriander powder
1/2 to 1 tsp Chili powder (depending upon the spiciness preferred)
Salt to taste
Minced cilantro for garnish
For tadka: 1 Tbsp oil, 1 tsp cumin seeds

The cooking part:
Heat oil in a sauté pan and add cumin seeds. When they start to turn a shade darker, add the chopped onion and fry on low - medium flame till they turn translucent. Then add diced tomato and fry till it turns into a mush.
Grind a handful of cooked chana with water in a blender till smooth.
Then add this ground chana along with the remaining cooked chana, coriander powder, chili powder and salt to the onion - tomato mixture. Add water to the desired consistency. Bring to a rolling boil and then turn down the stove. Gently simmer for a couple of minutes more and turn off the stove.
Garnish with minced cilantro and serve with rotis.

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'Soup'er Sundays - Vegetarian Harira

I gather from various online sources that harira is a traditional soup of Morocco, a country of diversified cuisine. Thought it can be had any time, traditonal families usually reserve this soup for those special occasions like dinners of holy Ramadan month or feasts thrown after a wedding. The ingredients used in the soup may vary from region to region. However, the standard recipe has small amounts of meat, lentils, and garbanzo in a tomato base, with spices and herbs thrown in it.
On this chilly day, the idea of curling up on a couch with a bowl of soup seemed so invigorating and hence here is harira - the hearty, harmonius blend of chickpea and lentils. A vegan version of course.



Ingredients needed for 4 servings:
1 Tbsp oil
1/2 tsp fresh ginger - peeled & grated
1 small onion - finely minced
1 celery stick - diced
2 tomatoes - diced (I added tomato & tomato paste)
2 Tbsp lentils (soaking for a couple of hours makes cooking faster)
A handful of garbanzo beans / chana - soaked overnight and cooked till tender or scant 1/2 cup from a can
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder or a 1" cinnamon piece
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
Vegetable stock / water - About 5 to 6 cups (I added a Knorr bouillon cube when the water was boiling)
1 - 2 Tbsp flour
Salt and pepper to taste
Juice from a small lemon
Minced parsely/cilantro for garnish

Making Harira:

• Heat the oil and add the minced ginger and fry till it turns golden brown.
• Then add onion and fry it till it turns translucent.
• After that, add celery and chopped tomatoes and sauté till tomatoes turn mushy.
• Then go the lentils, turmeric powder, cinnamon, cumin powder and about 2 cups of vegetable stock / water.
• Cook till the lentils are tender. Mix the flour with little water and make a paste with out any lumps. Add this paste and the cooked garbanzo and simmer for 10 - 15 minutes more. If using beans from a can, drain the liquid and wash them before adding. Keep adding water as needed through out the process.
• Add salt and pepper. Mix well.
• Stir in the lemon juice and parsley / cilantro.

Harira is going to be a part of -
DK's AWED - Africa guest hosted @ PJ's
Susan's MLLA - 22 edition guest hosted @ Ruchika's
Vegetarian Marathon - Beans @ Silpa's

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