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Oven-baked spiced chickpeas

I had a mild case of the munchies but felt too lazy to exert myself to make complicated snacks. Then it struck me – baked chickpeas (and folks, this is where canned chickpeas REALLY come into their own)!

I’ve read about baked chickpeas in quite a few blogs and all of them have raved about the chickpeas. So I decided to see for myself what all the fuss was about. The lethargy I was feeling meant that I couldnt be bothered to make up any exotic or unique spice concoction to flavour the li’l fellas. So I used good old sambar powder and tossed in a half tsp of chilli powder just to give it that extra kick.

The nice thing about these is that you can try different spice combinations every time you make them. And it doesnt have to stop with chickpeas – really any beans or lentils can be baked this way, of course with differing cooking time, depending on size. Plenty of fibre, very little fat. It’s all good.

Anyhow, at the end of about 40 minutes, I had a cupful of golden brown, spicy, crunchy chickpeas. I’m afraid I ate them all, every bit. And I’m not ashamed to say so! (SO SO SO SO SO SO SO.)

Recipe for: Oven-baked spiced chickpeas

Ingredients:

2 cans chickpeas
1 tbsp oil
2 tsp sambar powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder (or use any spice combination of choice)
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Rinse the chickpeas in running water and drain. Toss them with the sambar powder, chilli powder, salt and oil.

2. Spread on a baking tray in a single layer.

3. Bake in the oven at 180C, giving the tray a shake after 20 minutes or so to move the chickpeas around and allow for even baking.

4. When the chickpeas are golden brown (approx 30-45 minutes, depending on the type of oven), remove them from the oven. Cool and store in an airtight tin – if you have any left to store, that is.

ARf/5-a-Day #31 – Seasoned lemony carrot salad

Carrots to me fall in the category of vegetables which are best eaten raw. I dont much care for boiled carrots no matter how they are jazzed up. Roasted carrots are just about okay, but given the choice, I’d always have carrots raw. Maybe I was a rabbit in some former life.

Still, as nice as raw carrots are, they’re nicer still in this sour-sweet-spicy salad. I’d found some purple carrots in Sainsbury’s – new season carrots, the information on the package said. The purple colour, it went on to say, is naturally gained from the minerals in the soil. I dont know how far that is true, but the minerals apparently didnt have time to penetrate to the core of the carrots. Because when I sliced the tops off the carrots, I found that the purple colour extended only part-way inside.

I could well be wrong, but I got the impression that the colour had been somehow infused, rather like that school experiment with cut flowers (put them in coloured water, and in a few hours the petals and the insides of the stems pick up the colour from the water… but not ALL the way through – much like these carrots).

Anyway, the purple carrots tasted sweeter than the regular orange ones, and looked pretty in the salad as well. Chopped de-seeded tomatoes and cucumbers can be added to this salad. (I used tomatoes but not cucumbers.)

Personally, I love this salad right to the last drop… the collected juices of the tomatoes and carrots at the bottom of the bowl, tart with lemon juice and spiced up with mustard seeds and coriander leaves, are my particular pleasure and I dont care HOW rude it is to slurp it up, but I do!

My entry for Cate’s ARF/5-a-Day #31.

Recipe for: Seasoned lemony carrot salad

Ingredients:

4 cups grated carrots
2 medium tomatoes, chopped (can be de-seeded first)
2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp asafoetida
Salt to taste
Juice of two large limes (more or less as per taste)
3 green chillies, de-seeded and sliced very thin (adjust to taste)
1 tsp oil
3 tbsp fresh chopped coriander leaves

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a pan, put in the mustard seeds, cover the pan and let them pop (about 30 seconds).

2. Add the sliced green chillies and let them fry till they begin to turn brown. Then add the asafoetida powder and cumin powder and mix.

3. Toss the grated carrots and tomatoes together in a bowl. Pour over the seasoning, salt to taste and lemon juice, and the chopped coriander leaves.

4. Lightly mix with a large fork so that the seasoning and coriander leaves are distributed evenly.

Serve chilled.

Postcards From the World – this one’s going far, far away!

Here it is – my postcard from Shrewsbury which is on its way to its recipient!

As far as I can tell, culinary-wise, Mr Palin of Shrewsbury was famous for his biscuits (original recipe dating back to AD 1760!) but they dont seem to have really made it today as an attraction for the gourmet tourist. Traditionally, Shrewsbury biscuits are lemon-flavoured, sometimes with caraway seeds added. (I’ll make them one of these days – I have what is considered a traditional recipe for it.)

Anyway, since I couldnt get any postcards with photos of those biscuits, I had to settle for a general postcard of Shrewsbury.

For those who’re interested, the lovely black-and-white building top left is the Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery (it used to be called Rowley’s House Museum till 2001). More about it here.

Top right is a garden set in a depression, known as The Dingle. It’s a lovely landscaped little park, very pretty in the summer. It’s also known as Shrewsbury’s Enchanted Garden.

Bottom right is the garden in the grounds of Shrewsbury Castle (bottom left) – this also houses the Shropshire Regimental Museum. You can even get married in the castle grounds, if you want to feel like a princess in a fairytale wedding! Oh, not to be discriminatory – princes are welcome too!

Methi chana (Chickpea gravy with fenugreek greens)

I was inspired to make methi chana when I read Garam Masala’s recipe for fenugreek chickpeas. The recipe is pretty much hers, with a few tweaks. The fact that the recipe doesnt call for onions was quite intriguing, because onions and garlic are integral to most of the things I make (not cakes, though. Honest!).

Of course I’ve eaten no-garlic-no-onion food and enjoyed it one heck of a lot but it was always made by someone else – usually professionals! Theoretically I was aware that it is possible to make aromatic, tasty dishes that dont contain onions… but thus far I hadnt tried it myself.

As an added bonus, I love chickpeas, and I love methi – what’s not to try, right?

Seeing isnt believing in some cases. Making is. And y’all know what? I made it! And I believe! I’ve seen the light! I BELIEVE!

This recipe is for you, ma.

Recipe for: Methi chana

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh fenugreek leaves (grind this coarsely)
1 can (440gm) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 tbsp ghee (I’d advocate using ghee, its fragrance is essential!)
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 cloves
1/2 inch stick cinnamon
3/4 tsp mustard seeds
2 green chillies, chopped finely
1 tsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) – optional
3/4 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp asafoetida
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
2 tomatoes – blanched, de-skinned and chopped
Amchur (dry mango powder) or tamarind paste, to taste for desired sourness
1 tbsp fresh coriander leaves

Method:

1. Dry roast the fenugreek seeds, cloves, cinnamon stick and cumin seeds for 30 seconds. Cool and pound into a powder using a mortar and pestle. Reserve.

2. In a pan, heat the ghee, add the green chillies and mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds have popped, briefly fry the dried kasuri methi (15 seconds or so) then add the chopped tomatoes and fry till they become soft.

3. Add the coarsely ground raw methi leaves and mix well. Add 1/2 cup water and the powdered masala, and bring to a gentle simmer till the methi is cooked.

4. Now add the chickpeas, amchur or tamarind paste, turmeric powder, asafoetida and garam masala, and mix again. Add salt to taste, then pour in 1-1/2 cups water.

5. Simmer the chana till the gravy comes together. Crush some of the chickpeas to thicken the gravy.

If required, mix 2 tbsp gram flour in 4 tbsp water and add it to the gravy. Simmer for 5 minutes more. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

Serve hot over rice or with chapaties, puris.

ARF/5-a-day #30 – Berry berry berry perfect muffins

With all those berries waiting patiently in the fridge, I searched the Net for the perfect berry muffin recipe. I came across quite a few recipes, but none of them quite appealed. I like recipes to sound (or read) like they know what they’re about, and especially so if the end product is something with which I’m not really familiar.

Anyway, just when I was getting tired of seeing the same old recipe on different websites, I came across a blog from Boston (http://homeyturtleg.blogspot.com/) that had JUST what I was looking for – a quest for a better mixed berry muffin.

Now how could I resist that, especially as the write-up wasnt over gushy (mea culpa sometimes, I know *blush*), just matter-of-fact about the delectableness of the end product. I HAD to try the recipe. So I did. The recipe said it made 12 muffins, but when I saw the amount of batter I ended up with, I wondered if that was a mistake. Perhaps they made 24 muffins. But no, the instructions were to fill the muffin cups 3/4 of an inch over the top – not 3/4 of an inch from the top.

I understood why when the muffins began to bake – they rose up and rested their rims on the actual muffin pan, looking extremely professional (sorta mushroom shaped… or if you like your similes to be more virile, they were like the “V” shape so preferred by M&B authors for their heroes… broad shoulders tapering to a narrow waist – heheheheh). Anyway, I was extremely impressed with the result (not to mention impressed with myself).

The muffins were delightful – melt in the mouth softness with a wonderful aroma and taste. They were pretty good the next day too, warmed in the microwave. But if you wish to attain muffin nirvana, you’ve just gotta have ‘em when they’re oven-fresh and warm.

I’ve found the perfect mixed berry muffin recipe. My quest is ended. Guess I have to start another quest now!

This is my submission for ARF/5-a-day #30 hosted by Cate at Sweetnicks

Recipe for: Berry berry berry perfect muffins

Ingredients:

3-1/2 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1-1/3 cup white sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 cup whole milk
1 cup Greek yogurt, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 large egg yolk, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
2 cups mixed berries (I used fresh blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a large 12-cup muffin pan with paper cups.

2. In a large bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and mix well.

3. In another bowl, whisk sugar, melted butter, milk, Greek yogurt, eggs, egg yolk, vanilla, and lemon zest.

4. Pour the wet batter into the flour mix and fold gently with rubber spatula until the flour is moistened. Do not beat.

5. Fold in the berries carefully.

6. Use a scoop to put the batter into the muffin cups so that the batter rises above the cup rim by about 3/4-inch.

7. Bake for 25 minutes or so until the muffins are golden brown. Let the muffin pan cool on a rack for 15-20 minutes. Eat warm (the muffins, not the pan…).

The muffins can be stored for a day or two in a tightly sealed container. Re-heat for 20 seconds in the microwave before serving (my preference).

Monthly Mingle #3 – Mixed berry smoothie and Ice-blended Scottish cream coffee

I have TWO entries for Meeta’s Monthly Mingle #3 – Beat The Heat. I made a mixed berry smoothie with blueberries, strawberries and raspberries (very kid-friendly), which was yummy and went down a treat.

Then Pete decided to make a slushie for adults with coffee and Scottish cream liqueur. Mmmmmmm…. the slushie was wickedly good and disappeared so quickly that I just about had time to take a photo of the last half-cup that remained!

Recipes for: Mixed berry smoothie and Ice-blended Scottish cream coffee

Ingredients for Mixed Berry Smoothie:

1-1/2 cups mixed berries (I used strawberries, raspberries and frozen blueberries)
3 scoops low-fat vanilla icecream
2 cups milk
1 cup yogurt
a few ice cubes
Sugar to taste

Method:

Blitz all the ingredients (minus the sugar) in a blender. Taste for sweetness and add sugar as required. Blend again. Serve cold in big glasses.

Ingredients for Ice-blended Scottish cream coffee

1/3 cup strong brewed Espresso
4 scoops low-fat vanilla icecream
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup cream liqueur (Baileys, etc)
Sugar if required
LOTS of ice

Method:

Blitz in a blender till the ice is well crushed. The slushie should be thick. Serve at once in wide-mouthed glasses.

Mushroom and bell pepper soup

I came across the recipe for this soup on the Vegetarian Society website and was attracted by what seemed to me like rather an odd selection of ingredients – red bell pepper, chunky peanut butter, coconut milk and mushrooms, not forgetting rice. Amazingly, no fresh herbs were required. I didnt have the spring onions called for, so I used shallots instead. And since I didnt have button mushrooms at that point, I used a mixture of chestnut and large white mushrooms.

I wasnt sure how the ingredients would work together, but decided to try it anyway. And what a pleasant surprise I got, because the soup was d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s! Hearty, filling, flavourful and very tasty – despite not having any chillies in it (I like chillies in most things). It was a definite hit with me, and a HUGE hit with Pete. Not only that, it was pretty easy to make, too… maybe just a wee bit of preparation, but otherwise really easy. A definite keeper, this recipe.

I cant wait to try it with different mushrooms and different coloured bell peppers, and see if the taste differs!

Recipe for: Mushroom and bell pepper soup

Ingredients:

1 cup boiling water
3 tbsp fresh grated coconut
2 cups mushrooms (chestnut and white), sliced
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
4 shallots, chopped
2 cups vegetable stock
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp soft brown sugar
1/3 cup long grain rice, uncooked
2 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
1 red bell pepper, chopped
salt to taste

Method:

1. Mix together the mushrooms, turmeric powder and chilli powder. Set aside.

2. Pour one cup boiling over the grated coconut and leave to infuse for 20 minutes. Squeeze the coconut to extract the milk, strain and reserve the liquid.

3. In a large pan, add the shallots, coconut milk, vegetable stock, lemon juice, sugar, rice, peanut butter and red pepper. Stir well.

4. Bring to the boil, stirring to make sure the peanut butter melts, then cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

5. Add the mushrooms and simmer for a further 5 minutes, until the rice is tender. Add salt to taste, if necessary. (The soup can be had as is, or if you prefer, you can blend some of it to create a better texture.)

6. Remove about half of the soup, let it cool, then blend to a puree. Add it back to the remaining soup.

Serve hot with fresh baked, buttered baguette slices.

Weekend Breakfast Blogging #2 – Semiya-rava idlis

In other words, “vermicelli-semolina idlis”.

I was kindly invited by Nandita of Saffron Trail to take part in her first-ever Weekend Breakfast Blogging event last week. Unfortunately, although I wanted to, I couldnt – we went away for the weekend and I couldnt get to a computer, and all of last week has been ridiculously busy at work.

Anyway, sob story aside, I’m happy to say that this week I AM participating! I didnt have regular vermicelli, which is slightly thicker than the angel-hair version I used. As far as I’m concerned, neither has any merit over the other when it comes to taste, but I’d say regular semiya would be a lot easier to handle. The angel-hair vermicelli nearly did my head in by being so light and – dont laugh – sharp when I tried to break it up into smaller pieces. It was really annoying to be hurt by something that looks so delicate!

Still, I managed (I know, I deserve an award for bravery, and I’m already working on my acceptance speech). And here it is, my entry for Weekend Breakfast Blogging #2.

Recipe for: Semiya-rava idlis

Ingredients:

3/4 cup rava (cream of wheat)
2 cups vermicelli or angel-hair pasta, broken into small pieces
4 tsp oil
2-3 cups slightly sour yogurt or curds (not sour is also ok)
5-6 green chillies, sliced into thin circles
2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp urad dal
1/2 tsp cumin seeds, lightly crushed
3 tbsp cashewnuts, broken into pieces
10 curry leaves, torn in halves or quarters
1/2 tsp asafoetida powder
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Heat 1 tsp oil and fry the rava, stirring all the time till it turns light brown and smells nicely roasted. This should take 4-5 minutes on medium heat. Remove to a big bowl once it’s done.

2. Heat another tsp oil and fry the vermicelli till golden brown. Add that to the roasted rava.

3. Heat 2 tsp oil and fry the cashewnuts till they turn a nice reddish-brown. Set aside with the vermicelli and rava.

4. In the oil that’s remaining in the pan, pop the mustard seeds. Then add the sliced green chillies, curry leaves, cumin seeds, urad dal and asafoetida powder and stir till the dal begins to turn golden brown. Remove from the heat and set aside.

5. Add the yogurt/curds to the rava-semiya and mix into a thick batter. It should not be too stiff, but it shouldnt be runny either.

6. Mix in salt to taste and set the batter aside for 15 minutes. By this time the batter might have absorbed some of the liquid and become really thick. Thin it out if required with some water or beaten curds.

7. Mix in the seasoning.

8. Pour into greased idli plates and steam exactly like idlis for about 10-12 minutes.

9. Serve hot with coconut chutney.

Basic molagapodi (dal-chilli powder)

I think the title says it all!

Recipe for: Basic molagapodi

Ingredients:

1/4 cup chana dal
1/4 cup urad dal
2 tbsp sesame seeds (black, natural, white, whatever)
10-15 dried red chillies (or to taste)
15-20 fresh curry leaves (preferably) or dried will do
1/4 tsp asafoetida powder
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Dry roast the chana dal and urad dal separately till golden brown. Let cool.

2. Dry roast the red chillies and curry leaves till the curry leaves are dry and crisp. (If using dried curry leaves, roast the chillies for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently).

3. Toast the sesame seeds for a couple of minutes or until they start popping.

4. Let all the ingredients cool down, then grind to a fairly fine powder. Add salt to taste.

Molagapodi is ready to be used as a side-dish for dosa, idli, etc, along with ghee or nallennai (gingelly oil).

Here’s a confession: I even make molagapodi sandwiches if I’m at a total loss about what to make when I’m really hungry.