Punjabi Chhole Recipe for Chhole Bhature

I find it fascinating to learn about local food traditions. And one of the ways I love to do that is by talking to people and asking them questions. My curiosity and love for food ensure that most of my conversations are sprinkled with questions and discussions about food.

It was during one of these conversations with my neighbour that I found out that there are two versions of chhole. One version is the curried version with the tomato and onion gravy that is had with rice. The other is what is had in the classic street food combination of Chhole Bhature. Bhature a fried bread made of a refined flour dough fermented overnight. Bhature are best described as huge (each is at least 10 inches in diameter), soft and spongy. 

Punjabi Chhole for Chhole Bhature

This made me curious, so I asked her for the recipe of the Chhole Bhature version of chhole. It turned out to be a very easy preparation with very basic dry spices. And it has no onion or garlic, which makes it perfect for Jain eaters. The trick of the dish is to let it simmer in the pan for as long as possible to bring out the spices in the dish.

Punjabi Chhole for Chhole Bhature

Punjabi Chhole Recipe for Chhole Bhature

Preparation Time: 8 hours (to soak the chhole)

Cooking Time: 45 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

2 cups white chickpeas
4 cups water

2 tbsps oil
3 tsps roasted cumin (jeera) powder
2 tsps turmeric powder
3 tsps red chilly powder
2 tsps garam masala powder
4 tsps corriander powder
Salt to taste

Onion rings (optional) and lemon wedges to serve

Method

Thoroughly wash the white chickpeas under running water. Soak them in the 4 cups of water overnight for at least 8 hours.

Pressure cook the chickpeas for 4 whistles till they're done. Drain the extra water from the chickpeas.

In a saucepan (preferably iron saucepan or kadhai) heat oil.

Lower the flame and add in the roasted cumin powder and the turmeric powder. Fry for about 15 seconds.

Bring the flame to a medium high and throw in the boiled chickpeas. Give it a good stir.

Now add in all the other spices - the red chilly powder, garam masala powder and corriander powder. Add in the salt to taste. Mix all of this well with the chickpeas.

Keeping the flame at a medium high, let the chickpeas simmer with the spices for about 5 minutes, ensuring that you constantly stir them.

Lower the flame and let the chickpeas cook with the spices for another 15-20 minutes. Stir constantly so that the spices don't burn.

Serve with lemon wedges and onion rings, parathas and dhaniya kadhi

Punjabi Chhole for Chhole Bhature Paratha and Dhaniya Kadhi

Singapore Food Adventures: Indonesian Bamboo Cakes

Imagine you're walking down a narrow street in a colourful and crowded market. At its corner you see a small cart piled with colourful little steamed balls. You almost walk past it, till you see a certificate of skill in making Indonesian Bamboo Cakes displayed on the cart. Wouldn't you stop and try it?

That's exactly what happened to me! And that was the day I tasted these delectable Indonesian Bamboo Cakes.

Indonesian Bamboo Cakes at a Street Cart in China Town Singapore

I ordered a mix of the available flavours in the Bamboo Cakes and got this box for $2 only! These bamboo cakes are made of palm sugar, cardamom and coconut wrapped in a rice flour paste. They are then steamed in bamboo pipes.

The steamed cakes have a very delicate texture. The palm sugar, coconut and jaggery add on to the mild nutty flavour of the steamed rice flour making it a delicious dish to eat.

Oh, and these are completely vegetarian, so no worries there for all vegetarians!

Where to Find Indonesian Bamboo Cakes? I found them in the Chinatown market. If you get down at the Chinatown MRT station, walk down as the road goes and take the first right where the eateries start, you'll see this at the corner of the street going towards the right. 

Singapore Food Adventures: Breakfast Like A Local

Let's start at the very beginning,
A very good place to start
                                - The Sound of Music

As I was thinking about what should I write first about from all the crazy food adventures I've had in Singapore, the notes of this song played in my head and I said, why not? So here I am starting at the beginning, the first meal of the day: breakfast!

A breakfast that is close to the Singaporeans' hearts is Kaya Butter Toast with some Kopi (coffee) or Teh (tea) to dip it in.

Kaya Thick Toast with Kopi at Toast Box Singapore

Kaya is a spread made by slow cooking coconut milk, sugar and eggs till the sugar caramelises giving a golden colour and rich taste to the spread. Kaya toast can be made using a thick toast or two thin slices of bread. In both versions, there is a thick slab of salted butter and a thick layer of kaya, either on top or between the two slices. The slightly salted buttery taste brings out the caramelised sweetness of the kaya on the toast.

Kopi or coffee is a local coffee blend that makes a strong brew. It is served with evaporated milk (think condensed milk, minus some of the sugar) which makes lends a distinctively delicious taste and consistency to the coffee.

If you ever go to Singapore, do breakfast like a local!

Where to Find Kaya Toast and Kopi? Small tea shop and eateries selling Kaya toast and kopi are everywhere. Just walk into one of these and enjoy the authentic experience. There are also chains of brands like Toast Box located in malls or individually around Singapore that serve Kaya Toast too.

Singapore Food Adventures: An Overview

Hello dear readers. I know I have been MIA last month, but I have good reasons for it. I have been on a relaxed vacation where I have really skipped even looking at my blog. 

This July I was taking my first international holiday in Singapore. I was hosted by my lovely to-be sister-in-law and her husband at their beautiful home and my fiance was able to join me the last two weeks of the trip! My fiance's best friend and his family are also in Singapore making it a great tourist and family vacation.

If you've been in touch with my Facebook page you'll have read of the food adventures I've been having there. How could the foodie in me miss out on all the variety of tasty food available.

 Here is a snapshot of all the great food memories I've carried back with me!

This past month I've had breakfast like a local, eaten authentic Thai food, sampled Korean barbecue at a stall in the mall, had three Vietnamese cuisine dinners, fallen in love with Indonesian bamboo cakes (that require a certificate of skill), had Swedish meatballs at IKEA, celebrated tai's birthday with Greek food, finally had authentic Mexican food, devoured burgers from American burger chains, dipped my toes in the ocean of Japanese food and celebrated my love for Turkish food (phew!). 

I will be writing about these over the next few posts, so watch out for them.

Top 10 Rainy Day Foods

Mumbai has finally seen some rains yesterday and today after a few erratic showers that marked the beginning of the monsoon a month back. As I sit in the balcony with a large mug of hot tea, rainy day food cravings hit me!

There are so many things I wish to make and eat that I came up with my list of Top 10 Rainy Day Foods... and here I am typing it away. So what would be on my mind on rainy days? Here goes

1. Kulhad Masala Chai

Hot and spiced full-bodied Assam tea, boiled to strong perfection with milk and sugar, served in a rustic earthernware kulhad - that's your Kulhad Masala Chai

Kulhad Masala Chai

The fragrance of the earth as you touch the kulhad to your mouth for a sip, followed by the minty and gingery sweetness of the tea just about defines perfection to a tea-lover like me. 

2. Bhajiyas/ Pakoras

Nothing can beat the combination of hot crispy onion bhajiyas (pakoras) and chai on a rainy day. Thin slivers of onion dipped in a gram flour batter spiced with corriander powder, red chilly powder, garam masala and turmeric powder and fried to golden brown perfection... oh sigh! 

Palak Kanda Bhajiya with Dipping Sauce

I also make this different version of bhajiyas- Palak Kanda Bhajiya with a dipping sauce which mesh the interesting tastes of spinach and onion and are served with a dipping sauce that has minty and corriander tastes added to your regular ketchup.

3. Wada Pav

Wada pav is Mumbai's most famous snack and street food and I strongly believe it must have been invented on a rainy day for rainy days! 

Wadapav

Wadas have a potato filling that has boiled and mashed potatoes cooked for quite some time with ginger, garlic and green chilly paste. This filling is then enveloped in a gram flour batter and deep fried. The prepared wada is served hot in a pav (a local bun) with a fresh green corriander and mint chutney and date and tamarind chutney Though you will find a wadapav stall at every nook and corner of the city, the best wadas are always the homemade ones... and they're so easy to prepare and gobble down! 

4. Thukpa Soup (Vegetarian)

Thukpa is a noodle based clear soup from the North East region of India. Usually served with a piece of meat, I have made a vegetarian version of the soup at home.

Thukpa Soup (Vegetarian)

This garlicky clear soup with hints of ginger and pungency and loads of noodles to twirl around your fork makes it a fun and must-have meal for when you are watching the rains from your balcony! And of course because of the noodles and less spiciness, kids love it!

5. Cutlets 

Ooooh cutlets! My favourite rainy day morning breakfast when I was at St. Xavier's.

Healthy Cutlets (but don't tell the kids that!)

A cutlet is a very simple patty of boiled potatoes and myriad vegetables cooked with spices which is then coated with semolina and fried or shallow fried. This little patty packs many flavours and enveloped in a pav (bun) it makes for such awesome rainy day comfort food. 

6. Bread Butter Jam

Rainy days can make you really hungry at times and then you want nothing but a quick fix! At these times there can't be anything better than warm, toasted bread served with butter melting on it with a dollop of jam for sweetness.

Bread butter with Apple Cinnamon Jam

One of my favourite jams to have is my home-made apple cinnamon jam which is fruity, sweet and has the perfect note of spice from the cinnamon in it!

7. Ragda Patties

I can have chaat any time and anywhere! And I am sure there are many people like me! While pani puri is my go-to chaat at all times, rainy days call for some hot chaat that is filling too... and so on rainy days I make ragda patties.

Ragda Patties

Ragda patties has soft potato patties served with a spicy white chickpea curry (ragda). This is then topped with date and tamarind chutney and mint and corriander chutney, sev, chopped onions and fresh corriander. Hot ragda patties with lots of sweet and tangy flavours makes for a great rainy day chaat!

8. Paranthas

Imagine a cool rainy day when the skies are grey and you are served a hot parantha right off the tawa with a big dollop of butter... sounds just about right, doesn't it?

Delhi ki Paranthe Wali Gali Ke Paranthe

Paranthas are flatbreads, usually spiced, that are made either with or without filling. On rainy days I like making these Delhi ke Paranthe wali Gali ke Paranthe. These flaky, crispy flatbreads spiced with dry spice powders between the layers are really yummy, especially when served with loads of butter!

9. Corn Chaat

Rainy days call for corn! I cannot think of any time when we've gone and got wet in the rains and not ended the day with bhutta (corn on the cob roasted on coals and served with lime juice, slat and red chilly powder rubbed all over it).

Corn Chaat

At home, I prefer making corn chaat on rainy days with lots of boiled sweet corn, chopped onions and tomatoes and masalas for the twist and taste.

10. Oats Upma

Oats upma can be one of those healthy yet yummy things people on a diet can have on a rainy day. A large bowl of this upma can make for a great breakfast or a light lunch or dinner when watching those rains fall away.

Oats Upma

Oats upma is a recipe I tried when I was craving upma but there was no rawa (semolina) at home. So, I made the upma in the traditional way and just substituted oats for rawa and voila! I had another tasty and very healthy dish ready to eat!

So here's my list of favourite rainy day dishes... what are your's?

Three Step Broccoli Salad Recipe

I recently appeared for the final exams of my Masters course... and like all exam times I ended up having a very hectic schedule everyday. This schedule left me no time for making elaborate lunches and dinners. And rather than rely on preservative-laden instant foods or heavily oily and spicy restaurant food, I prefer to make quick meals of soups and salads. One such recipe I 'came up' with during these exams (when I was supposed to be focussed on studying) was this quick broccoli salad.

Three Step Broccoli Salad

The three-step broccoli salad can be made in 5 minutes and is light, filling and tasty. In this salad, the typical pungent and astringent flavour of broccoli combines well with the sweet, spicy and sour Thai Sweet Chilli sauce based dressing. 

Three Step Broccoli Salad Up Close

This salad can be had by itself for a light yet filling summer meal. It can also be had as a side-dish with a meal of Thai Red Curry or Thai Green Curry and steamed rice. Here's how you can enjoy this salad at your home:

Three Step Broccoli Salad Recipe

Preparation Time: 8 minutes

Assembly Time: 2 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

2 cups broccoli florets

3 cups water

1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

A pinch of salt

For the dressing

1 tsp lemon juice

2 tbsps Thai Sweet Chilly Sauce

Method

Step 1: Bring the water to a boil in a sauce pan with a pinch of salt. Add broccoli florets for two minutes. Drain and run under cold water. 

Step 2: Mix together the lemon juice and the Thai Sweet Chilly Sauce.

Step 3: Pour the dressing over the florets and garnish with sesame seeds.

And voila! Your salad is ready to eat! 

Curried Lentil Soup

Since I am a food blogger here and a restaurant reviewer on Spicerover India with a new excuse to eat out (the golden period after engagement), I tend to eat heavy meals outside at least 4-5 times a week. So, when I am eating at home, I try to have light meals to maintain a balance (and my weight!).

Curried Lentil Soup

A lentil soup makes for a great one-dish meal for a diet. A bowl of this soup is quite filling. It is made with very little oil, it has no carbs (unless eaten with some form of bread) and has lots of proteins. The only downside for the Indian palate is that is has very little spices in it. Therefore, the other day, I read through some basic lentil soup recipes on the internet and I added my twist to it to make a tasty curried lentil soup.

Curried Lentil Soup

The recipe for this yummy soup is as follows:

Curried Lentil Soup

Preparation Time: 2 hours (to soak the lentils)

Making Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 cup yellow toor dal (split pigeon peas)
1/2 cup green moong dal (split green gram with the skins on)
1/2 cup udad dal (split black gram)
1/2 cup masoor dal (split red lentil)
4 cups water
1 tbsp olive/ peanut/ sunflower oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp asafoetida powder
1 tbsp ginger paste
1 tbsp garlic paste
1 medium sized tomato finely chopped
1 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsps red chilly powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp black pepper powder
Salt to taste

Lemon wedges to serve


Method

Wash all the lentils well and then soak them in 3 cups of water for 2 hours at least. Cook all the lentils in a pressure cooker for about 15 minutes till done. Roughly mash them a little after they are done.

In a deep pan heat the oil and temper with the cumin seeds.

Once the cumin seeds begin to crackle, add in the asafoetida powder and let it sizzle in the oil for about 10 seconds.

Now add in the ginger paste and garlic paste and fry in the oil for another 15 seconds.

Reduce the flame to a medium high and add in the chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder, red chilly powder and cumin powder. Fry the mixture for about 1 minute till the tomatoes release the oil and are tender.

Now increase the flame to high and add in the cooked and roughly mashed lentils.

Bring the mixture to a boil and add in the salt and black pepper powder. Reduce the flame and let the lentil soup simmer with the spices for about 10 minutes.

Serve hot with a dash of lemon juice.