Hummus recipe

HUMMUS
 FROM SCRATCH  RECIPE

Hummus is a middle eastern dip or spread made from cooked and mashed chickpeas mixed with salt, lemon juice and tahini which is made of seasme. Tahini is not available everywhere so I have replaced it with home-made sesame paste.

Traditionally hummus is eaten with pita bread or as an accompaniment to Falafal , grilled chicken, fish or eggplant. But now a days, all over the world it is enjoyed with tortilla chips or crackers.

Ingredients:-

Seasme seeds                        - 1/4 cup
Olive oil.                               - 3 tbsp
Soaked and boiled chickpeas- 2 cups
Garlic.                                   - 4to5 cloves
Salt                                        - 1 tsp
Lemon                                   - 1 1/2

Roasted cumin powder and little paprika to garnish

Method:

Roast Seasme seeds in a heavy bottom pan until light golden in colour. Let it cool.

Grind roasted seeds in a grinder for few seconds... scrape from sides...repeat two three times then add 1/2 tbsp of oil.
Run grinder at full speed for 30 seconds. Paste should become of running consistency.
This is our substitute of Tahini.

Now, in a big jar, add boiled chickpeas, garlic cloves, salt and Seasme paste. Run the mixer at medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes to get creamy consistency.

Add 1 1/2 tbsp of olive oil and squeeze lemon juice to this.
Run mixer to mix everything equally.

Take out in a deep bowl and sprinkle roasted cumin powder, paprika and pour rest of olive oil over it.

Enjoy with pita bread or crackers.

ACHARI MIRCH

Pickles can jazz up any meal. Today I am sharing recipe for Instant Chilli Pickle/ Achari Mirch which you can prepare in 10 to 15 minutes. It will keep well in fridge for a week.

This recipe is originally from Rajasthan. I have modified the original recipe by adding vinegar into it, which enhanced the taste of the pickle. I have used thick banana chillies which are not as hot as normal green chillies. You can use Bhavnagri Chilli/Jalapeno Peppers,Hungarian wax peppers,Serrano peppers or Banana peppers . Use of chilli powder is optional, if you want it milder just skip it.

Ingredients :-

Chillies - 300 gms
Mustard oil - 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds- 1 ts
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
Nigella seeds - 1 / 2 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
Red Chilli powder - 1 tsp (optional)
Amchoor powder - 1 tsp

Salt- 1tsp
Vinegar- 1 tbsp

Method :-

Wash and  dry chillies and  cut in 1 inch roun pieces.
Heat oil in a pan, bring it to smoking point and then cool a bit. (when using mustard oil its good to bring it to smoking point and then cool a little before cooking).
Add mustard, cumin, fennel and Nigella seeds to the oil and when seeds are spluttering add chillies and turmeric powder to the pan.
Stir fry for a minute and then  cover it for a couple of minutes.
Open and add chilli powder salt and Amchoor, mix well on high heat for a minute. we need not cook chillies completely it just have to soften.

Give splash of vinegar and turn off the heat.

Cool and keep in an airtight jar in fridge, will keep well for one week.

Enjoy !!!

 

BHARWAN KARELA

                                                    

                                   

BHARWAN KARELA

(Stuffed Bitter Guard)

As a kid I never liked eating karela, the only way my mom got me to eat this is in this recipe. The spicy and tangy stuffing covered in well fried outer layer is a perfect accompaniment of any meal.

Ingredients:-

Karela- 2

Oil- 1tbs+ for frying

Onion- 2 medium size

Ginger-Garlic paste-2 tsp

Coriander powder- 2 tsp

Red chilli powder- 1/2 tsp

Turmuric powder- 1/2 tsp

Saunf (crushed)- 1 tbsp

Amchoor powder- 1 tsp

Salt- as per taste

Method :

Lightly scrape the karelas, wash it and cut each into middle to make two equal pieces. scoop out all seeds from inside, take care not to break the outer shell.

Steam or boil  the karelas in salted water, till half cooked.

Heat 2 table spoon oil in a pan, put in the chopped onion and  fry till translucent, now add ginger-garlic paste and all other spices except amchoor. fry all things together until oil starts to separate.

Add amchoor, salt and seeds of karela, fry for 1-2 minutes and turn off the heat.

Fill the karela with this mixture.

Now heat some oil in a frying pan and shallow fry stuffed karela turn it time to time and make sure to cook from all sides.

Serve hot as side dish with meal.