The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of a world and wake up in another quite different, and if this is not enchantment then where is it to be found?
~ J. B. Priestley
It was New Year's Eve of year 2006, when I first experienced snow.
It was elusive. It was fascinating.
I still remember, standing near the the window just watching in awe tiny speckles of icy dust form a thick layer all around our house. The place where I studied my Masters, had plenty of snowfall, all winter - starting from October to April. From the very next year, I started to make my own snowman. It was quite exciting to build one along with my roomies, spruce him up which whatever was available at that time wearing our gloves & mittens. It kind of became a tradition until I moved out from east coast to California in summer of 2010.
You all might be wondering why am I suddenly talking about snow today. You see, Mr.TH is out of town on a business trip and Bangalore weather is not helping me cope with living and cooking alone. So, I sat down to browse through my archives and above were few of the pictures, I stumbled upon. The photography bug didn't bite me until recently, hence the pics are very normal-looking, but they still have lots of memories attached to them. :-)
Cold waves are slowly seeping into our part of the world. Hence, today I have got a classic recipe, which warm you up instantly, inside out. Have you ever been one of them who wolf down piping hot chole-paratha with a side of cut onions & lemon slice at many dhabas on the road-side. I sure am a great fan of them. Go grab a can of chickpeas (or) soak some dry ones immediately as we are making some Chana Masala today! :-)
Ingredients:
2 cups of cooked chickpeas (Click here to know how to cook dry chickpeas) (or) 1 can of chickpeas, rinsed
1 medium onion, thinly sliced + more for garnishing
1 medium sized tomato, chopped
1/2 tbsp chole masala. (I used Everest brand)
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
salt - to taste
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1/2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tbsp oil
fresh cilantro + lemon slices for garnishing
Preparation:
1. Grind about 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas into fine paste. Keep aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds. Once they start to splutter, add ginger garlic paste. Sauté for few second and then add onions. Cook them for 4-5 mins on low-medium heat until they turn translucent. Add tomatoes now and cook until mushy. Press the onion-tomato mixture with the back of the spatula.
3. Now add chickpea paste, chickpeas to this tomato-ey sauce. Mix.
4. Season with salt, turmeric, red chilli powder and chole masala. Add about 1-2 cups of water. Stir everything together.
5. On a low heat, simmer the curry for about 15-20 minutes, mixing it for every 5 minutes so that it doesn't stick at the bottom. Adjust the seasoning, if required. Turn off the heat.
6. You can add cilantro and/or lime juice (or) serve them on the side as a garnish along with cut onions. Serve with hot rotis (or any kind of bread). It serves well with rice too.
[Update] - Sending this recipe to My Legume Love Affair # 42, this month guest hosted by Kiran, originally conceptualized by lovely Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook.
until next time,
~ J. B. Priestley
It was New Year's Eve of year 2006, when I first experienced snow.
It was elusive. It was fascinating.
I still remember, standing near the the window just watching in awe tiny speckles of icy dust form a thick layer all around our house. The place where I studied my Masters, had plenty of snowfall, all winter - starting from October to April. From the very next year, I started to make my own snowman. It was quite exciting to build one along with my roomies, spruce him up which whatever was available at that time wearing our gloves & mittens. It kind of became a tradition until I moved out from east coast to California in summer of 2010.
You all might be wondering why am I suddenly talking about snow today. You see, Mr.TH is out of town on a business trip and Bangalore weather is not helping me cope with living and cooking alone. So, I sat down to browse through my archives and above were few of the pictures, I stumbled upon. The photography bug didn't bite me until recently, hence the pics are very normal-looking, but they still have lots of memories attached to them. :-)
Chana Masala (Chickpea Curry)
2 cups of cooked chickpeas (Click here to know how to cook dry chickpeas) (or) 1 can of chickpeas, rinsed
1 medium onion, thinly sliced + more for garnishing
1 medium sized tomato, chopped
1/2 tbsp chole masala. (I used Everest brand)
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
salt - to taste
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1/2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tbsp oil
fresh cilantro + lemon slices for garnishing
3. Now add chickpea paste, chickpeas to this tomato-ey sauce. Mix.
4. Season with salt, turmeric, red chilli powder and chole masala. Add about 1-2 cups of water. Stir everything together.
5. On a low heat, simmer the curry for about 15-20 minutes, mixing it for every 5 minutes so that it doesn't stick at the bottom. Adjust the seasoning, if required. Turn off the heat.
6. You can add cilantro and/or lime juice (or) serve them on the side as a garnish along with cut onions. Serve with hot rotis (or any kind of bread). It serves well with rice too.
[Update] - Sending this recipe to My Legume Love Affair # 42, this month guest hosted by Kiran, originally conceptualized by lovely Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook.
until next time,
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