Month: December 2012

Chana Hummus

Chana dal is a form of chickpea that can be used as a substitute for the European/Middle Eastern chickpea known as garbanzo beans (kabuli chana in India) in just about any recipe. Chana has a lower glycemic index than garbanzo, has a more pleasant flavor, and is faster to cook. This recipe is for a version of hummus using chana and some Indian spices.

Ingredients
3 cups cooked chana dal (about 1 1/2 cups uncooked chana dal), drained
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne
1 – 2 tablespoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon sugar
juice of two lemons
1/2 cup roasted tahini
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup cold water
4 large cloves roasted or raw garlic
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Garnishes
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

Preparation

  1. Soak 1 1/2 cups cleaned and washed chana dal overnight in 3 cups water.
  2. Rinse, drain, and cook in enough water to cover about 1 hour until tender. Discard cooking water when done.
  3. Combine all ingredients except garnishes in food processor and grind until fairly smooth but not quite pureed.
  4. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.
  5. Serve at room temperature for best flavor.

Hummus is commonly eaten as a dip with paprika, parsley, and olive oil as garnishes. It goes well with chips, crackers, pita bread, and vegetable crudités.

Ambode (Indian Chana Falafel)

Chana dal is a form of chickpea that can be used as a substitute for the European chickpea know as garbanzo bean in just about any recipe. Chana has a lower glycemic index than garbanzo, has a more pleasant flavor, and is faster to cook. This recipe is for a Karnataka dish that looks for all the world like a spiced-up falafel.

Ingredients
2 cups chana dal
4 small green chilis
2 dried red chilis
(Optional) 1 cup grated coconut (Fresh or frozen is best. If you use dessicated, hydrate it in a mixture of coconut milk and coconut water first.)
3 tablespoons chopped green cilantro leaf (some people like dill weed instead of or in addition to cilantro.)
1 bunch curry leaves
1 inch ginger piece, grated
1 -2 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon hing (asafoetida)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 shallot, chopped fine
2 tablespoons flour
1 – 2 cups canola/peanut oil for frying
Method
  1. Soak the chana dal overnight. Drain.
  2. Heat peanut oil in a deep fryer to 360 F.
  3. Combine all ingredients, except for salt, shallots and flour, and blend in a food processor. The Indian style is to grind lightly, so that many of the chana beans remain intact.
  4. Mix in salt, shallots and flour.
  5. Form ping pong ball sized balls of the mixture, flattening them slightly if you’re frying in shallow oil so they can be flipped while frying. The Indian style to flatten them all the way to a sausage patty shape.
  6. Fry as many as you can at a time without crowding the fryer.
  7. When brown on the bottom (3 minutes,) flip them so they can brown on both sides. Five minutes total frying time should bring you to golden brown.
  8. After cooking, place on a pair of paper towels to soak up the oil. There won’t be much if you oil was hot enough.
  9. Serve them warm in warm pita bread stuffed with lettuce, tomato, tahini, and Mexican salsa. Indians like to eat ambodes with chutney or ketchup. I can’t comment on that.
Ambodes will keep in the fridge for a week or more.

Potato Curry

This is a nice dish to eat over puris.

Ingredients

3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 beet root (optional)
water to cover vegetables
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ghee or coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seed
1 sprig of curry leaf
1/2 cup yogurt (optional)1/3 cup fresh or frozen green peas or chopped beet root (optional)

Directions

  1. Boil potatoes (and beet root, if you’re using it) with turmeric. Boil beet root separately as it takes longer, and lose the beet liquor if you don’t like red potatoes.
  2. When potatoes are soft, add spices and salt.
  3. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat and pop the mustard seed. When seeds are popped, remove from heat and add curry leaf.
  4. Add fried spices to potato and stir to coat.
  5. (optional) Add the yogurt and peas to the potato mix. Continue cooking until heated through.

Equipment

Frypan, boiling pot.

That’s it, easier than pie.