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CLASSIC HUMMUS



    Living in Middle East for number of years, I have learned a lot about the rich Arabian heritage and food culture. I learnt this recipe from a Lebanese friend of mine who is a great neighbour – we exchange a lot about history and cultures of our homelands. Trust me, this is a staple recipe that everyone who lives in the Middle East must know – a mezze platter is never complete without a beautiful and rich homemade hummus!


    Recently hummus has gained a lot of popularity for being vegan-friendly and rich source of protein, and the best part is that it's easy to change it up and experiment with delicious new flavours! Check out the recipe for my Sun-dried Tomato Hummus here, and my Basil Pesto Hummus here.



    PREP TIME: 10 minutes

    MAKING TIME: 5 minutes

    YIELDS: 500g approx./ one medium serving bowl



    INGREDIENTS

    • 1x400g can chickpeas

    • 2 cloves garlic

    • 2-3 tbsp tahini paste

    • 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

    • 1/4 tsp salt or to taste

    • 2-3 dash of freshly cracked black pepper

    • 3 tsp lemon juice

    • 1 tbsp brine water in which chickpeas are preserved/ fresh water

    For garnish:

    • 1 tbsp parsley, chopped

    • 1 tbsp zereshk berries (optional)

    • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

    • 1/2 tsp sumac



    METHOD

    1. Drain the chickpeas from the can and reserve the water.

    2. In a food processor bowl, add chickpeas, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper and reserved water. Blend them together until slightly textured and not silky smooth. Add an extra tablespoon of reserved or fresh water if you find it too thick to blend.

    3. Take out in a serving bowl, swirl with the back of spoon to make a well in center. Drizzle the olive oil, sprinkle parsley, Zereshk and sumac. Serve


    COOK'S NOTES

    • Classically hummus is made by boiling the overnight soaked chickpeas with water and a bit of salt. Let them cool and using the rest of the recipe’s ingredients to make the classical hummus.

    • Reserve the water from the boiled chickpeas to adjust the consistency of the hummus or the brine water from the canned chickpeas. Add a tablespoon extra if you find chickpeas are clogging to loosen up the consistency to blend better.

    • Boiled chickpeas can be puréed and preserved by keeping it in airtight ziplock bags for later use.

    • Defrost or thaw the chickpea purée before blending with other ingredients to make hummus.

    DYNAMITE CAULIFLOWER


      Are you a vegetarian or vegan and looking for some yummy starter which serves your needs? This dynamite cauliflower is just a perfect choice for you with burst of flavours in your mouth. Its perfect balance of crispy, tangy and slightly spicy flavours will delight your friends and family.



      PREP TIME: 15 minutes

      COOKING TIME: 10 minutes

      SERVES: 4




      INGREDIENTS


      For Cauliflower

      • 275g Cauliflower florets, cut into small bite size pieces

      • 50g plain flour

      • 25g cornflour

      • 1 tsp onion powder

      • 1/2 tsp garlic powder

      • Salt

      • Pepper

      • 1/4 tsp red chilli powder

      • 1/2 cup water

      • Oil for frying

      For sauce:

      • 1/3 cup tahini

      • 1/3 cup water, if needed add more

      • 2-3 tsp lemon juice

      • 2 tbsp sriracha sauce

      • 2 tsp chilli garlic sauce

      • 1/4 tsp salt

      For garnish:

      • Dried onions 1 tbsp

      • 1 spring onion, chopped

      • Few small lettuce leaves


      METHOD


      1. Wash and cut cauliflower florets into small bite size pieces.

      2. In a bowl, sift plain flour and cornflour, add onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper and red chilli powder; add water and mix well to make a smooth batter like pancake batter.

      3. Dip floret in batter to coat and gently drop in medium hot oil, repeat with all florets, fry on medium low heat until light golden in colour.

      4. In a separate bowl add tahini, water, lemon juice, salt, sriracha and chilli garlic sauce, mix them well. Drop the fried florets in sauce mix, coat well and sprinkle dried onion on top, garnish with finely chopped spring onion and serve immediately.

      COOK'S NOTES

      • If you are conscious of frying the cauliflowers, these can also be air fried. Slightly shallow fry to sear the batter and then place it in the air fryer or oven to cook it completely.

      • Its best served hot. Once you toss the florets in the sauce, serve immediately. Keeping it longer in the sauce will make it soggy.

      KHANDVI



        I love making old classics from scratch, but sometimes they don’t go as planned. I tried my hand at Khandvi a while ago, which is a typical Gujarati rolled snack made with gram flour, yoghurt and green chilli paste. It’s so addictive as the rolls melt in your mouth so beautifully, coating your palate with its unique earthy and fresh flavours. The first time I tried making Khandvi resulted in a structural disaster, which I later found out was because the consistency was too thin while cooking it. It made the batter too loose and sticky, and didn’t dry up enough to form beautiful rolls.


        Though I gave up on it then, I was curious to make it again, and boy was it such a success! Not only did the rolls take shape just as expected, the shape also enriched the eating process as it held the freshly grated coconut filling I added in its layers.


        The flavour profile of Khandvi is tough to describe if you’re not familiar with Gujarati cuisine, but seriously you should definitely take up the challenge and make it for yourself.

        Let me know how it goes - whether you master the shape, the flavour or both - tag me in your pictures!💛


        PREP TIME: 10 minutes

        COOKING TIME: 20 minutes

        PASSIVE TIME: 15 minutes MAKES: 40-50 rolls




        INGREDIENTS


        For batter:

        • 1 cup besan/gram flour

        • 1 cup yogurt, room temperature

        • 2 cups water

        • 3/4 tsp salt or to taste

        • 1 tsp turmeric powder

        • 1 tsp green chilli paste

        • 1 tsp ginger paste


        For garnishing :

        • 1 sprig curry leaves

        • 1 tbsp oil

        • 4-5 green chillies, split in half lengthwise

        • 1 tsp mustard seed

        • 1 tsp sesame seeds

        • Pinch of asafoetida

        • 2 tbsp coconut, freshly grated

        • 1 tbsp coriander, chopped


        METHOD


        1. In a small grinder, add ginger and green chillies along with 1 tbsp of water and blend into a paste.

        2. In a bowl, sift besan, add yogurt and little water. Mix together with a whisk to make the paste. Now add salt, turmeric, green chilli and ginger paste. Gradually adding water, whisk to make a lump-free smooth batter.

        3. Transfer the batter in a non-stick pan, cook on low heat stirring constantly until it is thick enough to a spreading consistency. It should not be too thick or too loose. Check cook's notes.

        4. Immediately on clean kitchen bench top, spread the batter very thinly with the offset spatula or knife. Let it cool completely, about 10-15 minutes.

        5. Sprinkle, freshly grated coconut and coriander.

        6. Remove the uneven edges by running a knife around the cooled spread batter. Cut it into strips about 6 x 3 inch long. Roll up the strips by gently lifting from one end. Repeat with other strips and arrange the khandvi rolls on a platter.

        7. Heat oil in pan, add mustard seeds, let them splat. Add curry leaves, asafoetida, green chillis and sesame seeds..toss it for few seconds, pour over the khandvi. Serve with mint and coriander green chutney.

        COOK'S NOTES

        • Its really important to make the perfect consistency of the batter. It should not be too thick or too loose. To check the right consistency, when you drop the batter with spoon it should drop in gradual intervals. If it drops quickly then your batter is too thin. If it stays on spoon, it is too thick.

        • It can be prepared ahead of time and can be served later with fresh garnishing.


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