Chickpeas in Pickled Spices & Pickled Chickpeas Sandwich Too | Achari Chana | Step Wise Cooking | Vegan | Gluten Free

 

 

 

Hi All!!

I’ve been away from blogging for about two weeks, but it feels like ages. People might guess that I was mopey and I didn’t have anything to post but that was not the case friends (pun intended). In the last fortnight on and off  I could see the fluctuations in the temperature here which I could also compare with my health, which was also going up and down but was largely down with the virus having fun in my body. Also, the younger kid was writing his first term papers and the house had become quiet to let him study. Being the mother I could feel the pressure of his studies hitting me as well. He needed me to be around all the time and help him with his difficulties and doubts. Fortunately he has his last exam today and I’m already elated that I can relax now…what a sense of relief!!!

While the kid studied, I would read a lot of books; fiction, romance and obviously cookbooks. The other day I had run out of the veggies and I had no mood to go out and shop. The lazy me soaked some chickpeas with no clarity or vision in my mind,  of how I would cook it. I wanted to cook something different but had no idea how..

So after soaking the chickpeas I came and sat with the kid, flipping through the books as I couldn’t watch TV too . After flipping through some old Good food magazines, I picked up Camellia Panjabi’s 50 Great Curries Of India and I was so happy reading all of them, all over again. While I read, I landed on a recipe of lamb cooked in Pickled spices. After reading the recipe I was too tempted to try it in a vegetarian way. I asked myself, people make achaari paneer, achaari aloo, achaari bhindi, why can’t I try the spices with chickpeas? The thought itself exhilarated me and believe me friends I needed that sense of elation desperately, with all the pressure around. The thought was so intoxicating that I immediately went ahead and searched for all the spices and other ingredients. I realized that a skerrick of an ingredient was not available in the desired amount required for the recipe; I was short of yogurt, so I immediately searched for tomatoes and was happy to see a few of them sitting pretty in the refrigerator.

Bit by bit I garnered all the ingredients and laid them on the kitchen platform and geared myself to cook. Fortunately, I always have ginger, garlic and onion in the pantry no matter what else finishes, so I was kind of sorted with the recipe. The curry turned out superb, perfect to inebriate my spirits. It was well spiced, tangy and perfect to tickle the taste buds.

During the course of cooking I got a thought that the chickpeas with pickled spice blend might taste great with the paav, the thought led me to remove a portion of the dry chickpea achaari, with which I intended to make a sandwich later on. The Achaari Chickpea Sandwich  was quite different & innovative. It turned out very tasty and the kid loved it.

 

CHICKPEAS IN PICKLED SPICES | ACHAARI CHANA

Soaking Time:4-6hrs | Preparation Time: 1hour | Cooking Time: 30mins | Serves: 6-8 | Difficulty Level: Moderate

 

Ingredients

3-1/2cups Cooked Chickpeas

4 medium sized tomatoes/ 250gms yogurt

8-10 baby potatoes (optional)

2 medium size red onions

a large handful of fresh coriander

6-8 green chilies (spicy version)

1/4tsp red chili powder (optional)

4-5 garlic flakes

2” piece ginger

salt to taste

about 1/2cup oil

1/2tsp dry mango powder (optional)

Pickle Spices

1-1/2tsp Fennel seeds

1tsp cumin seeds

1tsp onion seeds (kalounji)

3/4tsp mustard seeds

3/4tsp fenugreek seeds (methi dana)

 

Method

Wash the dry chickpeas (about 1-3/4cups) and soak them in water for 4-6 hours. Pressure cook them with some salt to taste and a pinch of soda bicarbonate, till tender. This takes about 25mins. What I normally do is that I let the cooker attain full pressure on high flam, then reduce the flame and cook it on low flame for about 15-20mins.

 

Dry roast the pickle spices on a low flame for 5mins, cool and grind them together. I have powdered here but one can keep it coarse too. Fill the spice mix in slit green chilies and the spice mix left after filling be kept aside to be used later.

Roughly chop the onion, tomatoes and coriander.

Grind together onion, garlic and cleaned ginger to a paste.

Similarly grind together tomatoes and coriander.

Heat oil and tip in the stuffed green chilies and sauté lightly for a few seconds.

Add the onion-ginger-garlic paste and sauté properly on low flame till oil separates.

Add turmeric, chili powder and the remaining spice mix and cook for a minute. Add the chili powder only if you believe that the green chilies are not spicy enough. Sauté for a few minutes.

Add the tomato-coriander paste and cook till done. Add salt to taste and dry mango powder. Cook till oil separates.

Tip in the boiled and drained chickpeas. The drained water should not be thrown as it is used later to make the gravy. Mix thoroughly and cook under cover for a few minutes. At this stage when the curry was dry, I removed a small portion to make the Achaari Chana Sandwich.

 

Add the halved potatoes (this is completely optional) and about 2cups of the drained chickpea water. Bring the gravy to a boil and cook after covering with a lid for about 15-20mins. One can keep the gravy thick or thin as per their choice.

 

For The Achaari Chana Sandwich

Take two whole wheat bread slices and spread a thick layer of achaari chana on one bread slice. Top the chana with sliced onions and carrot juliennes. Sprinkle some salt and pepper. Cover it with the second bread slice. Heat a panini grill and apply some olive spray. Grill the sandwich. Serve with some sauce/ green chutney and salad.

 

Sending the sandwich to my event ‘Only’ Sandwiches, burgers & Panini, guest hosted by Savi-Ruchi.

A few chickpeas recipes that you can try ..

Green Chickpeas Biryani

Hariyali Chana Masala

Garbanzo & Paneer Curry

*No Oil Chana & Instant Whole Wheat Bread Bhatura

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Raw Banana & Tender Fenugreek Leaves Paratha | Vegan | Flatbread | Stepwise | Pregnancy Recipes

 

Hi All!!

I’m here with yet another healthy recipe which is definitely tasty too. I was very curious and apprehensive about how this combination would turn out. The raw banana has become kind of favorite with me after I made the gluten free, Banana Rings. I had been eyeing the small bunches of baby fenugreek leaves for a few weeks now, in my regular vegetable shop and this time I decided to give it a try. These small baby plants are about 2-3 inches long with tender stems, roots and tiny leaves.

Both, the raw banana and fenugreek are extremely nutritive ingredients and a combination of both definitely is an extremely nutritional preparation. During pregnancy, one needs to consume about 300 more calories daily than one normally would in their non-pregnant state. The extra calories gives added energy to support the growth and development of the unborn child. The average-size banana contains about 100-110 calories. Other than that, the banana are fat free, cholesterol-free food that contribute to heart health.

Bananas offer a load of potassium in a relatively small package. Potassium is an electrolyte nutrient that, along with calcium and magnesium, helps manage your body's balance of fluids. Eating bananas for their potassium content during pregnancy can control lower leg edema, the swelling of the ankles and calves that often strikes expectant moms; and leg cramps, another common side effect of pregnancy. Bananas are also a nonacidic mild food, less likely to upset the stomach than fatty foods or citrus fruits. Bananas are an excellent source of  Vitamin B6, which is suggested to be the key to relief from morning sickness.

When it comes to fenugreek, people have mixed opinions. A few believe it should not be eaten and others believe it a very good green for pregnancy. Personally, I ate all kinds of greens ( my doctor recommended that) in my pregnancy including the fenugreek leaves without any harmful effects. So, those who are apprehensive about eating Fenugreek leaves can replace this preparation with Spinach but before doing that, please read the contribution of this plant in pregnancy here.

All my dilemma with this combo was put to rest when I tasted the flatbread/paratha. It was yummy with the softness of banana,  flavor of methi and perfect blend of spices added to it. I did not over do with the spices, as I wanted the flatbread/paratha to retain it’s natural flavors.

RAW BANANA-FENUGREEK LEAVES FLATBREAD

Preparation Time:30mins | Cooking Time:3mins/Flatbread | Makes: 10-12 | Serves: 3-4 | Difficulty Level: Needs Skill

Ingredients

2 Raw Bananas, boiled and peeled

2cups Fenugreek leaves, chopped

1/2cup coriander leaves, chopped

2green chilies, chopped finely

2-3cups whole wheat flour + more for dusting

salt to taste

1tbsp oil + more for roasting

Dry spices

1tsp red chili powder

1tbsp coriander powder

1-1/2tsp cumin powder

Method

Mix together chopped chilies, coriander and Fenugreek leaves and sprinkle salt over it to release water.

Add grated raw banana and mix thoroughly.

To the mix add flour, oil and dry spices and knead the flour using minimum water ( I used my food processor).

Break the dough into balls.

Roll each ball using dry flour into 6-7” disc of 4-5mm thickness.

Roast the disc on a griddle using oil till done.

Serve the paratha with butter, yogurt, pickle/chutney and salad.

Sending this to my event ‘Only’ Food For Pregnancy, hosted here.

Tips:

Make a stiff dough as it becomes soft after some time as the veggies leave water.

One can change the variation of spices as per their taste.

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Dum Parwal ( Pointed Gourd) & Flax Seed Flat Bread | Lunch Combo |

Hi!!

It was about 3yrs back, I was entering a new territory, a new job with new surroundings, new colleagues, new targets and pressures. I used to feel lost at times and my best friend in that hostile situation used to be the library, where I could spend a decent time reading various books, either work related or even others too.

Apart from the personal time that I used to spend in the library, I had to compulsorily use three quarters of an hour on records in the reference section. The reference section had books of all kinds, from literature and history to modern technology. And amongst all these books were a few cookbooks too which I could not touch during my officially allotted time but on other days, I could use them.

There were books on Cooking as a science and few cookbooks in the reference section. Amongst, all these books related to cooking, my favorite book was Nita Mehta’s Vegetarian Curries. This book has very nice collection of veg curries made using day to day spices. These are regular veggies cooked with a difference but no elaborate steps to follow. I started noting down recipes from the book into my diary and thought that I would try them one by one. But my job became very hectic, the day to day cooking itself had become very difficult for me but I managed somehow..and then one fine day we got our transfer orders and I had to quit my job and move..

Till recently, the recipes and my diary took a back seat for one or the other reason, one can see that from the number of blog posts per month. But about a few weeks back when I was cleaning book shelves, I landed on my old diaries and I started flipping through the pages, that’s when I landed on the recipes I had copied from Nita Mehta’s cookbook.

I was too tempted to try them at once and this particular recipe using the Pointed Gourd (Parwal) had taken preference as it used a pressure cooker for the ‘Dum Cooking’ making it a faster cooking method. Moreover, this particular recipe didn’t ask for any grinding or any exotic methods to try. The only thing required was chopping and thanks to my decent knife skills, I manage that well.

To go with the curry, which I realized might turn out a semi thick curry, I wanted to make a healthy flatbread. Recently, during a discussion on FB, a blogger friend asked what she could do with flax seeds and I had suggested that she could add it in the regular chapatis/ phulka. After mentioning her that I castigated myself as I also had a packet of the flax seeds which I had been postponing to use. I decided to use it immediately and it so happened that I also knew exactly what to cook with it..This was a recipe which had made a mark in my brain with it’s sheer simplicity and health benefits. It’s a recipe that I had read in Madhu Gadia’s The Indian Vegan Kitchen.

I must tell my readers here that the curry is not a vegan preparation but the flatbread is. The combination of the curry and flatbread turned out simply superb. My family enjoyed the lunch and S was simply happy with the preparations and the combo. The flatbread is good with the health benefits of flax seeds. What more do I need, a smile from the family after eating a hearty meal, that’s my bonus, that’s my increment.

Preparation Time: 15mins | Cooking Time: 20mins | Serves: 3-4 | Difficulty Level: Easy

Ingredients For Dum Parwal ( adapted from Nita Mehta’s cookbook)

5-6 Pointed gourd ( parwal) tippped, lightly peeled and cut into halves

4-5 baby potatoes, peeled or 1 potato, cubed

2tsp freshly made ginger garlic paste

2tomatoes, chopped finely

1large or 2medium onions, sliced

1/2 cup yogurt, smoothened

2tbsp oil + 2tbsp clarified butter (ghee)

1/2tsp cumin seeds

Dry spices:

1mace leaf (javitri) powdered

1tbsp coriander powder

1-1/2tsp chili powder

1/2tsp turmeric powder

1/2tsp garam masala powder

Whole spices

2-3 cloves

1bayleaf

2-3 black cardamom

2-3 small pieces of cinnamon

Method

Heat the oil and ghee together in a pressure pan and fry the pointed gourd and potatoes lightly, to a golden color.

To the remaining oil, which would be around 3table spoons, tip in the cumin seeds. Once the seeds crackle, add the whole spices. Do this process on a medium flame else the hot oil burns the spices.

Add the ginger-garlic paste and sauté to remove the raw smell. Add the sliced onions and sauté till golden in color.

Add the tomatoes and salt to taste. Cook till tomatoes are done. Add the dry spices and cook for a minute.

Remove from the fire and add the beaten yogurt and mix. Put back on fire and cook on low heat till the oil separates.

Tip in the garam masala and mace powder.

Add the fried veggies and a cup of water.

Pressure cook up to a whistle.

Let the pressure drop and then check for the consistency of the curry.

Preparation Time: 5mins | Standing Time: 10mins | Cooking Time Per Roti: 1min | Makes:8-10 | Serves: 3-4 | Difficulty Level: Needs Skill

Ingredients For Flax Seed Flat Bread ( adapted from Madhu Gadia’s Cookbook)

1-1/2cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup besan (Bengal gram flour) or Soya Flour
2-3tsp flax seed meal
water to knead
1/4tsp salt
2-3 drops oil
wheat flour for rolling

Method

Make a soft dough using the ingredients, apply oil and let the dough rest for 10mins.
Divide the dough into 8-10 portions. Make balls and flatten them.
Using dry wheat flour, roll the roti into a thin disc.
Cook it like a regular roti on a griddle and puff it directly on the flame.
Apply clarified butter on the flatbread/rotis (optional) else apply oil lightly. This keeps rotis soft for a longer time.
Serve hot as these flatbread/ rotis might become dry after sometime.

Sending it to my event ‘Only’- Cooking From Cookbooks guest hosted by Gauri.

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Easy to help you Cook Vegetarian Excellent recipes (early education)

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With potatoes you can even make a brief recipe such as you possibly can baked and boiled and the various models of sauces and mayonnaise, or butter should be considered as an important topping. Mashed carrots with butter could also be served and the potatoes will be put with the gravy definitely prepared and even frozen. Debris, cookies, nachos will be served through various dips. Dips comprised of butter, mayonnaise, cheeses will be made on minutes.

Thus by applying commonsense and even easy ingredients can be done cooking during an uncomplicated manner allowing it to save precious time and relish different recipes in addition. Thus it is easy to offer scrumptious, easy and even quick recipes with your guests. You don't have limit to help you easy vegetarian excellent recipes. You are also able to search online allowing it to make cooking hassle free. There can be many type the vegan recipes for a lot of meals on top of a day, you may create according with your guest's pick.

A chafing dish is a dual tray made of stainless steel that is mounted in a frame, with a lid, and is used to keep food warm during a buffet or party. cookingdishes The outside tray holds heated water (to evenly heat the inner tray) while the inner tray holds food.

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Easy that will Cook Vegetarian Recommendations (early education)

Vegetarian recipes have grown yummy, healthy and tend to be normally hassle-free in plans, as these take less time in cooking. Various vegetarian recipes can be bought on the earth providing ample for choices to buy one together with relish any recipe.

Many Crunchy, impressive and contemporary, vegetarian appetizer recommendations consume significantly less time and tend to be ideal for you if you do not want to spend more time during the kitchen. Baked plates also calls for less time and tend to be very straightforward cook. Soups together with various Italian and Far eastern vegetarian dishes can be prepared rapidly. Various vegetarian recipes that can be easy that will cook happen to be: Vegan Hummus, Mushroom Barley Soup, and many noodles, pasta, macaroni together with pizza recommendations.

The butter or simply cheeses can be utilised with assorted types of loaf of bread available as they definitely are easier to generatte. Cheese can be utilised as a good topping over the cookies or simply biscuits professionals who log in relish those combinations in conjunction with sodas, drab water, dinner, coffee or simply wine. Cheeses consist of various choices and methods; you can implement them utilizing other something to eat available. Cheese are usually cut during slices or are usually grated as per the point in time and liking. You will stock cheeses professionals who log in serve him or her plain or simply with an item.

Various different kinds of noodles, pastas or simply macaroni are usually boiled quickly and may also be mixed with various vegetarian formula. Ready constructed sauces are usually poured regarding these together with various meal spreads is usually mixed and may also be served towards your guests.

With potatoes it's also possible to make a timely recipe such as they can be baked or simply boiled and different kinds of sauces or simply mayonnaise, or butter can be utilised as a good topping. Mashed taters with butter is usually served or simply the potatoes are usually put during the gravy presently prepared together with frozen. Snacks, cookies, nachos are usually served utilizing various dips. Dips composed of butter, mayonnaise, cheeses are usually made during minutes.

Thus using commonsense together with easy ingredients you can try cooking within a uncomplicated manner and may also save point in time and really enjoy different recipes all at once. Thus you could offer mouth watering, easy together with quick recipes towards your guests. There isn't limit that will easy vegetarian recommendations. You can search online and may also make cooking non problematic. There happen to be many forms of the vegan recipes for any meals in a day, you may earn according towards your guest's solution.

A chafing dish is a dual tray made of stainless steel that is mounted in a frame, with a lid, and is used to keep food warm during a buffet or party. cookingdishes The outside tray holds heated water (to evenly heat the inner tray) while the inner tray holds food.

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Sweet & Sour Potato | Indo-Chinese Starter | Vegetarian | Step Wise

Hi All!!

Last few days were interesting in my life, I bought an interesting bunch of spice plants amongst which is an all spice plant too. All these plants are occupying a small space in my balcony. I met food blogger friends of my city, and chit chatted with them over lunch. It was indeed a humbling experience to be surrounded by such immensely talented people. I attended a friend’s surprise birthday party too who will be undergoing a heart surgery soon and I was overwhelmed to see the joy on her face. On top of such pleasant things happening around me, it’s also raining here and I’m loving the cloudy days, the dip in the temperature.

I forgot to mention a very important thing earlier that I’m reading  books too amongst all this, loads of books...actually cookbooks to be precise and my old recipe diaries that I’ve been filling for ages. My bed is full of books these days which I keep flipping through the day, and later at night stand as a heap of books next to my bed..so much for the late night cleaning!!!

While I was flipping through my old diaries…okay before telling you this, I want to tell you something about myself which probably I have mentioned earlier too..nevertheless..I grew up with books like Grihashobha, Manorama and later on Meri Saheli too. My mom, grand moms, aunts would read these books. While the elders in the family were interested in reading stories, articles, stitching and sewing, my sole interest in these books would be the cookery section.

I would read the recipes religiously and I didn’t care whether I understood their procedure or not. I would ask someone to explain them to me. And one fine day when my grandfather gifted me a diary I started noting down recipes in it. I must have been in 9th or 10th. Since then I’ve filled many diaries with recipes that I read here and there. If I didn’t have a diary in my hand and I came across a good recipe, I would jot it down in pieces of paper, behind bills and memos and later on transfer them into my diary. I might be sounding a fanatic to many people here, but friends this is what I was and I am. I love reading recipes, and even if I may not try all of them in reality but I learn from each of them and apply the knowledge, technique, skill, elsewhere in my cooking. For me that’s called an inspired cooking!!

Anyways, coming back to I flipping through my old diaries… I came across a small recipe with few ingredients, scribbled in a page of 2007 diary. After reading it I was inspired to try it instantly. Yes, rains do wonders on me. Fortunately I had all the ingredients at home (did I tell you that my MIL believes I could open a grocery store with the ingredients I have in my pantry). The outcome of the recipe was an awesome starter which I thought I could finish the entire plate but then I literally controlled myself and saved half for the kid and I was so happy that S was travelling and both of us got more to eat. The kid loved, loved, loved it!! Yes, this was the reaction I got from him and he wanted me to make more, which I promised him, that I would soon.. The only thing I was unhappy about was the dark color of the dish, which I know will be lighter in color the next time I make…I do have a solution to it! Also, the next time I make this, would love to add a few red chilies to add more color and also top it with roasted sesame to add crunch.

Preparation Time:25mins | Marination Time: 1hr | Cooking Time: 5mins | Serves: 2-3 | Difficulty Level: Easy

Ingredients

250gms boiled & peeled, baby potatoes

10garlic flakes, finely chopped

3tbsp each of honey, red chili sauce, tomato sauce and soya sauce

1/2tsp black pepper powder

salt to taste

5-6tbsp spring onions, finely chopped

2tbsp oil ( I used a mix of vegetable oil + Chinese sesame oil)

A glimpse to the recipe written in my diary..

Method

Prick the potatoes and marinade them for an hour in a mix of all the sauces and half the garlic. I used a dark soya sauce but will use light one next time.

Heat oils in the wok and brown the remaining garlic. Be careful as the wok heats fast and if one is not careful,  one might burn the garlic.

Tip in the marinated potatoes along with the sauces and sauté on high flame. Chinese cooking is always done on a high flame, so use the biggest burner of the stove.

Once the sauces start to thicken, add pepper powder, half the spring onions, salt to taste and give a final toss.

Serve hot, garnished with remaining spring onions.

Sending it to my event ‘Only’- Cooking From Cookbooks guest hosted by Gauri.

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