Healthy Kabuli chana

My kid loves chhole.She eats only the chana & I eat the liquid curry  !

Ingredients : 1/2 cup kabuli chana soaked overnight ,2 onions,1-2 tomataoes,1 carrot ( optional ),1/2' grated ginger ,1-2 green chillies, a few sprig curry leaves,1 tsp garam masala powder,1/2 tsp haldi,1/2 tsp hing,2 tsp oil,salt to taste.

Method : Pressure cook the soaked  kabuli chana in cooker for 2 whistles.I throw the water in which it has been soaked & take fresh water which is enough to drown the chana.I add salt to the chana when I pressure cook.Pressure cook for 2-3 whistles.

Then lower the flame & let it cook on low for 10 minutes.Put off the gas.

Now roughly chop the onions,tomatoes,curry leaves ,green chillies &  carrots.Blend them all in a mixer - I mince the onions,curry leaves ,mirchi,ginger & carrot at one go .Later I add the chopped tomatoes to the onion -ginger carrot paste & run the mixer again to get a mixed veggie paste.

Take oil in a kadhai & put on the gas.Now add the garam  masala to it.Mix so that the oil & garma masala get blended.Now add the mixed veggie paste from the blender.Add haldi & hing.Let the mixed veggie paste start boiling .Add the cooked chana to it & bring to a boil again .Alternatively ,after chana has been added ,the contents can be transferred to another vessel which fits in cooker & pressure cooked for 2-3 whistles.

Serve chhole garnished with fresh dhania .Also a little lemon juice can be added before serving to make it tangier ! I add some whole masur sometimes,which has been soaked overnight along with chana in pressure cooker as the masur will add to the body of the curry.

Chhole is ideal for rotis as also rice !

I am sending this to Linking toCWS  hosted by Foodomania) & to Priya's page .

Chappati laddoos

I have tried making chappti laddoos earlier & had failed miserably.This time I googled for the recipe.I learnt from creative saga 

I made some changes & my recipe is as below....

Ingredients : 2.5 chappatis,approx 1/4 cup jaggery or even little less than 1/4 cup,1 tsp ghee.

Method : I crumbled the chappatis to powder in the mixer.Mix the crumbled chappati powder with grated or powdered jaggery.Take a kadhai & heat the ghee.Add the chappati -gur mix to the kadhai & with a ladle roast the chappati gur mixture on the ghee.After five minutes,put off the gas.

After another 5 minutes,take a small amount of the mixture on to your palms & shape it into a ball.Repeat with the remaining of the chappati-gur-ghee mixture.I got nearly 6 laddoos.

Huggi & palde

Huggi is Kannada for moong dal khichdi & palde is Kannada for kadhi.I love this simple combination though I love  Gujarati kadhi.

Ingredients for Khichdi : 1 cup rice & moong ( half split ) - one can use yellow moong dal as well.I use 1.4 moong with 3/4 cup rice.Preferences for the variation of moong dal to rice varies from 1 /4 cup moong to 3/4 cup rice to 1/2 cup moong to 1/2 cup rice.

1-2 clove -slightly crushed with pestle,4-5 peppercorns-slightly crushed,1 tsp cumin seeds,1/2 ' ginger -grated,1/2 tsp haldi,1/4 tsp hing,1tbsp oil or ghee,2.5 cups water.salt to taste.

Method : I cook khichdi in pressure pan .Take oil or ghee in pressure pan & warm it by putting on the gas.Add jeera followed by cloves & peppercorns.When they have turned aromatic ,add haldi & hing.Now add washed rice & moong dal & shallow fry so that all ingredients are mixed up.Add grated ginger & mix with the moong dal -rice mixture.Add water to the mixture .Mix all nicely.Add salt & mix again.Now close the pressure pan lid ( which is the pressure cooker lid ) & pressure cook on high for 2 whistles.Lower the flame & cook on slow for 5-6 minutes.Put off the gas.After the pressure pan has cooled,take off the whistle.After 5 more minutes,open the lid & serve khichdi garma garam !

My khichdi is generally on the drier side.More water can be added if a wet & loose khichdi is needed.Some prefer to cook in open pan.

Ingredients for Gujarati Kadhi: 2 cups beaten curds or chaas,1 tbsp besan ,1/2 tsp mustard seeds,1-2 sticks cinnamon,1 clove-roughly crushed,1tsp dhana jeera powder,1/2 inch ginger grated, 1 green chilli split in the middle,1/4 tsp methi seeds,1 tbsp ghee,1/4 tsp hing,salt to taste.

Method : Mix the besan with little amount of beaten curds & make into a smooth paste with no lumps Now add remainder of the beaten curds & nicely mix.Add grated ginger,hing,split green chilli & salt to the curds.Mix thoroughly.Add dhana jeera powder & mix again.Keep aside.

Take ghee  in a kadhai & warm it.Add methi seeds.When they splutter add mustard seeds,cinnamon sticks & the clove.Add hing .Pour the curd mix on to the spice mix in the kadhai .Keep mixing the contents with a ladle every now & then.Keep warming the mix till one boil.Put off the gas.Tangy kadhi is ready -pour it on khichdi or keep tasting with a spoon as you gently savour the khichdi.