tori chana ...nenua chana ki subzi...

I decided to introduce you to one of the purist recipes of Banaras today . Eastern UP to be precise . And I choose to cook only the quick ones you know .

This is an everyday subzi during summer days as the guards are considered cooling for the system and they are available in plenty . Seasonal gifts of nature. I enjoy all seasonal vegetables and use them in all the ways possible. This one, sponge guard is one vegetable liked by the husband quite dearly , all it's variations . One of the variations I have posted earlier and more will be coming in future as this a regular vegetable and i have many pictures in my drafts.

The subzi is called 'nenua chana ki subzi' or 'tori chana ki subzi' and although this is a quick recipe it needs some precision ...as it is with all simple recipes.

I like the guard slices well done but not disintegrating and the chickpeas well done and soft . This is difficult to achieve as the chickpeas take a long time to get done and the sponge guard cooks faster. Many times people don't mind hard chickpeas in the subzi or completely mushy slices of the guard in the subzi but I will do an extra step happily to get the perfect consistency I want....

So I pressure cook the chickpeas separately and then add it to the curry in the second stage of cooking. Works very well to get the right balance. Otherwise you can always add the chickpeas first to the pan and after some 10 minutes of cooking add the guards and cook further .... My version is the way I like it...

ingredients...
(3-4 servings)
black chickpeas soaked overnight 1 cup or a bit more
sponge guards 500 gm
onions sliced 200 gm
green chillied chopped to taste (i use about 4)
whole cumin seeds 2 tsp
turmeric powder 1 tsp
mustard oil 1 tbsp

preparation...

Boil the chickpeas in pressure cooker or in a pan with enough water and salt to taste. Do the pan coking of the vegetables in the meantime.

Heat mustard oil in a pan , I use my cast iron kadai hence the dark color of the curry. Throw in the cumin seeds and green chillies , in that order . The cumin seeds should get browned and green chillies just blistered...

Add the sliced onions and salt to taste . Fry the onions till they start sweating . Do not brown the onions. Add the turmeric powder and mix well.

Add the sliced sponge guards , mix well to coat and cover to cook . Enough water is released from the sponge guards to be cooked , just keep the flame low so it cooks slowly . Slow cooking makes this curry very flavorful .

Add the boiled chickpeas as soon as they get ready . If they are cooking simultaneously , they get ready by the time sponge guards start releasing water . This is the best time to add the boiled chickpeas . Slow cooking of the chick peas and sponge guards together brings the best flavors as i said .

The contrast in the texture and flavors of the guard and chickpea makes this curry very interesting. I like the way chickpeas give a nice bite with the soft slices of guard . The sponge guard has a nice sweetness to it , enhanced well by the onions . You would like the hit provided by the green chilies too, do not substitute them with red chilies or any other peppers . Actually do not substitute anything in the recipe as the ingredient list is already frugal .

Try the recipe if you are not familiar with it already . I know many people have grown up eating this. We like it with chapatis or even with rice . A bowl of fresh curds is all i need with it .

Enjoy...

apple and pumpkin spiced cake..

 I had never intended to share any baking on this blog of mine as the purpose of Banras Ka Khana is to revive all the desi traditional recipes . Time to time i am tempted to write about the odd cake or brownie the way i like them . There are millions of cake recipes on the internet and there are blogs and websites dedicated to baking . I always look up to these blogs and websites when i want to make the best chocolate cake or an angel cake . I don't wish to post those recipes here but whenever i make something unusual and am pleased by the results , i feel like sharing it here.

This cake was one such baking experiment i found worth sharing here. Just look at the different colors of fruity goodness in the slices...

ingredients...

maida ( APF ) 500 gm
eggs 6 nos.
vegetable oil 200 ml
sugar 150 gm
pumpkin grated 2 cups
apples grated or cut in small pieces 3 cups
apple sauce 1 cup
baking powder 3 tsp
baking soda 1/2 tsp
nutmeg powder 1 tsp
cinnamon powder 1tsp
dry ginger powder 2 tsp
salt 1/2 tsp


Procedure...

Mix the dry ingredients and keep aside after sieving them all together to aerate the mixture..

Pour oil a large mixing bowl , add sugar and then the eggs . Whip the mixture well till everything is homogenized . Add the applesauce and mix lightly . The applesauce i used was quite thick and i spooned it into the batter so some chunks of applesauce are there in the baked cake.

 Add the grated pumpkin and apple , mix well and then add the flour mixture and fold in lightly . Do not whip after mixing the flour mixture.

Pour the batter in greased and dusted tins and bake in preheated oven . 180 degree C for 45 minutes .

Check with the help of a skewer and cook a bit more if needed.



Cool down the cake and enjoy . The cake keeps well in the fridge and ages well too. The spices make this cake very special by the passing days ...if it lasts ...

This cake accompanied many of our teas and coffee...

I had made some muffins with the same batter in my ceramic teacups ...

And those muffins were gobbled down for breakfasts ... They were refrigerated after covering them with foil and it was easy to remove the foil and just microwave them for 30 seconds for a hearty breakfast...The husband loves sweet treats for breakfast...

I like something handy to serve... something rich , moist and sweet .

Rich sweet breakfast is not always a bad idea ... my glass of milk is hot while the husband likes it lukewarm ... but sometimes we like similar things too :)