Chickpeas Fried Rice / Chole Pulao - a spicy plateful to warm your heart when it is pouring outside

No, I did not speak all too soon.
The weather has indeed taken a turn and for the good too.
While the temperatures have continued to dip, the breeze has been steady and is only growing stronger.
I had a bout of sneezing and sniffling yesterday, a result of my carelessness ... I had the window open, the fan on and the ac on too ... yeah, kill me for that ... one of these days, and was punished accordingly.
And promptly too.
The whole of yesterday was spent at trying to sneeze with the lowest possible noise ... yet the more the day wore on, the more the volume increased.
Not to mention my groans.
Cold and flu make me cranky. And if there is someone, anyone, in the vicinity, I become very restless.
Tried to lie down and watch the telly but to no good. The choicest of idiotic movies were on. Listening to music was another pain ... my sneezes would not allow me to listen in peace.
Spent a whole miserable morning before I gulped an antihistamine.
That took care of me and I was in dreamland for the rest of the afternoon and the better part of the evening.
B made a hot dinner of Aloo baingan ki sabzi   , with a little gravy to help my sore throat, along with  plain parathas.
And then I slept again.

Woke up early to a dark, cloudy sky and rain.
That quiet, silent but non stop drizzle that Pune is so loved for.
Looked out and saw the droplets dripping down the leaves and the railings of my balcony.
Snuggled back into the razai again.
But sleep eluded and thoughts turned to breakfast.
And what would a good Bong have for breakfast on a beautiful, rainy morning?
Luchi!, of course.
So while B took his morning call, I quickly  set the shaada aloor chorchori on one burner and kneaded the maida.
Soon we were sitting at the table, looking out of the windows and watching the trees sway, enjoying our breakfast of luchi torkari.
I did post a photo of my plate on the blog's page on facebook.
There is a video too, on my personal page.
Someday I will do a post on how to make that perfect phulko luchi, for sure.

But today, while I am still drowsy ... thanks to Avil, I thought I will give my weekly grocery shopping a miss and just watch the clouds.
And make this post.

I had made this Chana pulao just last week. It was a hurried day and I had some leftover rice as well as boiled chickpeas in the fridge.
Decided to throw in them together and come up with a one pot meal.
A plain raita and some salad on the side and a quick lunch was ready within 15 minutes.

Here is the recipe.

Need :

Chickpeas - big cup, 1 pressure cooked with a little salt
Rice - 1 big cup, cooked
Onions - 2, medium, chopped
Garlic - 6, chopped
Green chillies - chopped
Turmeric / Haldi powder - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tbsp
Dry mango / Amchur powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Sugar - to taste
Cooking oil - 1 tbsp
Ghee - 1 tbsp (you can skip it if you are vegan)
Lemon juice - 2 tbsp

How to :

Heat oil in a kadahi / wok.

Add the chopped garlic and fry till they turn light brown.

Add the onions and fry till they turn pink.

Now add the green chillies + the boiled and drained chickpeas (make sure you do not add any water ), haldi powder, red chilli powder and garam masala powder, amchur powder, salt and sugar.

Mix everything well and fry for a while.

Now add the rice and adjust salt.

Add a little more garam masala ( or a pinch of biryani masala will also work fine. I used the Punjabi garam masala that I got from Amritsar ) and mix well.

Add ghee and lemon juice, give a good mix and cover.

Let it stand for around 2 minutes before you switch off heat.

Serve hot with raita and salad on the side.

The raita is just fresh home made curd beaten well with a pinch of black salt and sprinkled with roasted jeera/cumin powder + red chilli powder.

This turns out to be a wonderful one pot meal, especially if you have dryish leftover rice.
Mine was slightly mushy as my rice was a little well cooked.
No change in the flavours though.
And personally I feel well cooked rice soaks up flavours better than just done rice, especially for pulaos like this .... won't work with a biryani though.


Enjoy!!!

Potol Posto / Pointed gourd cooked with Poppy seeds paste

Nothing much is happening in life right now.
Cooking is light and less and all that I have been doing is drowning in cooling drinks.
The Watermelon juice ( yes, I love it now ) has a permanent place in my fridge these days, as is the chaas or the lightly spiced buttermilk.
I am downing glasses of these and more .... that is when I am not drinking gallons of water.
Pune does not get any rains in summers ... other than a couple of very short and very rare showers ... and we are looking forward to the monsoons.
I have not made any boris or used the sun in any way this time ... not even a jar of pickle.
Been too caught up with some sewing.
And my travels have taken up the larger part of summer this year.

But, since the last few days, the sun has suddenly turned softer. There is a lightness in the air. The mornings are fresh and much cooler than what they were just a week back.
We are back to our routine of early morning tea on our balcony.
The birds still come for their drink of water and later in the day, their bath.
But the sun is not as burning any more.
I hope I am not speaking a little too soon, since we still have the rest of May and the whole of June. But I am enjoying Pune getting back to its cool self.

I have cooked with summer vegetables very rarely too, this time.
Something or the other has been coming up and regular green grocery shopping has been taking a backseat.
I did get some good Potol / Parwal / Pointed gourd twice in the last three weeks. And did cook them in all my regular ways ... mostly the bhaja.
I love potol bhaja with hot rotis or on the side of dal and rice.
But this time, I did make a couple more different recipes ... which I will be posting soon.

This Potol posto was made last year. I had clicked these photos in a hurry ... and was not too happy with them .... so kept postponing making a post the whole of last year.
Came across them when looking for some old photos and decided they are not so bad, after all. I mean, anything to not go through the rigmarole of cooking, arranging and clicking a photograph ... not to mention my shoulder acting up later.

So here is the way I made Potol posto. Try it before the summer runs out.
And the Potol disappears from the markets.

Need :

Potol / Pointed gourd - 250 gms, cut into medium thin slices
Posto / Poppy seeds paste - 5 tbsp
Onion - 1 big, cut into slices
Kalo jeere / Nigella seeds - 1 tsp
Mustard oil - 1 tbsp
Haldi powder - a pinch
Green chillies - 2 , slit
Salt - to taste
Sugar - to taste

How to :

Heat the oil in a kadai / wok.

Let in the onions + green chillies.

Sprinkle the kalo jeere on them.

Fry well on low heat till the onions turn pink.

Raise heat, add the potol slices and fry well.

Lower heat, add the haldi + salt.

Cover and cook till the potol is half done.

Remove cover, add the posto paste with a little water, the sugar, the green chillies and mix well.

Cover and cook till everything is done and dried up.
Do remember to stir it once in a while.

Serve hot with rice.

Here are a few other recipes with the Potol.

Gotta rush today.
Enjoy!!!

Pakhala or Paanta bhaat or Fermented rice and water ... going back to traditional staples and completeing 9 years of food blogging

 Yes, 9 whole years.
Albeit with a few breaks.
But 9 years, still.
And this is what I wrote on my wall on facebook -
"Food blogging is just as much hard work as it is fun.
Cooking whole meals for just one post to rearranging an already set table for just one photo.
Rushing to keep up with the sun for some natural light to waiting with bated breath for the reactions to your food, photos and recipe.
Asking hungry family and friends to hold that spoon as you catch a click.
Ignoring illnesses and bad days to complete that pending post. Or to reply to a reader's query on mail.
Sitting up nights after a full day's chores to complete writing down the lines that have been playing in your mind the whole day.
Getting to know wonderful people who are now more than just blogger friends ... they are real friends now. Thanking you all, as I complete 9 years of food blogging, for being a part of my journey with Kichu Khonn.
Love you all! "

Yes, this roller coaster of a journey would not have been possible without all of you and your support and love.
So, a sincere "Thank you!" from the bottom of my heart.

I have with me today the photo of our very tradional Paanta bhaat or the Pakhala, as it is known in Odisha. I had posted this photo as a part of the Pakhala theme in one of the most traditional food oriented groups on facebook.
And had recieved an overwhelming response.
After which I shared it on my page for this blog on facebook too.
And was so happy to see that many still prefer our traditional and old ways of food and eating.
Many came out to say that while they absolutely love this, sadly, the paanto bhaat is slowly losing its popularity.
( You can read as well as write in your views on the Paanta bhaat too, here. )

Not so in Odisha ... that much I can say with conviction.
While the Paanta bhaat or the Pakhalo is a very regular and common meal in rural Bengal and Odisha, come summer and its popularity doubles in many households, including urban ones.
Traditionally, it is rice and water, left overnight (or more) to ferment slightly, and is eaten with a number of side dishes that depend upon the socio economic conditions.
Once upon a time, doctors used to advice rural people to just eat panta bhaat with a little saag / leafy vegetable ... that is enough to fulfill the vitamin, especially B12, as well as required carb for a person.
While people in rural Bengal and Odisha eat it with saag, a little fish, potatoes, onions or whatever vegetables are available, people in cities have glamorised it with a side of dishes made with posto and sometimes the very rare Ilish maach bhaja too.
Extremely cooling, the much loved panto bhaat is now a part of many restaurants too.

 
The perfect pairing to the pakhala will be all kinds of bhajas ( of both vegetables as well as fish ) and makhas or bhartas.

Here is my layout for today -
Baasi paanto with doi / basi pakhala (fermented), bori bhaja / badi chura , ucche sheddho / kalara bhaja, aloo sheddho makha / aloo chakata, rui maach bhaja, aloo borboti bhaja, potol bhaja, narkel nadia, peyaj, kancha lonka.

I will try to make some more posts on the Paanta bhaat or the pakhala, before summer runs out.
Till then, thank you again folks, for all the love!

Enjoy life!
Have fun!!
And here's to good food!!!
Cheers!!

Bhindi ki sabzi / Okra cooked with spices ... a typical Rajsthani dish

I was engrossed in the vegetables section of the supermarket, leaning over to reach the farthest corner of the over the plastic basket that held the Okras / Bhindis / Dharosh, when I felt someone come and stand very close to me. While it did irritate me a little ... I hate it when strangers stand too close to me, and that happens all the while, especially in queues, I did not have the time to look up.
I needed to pick up my weekly vegetables real quick and rush to meet B, who was waiting for me at the corner for a midweek lunch date at a newly opened Rajasthani food joint.
But the presence continued to bristle me and I finally gave in.
Riled, I looked up to give a big frown, only to see a very young face gaping at my hands working at picking the okras.
The girl was very young, possibly still in college. Seeing me look up, she broke into a smile and asked "Why are you breaking them?"
I couldn't help smiling.
And showed her how to select good bhindis.

And decided to include it in my post on Bhindi / Dharosh too.
I have been trying to click photos for all the dishes with bhindi that I cook and have come to the conclusion that they are one of the most difficult things to photograph, especially the dharosh bhaja.  Unless I deluge the set with a number of props and some light and shadow play, etc. etc.
And since I don't have the time or patience for either, I decided to post them as they are.

But first, how to buy good bhindi.
Pick up a bhindi / okra, preferably small in size, and break the tip of its tail.
If it breaks with a snap, it is fresh. If it does not break immediately, discard it.
It is old and will be chewy.
Always buy the medium to small sized bhindis. They are the freshest ... though do put them through the snap test too.

Prepping for this vegetable requires only one thing .... the Bhindi must be completely dry.
That is, unless you are planning to use it in a dish with gravy like the Kadhi, or the ambol or the jhaal.
The best way to deal with it is to chop it and keep it on the fridge for a night or day, preferably without cover or loosely covered.
And not too tightly packed too.
Spreading them on a plate works for me well.
This way ensures much of its slime dries up and results in a better, dryish dish after cooking.

I cook with bhindis very regularly. While my favourite is the stir fry / bhaja , this is one way that is great as a side with rotis.
Slightly moist and a little spicy with the masalas, that the usual bhaja does not have, this version of the Bhindi ki sabzi is very common at my in laws' place.
I love it with parathas too.

Need :

Okra / Bhindi / Dharosh - 250 gms, chopped into mid sized pieces
Onion - 1 medium, chopped into big sized pieces
Ajwain / Carom seeds - 1 tsp
Dhania / Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
Amchur / Dried mango powder - ½ tsp
Haldi / Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Mirchi / Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Cooking oil - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Sugar - 1 pinch

How to :

Heat oil in a heavy kadahi.

When smoking hot, lowder heat and add the onions.

Lightly toss and add the ajwain seeds. Stir well.
Do not fry the onions for too long.

Add the bhindi and mix well.

Fry for a while on low heat, spreading it all around in the kadahi.

Add the haldi + mirchi powders + salt.

Fry well for a minute.
Cover and cook till the bhindi is done.

Remove cover and fry well till the slime dries up.

Add the dhania + amchur powder + sugar.

Fry for some more time.

Remove from heat and serve hot.

Enjoy!!!

Mourala maach bhaja / Crispy fried small fish with spicy masalas

After a long, torturous start to summer and the never ending days of unbearable hot days and nights, it rained last evening. And this evening too.
In fact, it rained a lot more this evening. And how!
It poured and poured and poured.
There were flashes of lightening ever since the clouds had started to gather by late afternoon. All went still and not a leaf moved. The heat was suffocating and we could hardly breathe in the thick, humid air.
Then started the wind.
Whole trees swayed from side to side and we could see leaves and fresh cotton balls, from the trees, flying hither and thither.
Thunder rolled in the heavens along with every crack of lightening.
And then came the first drops .... big, fat and heavy, falling with little thuds. Gradually the tempo increased and soon we could not see anything through the screen of rain.
And there was a power failure promptly.

The road below was a sight to see, though.
As the heavy rain splattered on it, we could see the steam rising and create a haze that was so beautiful that we stood at the window and watched mersmerised ... every time a car passed, its headlights lit up the scene.
Later, we ignored the inverter and did not switch on the lights either.
Rather, soaked in the dark and quiet all around.
I am not much of a crowd person and the recent trip to the desert land and the extended family has exhausted me completely.
So I am very much at peace right now in my cosy little 1500 sq. ft. flat. It might not be a haveli, but it is my nest. This is where I play house, dress it up, make its curtains, play around in the kitchen and sit back in my favourite chair or my swing and happily watch the world go by.
Here, I am the queen.

We had dinner in the dark; the old fashioned way.
And sat out in the balcony later, taking turns on the swing, soaking in the beautiful cold. The rain had stopped finally but the thunder still growled in the distant hills.
We chomped on cold watermelon pieces, spitting out the seeds carelessly. It was very quiet all around. And dark; still.
Crickets sang in the small patch of forest beyond our balcony. And the dry leaves that covered the ground below the huge trees, all soaked in the rain, let out a beautiful, earthy, soggy fragrance that hung heavy in the air.
We sat quietly; not speaking lest the spell gets broken; lest the street lights come back to their sharp life, searing the eyes and the beautiful all around.

I felt relaxed, in a long while.
And at peace.
"Time to get back to my favourite space, my Kichu Khonn", I told myself.

After a long bout of vegetarian food, I am back to my non vegetarian diet. No fish in the fridge yet ... gotta buy some tomorrow ... but egg and chicken, yes.
Coming here, I saw this post in the draft and so, my friends, I have this beautiful, spicy, crunchy fish fry for you.
Quick to make, quick to finish off too, you can pair this with the simple dal bhaat or the panto bhaat or much on it as an appetizer.
Small fish are high in protein, omega 3 as well as calcium. So try to make them a part of your meal at least two or three times a week.

I had got a batch of absolutely fresh Mourala the last time I got my fish. My fishmonger cleans them for me, which I am grateful for, since I have no idea how to handle them. And it would take me ages, of course.
All I did was to wash it clean ... you have to scrub real clean ... mix with the spices, fry and much on them.

Need :

Mourala fish - 250 gms
Rice flour - 1 tbsp
Haldi / Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Lemon juice - 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - 2 tbsp ( I use mustard oil )

How to :


Marinate the fish with salt + haldi + lemon juice + red chilli powder + rice flour.

Heat the oil in an open pan.

When smoking hot, add the fish .
Spread out the fish ... they should not stick to each other and form a clump.
A few sticking together is ok but there should not be too many.

Fry till they turn brown on one side.

Flip and fry the other side too.

Serve hot with sliced onions and green chillies and of course, kasundi on the side.
You can sprinkle a little rock salt or chaat masala on it before serving too.

Enjoy!!

I am sharing my lunch plates on my page on FaceBook .
Join me there to get light, nutritious lunch ideas for the summer.