Garlic Hummus

It helps when your mother-in-law to-be and you live in the same city. It gets even better when the son lives in far away Canada, which means that you get the undivided attention of his Mother.

Almost every weekend, before I got married to P, my Mum-in-law would make sure she would send me home-cooked food from their place to mine. This was in Delhi. Among her favorite things to send would be a jar of freshly made Garlic Hummus which she learnt many years ago during their stay in the Middle East.

I got so hooked to her Garlic Hummus, that I would eat it with everything. Including slices of toasted bread. Before my jar of Ma’s Hummus got over, she would make more and send through someone or bring it herself. I also think she did not mind a prospective daughter-in-law with garlic breath, as long as the garlic was from her Hummus.

I have learnt to make Ma’s Garlic Hummus, and find it an easy dip for finger food of freshly cut vegetables like carrots, celery, broccoli, etc.

Ingredients for Garlic Hummus are:

2 cups cooked chickpeas, retain a little water its boiled in
3 tablespoons white sesame seeds, lightly roasted
4-5 garlic cloves
Juice of one lemon
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Sprig of fresh parsley
Quarter cup + 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt

Traditionally, Tahini is used in Hummus, but if you don’t have it, use roasted sesame seeds like I do.

Start by breaking down the sesame seeds in a blender. Then add the chickpeas, garlic, EVOO and lemon juice and give it a good whoosh, till you get a thick, smooth consistency. You can add spoonfuls of the water you have retained from cooking the chickpeas to get the right consistency of the Hummus.

Do a taste test and see if you need any salt. Season accordingly.

Just before serving, drizzle a little more of the EVOO, a generous pinch of chopped fresh parsley and cayenne pepper on the Hummus. You can use it as a spread between your pita bread or roti, or just as a freshly made dip for breadsticks, vegetables or kebabs.

The Hummus bowl that you see here is something I made at Pottery School, I had in mind the “Middle East” and my hands just followed my mind.

More pictures of my Pottery Work is here.

Ek Plate Alu Tikki Chaat

Nobody has the right to mess with my Alu Tikki Chaat, not even the fat lady at the famous chaat shop in Little India. All I wanted was a plate of warm tikki chaat which would remind me of home. What I got instead was a plate of hardboiled chickpeas floating along ONE small, soggy potato pattie. Yes just one. And a tag of a whopping $8 for that plate of *beep*.

The desi chokri (that’s my husband’s nick for me) that I am, I wanted value for money. And all the love and care that goes into making a plate of chaat back home. This is not acceptable. I decided then to take matters in my own hands, and in my own kitchen.

Here is how I transformed potatoes and chickpeas into a mouth watering plate of heavenly, homemade Alu Tikki Chaat.

The ingredients are:

For the chickpea/ chhole:
2 cups chickpeas soaked overnight
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Boil the chickpeas in enough water with all the ingredients. Let them get mushy before you stop cooking. Breaking the chickpeas down with a ladle is also a good idea.

For the patties:
4-5 boiled potatoes
Half tablespoon corn starch
2 teaspoon chopped coriander
2 teaspoon chopped green chilies
Vegetable oil
Salt
Peel the boiled potatoes, mash and add all the ingredients and mix well. Make balls (golf ball-size), flatten to make patties. Heat a non stick skillet/ frying pan and place the patties on it. Let both sides get nicely browned. I like my patties crispy, so I brown for a few more minutes. Add a few drops of oil around the patties. Let it brown nicely on low-medium heat. Keep aside.
 
For the garnish:
Half cup beaten plain yogurt
1 small red onion very finely chopped
2-3 green chilies finely chopped
2 tablespoon finely chopped coriander
Few drops of lemon juice
Tamarind-jaggery chutney (I make it at home)
2 teaspoon Bhaja Moshla (equal quantities of cumin and coriander seeds dry roasted and coarsely ground)
1/4 teaspoon red chili powder
1/4 teaspoon chaat masala
1/4 teaspoon black salt

For plating:
First go the potato patties on a small dish. Drench them with the boiled chickpeas. Drizzle some beaten yogurt and the tamarind-jaggery chutney. Add the chopped coriander, onions, and green chilies. Top the chaat with all the dry spices and a few drops of lemon juice.
If you can handle all the spices and the heat, do not be skimpy with the garnish.

Serve the Alu Tikki Chaat, literally translated as Potato Patties Chaat, while its warm!
You will be surprised how you can completely turn some plain potatoes and chickpeas into a happy hour of homemade heartiness. (Strange fit of alliteration that!)

Sunday Brunch ~ Chana Pindi & Puri

2 cups chick peas/ kabuli chana soaked overnight
1 medium onion finely chopped
2 tsp garlic paste
2 tsp ginger paste
1 large tomato cut into thick slices
4-5 green chilies sliced
½ inch julienned ginger
2 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
MDH Chana masala
MDH Anardana powder
1 tsp garam masala
½ tsp black pepper powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
Ghee for cooking
2 tea bags
Salt

Boil the chick peas with ½ tsp salt and two tea bags until you can nicely squish a chick pea between you finger tips. Do not throw the water you have boiled the chick peas in.

You can trash the tea bags though! :-)

In a thick bottom pan, heat 2 tbsp ghee, add the chopped onions and salt and fry till golden brown. Add the ginger-garlic paste and sauté some more.

 

Now add the already boiled chick peas, without any liquid. Keep stirring it.

 

 

 

Add red chili powder, black pepper powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and cumin powder. Keep frying the chick peas with all the spices adding little amounts of the liquid you saved from boiling.
Now add the MDH Chana Masala, Anardana powder and the garam masala. The chick peas by now would have got a nice, rich dark color.

 

In another pan, heat ghee and add cumin seeds, sliced tomatoes and sliced green chilies. Press the tomatoes with the bottom of a ladle to release juices from them.

Add this tomato mix to the chick peas. Cover with a lid and cook for about 5-6 mins.

 

 

 

For that last touch of finesse, garnish the Chana Pindi with sliced green chilies and julienned ginger.

 

 

Serve hot with Bhaturas or Puris with some sliced onions and pickle.

 

 

 

P.S. Though Chana Pindi is traditionally made with pomegranate seeds (Anaar Dana), but who cares for tradition (over convenience) when even the basic ingredients of Indian cooking are quite a find in phoren land! Hence the MDH Masala is a very good alternative, as that too has the pomegranate seeds. Surprisingly, this almost tastes like the Choley you get in Haldiram’s, maybe even better.

(This is an earlier note. I added Anardana powder to my Chana Pindi today and the taste pretty much remained the same, if not better!)

P.P.S. My vegetarian friends, I hope you are not complaining now.

Gee! I am blazing my own trail of culinary experiences…