Last Saturday we had a pre-birthday party for my mother in law. It was basically a family affair with my mom in law's siblings and their families getting together for some food and good laugh. This was a pretty easy dinner party to arrange because everyone brought over a dish. So I was left with very little cooking to do. My mom got her signature veg dish Niramish (must remember to share that recipe with the world some time soon), my aunts in law brought salad, Hilsa curry and Beef curry. I did a chicken korma, a masala chickpea dish and a chutney to add bit of sweet and sour twang to the evening. The two recipes I am sharing today are from the dinner menu. Of course thanks to all the running around I totally forgot to take photos of the dishes. Will upload them when I cook them next time around. In the mean time here are the recipes. Both the dishes are very easy to make and are ready in 45 minutes which makes them great for even week day post work cooking. The chutney is great not only with desi food but also with any kind of roast meat even over burger patties!
The masala chickpea recipe is adapted from a recipe in one of my fave Indian cook book called Low Calorie Indian Cooking. Chickpeas take quite a bit of time to soak and cook and when you are someone like me who is not too great with that kind of planning during week days, this short cut of using canned chickpeas is the way to go!
The Chutney is an adaptation from a recipe in one of Madhur Jaffery's Cookbook.
Quick Masala Chickpeas
Serves 6
Canned Chickpeas - 2 cans (drained, chickpeas rinsed with plain water and drained again)
Tomato - 1 cup (finely chopped)
Whole Cumin Seeds - 1 teaspoon
Onion - 2/3 cup (finely sliced)
Tamarind pulp - 1/3 cup (2 tablespoons if using tamarind extract)
Green Chili - 1 (finely chopped) Add more if you want it hotter
Turmeric - 1/4 teaspoon
Coriander powder - 1 teaspoon
Cumin powder - 1 teaspoon
Garam Masala Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt - to taste
Oil - 2 tablespoon
Diced Tomatoes and Onion and chopped Cilantro for garnishing
1. Heat the oil in a wok, add the Cumin seeds and fry for 30 seconds until the seeds start to splutter. Add the onion and green chili, fry for 3-4 minutes until the onion is soft.
2. Add the coriander, cumin and turmeric powder and fry the spices for another few minutes until the raw smell of the spices are gone and the oil rises above the fried spices. If required add 1 tablespoon of water time to time to prevent the spice mixture from burning.
3. Add the chopped tomatoes and salt and fry for another 5 minutes until the tomatoes are soft.
4. Add the drained chickpeas, tamarind and garam masala powder. Mix to coat the chickpeas with the tomato-spice mixture. Add about 1/3 cup water.
5. Cover the wok and cook over low flame for 15 minutes until the gravy is almost all absorbed. Check and adjust seasoning. Add some more tamarind if you don't get a slight sour twang while tasting.
6. Serve the chickpeas garnished with diced onion, tomato and chopped cilantro.
Enjoy!!!
Yummy Fruit Chutney
Serves 6
Apples (preferably sour ones) - cored, peeled and roughly chopped 2 cups
Dried Aloo Bokhara/Dried Apricot - 1 cup
Golden Raisins - 1/2 cup
White Vinegar - 1/2 cup - 2/3 cup
Brown/White Granulated Sugar - 1/2 cup -2/3 cup
Red Chili Powder - 1/2 teaspoon -2/3 teaspoon
Ginger paste - 2/3 teaspoon
Garlic paste - 1/3 teaspoon
Salt - 1 teaspoon (or to taste)
1. Mix all the ingredients together and put it over medium heat.
2. Simmer until the apples are nice and soft and most of the liquid is absorbed.
3. Taste the chutney and adjust the seasoning. The taste would be mostly sweet and sour with a mild chili kick.
4. Serve the chutney at room temperature. You can put it in a sealed container and store it in the fridge for at least 7 days.
Enjoy!!!!
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