chana masala UP wala : chane ki ghugni UP style ...

Chana masala generates instant interest for the both of us. And we don't like any tempering with the original recipe of this kale chane ki ghughni.

Original recipe here means the recipe which has been a family favorite for years and has traveled down generations to reach us. The sookha chana masala or sookhi ghugni made on the 8th day of navaratri is the more common in my kitchen when in a hurry. This one is called lipte masale ki ghugni, the spicy gravy almost enveloping each of the chickpea in there.

This is an eastern UP recipe as I have seen it being made almost the same way in many families belonging to that part of the country, minor variations being in the thickness of the gravy or hotness of the spice blend.

Both the chana ghugnis are very different in taste and you can feel the difference as soon as you open the lid of the pressure cooker and the aroma hits you. The presence of onion and garlic and the ginger julienne takes this recipe to another level. I like both the recipes and it actually depends on what I am serving it with when i decide which one to cook. Sookhi ghugni goes well with pooris while this one can accommodate chapatis, parathas or plain boiled rice.

This recipe takes a bit more time as peeling and chopping onion, garlic and ginger takes some 8-10 minutes more than the no chopping, 15 minutes cooking time recipe of the sookhi ghugni. The extra time and work is well worth if you are feeling like a spicy chana masala with paratha, chapati or even with plain boiled rice. A cooling bowl of raita may make you feel royal at such times ...

Make this lipte masale ki ghugni if you have 10 minutes for hand processing and about 15-20 minutes of cooking time.

ingredients....
black chickpeas soaked overnight 3 cups (soaked volume)
dry red chillies 2 nos.
one green chilly slit lengthwise (or more if you like it hot)
sliced onions 1.5 cups
garlic cloves sliced lengthwise 3-4 (small Indian variety, we prefer adding the whole bulb of garlic sometimes)) 
fresh ginger root chopped in fine julienne 1+1 tbsp
every day curry masala 1 tbsp
(a powder made with coriander,cumin,black pepper and bay leaves) 
turmeric powder 2 tsp
mustard oil 1 tbsp
whole cumin seeds 1 tsp
amchoor powder 1-2 tsp*

procedure...

This is cooked in pressure cooker for convenience and time saving. Pan cooking takes long time and only thick base round bottom pans with tight lid are suitable for this kind of recipes. Add about 3 times water than the chickpeas if cooking in a pan and cook covered for about an hour after the initial stir frying.

Heat the oil in a pressure cooker pan and throw in the cumin seeds and whole dry red chillies. Wait till they crackle and add in the garlic, 1 tbsp of ginger julienne and onions in that order .

Toss the pan a few times to coat the onions and let them get pink on margins. No browning is required as the onions are meant to get mushy slushy and coat the chickpeas when cooked. Add salt to the cooking onions to quicken the process.

Add the powdered spices and toss a few times  till the roasted aroma of the powdered spices hits your nostrils. Add the slit green chilly.

Add the soaked and drained chickpeas, pour a cup of water, cover the lid and cook over high heat till the whistle blows. Lower the heat and cook for 12-15 minutes more.

Let the pressure release while the cooker cools down. Add amchoor powder and mix well. The amount of amchoor powder will depend upon how much chilies you are using. I used my homemade amchoor powder, you may need some more or less if using the store bought ones.The sourness balance the heat of the red and green chilies being used.

Add the remaining ginger julienne in the last. This is the way I like it. The taste of some of the ginger slivers is so good in the spicy slush which coats the chana. You might like to add some more of ginger in winter months as it feels almost warming in those days.

The whole red chilies should be discarded before serving. Some people even like those red chilies wrapped into a large piece of paratha. Do not worry about the heat hitting your tongue if you try this as most of the heat of these chilies has gone to the chana masala .... It is definitely a hot dish .

Ideal for a weekend brunch, served with plain whole wheat paratha or rice ans some salad on the side. This is a respite from the usual light meals we have during most of the summer days. The much needed shock for the palate during the days of sherbets, thandais and mangoes....

Did I tell you that I don't need any paratha to enjoy this ghugni and that I can have it any time of the day? It is a meal in itself...

indian flatbreads : recipe of whole wheat naan, tips and trick to make naan at home

There are many types of Indian flat breads and the most common is our daily roti or chapati .The roti can get thinner to make roomali roti and a bit thick and fluffy or flaky to become a rot or moti roti of several types.

The leavened breads are kulcha or naan. Naan and kulcha can have many variants further. Parathas are shallow fried flat breads made in a zillion avatars, plain, spiced, stuffed or layered. Parathas can be folded or rolled to make a hundred something layers or stuffed with sweet or savory goodness.

Oh and then there are the fried pooris .... are you till counting ??

Forget it. Just think about what suits with your curry the most and get going. I had a few requests for whole wheat naan and kulcha recipes and I was procrastinating as usual. The credit goes to GB who writes a wonderful blog Peacocks and Paislies, she requested for naans and kulchas while complementing my blog hugely. See what complements can do to me :-)

So I made naans and kulchas and there will be a series of posts on these flat breads. In this post I am including two versions of naan, one is baked on a gas stove and the other is baked in an oven, both of them using the same whole wheat dough.

The ingredients ...

whole wheat flour 1.5 cup
all purpose flour 1 cup
egg 1 no.
fresh curds 3/4 cup
baking powder 1 tsp
baking soda 1/2 tsp
salt to taste

Procedure for the dough...

Mix the flours and the baking powder, baking soda and salt, make a well in the center and break the egg into it. Add the curds too and mix the liquids first and then incorporate the flour into it adding a little water to make a soft pliable dough. Keep the dough aside for an hour or so. In the fridge it keeps for a day.

Procedure to bake the naan on gas stove ...

Heat a tawa or griddle. Keep a shallow bowl of water nearby.

Make small balls of the dough depending on the size of naan you want. Flatten the balls either by tapping your palms or on the rolling board. A round, oval or a typical drop shaped naan can be made as required. To make it drop shaped you have to pinch one side with your thumb and index finger and pull to stretch, though it is optional.

Dip the flattened naan in the bowl of water and spread on the griddle in one quick motion. If you are patting the naan flat using your palms, you will need to wet your palms to flatten them smoothly and then the naan will be already wet and needs not be dipped into the bowl of water.

A wet naan will stick to the griddle until it is cooked properly even if you invert the griddle, which you are going to do just after this. Wait till small bubbles appear on the surface, patting or rolling the other naans at the same time, if you are used to making chapatis it's not at all difficult. 2-3 naans can be baked on the tawa at a time and this makes it so easy for the cook, especially when you have to bake too many naans. Now is the time to invert the tawa over the gas flame to cook the naan on the other side and to get those spots...

Keep the flame under control as you don't want charred naans. The naans will get unstuck as soon as they are cooked through, use a pair of tongs to remove them. Butter them lightly immediately by rubbing a cold cube of butter over them, or you may want to serve it with a blob of butter melting enticingly.

Serve right away as the crisp exterior and soft flaky interiors of the naan are best when hot, once it cools down it becomes soft, still good but everybody likes a hot naan and you know that.

We had this naan with chicken n chickpea curry, that is, our chicken chhole with some spinach thrown in, a healthy meal. Most of the people love the naan with a butter gravy but it's a rarity at our place ...

I personally like this tawa baked naan, you may like it baked in the oven so I made that way too....

baking the whole wheat naan in the oven...

Flatten the same dough and arrange on a greased baking tray. I spread finely chopped garlic and little butter on top of the naans to make garlic naan. Garlic paste or chopped garlic can be added to the dough if you like it that way.

Bake till pinkish brown, insert a knife under the naan to see if the naan is cooked through. It should get unstuck promptly and should be lighter in weight. You may want to butter them again before serving....

As I mentioned, I personally like the tawa baked naan as it seems easier for me to make (or for anybody who make chapatis everyday) plus this one stays soft and flaky even when it has cooled. The oven baked whole wheat or even maida naan gets a bit chewy so consume those right away.


Tips and tricks to make great whole wheat naan at home...

1.  Knead the dough really well by stretching and folding it several times till it gets elastic. It imparts flakiness in naans.
2. Keep the dough soft and sticky if you can manage. It gives a nice crust and the crumb remains soft and flaky that way.
3. It is best to make the dough balls in advance and keep them covered with a wet cotton napkin. Pat it with hands or roll with soft pressure. This allows the naan to become more fluffy.
4. Wet the naans before patting them on the griddle. It helps to achieve a great crust and the naan sticks to the griddle giving you a chance to invert the griddle and flame it for a while. This gives you results closer to an actual tandoor.
5. Serve the naans immediately after being baked, topped with butter. If you need to keep them for a while you can butter them and stack them over a cotton napkin. It helps the naans stay warm till served and soft too. Once buttered the naans can be reheated on flame if required.
   

Now a quick recipe of chicken wale chhole....


Chicken (boneless breast pieces  are used for this. A large piece including the backbone and ribs is boiled along with the soaked chickpeas so that all the chicken flavor comes into the gravy.

Then a bhuna masala paste is fried along with the boneless chicken pieces on low heat, till the chicken gets cooked. The boiled chickpeas are added and given a good boil. I added baby spinach and coriander leaves in the end and served hot with these hot naans.

One thing to take care while making the naans with whole wheat flour, it will not be as soft and flaky as the white flour ones but it's perfectly good otherwise. They are soft with a nice bite (and not chewy as the maida ones get as soon as they get colder even while eating) and the flaky character of naan is retained to a lesser extent.

This recipe of naan is mostly followed by the restaurants because it is quick and doesn't need yeast or sourdough. But in homes it was made with sourdough always. If you want to bake sourdough whole wheat naans and kulchas you can follow the sourdough recipes here.

Hope this post helps you bake whole wheat naans easily at home. Do write to me for queries and feedback. I always appreciate hearing back from you. 

Chhole recipe | a simple recipe for that authentic punjabi taste...

Authentic punjabi chhole recipe?

What would you call authentic chhole when there are more than a dozen Chhole kulche walas selling delicious chhole, each one is different from the other and each one is such that you can call as authentic as it can be. So for me chhole is authentic as long as it tastes 'punjabi', no wonder when I say this as I have tasted a few bihari and bengali versions of chhole and those have been far from tasting like chhole. Authentic punjabi chhole is something where the taste of chickpeas should not be overpowered by spices and the gravy should be thick and coating consistency and blackish in color, the chickpeas melting in the mouth and the spiciness just enough to complement the buttery textured chhole......

While the Bihari version is loaded with onion and garlic and garam masala (good to taste but not like chhole), the Bengali version which they do not call chhole but ghugni is different too, I loved the ghugni with keema in it called 'mangsho'r ghugni'. I am sure there is a version including curry patta and tamarind and that too must be tasty but it should be named something else, not chhole. As there is Sundal, there is a tamarind-curry patta chickpeas too.

Coming to the 'chhole' chhole, here is my version which has fetched me many complements, people have been comparing it to the popular chhole walas of the city. Also, this chhole has been complemented for not causing flatulence though I do not add any saunf or ajwain to the recipe.

Cooking the chhole till it gets buttery is the key, the chickpeas should get cracked and should look like falling apart. Also, look for the smallest sized white chickpeas available, smaller the chickpeas tastier it is. Read on......

ingredients...

chickpeas/garbanzo beans/ kabuli chana 250 gm ( I use the smaller variety )
soak the chickpeas overnight
split chick peas/ chana daal 2 tbsp
ginger root 2 inch piece
whole dry red chillies 4-5 or to taste
coriander seeds 1 tbsp
cumin seeds 2 tsp
black pepper corns 2 tsp
bay leaves 2-3 nos.
cloves 4 nos.
black cardamom 2 nos.
amchoor powder 2 tsp or more if needed
salt to taste
mustard oil 1 tbsp

procedure...

Mix the soaked chickpeas with chana daal, add salt to taste and cook in a pressure cooker with enough water to be an inch from the surface, 20-25 minutes under pressure should be enough for cooking.

Sometimes when the cooking water is hard the chickpea takes more time to cook so use filtered water to cook. Adding a pinch of soda bi carb helps to cook the chickpeas thoroughly, as they should get cracked n about to fall apart.....this is an important point while making chhole n should not be ignored.

Scissor cut the dry red chillies and bay leaves into very small bits and chop the ginger too. Now grind all the whole spices in the spice grinder jar of your mixie, adding little water to make a fine paste.

Heat oil in a iron kadai and pour the spice paste into the hot oil, fry till oil is released form the mixture.

Now pour the cooked chhole into the kadai and add water if needed, add the amchoor powder, adjust salt if needed and let it cook for about 30 - 40 minutes on low heat. This step is important too as it will lend a nice deep brown color to the chhole and the taste of the spices will blend well with the mushed up cooked chana daal, making a gravy of coating consistency. the chana daal gives a creaminess to the gravy and keeps it milder even if the masala looks very rich in color n texture.

Serve hot with sliced onions, bhatoora or kulcha is the bread to go with it but it can be enjoyed as it is topped with finely chopped onions and an assortment of chutneys, like a chaat.

We enjoyed it with fried bhatoore, made with yeasted dough, using half maida (all purpose flour) and half whole wheat flour, the bhatooras turn really fluffy and soft that way and do not soak oil like the traditionally made bhatooras. The bhatooras are not authentic for that matter.

It is a hearty Sunday brunch and we are set for the day, there is no lunch on Sundays most of the times in my home. I make a large bowl of fruit salad for lunch if the breakfast had been lighter, but if it is chhole bhatoore, even the fruit salad is out of question.

A free Sunday for a leisurely reading session or a nice outing without feeling hungry and grabbing a burger, makes sense for us.

Even chhole chawal with some vegetable added on the side is my favourite meal.

Some people add a tea bag to the boiling chhole, that can be done if you don't have an iron skillet or kadai. Adding amla powder or even pomegranate skin can make it dark but they all hamper the taste. I have had good results with unsweetened cocoa powder though, using 1 tsp for this quantity. Try it if you like and tell me if you find it useful.

This recipe does not use onion, garlic, turmeric and tomatoes. The absence of tomatoes adds to the dark color too. Tomatoes are a common addition to chhole as many people in this part of the world cannot do without tomatoes, I feel tomatoes interfere with the taste of chhole and amchoor or dark anardana powder from the hills is a better souring agent for Chhole.

What do you feel ???

ashtmi wale sookhe kale chane

Kaale chane ki ghugni is a traditional recipe which is made as a prasad on the eighth day of Navaratri that is Ashtami. Along with this sookhe kaale chane it is poori and halwa as the usual prasad that day.

Poori, chana and halwa prasad along with some fruits is served to little girls on Ashtmi day as young girls are considered Devi or goddess Durga and are called as Kanjka for this day. Some people celebrate the Kanjka on Dirga ashtmi (eighth day of Navratri) while some celebrate it on the next day which is Ram navami (ninth day of Navratri) but the prasad is the same.

I have been doing this Kanjka ritual for many years and it is a very good feeling to see all those girls and their little brothers too enjoying the meal together. It becomes a small picnic for children that day. Many kids wait for this day so they can have a great time and get some gifts apart from delicious prasad. In my case there was no religious reason behind doing this, but it was always good to see little kids around Mithi. A very selfish reason I must admit.

We like this dish sookhe chane even on regular days sometimes. It is a good chana recipe for lunch boxes as it is dry an tastes great even at room temperature. It is a nice tea time snack sometimes or even a small meal when chana is wrapped in a roti or paratha or even sandwiched in bread. With minor variations this sookhey chane is a staple chana recipe in many homes.

When this kala chana is made for the puja rituals it is always made in either ghee or mustard oil and there is no onion or garlic used in it. On the day of ashtmi this prasad is consider kosher, is made with extra care and hygiene. In fact in my family back home the whole kicthen used to be spring cleaned and rearranged before this day. now I don't follow those rituals and trust my everyday hygiene better.

Everyone reminisces how the poori chana halwa tastes so much better on the day of Ashtmi though. The anticipation of a good meal and may be the season is right for such a meal. Traditions around food have always survived because of seasons and seasonal produce though everything in this meal is made with dry pantry staples.

ingredients 
(8-10 servings for prasad or 4 servings as a side dish)

250 gm kala chana (black chickpeas) soaked overnight
4-5 whole red chillies
1 inch piece of fresh ginger root 
2 tsp whole coriander
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
salt to taste
1 tbsp mustard oil
1 tsp amchoor powder

procedure 

Drain the soaked chana and keep aside.

Make a paste of ginger, chillies, coriander, cumin, peppercorns and 1 tbsp water together. 

Heat the oil in pressure cooker and pour the spice paste in it. Stir and cook till it becomes aromatic and looks glazed.

Now add the chickpeas and toss and mix everything together. Add salt to taste.

Add 1/2 cup water and close the cooker lid. Let it cook on high till the first whistle blows and then lower the flame and cook for 15 minutes.

Cool the pressure cooker, open the lid and add the amchoor powder. Mix well and reduce the water if there is still some left.

Serve as desired.

You can cook it in an iron kadhai as the traditional way but you will need to add more water and cooking time, the water should get absorbed once the chana gets cooked.

This kala chana doesn't need any garnish and tastes really great with poori.

You can serve some alu ki subzi or kaddu ki subzi with this meal but it is not required I must add.

These are some of the meals we crave for when we remember home and our childhood. Let's make a part of our children's childhood too and not let them crave for red velvet cakes. These puri chana halwa meals are much healthier than the burgers and red velvet cakes of the modern ilk.