Homemade Hummus

Ingredients:

Chickpeas / Garbanzo 1 Cup
Coriander Powder 1/4 tsp
Cumin Powder 1/2 tsp
Red Chili Powder few Pinches
Lemon Juice 3 Tbsps
Olive Oil 1 Tbsp
Salt to Taste

Tahini:
Sesame Seeds 2 Tbsps
Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 Tbsp


Method of preparation:
Soak chickpeas in water overnight.
Pressure cook soaked chickpeas in sufficient water for 3 whistles.
Alternatively, boil chickpeas in few cups of water on stove top till chickpeas turn soft.
Strain the cooked chickpeas and reserve the cooking liquid.
Toast sesame seeds in a heavy bottomed pan on low flame.
Once sesame seeds turn golden brown in color, remove from heat.
Grind toasted sesame seeds with olive oil into thick paste.
Grind cooked garbanzo beans with freshly prepared tahini paste, coriander powder, cumin powder, red chili powder, lemon juice and salt.
Add little bit of reserved cooking liquid at a time while grinding the garbanzo beans.
Make sure not to add too much water.
Taste and adjust the seasonings if necessary.
Stir in olive oil and store tight in a refrigerator to stay fresh for couple of days.
Remove the homemade hummus onto a bowl and serve with toasted pita bread or with any bread of your choice.

Tindora Mango Pickle

Ingredients:

Tindora 6
Raw Mango 1/2 of Medium Size
Red Chili Powder 2 Tbsps
Mustard Seeds 1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds powder a Pinch
Salt 1 Tbsp
Sesame Oil 4 Tbsps
Method of preparation:
Wash, pat dry, remove ends and slice the tindora.
Halve the sliced tindora and keep aside.
Wash, pat dry, peel and grate the raw mango.
Grind mustard seeds into fine powder using a spice blender.
In a mixing bowl, add red chili powder, mustard seeds powder, fenugreek seeds powder and salt.
Mix well, stir in sliced tindora, raw mango and oil.
Leave the tindora mango pickle for atleast half an hour before using.
Serve tindora mango pickle with steamed rice or with roti/bread or with dosa etc…

Chicken Tikka Masala

Ingredients

2 Tbsp cumin seeds
2 Tbsp coriander seeds
2 Tbsp paprika
1 tsp chilli powder
red food coloring
juice of lime
10 oz thick yoghurt
salt to taste
1.5 lb chicken, diced
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup water
oil for cooking



Instructions:
Preparation

1. Grind the spices and mix with marinade ingredients.
2. Immerse chicken in marinade and leave in the fridge for 24 hours.
3. Heat oil in a frying pan until very hot. Stir fry chicken vigorously for about 5 mins. Remove chicken and keep warm.
4. Fry onion and garlic until just browning and return chicken with any remaining marinade and water.
5. Simmer until chicken is cooked and sauce is nice and thick.


Instead of cooking the chiken in the fry pan as in Step 3.
This dish can also be done in a different fashion. The chicken can be grilled in a grill to get for 5 minutes and to finish the chicken off grill it on high to get the burnt marks.

Serve it with Naan, Rice or Roti/Bread