Hummus recipe

HUMMUS
 FROM SCRATCH  RECIPE

Hummus is a middle eastern dip or spread made from cooked and mashed chickpeas mixed with salt, lemon juice and tahini which is made of seasme. Tahini is not available everywhere so I have replaced it with home-made sesame paste.

Traditionally hummus is eaten with pita bread or as an accompaniment to Falafal , grilled chicken, fish or eggplant. But now a days, all over the world it is enjoyed with tortilla chips or crackers.

Ingredients:-

Seasme seeds                        - 1/4 cup
Olive oil.                               - 3 tbsp
Soaked and boiled chickpeas- 2 cups
Garlic.                                   - 4to5 cloves
Salt                                        - 1 tsp
Lemon                                   - 1 1/2

Roasted cumin powder and little paprika to garnish

Method:

Roast Seasme seeds in a heavy bottom pan until light golden in colour. Let it cool.

Grind roasted seeds in a grinder for few seconds... scrape from sides...repeat two three times then add 1/2 tbsp of oil.
Run grinder at full speed for 30 seconds. Paste should become of running consistency.
This is our substitute of Tahini.

Now, in a big jar, add boiled chickpeas, garlic cloves, salt and Seasme paste. Run the mixer at medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes to get creamy consistency.

Add 1 1/2 tbsp of olive oil and squeeze lemon juice to this.
Run mixer to mix everything equally.

Take out in a deep bowl and sprinkle roasted cumin powder, paprika and pour rest of olive oil over it.

Enjoy with pita bread or crackers.

KALAKAND

Kalakand is a creamy milk burfi made with paneer. Traditionally Kalakand recipe calls for curdling the milk and then reducing the milk for hours.  But today I am sharing the short cut method, in which I have used a can of condensed milk which gives same results and reduces the cooking time drastically. 

This diwali whip up this melt in mouth sweet in minutes and get compliments.

Ingredients :-

Paneer-500 gms
Sweetened Condensed Milk - 1 can
Instant Milk Powder- 3 tbsp
Sugar - 3 tbsp
Green Cardamom Powder - 1/2 tsp
Pistachio  - for garnish(blanched and chopped)
Saffron - few strands soaked in 2 tablespoon of warm milk

Method :- 

Crumble paneer with hands in a thick bottom pan, don't leave big chunks in.
Pour in the tin of condensed milk,  mix
Add milk powder and sugar and mix.
Put it on medium heat and cook stirring constantly till it starts to leave sides and cling to the stirring spoon.
Add Cardamom powder and transfer to a greased plate.
Sprinkle saffron infused milk and garnish with chopped pistachios, keep in fridge for  2 hours to set.
Take out of fridge and cut into squares. 

WISH YOU AND YOUR FAMILY A VERY HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS DEEPAVALI

Enjoy! ! !

BEANS FOOGATH

Foogath is a generic term used for any dry vegetable cooked with curry leaves and coconut. Originally this recipe hails from Goa, where plenty of coconuts are  used in cooking.

Beans foogath is a healthy and light dish that can be cooked on regular basis for weeknights.  It can be eaten warm or cold as salad.

Ingredients :-

French beans - 250 gms
Onion - 1 small
Oil - 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1tsp
Dry red chillies- 2
Curry leaves- 5-6
Salt - according to taste
Grated coconut- 1/4 cup

 

Method :-

Wash and cut beans finely,  chop onion.
Heat oil in a wok or pan, put in mustard seeds and red chillies. When mustard seeds start to splatter add curry leaves and onion.
Stir fry on high heat for one minute,  add beans and salt.
Cover and cook on medium heat until done but still crunchy,  approx 5-6 minutes.
Add coconut and lemon juice,  mix well and serve.