2 Min. Fudgy Mug Brownie

Now-a-days, everyone is in a hurry and want to do everything in a jiffy. Not many of us have time and most importantly, patience to spend hours in the kitchen to prepare our favorite meals esp. desserts. For that reason, many smart people out there have created shortcut recipes to make the favorite desserts for those times specially, when you're craving for something sweet and neither have time nor the patience to make and later to wait long to have it. I'm one of those impatient people too, who would crave for a dessert at an odd hour and have to have it at that very moment too hence, the recipe of this 2 Min. Fudgy Brownie came upon me during one of those bad craving moments. 

I was working late at night and at around midnight, I had a sudden urge to get up and make a quick brownie in the microwave and satisfy that stubborn craving that wasn't leaving me at peace for a couple of days. Now, you'd find thousands of mug cake recipes on the internet easily and that's something which almost everyone has tried making at least once by now. I've read and watched and even tried a lot of mug cake recipes but I didn't want any of that spongy, leathery stuff that goes hard upon cooling down a bit (based on personal experience) Plus, for not being an egg fan, I didn't want it in mine as adding one whole egg into a single serving of cake is something that's not a comfortable idea for me besides, I wanted a hot, ooey-gooey, fudgy brownie and was not finding what I was looking for. I looked at some ideas on Pinterest but almost all of the Pins I came across were of the recipes that either added Nutella or peanut butter or banana in them. I didn't want any of those ingredients in mine so the quest was getting tougher and I was getting more eager to whip up something of my own. 

I then checked my pantry and took out the simplest ingredients needed to create my quick-dream-brownie. Mixed Cocoa power, plain flour, brown sugar, white sugar, a pinch of salt and bi-carb of soda and then added just 3 wet ingredients; water, oil and a drop of orange essence (because I wanted a hint of orange flavor in it) to this dry mix. Mixed until everything was just well combined, microwaved it for 2 minutes and Ta Da! A delicious looking and divine tasting brownie was ready for me to savor! I made the brownie batter in a bowl and let it bake in the same bowl and once it was ready, just sprinkled some desiccated coconut on top and indulged myself into the goodness of this wonder I created just under 5 minutes! 

I have made it a number of times ever since and have topped it with different toppings such as my homemade orange marmalade, banana slices, icing sugar, chocolate sprinkles and again with the desiccated coconut. The first fudgy brownie I made was enough for two people that I shared with my sister cause no matter how greedy I could be, I still feel guilty and stopped myself from eating that sinful dessert all by myself therefore, I halved the recipe for the single serving later. I have even tripled the original recipe for my whole family yesterday and both my Mom and Dad really loved it! My Dad is really picky about his food choices so if he liked it, I can vouch for its deliciousness with full confidence ;) One of my sisters ate this brownie cold and was singing its praises for long! So folks, I'm sharing with you the secret to making a wonderful brownie in no time not just for yourself, but serve it to your guests too with some ice-cream and get ready for future requests ;)

Let's get some brownie making Unleashed quickly! Shall we? :D

2 Min. Fudgy Brownie in a Mug

Ingredients:

All-Purpose Flour: 4 tbsp.

Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: 2 tbsp.

Brown Sugar: 2 tbsp.

Granulated White Sugar: 2 tbsp.

Baking Soda: a pinch
Salt: a pinch

Oil: 2 tbsp

Water: 4 tbsp

Orange Essence: a drop (can use Vanilla instead)

Desiccated Coconut, Icing Sugar, Chocolate Sprinkles, Orange Marmalade, Bananas: For garnishing.

Vanilla Ice Cream: 1 scoop (to serve with)

Method:

1. Mix all the dry ingredients in one coffee mug and set aside.
2. Add oil, water and essence to the dry ingredients and mix everything together.
3. Microwave for 2 minutes. The time can vary depending on the power of your microwave but start with 1 minute and increase the time if its not cooked in 2 minutes.
4. Take out and garnish with the topping of your choice and serve. 
5. Can be served hot with vanilla ice-cream or let cool completely if you want to eat it cold.

Makes 1 serving

That's all dessert lovers!:) Baking time can always be adjusted according to the 
power of your ovens. I hope you enjoy making and eating it. Until next time, keep sharing the goodness of this greatest blessing, that has been bestowed in abundance upon us the lucky ones, with the less fortunate ones.

Thank you and please remember in your Du'as/prayers! :)

*Not be duplicated, rewritten or published without permission- Thank you! 

Skinny Coleslaw

Coleslaw is a most widely known and a commonly made salad in the world and esp. in this region, everyone has their own recipe/method of making it. It won't be an exaggeration if I'd state that you'd find this continental salad in every 'distorted' way possible to suit the local taste buds! 

What exactly it is? Basically its a salad made with shredded cabbage and grated carrots dressed with a mayonnaise and vinegar dressing and seasonings. Some people do add more vegetables to it and sometimes I do too but we have given a different name to it locally and call it "Russian Salad" that I shall share the recipe of in my future posts, In Sha Allah (God Willing)

As a kid, I remember there was one Kebab place in Jeddah, K.S.A that made very nice Seekh Kebabs (Barbecued Skewered Kebabs) and over the weekends, my dad used to get Kebabs from that shop when he'd crave for some good Pakistani Kebabs and they served this Coleslaw with them which was dressed with mayonnaise and cream mixed together. We siblings used to be more interested in it as the spicy food didn't attract us and maybe for the spiciness of the kebabs, they paired this cooling salad with them which was a bit sweet too. My Mom then started making it at home by keeping this fact in view that how much we liked it. 

Over our vacations to Pakistan, there was one burger joint close to my Paternal Granddad's house,  which was famous for their 'Cream Salad' they served with all of their sandwiches and burgers and we were often treated with those because as kids, we really wanted all that stuff that we ate in Jeddah and those burgers were the only solace we got at the time and it was also able to lure us into to eating our dinner happily :) That salad was cream based Coleslaw which was nice but not something that we loved.
As I grew up and got more health conscious, I am always on the look out for the healthier and tastier alternatives of the classic sweet, tangy and fattening Coleslaw dressing. The idea I came up, after various experimentation, was to use one part light mayonnaise mixed with one part of thick curd, some apple cider vinegar, a touch of regular mustard and just a tiny bit of honey all mixed together and Voila, you got the best tasting Coleslaw ready in no time which is kind to your waistline too! Shall we read the steps in detail now?

Lets get some salad-making Unleashed today! :D

Coleslaw

Ingredients:

Cabbage: 1 small head (shredded)

Carrots: 2 large (grated)

Light Mayonnaise: 4 tbsp. 

Thick Curd/Greek Yogurt: 4 tbsp.

Mustard: 1 tsp.

Honey: 1 tsp.

Apple Cider Vinegar: 1 tsp.

Salt: 1/2 tsp.

Black Pepper Powder: 1/4 tsp.

Method:

1. Put both the shredded cabbage and grated carrots into a large mixing bowl and set aside.
2. In another small mixing bowl, put the mayonnaise, curd/yogurt, mustard, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper and mix everything together with the help of a whisk.
3. Add this dressing to the vegetables and toss everything well. 
4. Take out into a serving bowl and refrigerate till ready to serve.
5. Ideally make it 4-6 hours prior to serving and keep it refrigerated.
6. Serve chilled as an appetizer, main salad or as a side dish. Goes great with Pizza, Burgers and Sandwiches too. 

Serves 4-6  

Notes:

1. Light mayonnaise and yogurt can be replaced with the vegetarian/vegan version of them.
2. You can omit adding mayonnaise altogether and double the quantity of the Greek yogurt if you do not wish to add it for any reason. 
3. If you wish to make Coleslaw a day ahead, just prepare the vegetables and store them in an airtight box. Mix the ingredients for the dressing and store it in another airtight jar. Keep both refrigerated and just mix about 30 minutes before serving. Keep it refrigerated.  
4. Leftover salad can be stored in an airtight box and stays well up to a day if kept well in the fridge.
5. In the countries where the Coleslaw mix is easily available in the cold salad section of the stores, the fresh vegetables can be replaced with that.

That's all folks! :) The quantity of the ingredients can be always be adjusted according to your need and desire. I hope you enjoy making and eating it. Until next time, keep sharing the goodness of this greatest blessing, that has been bestowed in abundance upon us the lucky ones, with the less fortunate ones. Jazak'Allah Khair! (May Allah reward you) 

*Not be duplicated, rewritten or published without permission- Thank you!

Mango Salsa

Mango in a salad?! Well, honestly speaking, I couldn't think of it until I had it for myself and won't be exaggerating when I say that I really loved the sweet and sour flavors blended together in the form of a salad! When Mexicans can have it then why not us Pakistanis have it too with our very own Pakistani mangoes! Yeah baby, bring it on! :D  

On a more serious note, my late Dada Abu (paternal granddad) May his soul rest in peace, used to love eating sliced fresh mango with Roti (Pakistani flat bread) and when I saw that for the first time, of course being a kid it was something quite amusing and surprising for me and I thought that how can you eat fruit and that also with Roti?! As I grew older, I came to understand that you have to have your taste developed as you acquire taste for certain food in your adulthood. Just like I love eating bittergourd now but as a kid, it was too bitter for my taste buds just like any other kid but, I still have to try eating Mango with Roti yet ;)

I served it with our dinner

Two days ago, I thought to make something different for my taste buds by specially keeping in mind that I'm going to use mango as the key ingredient of that dish for my 'Mango Fiesta' theme and yet, this time it should be savory as I have already posted one dessert on my blog. The recipe of Mango & Coconut Frozen Yogurt can be found here. So, I decided to make a salad to be served with dinner and decided to make Mango Salsa. I had all the ingredients on hand except for the Jalapenos but I had some homemade pickled green chilies hence, thought to use them. In the Mexican Salsa they don't add mint but I had some fresh mint leaves lying in the fridge plus, I love the flavor of mint esp. in my salads so in goes that too. Mixed all the fresh vegetables, mangoes, lots of lemon juice and Voila! The final product was something that vanished within minutes and I was like one happy kid who got her favorite candy! Although in this case the happiness was cause of everyone liking what I served to them :D 

Salsa is served as an appetizer in Mexican cuisine but I served it as a salad with our dinner as it is similar to our very own Pakistani salad called Kachoomer (mixed cut up salad)

Amigas/Amigos, let's get some Mexicana Unleashed today! :D

Mango Salsa

Ingredients:

Mango: 1 large (peeled, sliced and cut into small cubes)

Onions: 1 medium sized (finely  chopped)

Cucumbers: 2 medium sized (chopped into small cubes)

Tomatoes: 2 medium sized (chopped into small cubes)

Bell Pepper: 1 medium sized (chopped into small cubes)

Pickled Green Chilies: 2 medium sized (finely chopped)

Fresh Coriander: 1/4 cup (chopped)

Fresh Mint: 1/4 cup (chopped)

Lemon: 1 medium sized

Salt: 1/4 tsp

Method:

1. Put the mango cubes and all of the cut up vegetables into a large mixing bowl.
2. Squeeze lemon juice over them and add the salt.
3. Mix everything together well. 
4. Take out into a serving bowl. Chill well before serving. 
5. Serve as an appetizer/starter with Tortillas, Corn Chips or fresh vegetable sticks or as a salad.

Serves 4-6

That's all folks! :) The spice level can always be adjusted according to your taste buds. I hope you enjoy making and eating it. Until next time, keep sharing the goodness of this greatest blessing, that has been bestowed in abundance upon us the lucky ones, with the less fortunate ones. Jazak'Allah Khair! (May Allah reward you) 

*Not be duplicated, rewritten or published without permission- Thank you!

Bread Kebabs

Bread Kebabs?! Yes, Kebabs made with bread that you can never tell are made with anything else and not meat! The vegetarians would definitely find them a unique and different recipe as well. 

How I came to know about this recipe? Well, I was visiting me youngest Khala (maternal aunt) living in another city and one day at teatime, along with other scrumptious munchies, she made these Kebabs too. While she was preparing to make these Kebabs in her kitchen, I stood there watching her while chatting and got astounded and intrigued at the same time that how they'd taste like. She did all the preps within a few minutes and started shaping and frying them in front of my very own eyes and I was like, wow! They look like a real thing and by the real thing I mean Kebabs made with meat (no offence meant to the non-meat eaters/vegetarians as we have one non-meat eater at our household too; my youngest sister) So, my Khala served these sizzling, spicy and hot Kebabs with Tomato Ketchup and just by taking one bite of an appetizing looking Kebab, I uttered "WOW" involuntarily! 

These Kebabs are easy and quick to prepare with the ingredients already at hand.

After coming back home, I prepared Bread Kebabs for my family on the same day and they all approved of them, esp. my dad who is a fussy eater; a Kebab fan and a connoisseur! Besides, the non-meat eater really enjoyed eating them so what more did I need to get motivated and to make these regularly?! :D I then made these Kebabs during last Ramadan as well and again received lots of appreciation. Thanks to my Khala for teaching me these and here I am forwarding this recipe to you all so that you too can make Bread Kebabs at home quite easily and enjoy eating them with your friends and family. This recipe is going to serve as a savior for the last minute visit of those unannounced guests also ;D 

Bread doesn't have to be fresh, you can use a day or two old bread as well plus, those left-over slices of bread can be happily incorporated into making these Kebabs that no one eats and those slices are normally the top and the end of the bread loaf. By the way, I do not understand that why people leave them out as I love eating those pieces, either they are of the bread, pound cake or rusks; I feel a delightful feeling upon finding those pieces esp. in the packet of rusks. I know, just innocent small happy moments for the child in me :D Getting back to the Kebabs, let me share with you that how easy-peasy it is to make them.

Let some innovative cooking gets unleashed today! :D

Bread Kebabs

Ingredients:

White/Brown Bread: 8 slices (ground into fine crumbs)

Onions: 1 medium sized (minced)

Cabbage: 1 cup (shredded)

Fresh Ginger: 1 tsp. (finely chopped or use 1/2 tsp of ginger powder instead)

Garlic Cloves: 1/2 tsp (finely chopped or use 1/4 tsp of garlic powder)

Green Chilies: 1,2 (finely chopped)

Fresh Cilantro/Coriander: 1/4 cup (chopped)

Fresh Mint Leaves: 1/4 cup (chopped)

Salt: 1 tsp.

Red Chili Powder: 1/2 tsp.

Turmeric Powder: 1/4 tsp.

Coriander Powder: 1/4 tsp.

Garam Masala Powder: 1/4 tsp.

Dried Pomegranate Seeds Powder: 1/2 tsp.

Cumin Seeds: 1/4 tsp.

Coriander Seeds: 1/4 tsp.

Carom Seeds: 1/4 tsp.

Dried Fenugreek Leaves: 1/4 tsp. (optional)

Egg: 1 large (or use thin slurry made by dissolving 2 tbsp. of corn flour/starch in 1/4 cup of water)

Oil: for shallow frying.

Method:

1. Put all the ingredients in to a large mixing bowl except for the egg/slurry and oil.
2. Mix everything together and let it stand for a few minutes so that all the ingredients mixed together leaves out some moisture and it becomes easy to combine them.
3. Once everything is well combined and turns into a dough like texture, start shaping it into Kebabs by taking little dough in to your moistened hands. (The shape and size of Kebabs depends on your personal choice)
4. Prepare Kebabs and lay them on to a platter. At this stage you can cover them with a cling wrap and refrigerate them for later use. They can stay well up to two days if only well covered and refrigerated. The same way prepared dough can be saved for later use in the fridge.
5. Heat oil into a frying pan over medium flame.
6. Dip Kebabs in to the beaten egg or slurry, coat well and gently put into the hot oil to fry.
7. Fry all the Kebabs in the same way till they are golden brown.
8. Take out on an absorbent paper. Serve hot with any sauce of your choice but they go quite well with Thai Sweet Chili sauce. Enjoy.

Makes 16 approx

That's all foodies! :) The spice level can always be adjusted according to your taste buds. I hope you enjoy making and eating them. Until next time, keep sharing the goodness of this greatest blessing, that has been bestowed in abundance upon us the lucky ones, with the less fortunate ones.
Thank you and please this Ramadan do remember everyone esp. The Ummah-e-Muslimeen (Muslim Nation) in your Du'as/prayers including me :)

Jazak'Allah Khair! (May Allah reward you)

*Not be duplicated, rewritten or published without permission- Thank you! 

Homemade Spinach & Cheese Patties (from scratch)

Chicken Patties have always been a must on our Iftaar (breaking of the fast meal) table therefore, puff pastry packs were one of the main items on the Ramadan grocery shopping list. My Mom would always keep ready-made puff pastry in the freezer and would just fill it up with different fillings and shape them into either triangles or rectangles as they were already available in cut up squares, and freshly baked them just moments before the Iftaar time. The lovely aroma of the buttery, flaky pastry and the succulent savory or pleasant sweetness of the filling was enough to make us not stop on just one! My mom not only made chicken and beef mince patties but she also made, strawberry jam and dates & nuts filled patties. Another one of her filling creations was to make thick sugar syrup and then add lots of chopped nuts into it; it kind of turned into a mixed nuts jam and she filled the pastry with that and baked. You can then serve it dusted with some icing sugar. There you go, you got some different ideas plus a bonus recipe :D Those sweet and nutty patties are one of our most favorite type of sweet snacks :)

Just fill up with whatever filling you desire to

After moving back to the home-country, we came to know that the availability of the puff pastry is not that easy as it used to be back in the K.S.A besides, the ones available at some leading stores weren't up to the mark hence, we used to buy ready-to-eat patties from the bakeries but still, they were of no match to the ones we were used to making at home and loved eating. Last year during Ramadan, I assigned this task to myself of making puff pastry at home by using very simple ingredients and the effort turned out to be fruitful! Yes, you heard me right, successful attempt of making homemade puff pastry from scratch! You can simply prepare it at home but the process is a tad bit time consuming yet totally worth it! The filling I used was totally vegetarian and am going to share that with you but you are free to use any filling you want to. Once you start making puff pastry at home, the filling would become secondary as you'd be free to fill your homemade puff pastry with whatever you have on hand and enjoy freshly baked, hot out of the oven patties at home and will thank me always :D

Let's get some buttery aroma unleashed in your kitchens today! 

Homemade Spinach & Cheese Patties

Ingredients for Puff Pastry:

(For the Dough)

All Purpose Flour: 2 cups 

Unsalted Butter: 2 tbsp. 

Salt: 1 tsp.

Lemon Juice or White Vinegar: 2 tbsp.

Chilled Water: 1/2 cup 

Corn Flour/Corn Starch: for rolling the dough. 

(For the Butter Filling)

Unsalted Butter: 300 grams (at room temperature, not melted. Keep it out of the freezer an hour prior to starting the process)

All Purpose Flour: 2 tbsp. 

Lemon Juice or White Vinegar: 1 tsp.

Salt: 1 tsp

Ingredients for the Patties Filling:

Spinach: 1 cup (chopped)

Cottage Cheese: 1/2 cup (crumbled)

Onion: 1 small sized (chopped)

Oregano: 1/2 tsp.

Salt: 1/2 tsp.

Black Pepper Powder: 1/2 tsp.

Butter: 2 tbsp.

Egg or Milk: for brushing the tops of the patties.

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients for the dough in a large mixing bowl. Knead for a few minutes (you can use the food processor too for this step) Cover the dough with a cling wrap and refrigerate till used.
2. Grate or mash the butter with the help of a spoon, add all the remaining ingredients for the butter filling and mix gently. Keep aside.
3. Roll the prepared dough into a rectangular shape and roll it out as large as possible but not too thin. Use plenty of corn flour/starch to avoid stickiness.
4. Now put one part of the butter filling on 2/3 part of the rolled dough, leaving the 1/3 of the surface without any fat. Fold it into 3 folds, folding the empty side first. Wrap it with a grease-proof paper or with a plastic wrap and then with a damp tea towel. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
5. Take out the rolled and folded dough from the refrigerator and repeat the process of rolling it, spreading of the butter, folding and refrigerating (this step shall be done at least 3 times)
6. The final rolling and folding of the dough will be done without using any butter. Refrigerate the prepared pastry for at least 1 hour before using. This puff pastry can stay well in the freezer up till a month.
7. Prepare filling by heating butter in a cooking pot over medium flame.
8. Now saute onions in the butter till soft and translucent. Add chopped spinach and cook till wilted. 
9. Add all the seasonings and mix well. Turn off the heat.
10. Let the filling cool down a little before adding the cottage cheese. 
11. After adding the cheese, cool down the filling completely.
12. Take out the puff pastry and roll it out a bit so that you are able to cut around 8 equal sized square of the pastry.
13. Put some stuffing in the middle of each pastry square, fold and close them to shape as desired.
14. Seal the edges to secure the pastry well. You can do it with the help of a fork.
15. Now brush some beaten egg or milk on top of each prepared patties.
16. Bake in to a preheated oven for 20-25 min at 180C/350F/Gas-Mark 4.
17. Serve hot/warm with tomato ketchup or any sauce of your choice. Enjoy.

Makes 8

That's all bakers! :) The spice level and the baking time can always be adjusted according to your taste buds and type of ovens. I hope you enjoy making and eating them. Until next time, keep sharing the goodness of this greatest blessing, that has been bestowed in abundance upon us the lucky ones, with the less fortunate ones.
Thank you and please this Ramadan do remember everyone esp. The Ummah-e-Muslimeen (Muslim Nation) in your Du'as/prayers including me :)

Jazak'Allah Khair! (May Allah reward you)

*Not be duplicated, rewritten or published without permission- Thank you! 

                                   

Bengali Chana Chaat

This is another food item the memory of which takes me back to the time when we used to have this Chaat in the K.S.A. These Bengali hawkers used to sell this type of Chana Chaat (Chickepeas Chaat) from their makeshift carts that upon visiting this famous market called Hiraaj was a must to have. In 1 SAR, in a disposable plastic bowl, the hawker would put a ladle full of Chaat and then topped it with some finely chopped onions, coriander/cilantro leaves, green chilies if you've asked for them and then a squeeze of lemon and there you go, the light hunger pangs would be satisfied till you have a big weekend dinner that mostly consisted of Al-Baik (a famous local fried chicken chain) Ah, those were the days! Later some of the hawkers tried to enhance the flavor of this delicious snack by sprinkling some puffed up rice on top and the addition of this crunchiness really made it more tasty.

After moving back to the country a few years back, one of the things I really missed about Jeddah, K.S.A was this Bengali Chana Chaat. Last year during Ramadan, I decided to recreate it by keeping in mind the flavor, texture and the look of the Chaat I remembered and somewhat succeeded in achieving the same results. I looked online for the recipe of it but to my surprise, didn't find anything, maybe they call it by a specific name in their language but still, my experiment was able to satisfy my craving for that Bangali Chaat. I'd like to share the recipe with you all who really miss eating that Chaat which is certainly a part of my fond childhood memories :) and those of you who hasn't ever tasted it, will definitely get an idea that how lovely this moreish snack is :)   

Lets get some memories unleashed today! :D

Bengali Chana Chaat

Ingredients:

Boiled chickpeas: 2 cups
Tomato: 1 medium sized (chopped)
Onion: 2 medium sized (chopped)
Oil: 1 tbsp.
Salt: 1 tsp.
Red Chili Powder: 1/2 tsp.
Coriander Powder: 1/4 tsp.
Cumin Seeds: 1 tsp.
Turmeric powder: 1 tsp (this will give it that good vibrant color and a lovely taste)
Chaat Masala: 1/2 tsp (optional)
Water:250 ml

Coriander/Cilantro leaves: 1/4 cup (chopped)

Mint leaves: 1/4 cup (chopped) (optional)

Green Chilies: 1,2 (chopped)

Lemon: for garnishing (Cut into halves or wedges)

Rice Puffs and some extra chopped onions: for serving.

Method:

1. In a pressure cooker (or a regular pot) heat the oil and crackle the cumin seeds in it.
2. Add half of the chopped onions and saute for 30 secs.
3. Add water (add extra if cooking in a regular pot) and all the spices except for the Chaat Masala (if using)
4. Close the cooker's lid and wait for it to whistle for 5 mins (or tightly cover a regular pot with its lid and cook for 15 mins on low heat)
5. Uncover the cooker, you should have soft onions mixture by now. Mash it well with the help of the spoon until it turns in to a smooth paste like consistency. (cook longer in the regular pot to get the desired consistency)
6. Add boiled chickpeas to onion mixture and mix well. 
7. Switch off the flame and let the Chaat cool down a bit before giving the final touches to it. 
8. After it's cooled down, add the remaining ingredients but save some greens for the garnishing. 
9. Take out into the serving dish, garnish and serve warm or at room temperature along with the rice puffs, chopped onions and lemon halves/wedges. Enjoy!

Serves 4-6

That's all people! :) The spice level can always be adjusted according to your taste buds. I hope you enjoy making and eating it. Until next time, keep sharing the goodness of this greatest blessing, that has been bestowed in abundance upon us the lucky ones, with the less fortunate ones.
Thank you and please this Ramadan do remember everyone esp. The Ummah-e-Muslimeen (Muslim Nation) in your Du'as/prayers including me :)

Jazak'Allah Khair! (May Allah reward you)

*Not be duplicated, rewritten or published without permission- Thank you! 

Kalay Chanay kee Chaat- Bengal Gram Chaat.

There are a variety of Chaats that are prepared especially during the month of Ramadan and Kalay Chanay kee Chaat is one of them. Legumes are a great source of protein and provides with the energy which is specifically required after fasting for as long as 20 hours in some places! Besides, Chaats are lighter on the stomach and better and healthy than the fried food that's consumed in this one month more than we do all year round.

This is one kind of Chaat which is my favorite after Dahi Bharay and my Mom makes it best. I can happily gobble down a big bowl of this scrumptious and mouth-watering snack anytime of the year. In fact I love Kalay Chanay; even when my mom makes Black Gram curry, I always ask her to take out some Channay for me after she finishes doing the Bhoonai (cooking on medium heat so that the moisture evaporates and the oil separates from the food cooking) and before adding water to make gravy. I then top it with thick curd and Chili-Garlic Sauce and enjoy life like one happy individual :D Kalay Chanay and Rice is my youngest sister's favorite meal and upon knowing that I'm doing a recipe post on this Chaat, my mom has announced that tomorrow she's cooking its curry and rice for dinner (so at the same time the conundrum "what to cook for dinner tomorrow?" is solved for the day :P) and my youngest sister is grinning :D

Addition of the crunchy veggies enhance the flavors

Making of this spicy, tangy and savory snack is extremely easy and somewhat quick if you own a pressure-cooker. Even if you don't, you can easily boil the pre-soaked Black Grams in a regular pot and prepare it by adding the ingredients required in making it. A friend of mine followed my instructions and easily prepared the Chanas in her cooking pot and she was good to go :) but to shorten the cooking time, I suggested her to add a pinch of Bicarb of Soda and the addition really helped in cooking the Grams faster. There are various ways of preparing it but the way I will share with you is how my Mom makes this Chaat and it always turns out lovely.
Here, the love of Chaat gets unleashed again! :D

Kalay Chanay kee Chaat

Ingredients:

Black Gram (Kalay Chanay): 2 cups (soaked in lukewarm water for at least 2 hours)

Salt: 1 tbsp.

Red Chili Powder: 1 tsp.

Red Chili Flakes: 1/2 tsp.

Turmeric Powder: 1/4 tsp.

Coriander Powder: 1/2 tsp.

Chaat Masala: 1 tsp.

Cumin Seeds: 1/2 tsp.

Carom Seeds: 1/2 tsp.

Nigella Seeds: 1/4 tsp.

Mustard Seeds: 1/4 tsp.

Sugar: 1 tsp.

Ginger&Garlic Paste: 1 tsp.

Tamarind Pulp: 1/4 cup (a few tamarind pods soaked in warm water for a few minutes and then squeezed to obtain thick pulp. Discard the seeds) 

Onions: 2 medium sized

Tomatoes: 2 medium sized 

Green Chilies: 2 (chopped) (optional)

Cucumber: 1 large sized (diced)

Cabbage: 1/2 cup (shredded)

Cilantro/Coriander Leaves: 1/4 cup (chopped)

Mint Leaves: 1/4 cup (chopped)

Oil: 2 tbsp.

Method:

1. Put the soaked and drained Chanay into a pressure cooker (or to a regular pot and add 1/4 tsp. of bicarb of soda) along with the salt, chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and the ginger&garlic paste. 
2. Blend one onion and one tomato into a bender jug or with the help of a hand-held blender by adding little water.
3. Put this paste to the cooker with the Chanay and spices in along with enough water that its about 2 inches above the grams. 
4. Pressure cook them for 20-25 minutes or till they are cooked. Check by pressing one Chana in between your two finger. If not, then pressure cook for a few minutes more and add more water if needed. (The cooking time may take longer than 45 minutes in a regular pot) 
5. The cooked Chanas should be saucy if not then let the moisture evaporate before proceeding to the next steps.
6. In another pan, heat two tbsp. of oil and crackle all the seeds in it.
7. Add this tempering to the cooked Chanas along with the tamarind pulp, sugar, chili flakes and Chaat Masala and mix well.
8. Cut the other onion and the tomato into small cubes and add them to the Chanas with the cucumber cubes, shredded cabbage and half of the leaves and the chilies. Mix well.
9. Take out into a serving bowl, garnish with the other half of the cilantro/coriander, mint leaves and green chilies.
10. Serve warm or cold with some thick yogurt and any sauce or chutney of your choice. Enjoy

Serves 4-6

That's all readers! :) The spice level can always be adjusted according to your taste buds. I hope you enjoy making and eating it. Until next time, keep sharing the goodness of this greatest blessing, that has been bestowed in abundance upon us the lucky ones, with the less fortunate ones.
Thank you and please this Ramadan do remember everyone esp. The Ummah-e-Muslimeen (Muslim Nation) in your Du'as/prayers including me :)

Jazak'Allah Khair! (May Allah reward you)

*Not be duplicated, rewritten or published without permission- Thank you!