Dum Aloo Channa

Ingredients

• Baby Potatoes - 20-25

To grind for Masala

• Almonds - 10, blanched
• Tomatoes - 1 cup (about 2 medium)
• Ginger - 1 inch
• Garlic - 3 cloves, peeled
• Dry Red Chilies - 4

For the Gravy

• Onions - 1.5 cups (1 large onion)
• Oil - 6 teaspoons (4 tsp for frying potatoes & 2 tsp for gravy)
• Cumin Seeds / Jeera - 1 teaspoon
• 1 cup boiled channa(white chickpeas)
• Cloves - 2
• Cinnamon - 1 inch
• Cardamom - 2
• Turmeric / Haldi powder - ½ teaspoon
• Garam Masala - 1 teaspoon
• Kasuri Methi / Dry fenugreek leaves - 2 teaspoons
• SALT - 3-4 teaspoons (or as per taste)
• Yogurt / Curd - ½ cup (100 ml) (not the thick kind)
• Water - ½ cup (80-100ml) (if required)
• Coriander / Cilantro leaves - for garnish

Instructions

I. Preparing the baby potatoes -

1. Boil & peel the potatoes.
2. Heat a pan & add 4 teaspoons oil to it.
3. Add the potatoes
4. Fry till the potatoes turn golden brown and form a nice crisp layer. (keep an eye on the pan as the potatoes may burn if not tossed regularly)
5. Keep aside

II. For the masala

1. In a blender, take tomatoes, blanched & peeled almonds, ginger, garlic & red chilis. (ingredients mentioned under 'To grind for masala'.
2. Blend to a smooth paste & set aside

III. For the gravy

1. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil to a pan
2. Add cumin seeds, clove, cinnamon & cardamom. Sauté for 1-2 minutes
3. Add chopped onions
4. Sauté till they get a golden brown color.
5. Add the ground paste (from above ?)
6. Mix & sauté for 4-5 minutes
7. Add the Salt, Turmeric, Garam Masala & Kasuri Methi
8. Mix well. Let it cook for a minute

IV. Final Step: Getting it all together

1. Add the fried baby potatoes and cooked channa to this mixture and mix once.
2. Add the yogurt/curd
3. Mix well and simmer for around 10 minutes
4. In case the curry is too dry, add a little water.
5. Garnish with coriander / cilantro leaves & serve!

Spicy panko chickpeas patties

Spicy panko chickpeas patties

As we talked, I was reminded of an older recipe of mine which I hadn’t revisited for quite some time. My Crispy Panko Chickpea Patties are a perfect example of a Japanese/Middle Eastern fusion dish. I recently went back to retest this recipe and made quite a few adjustments. The original recipe called for soaked chickpeas, but when I made them again they cooked up really crunchy and falafel-like. I felt like the light and crisp texture of the panko was lost to the crunchiness of the soaked beans. I made them a few more times using cooked chickpeas, which made a softer center and allowed the panko to cook up golden and crunchy. Using cooked (or canned) chickpeas also helped the mixture to hold together better, making it easier to form patties. Finally, I tested a baked option for those who don’t like to deep fry. It’s not as delish as the fried version, but it does have a lot less fat/oil, so it’s a good option for those who are watching their weight.

These patties have become my new go-to vegetarian burger option. I like serving them on slider buns with a variety of toppings. The heat can be adjusted to taste. They’re good enough to make me jump on the fusion cuisine bandwagon. Panko for the win!

INGREDIENTS

• 3 1/2 cups chickpeas (garbanzo beans) - cooked or canned and drained
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp minced fresh garlic or ½ tsp garlic powder
• 3/4 tsp salt (if you’re salt sensitive, use ½ tsp)
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, or more to taste (if spice sensitive, start with 1/4 tsp)
• 1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
• Grapeseed oil for frying

YOU WILL ALSO NEED

• food processor, skillet (if baking, you will need a baking sheet, nonstick cooking oil spray and grapeseed oil)

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cook Time: 20 - 40 Minutes

Total Time: 30 - 50 Minutes

Servings: 12 patties

• Fit your food processor with a metal blade attachment. Place cooked chickpeas, chopped parsley, eggs, cumin, garlic, salt, and cayenne pepper into the food processor.
• Pulse the ingredients together just a few times till the chickpeas are chopped and the ingredients are mixed. Scrape the sides of the processor after a few pulses. Do not over-process or you’ll get hummus—stop when the mixture is still rough and only partially hummus-like.
• Once the mixture reaches the desired consistency, pour it out into a bowl and use a fork to stir in the panko breadcrumbs till well mixed.
• Form the chickpea mixture into small slider-sized patties, ¼ cup mixture per patty.
• Fill a skillet with grapeseed oil to a depth of ¼ inch. Heat the oil slowly over medium heat till hot enough to fry. Before frying my first batch of patties, I like to test the oil temperature by frying one patty in the center of the pan. If the oil is at the right temperature, it will take about 2-3 minutes per side to brown (5-6 minutes total). If it browns faster than that, your oil is too hot and your patties will not be fully cooked in the center. Cool the oil down slightly and try again. This is also a good opportunity to taste the first cooked test patty and adjust seasonings, if desired, adding more cayenne for a spicier patty or more salt to taste.
• When the oil is at the right temperature, fry the patties in batches of 4 till golden brown on both sides.



Spicy panko chickpeas patties

• When the patties are fried, remove them from the oil using a slotted spoon or spatula. Let them drain on paper towels. Serve the patties fresh and hot.  You can serve them on their own, or on slider-sized buns with a variety of burger-like toppings.
•  MINT COCONUT CHUTNEY
• main ingredients:
  • ¼ cup mint leaves
  • ½ cup grated coconut, fresh or frozen
  • 1 tbsp roasted chana/bengal gram
  • ½ inch ginger, roughly chopped
  • 8-9 curry leaves
  • 1 or 2 green chilies, chopped
  • 1 tbsp oil
  for tempering:
• ½ or ¾ tsp mustard seeds
• 8-9 curry leaves
• a pinch of asafoetida

Instructions

1. heat oil in a small pan.
2. fry the mint leaves, curry leaves and ginger till the mint and curry leaves become crisp.
3. remove this mixture from the pan and let it cool.
4. in a chutney grinder or blender, add the rest of the ingredients along with the fried mint leaves, curry leaves and ginger.
5. add about ¼ or ½ cup water and grind to a smooth paste.
6. in the same pan, add oil if required.

preparing the tempering

1. add the mustard seeds and let them crackle.
2. then add the curry leaves and asafoetida.
3. fry for some seconds.
4. pour the tempering mixture along with the oil in the chutney.
5. stir well and serve mint coconut chutney immediately with idli, dosa or uttapam.