Punjabi Chole...Chickpeas 3.0

Punjabi Chole…the third version of chickpea curry here (check out  version 1 and version 2 as well)

Punjabi Chole

Ingredients:

• Chole/Kabuli Chana/ Chickpeas, 1 cup
• Tea bags, 1 (2, if you want a darker colour)
• Salt, to taste

 For the gravy:

• Ajwain/Carom seeds/Bishop’s weed,1 tsp
• Channa Masala, 2 tsp (I use MDH brand, quantity of rest of the spice powders will depend on which brand of chana masala you use so pls. adjust accordingly)
• Red chili powder, 1 tsp
• Coriander powder, 2 tsp
• Cumin Powder, 1 tsp
• Garam Masala powder, 1 tsp
• Aamchur/Dried Mango Powder, 2 tsp
• Tomatoes, chopped into large chunks, 3 medium
• Ghee, 4-5 tbsp (preferably ghee or can you can use oil)
• Green Chilies, 2-3
• Ginger, julienned, 1 x 1"

Instructions:

Wash and soak the chanas overnight/for 8 hours.

Drain and wash the chanas. Add just enough water to cover them, salt and the tea bag. Cook the chanas till soft. (If using pressure cooker, one whistle on high flame and about 20-25 mins on low).

Once it cools down, drain the chanas and retain the water. Discard the tea bag.

Heat the ghee in a kadhai/wok.

Lower the heat to minimum and add ajwain, followed by ginger and green chilies.

After about 10-15 seconds, add in all the spice powders. Mix well and let the spices cook for about 5-6 seconds.

Add in the drained chanas and tomatoes. Increase the heat and let the chanas cook for 8-10 minutes.

Add in about ½ a cup (or more if needed) of the boiled chana water and cook till it gets reduced to half.

Check and adjust for seasoning. Serve hot.

Notes:

• If you don’t have a tea bag, wrap about a teaspoon of leaves in a muslin cloth, tie a knot and drop in instead of the tea bag. Tea is used to add dark brown colour to the chanas, you can skip it as well.

Chocolate Mocha Muffins...my mojo is an 'it' for now!!

Chocolate Mocha Muffins…another early morning…my mojo has returned as a changed person…it wants me to be up and about before the crack of dawn and it wants me to bake!!....yet to decide whether I was better off without it for sometime…and yes, please do note that I am referring to it as an ‘it’ and not as a ‘him’ or a ‘her’ till the time I decide whether I will be able live with this one in peace or not!! J

Chocolate Mocha Muffins

Ingredients:

Wet Ingredients:

• Eggs, Large, 2 (I use Kegg’s eggs, abt 55gms each)
• Buttermilk, 120 ml/½ cup (I use 120 ml milk and add ½ tbsp vinegar to it, keep it aside for 10 minutes before starting on the recipe)
• Vegetable Oil, 120 ml/ ½ cup
• Black coffee or Espresso, at room temperature , 60 ml/ ¼ cup (I use 60 ml water and mix it with 1 ½ tsp instant coffee powder) 
• Vanilla extract, 5 ml/1 tsp 

Dry Ingredients:

• Regular All Purpose flour/Maida, 130 gms/1 cup 
• Whole Wheat Flour/Atta, 95 gms/ ¾ cup
• Unsweetened cocoa powder, 25 gms/ ¼ cup) (I use Hershey’s natural unsweetened)
• Baking powder, 2.5 gms/½ tsp
• Baking soda, 5 gms/1 tsp
• Light Brown Sugar, 205 gms/1 cup
• Salt, ¼ tsp
• Chocolate chips, semi sweet, cappuccino, or white chocolate chips, 180 gms/1 cup (I use semisweet chocolate chips)
• Pecans/Walnuts/Almonds etc, coarsely chopped, ½ cup            (optional, I skipped this time)

Topping: (optional)

• Granulated white sugar, 1 tbsp
• Ground Cinnamon, ½ tsp (I skip cinnamon and only use sugar)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C.

Butter the muffin tray or line with paper liners.

In a large bowl, sieve in both the flours, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, sugar and salt Mix in the chocolate chips. If using nuts, add in at this stage.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, oil, coffee and vanilla extract.

Now fold in the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

Stir only till the ingredients are combined – overzealous mixing will result in tough muffins and you don’t want that (and hence muffins recipes are perfect for lazy cooks like me).

Using an ice cream scoop or two table spoons, evenly fill in the muffin cups with the batter – till about ¾ full.

Sprinkle the granulated sugar on top of every muffin (if using cinnamon, first mix the cinnamon powder with the sugar)

Place in the middle rack of the oven and bake for about 18-20 minutes or till a toothpick inserted in the centre of the muffin comes out clean. (a minute or two extra if you want extra crunchy top, like we do)

Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for about 10 minutes before removing from the muffin tray.

Makes about 12–14 muffins.

(Recipe from joy of baking website)

Chocolate Chip Muffins...getting my mojo back?

Chocolate Chip Muffins…have I been missing for two weeks or three?...well, I thought I had lost my mojo, until today when I woke up at 4:00 a.m. craving for muffins…so here it goes…one of my all time favorite recipes from Joy of Baking...one of the very few sites that still specifies weight measurement for novice bakers 

Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients:

Wet Ingredients:

• Eggs, Large, 2 (I use Kegg’s eggs, abt 55gms each)
• Milk, whole or reduced fat, 180 ml/ 2/3 cup (use double toned/skimmed milk)
• Vanilla extract, 7.5 ml/ 1 ½ tsp 
• Butter, melted and cooled, 113 gms/ ½ cup (I use regular Amul salted butter)

Dry Ingredients:

• Regular All Purpose flour/Maida, 260 gms/2 cups
• Baking powder, 12.5 gms/ 2 ½ tsp
• Granulated white Sugar, 135 gms/ 2/3 cup
• Salt, ¼ tsp ( skip since I use regular salted butter}
• Chocolate chips, semi sweet, bittersweet, milk, or white chocolate chips, 180 gms/1 cup (I use bittersweet chocolate chips)

Topping: (optional)

• Granulated white sugar, 1 tbsp
• Ground Cinnamon, ½ tsp (I skip cinnamon and only use sugar)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C.

Butter the muffin tray or line with paper liners.

In a large bowl, sieve in the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt (if using). Mix in the chocolate chips.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and vanilla extract.

Now fold in the wet ingredients plus the melted butter into the dry ingredients.

Stir only till the ingredients are combined – overzealous mixing will result in tough muffins and you don’t want that (and hence muffins recipes are perfect for lazy cooks like me).

Using an ice cream scoop or two table spoons, evenly fill in the muffin cups with the batter – till about ¾ full.

Sprinkle the granulated sugar on top of every muffin (if using cinnamon, first mix the cinnamon powder with the sugar)

Place in the middle rack of the oven and bake for about 18-20 minutes or till a toothpick inserted in the centre of the muffin comes out clean. (a minute or two extra if you want extra crunchy top, like we do) 

Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for about 10 minutes before removing from the muffin tray.

Makes about 12–14 muffins.

Prawn Cutlets..smash them up!!

Prawn cutlets…who doesn’t love them…I love all the versions – Bengali, Parsi, Thai etc etc but don’t make them myself cause the thought of those beautiful creatures all smashed up by my very own hands doesn’t appeal to me…so why am I posting this? Here is why…picked up a couple of packets of frozen small size prawns…don’t know why, but I did (yes, the "don't know why" part is how I do my grocery shopping normally)…so when I thawed them and saw the size, for once I had no hesitation in mashing/smashing them up…one packet polished off on the weekend and one today…Note to self – must make a grocery list next time, must add these to the list!!J

Prawn Cutlets

Ingredients:

• Small prawns/shrimps, cleaned, ½ kg (I used frozen) 
• Fresh Breadcrumbs, ¼ to ¾ cup (remove the bread crusts and dry grind the bread in the mixer)
• Egg, lightly beaten, ½ - 1
• Salt, to taste
• Red chili powder, ¾ tsp
• Cumin powder, ¾ tsp
• Garlic cloves, 2-3
• Coriander leaves, finely chopped, 2 tbsp
• Green onions, finely chopped, 2 tbsp 
• Oil 

Instructions:

Dump in the prawns, garlic, red chili powder, salt, cumin powder, coriander leaves and green onions in a food processor/chopper.

Pulse a couple of times (resist the urge to to do an additional round, no matter what!!) and remove the mix into a bowl – you should have a coarse thick mix and not a wet paste like consistency.

Add in half a beaten egg, ¼ cup bread crumbs and mix well with a spoon. The consistency should be such that you are able to shape into cutlets but the egg and bread should not overpower the taste of the prawns – so start with less and then add more egg and/or bread crumbs if needed.

Wet you hands lightly and shape the mix into cutlets.

Heat oil in flat pan. Shallow fry the shaped cutlets on medium high heat till golden brown on both sides – not more than a couple of minutes on each side.

Munch on with the dip of your choice!!

Mexican Tomato Rice with Beans...victory!!

Mexican Tomato Rice with Beans...Just another ploy to get hubz to eat Rajmah/Red Kidney beans…did I succeed? Yes!!

Mexican Tomato Rice with Beans

Ingredients:

• Basmati Rice, 1 cup
• Rajmah/Red Kidney beans or Black beans, boiled/canned, 1 ¼ cup (I use Red Kidney beans)
• Onion, finely chopped, 1 cup
• Tomato, finely chopped, 1 cup
• Tomato Puree, about 2 tbsp
• Sweet Corn,  ½ cup (optional, I use to add colour)
• Green chili, finely chopped, 1-2 (remove the seeds if you want)
• Garlic, finely chopped, 3-4
• Oregano, 1 tbsp
• Cumin powder, 2 tsp
• Paprika, 1 tsp
• Salt, to taste
• Water or Stock of your choice, 2 cups 
• Olive oil, 2 tbsp
• Coriander, for garnishing
• Lime juice (optional)

Instructions:

Wash rice till water runs clear and soak in water for about half an hour.  Drain the water completely and keep aside.

Heat oil in a saucepan, over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, green chili and sauté till onions go soft. 

Add tomatoes and tomato puree and let it cook for another 4-5 minutes or till the water released from tomatoes has dried out. 

Add the drained rice and mix well (so that the rice gets coated nicely) but lightly (so that the grains don’t break).

Add, salt, oregano, cumin powder and paprika. Mix well.

Add the kidney beans, sweet corn and stock. 

Let it come to a boil, reduce the heat to lowest and cover with a lid till rice is cooked (and water has dried out – about 15-20 minutes)

Remove from heat, remove the lid and cover the pan with a kitchen towel. Put the lid back on top of the cloth. 

Let it stand for 5-10 minutes. 

Fluff with a fork and serve with some lime juice and chopped coriander sprinkled over.

Notes:

• You can add tomatoes either right after onions like I have here or can add them along with the stock and beans. Do add the tomato puree before adding the rice and let it out cook a bit before rice gets added. 

• If you don’t have paprika, substitute with a mix of regular and Kashmiri red chili powder.

Tomato and Fresh Mozzarella Salad...1,2,3,4,5!!

Tomato and Fresh Mozzarella Salad…If I called it Caprese Salad, I wouldn’t have been able to post the other options so let’s go with the long name and make use of all the options one by one…ensure you have some crusty bread to go along with this (yes, yes I know the bread/carb addict in me thinks that the world is a better place because of bread), some nice chilled wine and old friends for company (read gossip) J

Tomato and Fresh Mozzarella salad

Ingredients:

• Tomatoes, washed and sliced into ¼ thick slices, 3-4 
• Fresh Mozzarella, sliced into ¼ thick slices, about 250gms
• Fresh Basil leaves, cut into thin slices or tear into pieces or kept whole, 8-10

Dressing Option 1: (pictured)

• Salt, 1/4 tsp
• Black pepper, freshly ground, 1/4 tsp 
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 2 tbsp

Dressing Option 2:

• Salt, 1/4 tsp
• Black pepper, freshly ground, 1/4 tsp 
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 2 tbsp
• Balsamic vinegar, 1 tbsp

Dressing Option 3:

• Salt, 1/4 tsp
• Black pepper, freshly ground, 1/4 tsp 
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 2 tbsp
• Balsamic Vinegar, 1 tbsp
• Dijon Mustard, ½ tsp

Dressing Option 4:

• Salt, 1/4 tsp
• Black pepper, freshly ground, 1/4 tsp 
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 2 tbsp
• Balsamic Vinegar, 1 tbsp
• Dijon Mustard, ½ tsp
• Honey, 1 tsp
• Garlic, minced, ½ tsp

Dressing Option 5:

• Salt, 1/4 tsp
• Black pepper, freshly ground, 1/4 tsp 
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 2 tbsp
• Balsamic Vinegar, ½ cup

Instructions:

Alternate tomato and mozzarella slices on a platter overlapping the slices.  .

Add the basil. Sprinkle on top if cut up. If kept whole arrange in between the slices.

Option 1: Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with the oil. Serve immediately at room temperature.

Option 2, 3, 4: Whisk all dressing ingredients and drizzle over the salad. Serve immediately at room temperature or cool for an hour in the fridge before serving.

Option 5: Put balsamic vinegar in a smallest pan you have and reduced to a thick glaze on low flame – about 10-12 minutes. Keep a watch on it and don’t walk away from the stove! Keep aside till it cools completely.

Sprinkle the salad with salt and pepper. Drizzle with the oil and then add then with a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar reduction. Serve immediately at room temperature.

Notes:

• And yes the tomatoes that you see have been cut thinner than the required ¼ inch thick but that’s what happens when you pass on the job to someone who hardly ever steps into the kitchen while you are busy making your mozzarella slices into perfect little round discs with a cookie cutter!!..Did I say old friends? nah…should have said best friends forever!! J 

• Feel free to adjust quantities of dressing ingredients to your taste 

• You can add capers, black olives or kalmata olives if you want. 

• You can add mixed greens of your choice and arrange the tomato and cheese on top of the greens.

Sambhar Dal...my hybrid rose!!!

Sambhar Dal…I love Sambhar but not many people and places make the the kind I like...I cannot stand the Sambhar served in most restaurants here...too thin, too sweet , too sour…so I happily chomp on the Idilis and Dosas with chutneys and when in the mood for Sambhar, I do my thick dal kind of version to at home and call it Sambhar Dal lest the "this is not authentic" brigade sues me...feel free to adjust the thickness/consistency to your liking – I promise everything else specified below is authentic!! J

Sambhar Dal (South Indian style Lentil and Vegetable stew)

Ingredients:

• Tur/Tuvar/Arhar dal/ Split Pigeon Peas, 1 cup
• Water, 4 cups (plus more if needed later)
• Salt, to taste
• Turmeric powder. ¼ tsp
• Tamarind , small lime sized ball (refer to notes below) 
• Drumsticks, 2-3, outer skin lightly scraped and then cut into about 3” pieces
• Coriander leaves, a few for garnishing

For Tempering

• Oil, 1 tbsp 
• Mustard seeds, ½ tsp
• Methi seeds/ Fenugreek, 7-8
• Hing/ Asafoetida powder, a big fat pinch
• Dried Red Chili, 1-2
• Shallots/Pearl Onions/Sambhar onions, peeled, 10-12 (I didn’t have so used regular onions, sliced, 1 large)
• Curry leaves, 7-8
• Sambhar Masala Powder, 2 tsps (refer to notes below) 
• Red chili powder, if needed

Instructions:

Soak tamarind in half cup hot water for 15-20 minutes. Extract a thick pulp and discard the rest. Keep aside.

Wash the dal till water runs clear. Soak it for about 20 minutes.
Pressure cook the dal with salt and turmeric till soft. (2 whistles in the pressure cooker, or you can do it in a pan). Once it cools down, open the cooker and blend the dal well with the back of the spoon. Keep aside

Heat oil in a deep pan on medium heat. Add mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds. When they start spluttering add in the dried red chilies, hing, onions and curry leaves. 

Stir for about a minute and add in the drumsticks. Sauté for a couple of more minutes.

Add in about a cup of water and let the mix come to a boil. Lower the flame, cover the pan and cook till drumsticks are almost done.

Once drumsticks are almost done, add the tamarind extract, red chili powder and sambhar powder.

Stir well and let it cook for a couple of minutes.

Add the dal to the pan and let it simmer for about 10 minutes.

 Adjust seasoning and the consistency to your liking – if too thick, add some water; too thin, let it simmer for another few minutes.

Notes:

• Sambhar is not supposed to be either too thin or too thick – IMO, adjust consistency to your liking and call it what you want.

• If you don’t have Tamarind, add tomatoes. Typically if tamarind is added, it is called sambhar, if tomatoes are added, it is called dal. Go ahead and add either or both.

• You can add packaged tamarind extract as well – just read the package and check for taste, as it can be a little sweet at times. Adjust seasoning accordingly.

• You can replace drumsticks and add any vegetable of your choice – would suggest not adding more than 2-3 different kinds – ghiya/bottle gourd, drumsticks, tomatoes, onions, eggplants, carrots, green beans, pumpkin are some of the options.

• Refer here on how to choose the right kind of drumsticks and how to eat them as well!

• You can add ½ tsp sugar or jaggery towards the end to balance flavors – I don’t

• If you don’t have sambhar masala, add about a tbsp of coriander powder while sautéing the veggies and up the quantity of red chili powder as well. You can of course make your own Sambhar powder using the below recipe:

Sambhar Masala Powder

Ingredients:

• Chana Dal/ Split Bengal gram, 1 tbsp
• Urad dal/Skinless Split black lentils, 1 tbsp
• Tur/Tuvar/Arhar dal/ Split Pigeon Peas, 1 tbsp
• Methi/ Fenugreek seeds, ½ tsp
• Mustard seeds, ½ tsp
• Coriander seeds, 2 tbsp
• Cumin seeds, 1 tbsp
• Dried red chilies, 10-12
• Curry leaves, 7-8 
• Hing/ Asafoetida powder, ½ tsp
• Turmeric, 1 tsp
• Oil, 1 tsp

Instructions:

Mix all dals and roast on low flame with a tsp of oil till they crisp up and turn reddish. Keep aside to cool.

Individually roast all other ingredients in the same pan except turmeric and hing. Keep aside to cool.

Pls. ensure that you don’t burn any one of them.

Once everything is cooled down, dry grind into a fine powder. Done!!

Store in an airtight container and use as needed.