Soy bean curry

I love dried pulses and beans.. and even if we prepare the same gravy, each  bean imparts it's own flavour to make the dish unique.

While living in Doha, baked beans in tomato sauce and nearly burnt toast was a favourite breakfast . But in India, this is the first time I came across dried soy beans.. and i decided to try it out.

This is a simple recipe and I am sure every budding cook must have tried this recipe with one ingredient or the other..

Soak 1 cup of Soy beans overnight. Pressure cook for 5 whistles.

Soy beans - 1 cup
Onion - 1 (sliced thin or diced)
Tomato - 1 (sliced or diced)
Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilly powder - 1 tsp heaped
Cumin powder - 1 pinch (optional)
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Coriander leaves - a bunch - chopped fine
Lemon juice - few drops
Salt to taste
Sugar  a pinch

In a hot wok, add oil, saute the onions, then add the ginger garlic paste.. once the raw smell is gone, add the tomatoes and saute ..cook through till soft.
Add the turmeric, chilli powder and garam masala powder. Add the soy beans with the water they were cooked in.. if it is not enough for a gravy, add more water.. let it come to a boil.
Now add enough salt to taste. Add the lemon juice and the pinch of sugar. Take off heat, add the garnished coriander leaves.

Serve hot with chappatis. 

Mushroom and Paneer (Cottage cheese)

This is a very easy preparation and can be modified according to requirements to make either a dry version or a gravy. it is absolutely tasty and takes very little time to prepare.

Mushroom - 250 gms (cleaned and quartered)

Paneer - 150 gms (cubed)

Onion - 1 (cut into tiny cubes)

Tomatoes - 2 medium(chopped fine)

Chilli powder- 1 tsp

turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Coriander powder - 2 tbsp

Soy sauce - 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Oil - 1 tbsp

Heat a wok, add oil, saute the onions till golden, mix the spice powders together with water to make a thick paste and add to the onions. Saute till oil comes on top. Now add the paneer, then the mushrooms. Coat the masala well and cook with the lid on, for two minutes. Now add the tomatoes and Soy sauce. At this point, if you need gravy, add a half cup of boiled water. Cook till tomatoes are done and the oil comes on top. Add salt to taste only after the soy sauce is added. Take off the fire and serve hot.

Great with bread, rotis , lemon rice, etc.

Garnish with the green of the spring onions. I haven't done this as I had photographed the dish while still on the stove. 

Ammamma's 'peshal' to Ichu

This is my entry to 'Cooking for Kids with Love', an event hosted for the month of February, at Pedatha.com.

This is a tribute to Ammamma, my mother's mom, who passed away three weeks before my daughter entered this world. It had been her greatest wish to see my child, but that was not to be...

Cooking day to day things weren't her cup of tea..she managed to delegate that task to someone else,more often than not. But she did make a number of dishes that were her specialities..and those were truly memorable. Though she disliked cooking, she never let anyone go away from her home without being plied with enough to eat or drink.. 

Everyday, when we came from school, she would ensure we had something 'peshal' (in her words) to have for tea.. ariyunda, ada,or the not -so special (at that time)dosa, idli etc and most of these items would be made by her.. 

This was a very easy and nutritious 'peshal' .. and my finicky daughter Ichu, who is not impressed by pancakes,likes them..to my surprise...

Atta (wheat flour) - 1/2 cup

Powdered cardamom - 1 pinch

Jaggery - 2 - 3 tsps powdered

Grated coconut - 2 tsp (Ammamma had a generous hand with coconut)

Mix all the ingredients with water to the consistency of dosa batter. On a gridle, ladle tiny dollops and spread a bit. Add bits of butter to crisp the sides a bit and to give that extra flavour. 

Easy to make and great for that 'peshal' four-o'clock eats.

Our Ammamma was called thus by one an all... from all residents in our entire street- young and old, to the milkman, colleagues of my aunt, my uncles... even my teachers..!! There weren't many people who forgot her once they met her. 

She was amazing in the midst of emergencies - a choking child, suspicions of snake bite, fits.. she was there to render first aid and then rush the person to the hospital... She had a spry way of walking, halfway between walk and run.. some of my classmates had nicknamed her 'express' ammamma because of that !!

Quite the lioness when it came to her children or grandchildren, she was never scared to tell people off on their behalf.. once when my brother was quite young, she told off our Art master for scolding him. Years after when I met Sir at a temple, the first person he asked after was Ammamma.. so I told him she was very fine and currently at our place... while I was wondering how he did not know that , he admitted that he had never used the short-cut passing in front of our house since 'THAT DAY'.........!!!  I had never realised that he had avoided that way for more than 10 years !!!!!!

After finishing her last rites, there was a very heavy down-pour just as my uncle stepped inside the house..and my uncle remarked that Ammamma must have been asking Him to hold the rain till her children were all safely in.... and no one in that house, who had known Ammamma well thought that was a bizzare remark !!!

She was not perfect...possessive, protective, striving to keep all her children near, with no respect for any authority, she was amazingly human and very unique.. As 'peshal' as peshal could be...!!

And here is her snap taken by my cousin.

Fenugreek leaves and dal (lentils) curry

I love the taste of fenugreek leaves..also known as uluva cheera, methi leaves etc.. The bunch i got was very tender and fresh, so after rinsing them well. I just chopped up the leaves, stems and all.

Assemble the rest of the ingredients

Thur dal - yellow split lentils 1 cup( washed)

Onion - 1 medium (sliced lenghtwise)

Green chillies - 2 (slit lengthwise)

Tomato - 1 (sliced)

turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Red chilly powder - 1/2 tsp

Asafoetida - a pinch

Pressure cook for 4 whistles. Once the steam escapes, open and add enough salt.

Temper with ...

Jeera - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Dried red chillies - 2 

Squirt the juice of one lemon for added zest.. 

You may also try adding one potato cut into very small cubes before pressure cooking. This makes for a thicker gravy and good with rotis.

Hearty fare - Mixed stew

It is getting cold ..and time when we crave hot food made with the minimum effort...

Chicken - 300 gms (approx) (boneless or not, cut into small pieces,according to choice)
Bacon - 30 gms (may substitute chicken sausages / luncheon meat etc..)
Onion - 1 meduin (peeled and chopped)
Garlic - 2 cloves (minced)
Green pepper (capsicum) - 1 (finely chopped)
Carrot - 1 (cleaned and cubed)
Tomatoes - 2 large (chopped into cubes)
Celery - 1 stalk
Bay leaves - 2
Pepper corns - 1 tsp (crushed)
Chicken stock - 1 cup
Black-eyed peas -1/2 cup (approx) soaked overnight or for half hour in hot water
Leek - 1 stalk (chopped fine)

In a pressure cooker, saute the onions till golden, add the bacon , then the leeks and the garlic,saute... then toss in the rest of the ingredients one by one . Close and pressure cook for 4 whistles.

Season with .....
Salt to taste, Soy sauce and some vinegar.

I did not add any potatoes, but those maybe included if needed.. however, the peas make a good substitute.
I just cooked some fragrant basmati rice, and while it was still hot, I added a 1/2 tsp ghee, salt, finely chopped celery leaves and coriander leaves, and sprinkle some crushed pepper and 1 tsp lemon juice. It was a very satisfying mix with the stew. Try it......

If you have found an improvement in my picture, it is all because of my dear friend who took the trouble to give me some pointers... Thanks A, ... I am working on it...

Palak and Channa dal (Spinach and split bengal gram)

My hubby is no fan of spinach curry and I can never resist when I see fresh, beautiful spinach. So to keep us both happy I opted for a dry preparation. This is quite easy to make.

Channa dal/ Split bengal gram - 1 cup (washed)
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Spinach - 1 big bunch (leaves washed one by one and finely chopped)
Grated coconut - 1 tbsp
Shallots (small red onions) - 3
Green chillies - 2
Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Garlic clove - 1

For tempering
Oil - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Dried red chillies - 2

Pressure cook the channa dal with turmeric powder(3 whistles). once the steam is off, just let the water evaporate.
Mince the grated coconut, green chillies, shallots and the garlic. I just pulse twice and they are done. Do not add water.

Now, in a wok, add oil and when hot, add the mustard seeds and red chillies. Add the Spinach , the cooked channa dal and the minced coconut. Cover and cook for 5 monutes or till the spinach wilts. Add salt to taste.

Enjoy hot.

Moutabel (Eggplant dip)

This is a lebanese preparation, which is predominantly served as a starter(Mezze), along with hot pita bread. Also called Babaghanoush.

When I visit my parents, I always remember to order a large salad platter from a Lebanese restaurant . The platter includes Hummus, moutabel, and a lot of other yummy treats.

Most of the recipies given on the web, call for a microwave, or an oven. But since my OTG (oven-toaster-grill)is taking a vacation, I decided to seek an alternate method to make this. My mom had successfully prepared this in the microwave.

Aubergine/eggplant/Brinjal - 1 fleshy large or 4 medium sized ones (approx 250 gms)
Garlic - 1 clove
Tahina - 1 tbsp (or according to choice)
Salt - to taste
Whole Pepper - 1/2 tsp
olive oil - 3-4 tsp atleast
Lemon juice - 1 tsp

Blister the eggplants on a flame to get the smoky taste. Make sure they are blistered all over, but not burned. If so, cut off the burned portions.
Steam the aubergines so that the flesh is cooked through.
Scoop out the flesh from the aubergines.
In a blender, add the garlic, pepper,salt, lemon juice,tahina and the eggplant flesh. Just pulse twice, remove to a bowl and add the olive oil. Mix well. It is okay if the constistency is not very smooth. Just adds interest to the texture.But, ensure that the taste is blended all over. In case you want it more smooth, break up the pieces with a fork.

Sprinkle a bit of paprika and serve in a bowl.

Sorry about the bad picture!

Aloo-methi - (Potatoes and fenugreek leaves)

I just grabbed a huge bunch of very fresh methi leaves as soon as I saw them. have very fond memories of my mom preparing the same. They were so fresh, that even the stalks were very tender. So I decided to chop the leaves along with the stalk and add it to the preparation.

Fenugreek/methi leaves - a bunch (finely cut )
Potatoes - 2 medium (peeled and cut into cubes)
Onion- 1 (cut into cubes)
Dried red chillies - 2
Chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 2 tsp (can use more or less according to choice)

Take the peeled and cubed potatoes into a thick bottom vessel, add some water (enough to level with the potatoes in it. Add the chilly powder and turmeric powder. Once the water boils, lower the flame to medium and let the potatoes cook through and the water almost disappears. (You may use a pressure cooker to cook the potatoes too)

Now, in a wok, heat oil. (I added some mustard seeds to temper)add the onions and the red chillies (can use chilli flakes for more heat , or can just crush the whole chillies too)Add the potatoes and stir to coat the oil. now put the methi leaves,add salt to taste, put the lid on and wait till the leaves change colour. Slowly mix till the leaves and potatoes are mixed. If so desired, the potatoes can be lightly fried with more oil before adding the methi leaves.

The aroma of methi leaves cooking is out of the world. Superb with just rice, curd and some tener mango pickles...Yum!

Great, untried recipes - Tini's cookies

Don't you have a collection of recipes that you have not made yourself, but know that they yield great results? ....I have!

This is one such recipe. I have tasted many variations on these cookies made by a very special friend Tini. They were so good, that I pestered her till she gave me the recipe. The ones I had had nuts in them and yet another time, with chocolate chips. And she does make the most fabulous cakes too...

I am not even mentioning the other dishes she makes!!! Since I am scared to bake, (never had anything to report but disasters !), I am more in awe of her baking skills.

so this is the basic recipe, on which one can add other ingredients to make variations. She is a certified dietician, so she makes all this food with healthy ingredients too..

Flour - 200 gms
Sugar - 100 gms
refined oil - 120 ml
Baking powder - 5 gms

Mix everything together, roll the cookie dough into balls . Grease the tray and place the dough with even spaces between, to let them expand.
place in an oven at 130 degrees, and stay near it to make sure they don't burn!

I did not take down the time, it is done in a few minutes and my OTG anyway has nothing in common with Tini's oven...

Anyway, I will definitely try my hand at baking...a s soon as I gather a bit of confidence!!! :)

The Ninan Dip (mayo and curd)

This is a toot for a great creation that made so many meals memorable!

Made some kebabs with the leftover mince from the meatballs. We had bought some Kaboose (flat Lebanese bread).
Also had some nice pickles and relish that we had bought earlier, so all that was missing to make things complete, was our Ninan Dip.

This is a treat from our childhood days, bringing back lot of memories of great barbeques, picnics and dinners. Fried chicken, barbecued chicken, cutlets, fish-fingers, batter-fried prawns, everything tasted better with this dip. It was originally made by my dad's friend Ninan uncle, and everyone always called it Ninan's paste. But actually it is a little liquidy to be called a paste. And since we use it as a dip mainly, I decided to call it thus.

Mayonnaise - 1 cup
Curd - 1/2 cup
Red shallot - 2 (I used 1/4 of an onion)
Green chilly - 2 nos.
Coriander leaves - one bunch
Salt to taste

Put everything in the blender and pulse twice.
Sprinkle a bit of crushed pepper.

I just placed the kebab on Kaboose, added some finely sliced tomatoes and peppers, relish, pickles, and a liberal dose of the dip.....ummmm heavenly...It is something to toot about indeed...

Mutton Meat balls (snack)

The meatballs were so fragrant and melt-in the mouth, that they could be eaten just fried, with a dip.

Minced mutton - 300 gms
Bread crumbs - 1/2 cup
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Dried oregano - 1/4 tsp

Heat a small wok / kadai and add

Oil - 1 tsp

Now saute
Onion - 1 small(chopped very very fine)
Garlic - 2 cloves (finely chopped)
Green chilly - 1 (finely chopped)
Celery - 1 stalk (chopped fine - may include leaves too, if fresh)


Add the sauted onions etc to the minced meat.
Add about 1 tbsp of grated cheddar (I used a cheddar-mozzarella mix)

Mix well, add salt to taste and roll into small lemon-sized balls.

I made spaghetti and meatballs, though it would be a stretch calling them balls since my daughter was a bit cranky and i rolled the balls with just one hand, while carrying her!!!

OOPS!!! I did forget to mention this and hadn't noticed it till my mom mentioned this.. shallow fry the balls. The outsides are crisp and the insides are tender and melt-in-your mouth.
And I did keep aside some of the meat mixture to make into Kebabs for another day...

Comfort food - Chicken and veggies

There are some days when thinking up a dish is very tedious.Even more so when the cooking has to be done with a bit of care. So if there is some kind of bread readily available, this is one meal that needs very little preparation.

Chicken breasts - 500 gms (cleaned and cut into medium pieces)

Marinate the chicken pieces in
Curd - 2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Keep the chicken in the fridge for atleast a half-hour.

Saute

Onion - 1 large (sliced lengthwise)
Green chillies - 2 (slit)

Toss in some veggies like french beans, potatoes, carrots, green peas ,capsicum etc.. lightly fry them.

Add the chicken and the marinade .

Now add 2 sliced tomatoes to this. Once the liquid starts bubbling, lower the flame to medium and cook with the lid on. Once the chicken is cooked, add

Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Pepper powder - according to taste (I like a lot of coarsely ground pepper)
A pinch or dried oregano (optional)

More salt if needed.

Enjoy hot with Kaboos, porottas, chappatis etc.

Brinja masala

Brinjals/ baingans/ aubergines,are my husband's second favourite vegetable. I like it coz it is easy to cut and the cooking can be over in a matter of minutes, depending on the kind of dish. This is a slightly elaborate preparation and is amazing with rotis, chappatis or rice and curd for company.

Please assemble all ingredients before-hand to avoid mishaps.

Medium sized brinjals - 500 gms (slit lenghtwise, thickness 1/2 inch)

Soak in turmeric water, drain and add salt to taste. Shallow fry with as little oil as possible, till half cooked. Keep aside.

In the same pan that u fried the brinjal, add

Oil - 2 tbsp

When hot, add

Cumin/ jeera - 1/2 tsp
once jeera is fried, add

Onion - 1 ( sliced fine lengthwise)
green chillies - 2 (slit)
Curry leaves - 1 stalk

fry till onions are golden brown.

Make a thick paste with water and

red chilli powder - 1 tsp
turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
coriander powder - 1 tbsp
garam masala powder - 1 tsp

Fry well till the oil is seen.

Now, blanch, peel and grind

Tomatoes - 3 medium sized (or about 1/2 cup of ready made tomato puree)

add the tomato puree till it is thickened and the oil is seen. Now add the fried brinjals, coat well with the masala, put on a lid and cook well till done.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves (cilantro) and serve.

Muringakka , parippu thoran (Drumstick n dal)

Our mom used to make a lot of dishes with drumstick fairly often since we had a drumstick tree in our home. This was a favourite with all of us. Mom also used to make a exquisitely tasty things with the flowers from drumstick tree as well as the leaves.

Drumsticks - 2 (choose fleshy ones)

Thur dal - 1 cup

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Chilli powder - 1 tsp

Cook the thur dal with water over 1/2 an inch over it's level. when the dal is half-cooked, add the drum sticks till everything is cooked through , add salt to taste and make sure the water is nearly gone.

Coarsely grind

Grated coconut - 1/2 cup

Garlic cloves - 2 nos

green chillies - 2 nos

Add the ground coconut to the cooked drumstick and dal.

In a deep pan, heat 2 tsp oil , temper with

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp (I prefer a bit less)

Raw rice grains - 1 tsp

Dried red chillies - 2

Curry leaves - 2 stems

mix well and serve hot.

Mushroom rice - Pressure cooked

This is a very easy dish to make.
Mushrooms - about 300 gms (cleaned and cut length-wise)
Onion - 1 (sliced fine)
Tomatoes - 2 medium (sliced fine)
Green chillies - 3 (slit)
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilly powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Rice - 1 cup (clean and soak for 1/2 hour then drain)
Capsicum - 1 ( cut into small pieces)
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Chicken stock cube/ liquid (optional) - 1 cube or 1/2 cup liquid.

In a pressure cooker add about 1 tbsp oil (can add a bit of ghee and less oil too) saute onions till golden, add the ginger garlic paste, when fried, add the slit green chillies and the turmeric, chilly and coriander powder after mixing into a thick paste with a bit of water. fry well. When the oil comes out, add the tomatoes , wait till the tomatoes soften and then add the mushrooms and capsicum. Coat the masala well, add the garam masala powder and the rice, then add the chicken stock powder.
Finally add 2 cups of water (if adding liquid stock, please adjust accordingly), put the lid on and pressure cook for 3 whistles.
Canned mushrooms will do too, but may not taste as good..

Cheera Thoran - (Red spinach with coconut)

I got my hand on an amazingly fresh bunch of Red Spinach..hadn't seen any like that in a while... Just grabbed them....

The worst thing about store bought leaves, (as opposed to home-grown, and we have had that in plenty!) is that sometimes no amount of rinsing can get rid of the DDT..when u finish soaking the leaves,pick them leaf by leaf and the slice them finely, and finally cook it and lo and behold, instead of the amazing aroma of cooked spinach, u smell the awful powder used to kill ants !!!

But this time the whole bunch was perfect.........

Clean the spinach as much as possible in lots of water...
Drain well. Towel dry if needed(especially if the leaves are limp.)
Cut very thinly, stalk and leaves.

Grind coarsely
Coconut - 1/4th of one ( scrapped )
Green chillies - 2
Small onions - 3
Jeera/ Cumin - 1/4 tsp

To the cut spinach, add the ground coconut, 1/4 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp red chilli powder and mix well.

Heat oil in a kadai, splutter mustard seeds, curry leaves and add the spinach. Keep a lid and steam the spinach for 5 minutes or until they are evenly steamed. Slowly stir to ensure even cooking and turn off the heat.

Great combination with rice, curd, pappad n pickles....And I could just eat it by itself too!

Gothambu (cracked wheat) paayasam

Gothambu paayasam has always been a favourite in our family. Infact at my dad's ancestral home whenever anyone had a birthday, this was the paayasam of choice and I am sure no one would have thought to complain even if it were made on a fairly regular basis....

Ohhh...sooo many great memories......

If one manages to procure the cracked wheat without much difficulty, then it is really easy to make. Otherwise, it could become a laborious process.

In the south, we call the gothambu (wheat)as gothambu nurukku ...or broken wheat. In the north (India), it is available as Daliya, and comes already roasted...which is a blessing when u make this with a clinging child who is cranky due to cold!!!

Incidentally, this is the same thing that is known as 'Couscous ' in Moroccan cuisine.

Gothambu nurukku/ Daliya/couscous - 2 cups

If you have not managed to get the pre-roasted Daliya, you have to sort the good grains and then evenly roast the nurukku. One side will turn brown while the other will stay a bit white.

Make sure that you boil the grains in a very spacious vessel. Else they will just stick together when cooked.

Water - 5 cups water.

Boil the cracked wheat and as it comes to a boil, put off the fire and stir well. Now keep a lid on it. At intervals please keep stirring to separate the grains. there shoild not be much water left as the grains absorb water and get cooked.

Jaggery - 1/2 kilo.

In one glass water boil the jaggery to make a pani. then sieve the liquid jaggery to get rid of the impurities. Keep it boiling and add the cooked cracked wheat.

Cardamom - 4 nos (powdered)

Coconut milk - 1 cup 1st extract(very thick ) and 2 cups 2nd extract

Add the powdered cardamom and 2nd extract of coconut milk . Bring to a boil. Now add the 1st extract. Make sure that this time the paayasam does not boil. Switch off the stove.

Ghee - 1 tsp
Cashew nuts
Raisins

Heat ghee and fry the cashews and raisins and add to the paayasam.

Note: You may fry the cracked wheat in ghee or dry-roast them... the way I described used minimum amount of ghee and is just as tasty.

Potato Masala - 1 filling, two preparations

Potato Masala

Potatoes - 1/2 kg (Boiled, peeled and crushed)

Onion - 2 large (sliced)
Green chillied - 3(slit)
Ginger - 1 inch (sliced)
Tomato - 1 (optional)
Curry leaves - 2 stalks
Coriander leaves - chopped (a handful)
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Oil - 2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilly powder - 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Heat oil, splutter the mustard seeds, add the sliced onions, ginger, curry leaves, green chillies . Once the onions have turned golden, add the turmeric and chilly powder and fry well. Now add
the tomatoes and add the crushed potatoes until coated well. Add salt to taste. Pour a half glass of warm water and keep the lid on till the potatoes go realy soft and the whole masala belnds in well. The final result will be semi-dry. Take off the stove and sprinkle the coriander leaves.

Malsala Dosa

Heat the tawa, add a few drops of ghee or oil, spread the dosa batter and keep a lid on top to cook the dosa. I prefer to fry both dises and then add the masala. If the lid is kept on , you can cook both sides at the same time. Add a tbsp of masala on the middle of the dosa and fold in half.
Masala Dosa is ready.

Potato Bondas

Prepare the batter to dip balls of the masala in.
Besan/ kadala maavu/ powdered channa - 1/2 cup
Salt to taste
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Asafoetida .- 1 pinch
Jeera - 1 tsp (dry fried )
Mix all the above ingredients in water till the mix coats the spoon smoothly, but doesn't run. (drip off)
Roll the potato masala into lemon-sized balls.
Heat a wok/deep bottom pan , add enough oil for deep frying . Dip the masala balls in the batter and drop in the oil. Deep fry till golden brown.
Serve hot with tomato sauce, pudina chutney etc....

Hummus (Chickpea dip) - Tuesday Toot

Anyone who is familiar with Hummus making will be wondering what there is to toot about...aah..but my hummus is made absolutely the tedious way..hence the toot!!!

Hummus is an absolute must in Middle Eastern cuisine. It is a great dip, and can be great combined with the various salads, kebabs, and other meat preparations.

Hummus is absolutely vegetarian and made predominantly from chickpeas (white kadala). Now a days it is very easy since there are canned chickpeas available. The next essential ingredient needed is tahina or paste made from white sesame seeds. (ellu /til). Yet again, tahina is also readily available in the market.

Despite all this wonder why I made mine from scratch? Simple..just to see if I could..!!!So this is how I made hummus..

Chickpeas dried - 1 cup
Soak overnight, wash and drain and cook them till tender.
Or drain 1 1/2 can of chick peas

Sesame seeds - 2 tsp
On a non-stick pan, dry-fry the sesame seeds, keep shaking or stirring to roast evenly, dont let them brown.

Olive oil - 4 tbsp
Garlic - 1 clove, crushed and minced
salt - to taste

Add the sesame seeds, salt, garlic and 2 tbsp oilve oil and grind to a paste. Now keep aside a few whole chickpeas for garnish and grind the rest. Mix well.

Lemon juice - 3 tbsp (or according to taste)

Add the lemon juice, the chickpea paste and another tablespoon of olive oil and blend well. (Take note that from 4 tbsp mentioned, we had used only half that)

Garnish with the whole chickpeas, olive oil and a spinkling of paprika powder.

Superb with fried chicken or kebabs.

Corn-flour garlic chicken (dry)

This is a dish that is strictly my own experiment.

Boneless chicken - 500 gms
Butter milk/ beaten curd - 1/2 cup
Garlic paste - 2 tsp
Crushed pepper - 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Cut the chicken into strips approximately 1 by 2 inches. Add the rest of the ingredients and keep aside to marinate for half an hour.

Corn flour - 2tsp
Dried herbs - oregano, tarragon (optional)
Salt - a pinch

take the chicken pieces from the marinade and evenly coat the corn flour mixture. Refrigerate for 10 minutes for ease in frying. add oil in a shallow frying pan and wait till it is hot. I used about 1 tbsp of oil.Shallow fry the pieces until the chicken is evenly brown.

Take the pieces from the oil and add the left-over marinade to the oil. Reduce till the oil comes on top and coat the fried pieces. THIS STEP MAYBE AVOIDED FOR THOSE WHO WANT THE CHICKEN CRISPY.

Garnish with spring onions and serve hot.