Showing posts with label Chickpeas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chickpeas. Show all posts

Instant Cucumber Dhokla | Cucumber Chickpea Steamed Cakes


Cucumber Dhokla is a savory steamed chickpea flour and semolina cake with added cucumber that is perfect for breakfast or as a tea time healthy snack.

How to make instant khira dhokla recipe at www.oneteaspoonoflife.com


I've been missing around the blog for 2 weeks now. I've been busy cooking up an amazing spread that will soon appear here. Now that's what I would love to say. But that's not what I have been doing. Everyone at home has been under the weather and what I have been cooking has been just soup and regular dal rice. and my taste buds totally ditched me too. I could barely make out what the food tasted like. 

I can finally taste the food and I'm SOO happy about it. 

I've recently gotten obsessed with one particular fruit and one particular vegetable - the water melon and the cucumber. And today is all about the Cucumber. I've been adding cucumber to almost everything - Upma, Akki Rotti, Sambar etc. What I love about adding Cucumber to any dish is that it ends up giving it that moistness along with a very subtle flavor. That is exactly what it did to this Dhokla.

How to make instant khira dhokla recipe at www.oneteaspoonoflife.com


Cucumber Dhokla is my own concoction that is inspired from the traditional Dhokla. I recently had a cucumber pakoda (Seriously!!!) and it tasted good (Really!). I never would have guessed that cucumber that besan (chickpea flour or gram flour) would go so well together. So when I set out to make dhokla this time, I got a little creative, I added in a grated cucumber and a bit more. I also added in a little bit of grated carrot, a few frozen peas, and finely chopped capsicum. Although technically, I should be calling it a mix vegetable Dhokla. I prefer calling it the Cucumber Dhokla, cause that flavor it had in the end was all fresh Cucumber.

You can skip the remaining vegetables and just stick to the cucumber and it will taste just as good - I promise.


Instant Cucumber Dhokla | Cucumber Chickpea Steamed Cakes


How to make instant khira dhokla recipe at www.oneteaspoonoflife.comInstant Cucumber Dhokla is a savory steamed chickpea flour and semolina cake with added cucumber that is perfect for breakfast or as a tea time healthy snack.

Recipe Type:  Breakfast
Cuisine:            Indian
Prep Time:     15 minutes
Cook time:     20 minutes
Yield:                Serves 2-3

Ingredients:


For the Cucumber Dhokla:


3/4 cup Chickpea Flour or Besan
3/4 cup Semolina or Rava
1 grated Cucumber
1 tsp of Ginger- Garlic Paste
1 crushed Green Chilli
1 grated Carrot (Optional)
1 Tbsp Green Peas (Optional)
2 Tbsp chopped Capsicum
1.5 tsp Fruit Salt or Eno
1/4 tsp Asafoetida or Hing
2 Tbsp Yogurt or Curd
1 cup Water
Salt to taste
Oil to grease the steamer

For the Tempering:


3-4 tsp Oil
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
8-10 Curry Leaves
1-2 tsp of Lemon juice
1/2 tsp of Sugar or Jaggery

For Garnish:


2 Tbsp fresh grated Coconut
2 Tbsp finely chopped Coriander leaves

Method:


Preparing the Steamer:


1. You can steam in an Idli steamer or a pressure cooker or a large deep saucepan. If using a pressure cooker, remove the whistle.
2. Pour around 2-3 cups of water in it and cover it and allow the water to come to a boil.
3. Place a small upturned  flat bottomed bowl or vessel at the bottom of the steamer.

Preparing the Dhokla:


4. Mix together all the ingredients except the water, oil and the fruit salt.
5. Add 3/4 cup of water and mix well. Add more water if required. The dough should be thick yet pourable. Almost like a cake or idli batter. The quantity of water depends on the type of rava and besan.
6. Once your steamer is ready, grease a flat vessel that will fit into your steamer with oil. 
7. Now add the fruit salt and the remaining water and mix well. The fruit salt should cause the batter to start foaming and become light.
8. Pour the batter into the greased vessel and place it in the steamer.
9. Allow it to steam for 10-15 minutes. Depending on the depth of your vessel, you may need to keep it in longer. The Cucumber Dhokla is ready when a skewer or knife comes out clean.
10. Allow it to cook and remove from the vessel. 

Preparing the Tempering:

11. Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds.
12. Once the seeds splutter, add the curry leaves.
13. Remove it off the heat and add the sugar and the lemon juice.

Assembling the Cucumber Dhokla:

14. Cut into bite sized pieces.
15. Pour the tempering over the Cucumber Dhokla.
16. Garnish with the coconut and the coriander.
17. Serve warm with coriander chutney or sweet and spicy yogurt.






Read more ...

Matar Dhokla


Steamed Gujarati Green peas Snacks

Dhokla is a steamed savory cake that is a favorite of western India. They are usually made of semolina and chickpea flour. They are light and fluffy and taste delicious with a tangy green chutney.

I never knew there was so much variety in something this simple.

I was browsing through cookery books in the library when I glanced upon Tarla Dalal’s Non-Fried Snacks. I’m a big fan of non-fried snacks. The book has some good recipes, majorly it has different types of dhoklas and muthias. And this Matar Dhokla or Green Peas Dhokla was a featured recipe.

It is still just as simple to make as the regular dhokla, but now has the added goodness of green peas. You can use either fresh or frozen peas, according to what you have available. 

The addition of peas gives it that lovely vibrant green colour and the slight sweetness of peas. 

Some people like to soak their dhoklas in a diluted syrup of sugar and lime juice, while some enjoy it with creamy yogurt. It tastes awesome with both.

Step-by-step Instructions:

Steamed Gujarati Green peas Snacks

1) Puree the green peas with a little water.

Steamed Gujarati Green peas Snacks

2) Mix together the chickpea flour, semolina, pea puree, salt, ginger- chilli paste, yogurt and salt into a smooth batter.
3) Now add the fruit salt or eno to  the batter. Pour the remaining water over it and mix well. It should start getting frothy.

Steamed Gujarati Green peas Snacks

4) Grease a shallow vessel that fits inside the steamer and add the batter to it.
5) Place the vessel in the steamer and steam on medium flame for 12-15 mins. Insert a knife in the middle and if it comes out clean, it is done.

Steamed Gujarati Green peas Snacks

6) Turn off the stove and allow it to rest for around 2-4 mins.
7) Then remove slowly and cut into desired shape.

Steamed Gujarati Green peas Snacks

8) Heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds.
9) Once they splutter, add the curry leaves and chilli and fry for 20-30 seconds.
10) Pour over this tempering on the dhoklas. 
11) Garnish with the fresh coconut and the coriander leaves. I also sprinkled a few pomegranate seeds to add some freshness.


Matar Dhokla

Steamed Gujarati Green peas Snacks

Steamed savory cake made with green peas and chickpea flour.

Recipe Type:  Snacks
Cuisine:          Indian / Gujarati
Prep Time:     15 minutes
Cook time:     30 minutes
Yield:              Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

Dhokla


1 cup Fresh or Frozen Green Peas
1.5 cups of Chickpea Flour / Besan
4 Tbsp Fine Semoline / Chiroti Rava
1 tsp of Ginger-Green Chilli Paste
2 Tbsp of Yogurt / Dahi
1/2 cup of Water
1.5 tsp Fruit Salt (Eno)
2 tsp of Oil for greasing
Salt to taste

Tempering


4 tsp of Oil
½ tsp of Mustard Seeds
10-15 Curry Leaves
1-2 Slit Green / Red Chillies

Garnish


2-3 Tbsp of grated Fresh Coconut
2 Tbsp finely chopped Coriander Leaves

Method:


Puree the green peas with a little water.
Mix together the chickpea flour, semolina, pea puree, salt, ginger- chilli paste, yogurt and salt into a smooth batter.
Prepare the steamer. (see note)
Now add the fruit salt or eno to  the batter. Pour the remaining water over it and mix well. It should start getting frothy.
Grease a shallow vessel that fits inside the steamer and add the batter to it.
Place the vessel in the steamer and steam on medium flame for 12-15 mins. Insert a knife in the middle and if it comes out clean, it is done.
Turn off the stove and allow it to rest for around 2-4 mins.
Then remove slowly and cut into desired shape.
Heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds.
Once they splutter, add the curry leaves and chilli and fry for 20-30 seconds.
Pour over this tempering on the dhoklas. 
Garnish with the fresh coconut and the coriander leaves.

Notes:


STEAMER - I used an idli steamer. You can use a pressure cooker without the whistle or any deep saucepan with a lid. 
1) To prepare it, add around 2-3 cups of water to the steamer and cover and cook on high flame until the water boils. 
2) Next place a small flat bottomed vessel or bowl upside down in the steamer. The top of this bowl should be above the level of water.
3) Place the plate / vessel with the dhokla over this upturned bowl. The purpose of the bowl is that the dhokla plate / vessel does not touch the boiling water directly and is slightly higher than the water level.
Read more ...

Sabudana Chana Vada | Sago Pearls and Chickpea Patty [Vegan & GF]


Sabudana Chana Vada Sago Chickpea patty burger garbanzo fritter wada pakoda bonda sabakki

Sabudana vada is a traditional Maharastrian snack eaten during fasting / upvas. I was trying to avoid potatoes in my diet, so I replaced it with chickpeas or kabuli chana. This vada (patty) is a fusion between the traditional Sabudana Vada and the Middle Eastern Falafel. Although both the original snacks are deep fried, I shallow fried. 

Deep frying definitely makes them tastier, but then, doesn't it always do it? I watched an older episode of Eat Street on TV, where they showed a truck that deep fried Cup cakes. I wonder how that tastes. 

The chickpea in the vada increases the protein content of the vada. It also adds a nuttiness to it. You can eat it just as it is or add it in a burger like I did. I used the dry chickpeas that I soaked overnight, you can replace this with canned chickpeas as well. The sabudana or the sago pearls sold in supermarket are dried. They need to be soaked to fluff up and become spongy. You can add spices to enhance the flavor.

All the work in this recipe is during the preparation stage, the cooking is actually a no brainer - grind, mix and fry. That's it! 

This vada is vegan and gluten free.

Step by Step Instructions:

Sabudana Chana Vada Sago Chickpea patty burger garbanzo fritter wada pakoda bonda sabakkiSabudana Chana Vada Sago Chickpea patty burger garbanzo fritter wada pakoda bonda sabakki


1) Soak the kabuli chana or chickpeas in 3 cups of water overnight.Drain the water and keep aside.
You can use canned chickpeas as well. Skip the above steps if using canned chickpeas. Wash and drain the canned chickpeas. Use 2 cups of canned chickpeas.
2) Soak the sabudana in 2 cups of water and leave aside for 1/2 hour.Drain the water and cover and keep it aside for 2 hours.If you plan on making this for breakfast, then after draining the water, cover and keep it aside overnight.
3) Grind the peanuts into a coarse powder.
4) Grind together the chickpeas and green chillies coarsely.
5) Add the ground peanuts, sabudana, curry leaves, coriander leaves and salt and mix well.
6) Shape into patties / vadas.

Sabudana Chana Vada Sago Chickpea patty burger garbanzo fritter wada pakoda bonda sabakkiSabudana Chana Vada Sago Chickpea patty burger garbanzo fritter wada pakoda bonda sabakki

7) Heat around 2 Tbsp of oil in a shallow pan for shallow frying. You can decide to deep fry it too.
8) Once the oil is hot, add the vadas to the pan and cook on medium heat.
9) Flip the vadas when the first side is browned and cook it until the other side browned.
10) Serve hot with coriander chutney or ketchup.




Sabudana Chana Vada | Sago Pearls and Chickpea Patty


Sabudana Chana Vada Sago Chickpea patty burger garbanzo fritter wada pakoda bonda sabakki Pan fried patties/ vada made with sabudana (sago pearls) and kabuli chana (chickpeas). Vegan and gluten free.

Recipe Type:  Snacks /Breakfast
Cuisine:          Indian
Prep Time:     8 hours (Including soaking time) or 3 hours (If using canned chickpeas)
Cook time:     30 minutes
Yield:              7-8 vadas

Ingredients:


1 cup dry Kabuli Chana / Chickpeas
1.5 cups of dry Sabudana / Sago Pearls
1/2 cup of roasted Peanuts
1-2 Green Chillies
7-8 Curry Leaves
2 Tbsp of chopped Coriander Leaves
Salt
Water
Oil for frying

Method:


Soak the kabuli chana or chickpeas in 3 cups of water overnight.
Drain the water and keep aside.
You can use canned chickpeas as well. Skip the above steps if using canned chickpeas. Wash and drain the canned chickpeas. Use 2 cups of canned chickpeas.
Soak the sabudana in 2 cups of water and leave aside for 1/2 hour.
Drain the water and cover and keep it aside for 2 hours.
If you plan on making this for breakfast, then after draining the water, cover and keep it aside overnight.
Grind the peanuts into a coarse powder.
Grind together the chickpeas and green chillies coarsely.
Add the ground peanuts, sabudana, curry leaves, coriander leaves and salt and mix well.
Shape into patties / vadas.
Heat around 2 Tbsp of oil in a shallow pan for shallow frying. You can decide to deep fry it too.
Once the oil is hot, add the vadas to the pan and cook on medium heat.
Flip the vadas when the first side is browned and cook it until the other side browned.
Serve hot with coriander chutney or ketchup.
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Dahi Kebab Recipe | Yogurt Kabab Recipe [Video]


Dahi Kebab Recipe with step by step video instructions. Dahi Kebab is a pan fried appetizer / snack made from thick yogurt or hung curd, chickpea flour and nuts. The kebab is crispy on the outside and creamy and soft on the inside. Dahi Kebab is gluten free and fits a Jain diet.

In a hurry? Jump to Video or Jump to Recipe


Dahi Kebab Yogurt Kebab kabab kebob hung curd punjabi besan chickpeas snacks

Dahi  kebab… sounds interesting, doesn’t it? That’s the very reason I ordered it in a food court and I was pleasantly surprised. It actually tasted delicious. And as though fate meant for me to make it, the recipe was showed on TV before I could even google it. It is so simple to make, and it is crowd pleaser. Most people I’ve served it to, haven’t heard of it and eat it out of intrigue. But there is no stopping after one, believe me. It even turned a “dahi hater” around.


Dahi Kebab Yogurt Kebab kabab kebob hung curd punjabi besan chickpeas snacks

It actually tastes a lot like paneer, but it is creamier and has that tang of dahi. It is pan fried, so up goes the healthiness factor.

You can add spice powders like cinnamon, cardamom, clove etc and zing it up. I preferred to keep it as simple as possible to let the dahi shine through.

You can either buy already hung curd or make it yourself. I made it myself. Hung curd is just regular yogurt with all the whey drained out. To make it at home, tie the yogurt into a muslin cloth and leave it hanging for 6-8 hours. I left it overnight in the fridge.










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Video Recipe





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Dahi Kebab Recipe | Yogurt Kebab Recipe

Dahi Kebab Yogurt Kebab kabab kebob hung curd punjabi besan chickpeas snacks
Dahi Kebab is a popular gluten free North Indian appetizer. Dahi Kebabs are pan fried Kebabs made with thick yogurt and chickpea flour.
Recipe Type:  Snacks
Cuisine:          North Indian
Prep Time:     8 Hours
Cook time:     20 minutes
Total time:     8 Hours 20 Minutes
Yield:                12-15 kebabs
Author:                Anupama

Ingredients:


3 cups Yogurt (Curd/Dahi)
2-3 Tbsp Chickpea Flour (Besan)
1-2 Green Chillies
2 Tbsp chopped Nuts (almonds, cashews, pistachios) (Optional)
1 Tbsp Coriander leaves
Salt to taste
Oil to fry

Method:


1. To make hung curd, place a muslin cloth on a strainer and add the yogurt. Tie the cloth and either leave in the strainer for 4-6 hours or tie the cloth over the sink. You can also leave this in the fridge overnight.
2. 3 cups of yogurt will yield 1 cup of hung curd. Take the hung curd in a large bowl.
3. Add all the ingredients except the oil and mix well.
4. Heat oil in a frying pan for shallow frying.
5. Wet your hands and take a small ball of batter and shape it as a kebab.
6. Gently place the kebab in the frying pan. If you are unable to shape the kebabs, you can use two spoons and spoon the kebabs into the frying pan.
7. Cook on medium heat.
8. Flip when the first side browns.
9. Cook until the second side is cooked too.
10. Serve hot with mint coriander chutney or ketchup.




If you liked this, you may also like:

Paneer Tikka

vegan pan fried turnip chops
Shalgam ke Kebab
Sweet Potato Kebabs
Sweet Potato Kebabs
Read more ...

Kothimbir Vadi | Pan Fried Coriander and Chickpea Cake


Kothimbir Vadi Coriander Chickpea Cake cilantro garbanzo steamed baked savory maharastrian vada wada pancake vegan

A lot of my food cravings are thanks to the magazines I read. Recently, in one of them, there was this delicious looking Kothimbir Vadi or Coriander Vada photo. It had the traditional recipe following the photo where the vadas are deep fried after being steamed. I love deep fried vadas but they are a big bane to my weight loss program, so I try to modify the recipe to make it healthier.

Kothimbir Vadi Coriander Chickpea Cake cilantro garbanzo steamed baked savory maharastrian vada wada pancake vegan

Recently, I had made the Gujrati Handvo which is a pan fried thick cake, very similar to the recipe in this post. Bells went off in my head! I could try the same with this kothimbir vadi. And to my delight, it turned out very well. Everyone loved it at home and they went missing in minutes.

It tastes the best with some coriander and mint chutney, but goes equally well with tomato ketchup. It is a very good option for a packed lunch as it carries well in boxes. It is versatile, you can have it for breakfast or as a tea time snack.

Step by Step recipe:

Kothimbir Vadi Coriander Chickpea Cake cilantro garbanzo steamed baked savory maharastrian vada wada pancake veganKothimbir Vadi Coriander Chickpea Cake cilantro garbanzo steamed baked savory maharastrian vada wada pancake veganKothimbir Vadi Coriander Chickpea Cake cilantro garbanzo steamed baked savory maharastrian vada wada pancake vegan

1) Blend the ginger, garlic,green chillies and half the coriander leaves into a paste along with a little water.
2) Add it to the chickpea flour along with the semolina, yogurt, coriander leaves, turmeric powder, salt and baking soda.
3) Add a little water to loosen the batter, I added around 1/4 cup.
4) Mix well and keep aside for 10-15

Kothimbir Vadi Coriander Chickpea Cake cilantro garbanzo steamed baked savory maharastrian vada wada pancake veganKothimbir Vadi Coriander Chickpea Cake cilantro garbanzo steamed baked savory maharastrian vada wada pancake vegan

5) Heat a small non stick pan or a kadhai.
6) Add around 2 tsp of oil to it.
7) Once the oil is hot, add the half the mustard seeds.
8) Once they splutter, add half the sesame seeds, half the carom seeds, half the asafoetida and half the curry leaves.

Kothimbir Vadi Coriander Chickpea Cake cilantro garbanzo steamed baked savory maharastrian vada wada pancake veganKothimbir Vadi Coriander Chickpea Cake cilantro garbanzo steamed baked savory maharastrian vada wada pancake vegan

9) Now pour in half the batter.
10) Cover and cook on low heat for around 10-12 mins.

Kothimbir Vadi Coriander Chickpea Cake cilantro garbanzo steamed baked savory maharastrian vada wada pancake vegan

11) Now with the help of 2 spatulas, carefully flip the thick pancake.

Kothimbir Vadi Coriander Chickpea Cake cilantro garbanzo steamed baked savory maharastrian vada wada pancake vegan

12) Allow it to cook until the second side browns.

Kothimbir Vadi Coriander Chickpea Cake cilantro garbanzo steamed baked savory maharastrian vada wada pancake vegan

13) Remove from heat and cut into pieces. Serve hot with chutney or ketchup.




Kothimbir Vadi Coriander Chickpea Cake cilantro garbanzo steamed baked savory maharastrian vada wada pancake vegan

Kothimbir Vadi


Pan Fried Coriander and Chickpea Cake.

Recipe Type:  Snacks
Cuisine:          Indian
Prep Time:     30 minutes
Cook time:     45 minutes
Yield:              6-8 servings

Ingredients:


2 cups Besan / Chickpea Flour
1/2 cup Fine Semolina / Chiroti Rava
1/2 cup Yogurt / Curd
1 cup chopped Coriander Leaves
3-4 cloves of Garlic
1" piece of Ginger
2-3 Green Chillies
1/2 tsp of Baking Soda
1 tsp of Carom seeds / Ajwain
2 tsp of Sesame seeds / Til
1 tsp of Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp of Asafoetida/ Hing
1 tsp of Turmeric Powder
2 sprigs of Curry Leaves
4-5 tsp of Oil
Salt to taste
Water

Method:


Blend the ginger, garlic,green chillies and half the coriander leaves into a paste along with a little water.
Add it to the chickpea flour along with the semolina, yogurt, coriander leaves, turmeric powder, salt and baking soda.
Add a little water to loosen the batter, I added around 1/4 cup.
Mix well and keep aside for 10-15 mins.
Heat a small non stick pan or a kadhai.
Add around 2 tsp of oil to it.
Once the oil is hot, add the half the mustard seeds.
Once they splutter, add half the sesame seeds, half the carom seeds, half the asafoetida and half the curry leaves.
Now pour in half the batter.
Cover and cook on low heat for around 10-12 mins.
Now with the help of 2 spatulas, carefully flip the thick pancake.
Allow it to cook until the second side browns.
Remove from heat and cut into pieces.
Serve hot with chutney or ketchup.


Read more ...

Roasted Chickpeas with Spices

I miss last week. It was a short week with a long weekend and I was on vacation. Being back at work is soooo boring. I’ve barely had the time to cook anything this week. It’s been work all the way. But I did make this crunchy yummy spicy roasted Chickpeas. Who knew they were so easy to make at home, and here we were spending money to buy the packaged version at super markets. Not gonna happen anymore, na ah.




I started off with dried chickpeas, you can use canned if you are short of time. Dried just results in more prep time but the cooking time is hardly different. It only involves soaking the chickpeas overnight and then pressure cooking them for like 10 mins max. I cooked them until they were just about done, just one whistle in the pressure cooker. Mushy ones will not work well, but hey, mushy chickpeas make good Hummus. So waste nothing my friend.



I always soak a little more than required, as leftover chickpeas can always be used to make this amazing flavor packed salad. Recipe found here - it is perfect for an evening snack.

The best part about this recipe is you can customize it to suit your taste. I added cumin or jeera powder and garam masala. You can add all sorts of things like chaat masala or curry powder. It’s all up to you, after all, YOU are the chef.


Roasted Chickpeas with Spices



Chickpeas marinated in spices and baked in the oven 

Recipe Type:  Snacks
Cuisine:          International
Prep Time:     8 hours (Including soaking chickpeas)
Cook time:     90 minutes (Including boiling chickpeas)
Yield:              2 cups / 1 tin

Ingredients:

1 cup dried or 1 tin Chickpeas
1 Tbsp Olive oil
1 tsp Cumin/Jeera powder
A pinch Garam Masala
1 tsp Red Chilli powder
½ tsp Turmeric powder/ Haldi
Salt to taste

Method::

If using dried chickpeas, soak them for 8-10 hours in water.
Drain out the water.
Take enough water to cover the chickpeas in a cooker, add 1 tsp of salt in it and pressure cook it until they are just done. I cooked them in a pressure cooker for 1 whistle. This may change depending on your cooker and the amount of water. You can cook it in a sauce pan as well, but it may take longer.
Once they are done, drain out all the water and place them on a kitchen towel and pat them dry.
If you are using tinned chickpeas, here is where your work begins. Drain and wash the chickpeas and dry them on a kitchen towel.
Preheat the oven to 200 degree Celsius.
Mix the dry chickpeas with the oil and the spices.
Place them on a baking sheet in one layer and bake for 45-60 mins until they are nice and crunchy. I baked for almost 60 mins, but I started checking on them after 45 mins, you don’t want to burn them.
Read more ...

Bharwan Bhindi | Stuffed Okra Fry

It was a hatrick of stuffed bhindi two weeks ago. Bhindi(Okra) is our least favorite vegetable at home, so it is brought into the house once every blue moon. The way I can eat it, is the way hubby dearest hates it. The way he likes it, I don't. So tired of these bhindi wars, when I was grumbling to my friend about cooking bhindi, she gave me a couple of recipes. I tried her first one, and both of us seemed to like it. Next day, I tried something a colleague at office suggested, that tasted a little better... and finally i tried stuffing the bhindi with coconut and coriander as per Tarla Dalal (a variation also suggested by my friend), this version was our favorite of the 3 we tried...









Bharwan Bhindi | Stuffed Okra Fry


Okra/Bhindi stuffed with spice powders and pan fried.

Recipe Type:  Side
Cuisine:          Indian
Prep Time:     15 minutes
Cook time:     45 minutes
Yield:              3-4 servings

Ingredients:

20-25 Bhindi or Okra
3 Tbsp grated fresh Coconut
2 Tbsp fresh Coriander leaves (chopped)
1 Tbsp Chickpea Flour or Besan
1/2 tsp Jaggery or Sugar
1 tsp Coriander powder
1 tsp Cumin powder
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1/2 tsp Amchur (dry Mango powder)
2Tbsp Oil
1-2 tsp Water
Salt

Method:

  • Trim the bhindi and make a slit lengthwise on one side of the bhindi.
  • Mix together all the ingredients for the stuffing.
  • Stuff the bhindis with the stuffing.
  • Add at least ½ - 1 tsp per bhindi.
  • Heat 1 tbsp oil in a flat pan or a tava with high edges.
  • Place the bhindi in a single layer in the pan. The bhindi should not overlap each other.
  • Pour the remaining 1 tbsp oil over the bhindi.
  • Keep turning the bhindi until they are cooked.
  • Serve hot with rice or roti.
Read more ...

Hummus

I simply love hummus, I can eat it with anything, pita bread, regular bread, chapati etc. I looked around in all the big gourmet food chains recently, but somehow none of them carried hummus. May be it does not sell well here or as it has a lower shelf life, they don't keep them. Anyway, I had this huge wish to eat hummus and pita bread, so I decided to make them both at home. Very simple recipe and you can vary it the way you like...

Hummus

Ingredients except Olive oil

Sesame paste I used instead of tahini


Enjoy with bread


Ingredients:

Chickpeas / Garbanzo beans /Kabuli chana - 1/2 cup (dried)
Olive oil - 2 tbsp.
Lime juice - 1-2 tbsp.
Garlic - 1-2 cloves (Optional)
Dried red chilli flakes / Red chilli powder - 1 tsp (Optional)
Tahini / Sesame / Til paste - 1 tbsp (Optional)
Salt

Method:

Soak the chickpeas for 7-8 hours.
Boil them in a pressure cooker with 1 tsp of salt until cooked. (Appx 15-20 mins)
Blend together the cooked chickpeas, 1 tbsp. Olive oil, 1 tbsp lime juice, 1 garlic, 1 tsp red chilli flakes, Sesame paste and salt. I used homemade sesame paste instead of tahini that is traditionally used. You can skip this if required. It does not alter the taste.
Add the remaining ingredients if required as per taste.
Blend into a fine paste. I added around 1tbsp of water to achieve a thinner consistency. Generally water is not used, more lime juice or olive oil is used.

You can vary it by putting cumin instead of garlic also. Roasted red pepper also is a nice addition.
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