CHHOLE BHATURE

CHICKPEAS/GARBANZO BEANS CURRY WITH FRIED, PUFFY NAAN)

This is a popular punjabi dish which is famous throughout India because of its awesome taste. The combination of chick peas curry with these fried, puffed bhatura has no match. The curry and bhatura together with some salad is a full lunch or supper meal.

In Delhi and Punjab there are many roadside restaurants specialised in selling only chhole bhature. People come from distant places to eat at these restaurants, those who are famous for their quality and good service. These restaurants are always full of people.

I remember when I was in Botswana, once in the Hindu temple we offered these chhole bhature to the big gathering of around 150 people. At that time my family was sponsoring that night's dinner, all my friend helped me in cooking.

In the temple kitchen, all facilities are there to cook meals for big gatherings. For making chhole bhature, we had prepared the dough in a big machine, then 2-3 ladies were making the balls, 6-7 ladies were rolling the bhatures. In two big works, on the commercial gas cooker, two ladies were frying and men were helping us in serving the bhature to the guest outside in a big open-air yard, where tables were set for the people to serve the food. They came out nice and everybody enjoyed the meal.

RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

FOR CHHOLE (CHICKPEAS)

• ½ kg dry chick peas
• one big onion (200 grams)
• one big tomato (200 grams)
• a big piece of ginger
• 2 tbs tomato puree
• salt and chilli powder to taste
• 1 tbs coriander powder
• 1tbs mango powder
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 black cardamom
• 2 tbs oil

FOR BHATURE (FRIED PUFFY NAAN)

• ½ kg all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ cup plain yoghurt
• 1tbs oil
• some water to make thee dough
• oil for frying.
  
  

METHOD FOR CHHOLE (CHICKPEAS CURRY)

• Wash and soak chickpeas overnight in water, they will increase the size in the morning.
• Boil chickpeas with salt in a pressure cooker for 10-12 minutes after the whistle.
• Finely chop onion, ginger and tomato.
• Heat oil in a frying pan, add cumin seeds, leave for few seconds to change the colour.
• Add ginger and onion and roast till light brown, add tomatoes and other dry spices when tomatoes are done add tomato puree and a half cup of water, mix well.
• Add this mixture in chickpeas and boil again for 5-7 minutes.

FOR BHATURE (FRIED PUFFY NAAN)

• Mix baking powder and yoghurt in the flour and make hard dough with little water, leave it to ferment for 7-8 hours.
• Once fermented divide the dough in 20 parts and make small balls and flatten them on your palms.
• Heat oil in a wok on high flame.
• Roll into a round shape of the desired size and fry them when the oil is really hot, till light brown in colour.
• Serve with chhole and some salad of your choice.

This can be served to 5-6 people.

I am sending this recipe as my blog post entry for Foodie friday event, and with Hearth and Soul. and with Meatless Momday, and with Creative monday blog hop, and with what'd you do this weekend, and with Tasty Tuesday creative kids, and with delicious dish tuesday, and with Friday Free For All, and with credit crunch munch, and with Funtastic Friday.

SPROUTED MUNG BEAN SALAD

SPROUTED MUNG BEAN SALAD

(suitable for vegans)

According to Ayurveda (tradition Indian science of healing naturally), sprouted mung beans are a powerhouse of nutrients and they have more nutritional value than un sprouted mung beans. They are low in calories, high in fiber and rich in vitamins. They can increase the body's energy and helps us to feel fit and healthy.

These days our lifestyle is so automated and if we reduce a number of calories from our food, at the end of the day it benefits us. These sprouted mung beans salad is a good example of a low-calorie food and is a great combination of protein and vegetables. This salad can be a good dinner time meal for those who would like to take light meals because normally we are told by doctors to eat less amount of calories during dinner time.

Normally people think that it is very difficult to sprout beans and lentils, it takes a lot of time etc, and they buy ready made from shops. But actually they are very easy to sprout, as shown in the method below, I always sprout beans at home. When I keep the mung beans for sprouting, I always make some extra because they can be kept in the freezer for a month or so. My son, in his college days, was asking me to keep them ready in the fridge, to get extra protein for body building, when he was going to the gym and was doing a lot of exercises.

Many people, even some in my family eat them raw, after sprouting. I prefer lightly cooked ones, with a small amount of oil and spices. In the method below I have included the cooked one as well.

RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

• 200 grams mung beans
• 200 grams onion (one big)
• 200 grams tomatoes (one big)
• 3-4 green chillies (optional)
• ½ English cucumber/one green pepper
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (roasted and ground)
• 2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon dry mint leaves or chopped fresh coriander
• 2 tablespoon olive oil

METHOD FOR SPROUTING

• Rinse mung beans in running water and soak for 7-8 hours in cold water.
• Beans will increase in size. After 7-8 hours remove the water and put the mung beans in a wet muslin cloth, cover the beans with the corners of the cloth.
• Put it in a container and cover the lid, keep in a dark and warm place. After 7-8 hours sprinkle the water on the muslin cloth.
• It will take around 24- 30 hours depending on the temperature of the kitchen to sprout.
• Better results can be obtained in summer. Once ready, remove from the muslin cloth and keep it in the fridge.

METHOD FOR SALAD

• Finely chop onion, tomato, cucumber, green chili.
• Mix all the chopped vegetables in sprouted mung beans and add all the spices.dey mint and cilantro.
• Serve cold as a salad.

METHOD FOR LIGHTLY COOKED SALAD

• Heat olive oil on a medium flame, add mung beans plus salt and cook for 10-15 minutes till they are bit tender.
• Chop onion, tomatoes, green chillies and cucumber finally. Mix all in beans when they are still warm.
• Add black pepper, mango powder and roasted cumin seeds powder.
• Sprinkle lemon juice and garnish with dry mint leaves.
  Note- If you prefer raw, mix all vegetables, dry ingredients and lemon juice, dry mint in sprouted beans and serve.

This can be served cold or slightly warm, suitable for 5-6 people.

I am sending this post as my blog entry for Hearth and Soul Blog Hop, and for Cook blog share, and with two favourite things on Thursday party, and for City of Links #63, and for Funtastic Friday Party, and with see-ya-in-gumbo link, and What'd You Do This Weekend, and with Tasty Tuesday creative kids, and with Free from fridays, and with Thank-goodness is thursday, and with Fiesta Friday, And with Weekend Creations, and with Mt Legume Love Affair.and with Simple Natural Saturday.
I am also sending this recipe for Credit Crunch Munch for May as batch cooking for Freezer, as I have mentioned in the post it can be kept in the freezer together with Fuss Free Flavours and with Fab Food 4 All, and with Real Food Friday., and with Healthy Happy and green party.,and with Meatless Monday, and with Creative spark link party and with Way wow link party, and with Healthy Holiday recipe, and with Food and fitness friday under healthy breakfast recipe.

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TANDOORI NAAN (STUFFED WITH POTATOES AND ONION)

TANDOORI NAAN

(STUFFED WITH POTATOES AND ONION)

#Edited : This was featured as the best post of the week at Cook Blog Share party on 17th March 2015.

#Edited: This recipe was published in the local Newspaper here in Airdrie, "Here's the Scoop" on 8th May 2015.

These days naans are famous throughout the world, and they are available in almost all Indian restaurants whether big or small. These days naans are liked, appreciated and consumed not only by Indians but also by many other races and people. Tandoori naan originated from India, where they were made in a traditional oven called tandoor. Even these days, some areas in Punjab, they are still made in traditional tandoors.

My mother-in-law was making naan or tandoori roti on traditional oven-tandoor. Her normal sunday afternoon lunch menu was tandoori naan or roti with some rich gravy of vegetable or paneer curry and green salad. I remember we used to eat a lot, after which we were taking a nap.

The shape of the tradition tandoor was cylindrical, with clay walls all around, and hot burning coal was in the center. Making naans on a tandoor was a difficult task, because of the high temperature of the tandoor. And to make naan, you will have to flatten the ball of the dough on your palms to give the flat, round shape. After which you will have to slap and paste it on the clay wall of the oven, so your hand was exposed to the heat. Once they are ready, they can be taken out using a long metal pointed wire, which can prick inside the naan and then you lift it. Thank God, these days we have electric ovens, which are making our life so easy.

Naans are crispy from the outside but soft from inside, which is how they should be, they can be used to soup up a curry and you can enjoy the taste of naan and curry together.

These stuffed naans which has a filling of potato, onion and coriander doesn't need any curry. You can have them as it is with some cold or hot drink of your choice.

RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

• 2 and ½ cups all purpose flour/ white bread flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ cup plain yoghurt
• 1 tbs oil
• ssome water to make the dough
• 600 grams boiled and grated potatoes
• one big onion (200grams),finely chopped
• few green coriander leaves
• butter to garnish the naan
• salt to taste
• black pepper/ red chilli powder to taste
• 1 tbs coriander powder

METHOD

FOR DOUGH

• Take flour in a big bowl, add baking powder and yoghurt and make a medium hard dough by adding little water.
• Glaze with oil, and leave it aside in a warm area to ferment, it may take 8-9 hours, depending on the temperature of the room.

FOR FILLING

• Mix potato, onion, salt, pepper, coriander powder and green coriander well, keep it aside.

FOR STUFFED NAAN

• Once the dough is fermented, make small balls.
• Heat the grill /broiler on 200 degree C
• Flatten the ball and scoop one tbs of potato mixture and fill in the flattened ball and close from all the sides, and flatten it again for easy rolling.
• Heat fry pan on one side of the stove.
• Roll it, giving round shape around 5 inches diameter.
• Roast one side of the naan over fry pan, once slightly roasted transfer it into oven in a flat tray.
• Roast till golden brown, garnish with butter and serve hot, it may take 5-10 minutes.

Around 20 naans can be made, depending on the size.

I am sending this recipe as my blog post entry for Hearth and Soul blog hop, and for Tasty Tuesday party, and with Tasty Tuesday Creative Kids., and with Treat petite party.
I am sending this recipe as my blog post to Credit Crunch Munch-under the category of cheaper Ingredients and vegetarian, and with creative spark link party, and with cook blog share, and with Friday Frenzy, and with Funtastic Friday event, and with Foodie Friday, and with City of links part, and with meatless Monday, and with Bake of the Week, and with lets-get-real-party, and also with Fat Tuesday Party, and with way wow link party.