Chana Masala ( Chickpeas ) without onion , garlic

Chana or chole as they are popularly known , is one supremely popular dish of Indian cuisine. There are many, many  versions of this dish available across India.

Mostly chanas are cooked with lots of onion , garlic , ginger and tomato. My version is without onion and garlic with just a tbsp of oil.

  

Serves 6-8
Ingredients:

Kabuli chana.            2 cups (350gms)

Bengal gram dal.       1 handful (35gms)

Oil.                          1 tbsp

Baking soda.              A pinch

Salt.                         To taste

Tomatoes.                1 large (130gms) finely chopped

Ginger paste.            1 tsp

Water.                     4 cups  + 1 cup.

Cumin seeds.            1/2 tsp

Asafoetida.               A large pinch

Bay leaf.                   1

Tamarind chutney.     2 tbsp

Spice mix

Coriander seeds                  1 tbsp

Cumin seeds.                      1  1/2 tsp

Cloves.                              3

Peppercorns.                      6

Cinnamon  stick.                 1"piece

Whole red chillies.             3

Pomegranate  seeds (dry).   1 tbsp

Garnish

Chopped coriander.              2 tbsp

Ginger julienes.                    1 tbsp

Green chilly                          1 slit into 2

Method:

1. Wash and soak chana and Bengal gram dal overnite in sufficient water.
2. Dry roast all spices under spice mix, cool and grind to a fine powder.
3. Boil  chana with 4 cups of water, 1 bay leaf, salt, 1 tea bag, and a pinch of baking soda till soft and mushy.
4. Discard bay leaf and tea bag.
5. Crush a few chanas with the back of a ladle.
6. Add powdered spices and mix well.
7. Heat oil in a pan.
8. Add asafoetida and cumin seeds.
9.  When cumin seeds turn golden tip in chopped tomato and ginger paste.
10. Fry till tomatoes turn soft and mushy. Keep smashing them with the back of a ladle.
11. Add these to boiled  chanas.
12. Add 1 cup of water and tamarind chutney. Give it a boil. This will give you a thick gravy. You can add more water depending upon how thin a gravy you want.
13. Taste and adjust salt.
14. Garnish with ginger julienes, chopped coriander and slit green chilly.
15. Serve hot with  any Indian bread of your choice or rice.

Note:

If you don't have tamarind chutney, add 2 tbsp tamarind paste, 1 tsp of sugar and 1/2 tsp of roasted cumin pd.

Taste and if you want tangier add some lemon juice or tamarind paste.

You can altogether omit tamarind chutney and add tamarind  paste or lemon juice as per your taste.
This is a medium spiced dish , if you like more chillies you can add 1 more whole red chilly to spice mix.

Raw banana peel ( side dish)

As promised here is my second post on peels. Raw bananas are used extensively in South Indian cuisine  but peels are not used as far as i know, however this dish is my mother's recipe and is made out of raw banana peels .

Ingredients :
Skin of 2 boiled raw banana         finely chopped (1 cup heaped)
Oil.                                            2  - 3 tbsp
Mustard seed                              1/2tsp
Fennel seeds                               1/2 tsp
Red chilly pd.                             1 tsp
Coriander pd                              1tsp
Turmeric pd                               1/2tsp
Ginger paste.                             1/2 tsp
Gram flour                                 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Raw mango pd                            1/2 tsp
Garam masala pd                        A pinch

Method :

1. Before boiling raw bananas scrape them a little to remove upper fibrous layer.
2. Peel them and proceed to use them as you like.
3. Finely chop the peels and keep them aside.
4. Heat oil in a pan.
5. Crackle mustard seeds.
6. Add fennel seeds , when they turn golden add all spices, ginger paste, salt and gram flour.
7. Mix well and fry for a min.
8. Now add peels and mix well.
9. Fry for a couple of minutes.
10. Remove from fire .
11. Adjust salt and raw mango pd.
12. Serve hot with roti  and raita.

Karela (Bitter Gourd) peels : side dish

We almost always throw away peels of vegetables, not knowing what to do with them.
Well here is my first post on the series .  If you like bitter gourd then you would love this dish.

Ingredients :
Karela skin                  1 cup
Potato.                       1 large boiled .
Mustard Oil.                 2 -3 tbsp
Mustard seeds               1/2 tsp
Fennel seeds.               1/4 tsp
Onions.                        1/2 cup finely chopped
Red chilly pd.               1 tsp
Turmeric pd.                1/2 tsp
Coriander pd.               1 tsp
Fennel pd.                    2 tsp
Raw mango.                  2 tbsp grated
Salt.                             To taste
Sugar.                           1+  1 1/2 tsp

Method:

1. Rub salt on peels and let them sit for 15 min.
2. Boil them for 2-3 min.
3. Drain and mix 1 tsp of sugar and set it aside to cool.
4. Once cool squeeze to remove excess water.
5. Heat oil in a pan and crackle mustard seeds .
6. Add fennel seeds , once golden add onions. Fry till slightly brown.
7. Add potato cubes . Fry for a couple of minutes .
8. Now add peels and fry till slightly crisp.
9. Add all spices, sugar, salt and raw mango. Give it a good stir and fry for 2 more min.
10. Remove from gas.
11. Taste and adjust salt.
12. Add more sugar if its too bitter for your taste but remember it will be slightly bitter.
13. Serve with dal rice.

** you can use any vegetable oil if you don't like the flavour of mustard oil.

Bisi Bhele Bhat

Rice and dal cooked together , also known as khichari, has innumerable variations. Each region of India boasts of its own version . Bisi Bhele Bhat is from Karnataka. A beautiful  spicy and tangy combination of Tur dal, rice and vegetables , is perfect for winter afternoons. Tastes best when served hot with a dollop of ghee/ clarified butter , accompanied with yogurt and fried appalams( Crispies ).

Ingredients : for bissi bele bhat

Rice.                                          3/4 cup 150 gms

Tur dal.                                      1/4 cup. 50 gms

 Beans                                       60 gms

Carrot                                        1 large / 100 gms

Cauliflower.                               A few florets

Green peas ( frozen or fresh)      75 gms / 1/2 cup

Tomatoes.                                  2 large / 215 gms. Finely chopped

Salt to taste

Sambar pd                                 6 tsp

Red chilly pd                              1  1/2 tsp

Turmeric pd                               1/2 tsp

Tamarind paste.                         4 -5 tbsp

water.                                        1000ml+250ml

Tempering

Ghee / clarified butter               3 tbsp

Mustard seeds                             1 tsp

Curry leaves                               8 -10

Asafoetida                                  a pinch

 whole red chillies                      1

Cashew pieces                            1/4 cup

Peanuts                                      1/4 cup

Garnishing :

Coriander                                    2 tbsp chopped

Ghee / clarifired butter               As per taste

Method:

1. Wash and soak dal and rice for half an hour.
2. Pressure cook  for 4 whistles with 1000ml. Water, all ingredients mentioned under bissi bele bhat except tamarind paste.
3. When pressure drops , open the cooker add tamarind paste and 250 ml *water. Mix well.
4. Taste and adjust salt. You can add more tamarind paste if you like it tangier.
5. At this time bhat should be mushy and not very thick , if not give one more pressure.

Tempering :

1. Heat ghee/clarified butter in a pan.
2. Add all ingredients mentioned under tempering , in the order in which they are given.
3. When peanuts and cashew nuts start browning , pour the tempering over the bhat. Mix well
4. Garnish with chopped coriander.
5. Serve hot with a dollop of ghee/ clarified butter.

Note:  add more water if bhat is too thick . It tastes better when not thick .



Lemon iced tea

With summers just round the corner I thought of sharing some refreshing coolers with you all.  First in the series is Lemon Iced Tea .

Iced tea has caught up everyone's fancy in last few years. To get a real good glass of iced tea is very difficult but believe me making it at home is no rocket science. 

 

My preparation below gives three glasses

Ingredients : 

Water                  3 1/2 cups

Sugar                   5 tbsp+1tsp

Tea bags              3

Mint leaves          a handful

Lemon juice         6 tsp

Lemon slices        3 for garnish

Ginger paste         1/2 tsp

 

Method :

1. Bring the water to boil and switch off the gas.
2. Add sugar and tea bags. Brew for five min.
3. Remove tea bags.
4. Arrange a mint leaf in each cube of ice tray.
5. Fill it up with brewed tea. Stash it in the freezer.
6. Put a few mint leaves in the remaining tea and keep it in the fridge to chill.

To serve :

1. Take 3 glasses. Put  7 - 8  prepared  cubes in each glass.
2. Take the cold tea from the fridge, add  6 tsp lemon juice to it and  pour it over the ice cubes in the glass.Taste and adjust lemon juice
3. Garnish with mint leaves and a lemon slice.
4. Serve immediately.

Note: part of brewed tea is frozen as cubes coz if plain ice cubes are used to chill the tea , the tea gets diluted. These tea ice cubes maintain the flavour of iced tea till the last sip.