Healthy Bhel Puri

(Happy Birthday Dhan)

Today is my younger sister’s birthday and to celebrate this occasion I wanted to make something that she likes the most.

Since she is miles and miles away I cannot offer this to her at least I can post this snack here for her to savor!

Back home during our childhood, I and my sister frequently used to visit a roadside stall name Masi’s bhelpuri , which still sells the same bhelpuri to this day! Since my sister loved this very much I have attempted to recreate the magic that the stall’s bhelpuri offered…

The specialty of this particular stall’s recipe was that it included fruits,grated beet on top thus making it nutritious and chatpata.. On weekend’s one had to wait for at least an hour to lay your hands on the lovely snack. There was no parking near by and the roads used to get crowded. The stall became so popular that motorists started avoiding the street during weekend evening hours.

The ingredients have no fixed measurement, I just eyeballed them. You could use as much or as little you want. But still to give you a fair idea, I am measuring some of them.

Ingredients

3 cups Bhel puri mix ( It’s a mix of thin sev and murmura)
¼ cup Onion chopped
¼ cup Tomato chopped
½ cup Apples chopped (yes apples…this is the healthy part )
3-4 Grapes cut in halves
¼ cup Pomegranate
Beet root grated (yep!!! to garnish)
2 tbsp Ketchup
1 to 2 tsp Sweet tamarind chutney (alternatively you could use Trupti’s apple butter chutney)

1 tsp Green chutney
1 to 2 tspYoghurt
Cilantro leaves

Method

• Take a little more then half of your bhel puri mix and add ketchup,sweet tamarind chutney,green chutney, yoghurt ,onion,tomatoes,apple,grapes,pomegranate and mix
• Add the above mix into your serving bowl and add the remaining bhel puri mix
• Garnish it with cilantro and grated beet root….and there you have it friends…..Bhel Puri!!!
  
  

Note: You could also add chaat masala while garnishing.

Chole Masala aka Kabuli Channa Curry

If you guys are craving for some dhaba style chole then you have come to the right place. Chole is a popular punjabi delicacy. Call it chole, kabuli channa or chickpeas ... whatever you may call, this is one lip smacking dish which is enjoyed by everyone. You can have this along with bhature, roti, naan, puri, rice or even bread! Usually chole is accompanied with bhature and if you would like to have an easier way out to make bhature...go south , its tortilla to the rescue. Just have to fry those medium size babies in oil and there you have it.... instant bhature...and they taste good.

Ingredients
1 cup Chole
4or5 dried Amla (dried nellika or gooseberry)
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1 large red Onion
3 ripe Tomatoes (blanched or canned ones)
1 1/2 tsp Ginger
1 1/2 tsp Garlic
1 big Green chili (or 2 small)
1 tsp Chili powder
1 tsp Corriander powder
1/3+1/4 tsp Turmeric
1 tbsp Chole masala
1 tsp Tomato ketchup (secret ingredient :))
Salt to taste
few Cilantro leaves
1 tbsp Oil

Method

• Soak chole in water overnight or to cook the same day soak them in warm water for atleast 5-6hrs
• Pressure cook chole with 1/3 tsp turmeric,dried amla,sufficient water and salt upto 3 whistle, open after 10 mintues when all the pressure is released
• Drain the chole, reserve the liquid and don't forget to remove the amla
• Chop up onion, blanch the tomatoes(heat sufficient water in a saucepan with tomato and let it come to a boil,switchoff the stove and let it cook in the water for 6-8min) or you could also use canned whole tomatoes and chop them
• Finely chop ginger, garlic and green chili or crush them all together into a paste in a pestal
• Heat oil in a deep saucepan and add cumin seeds
• When the cumin seeds change color add chopped onion to it and saute till they are brown
• Add the Ginger-garlic paste to it and saute for couple of minutes
• Add all the dry powders to it and saute for a minute and then add the chopped blanched tomatoes and salt
• Saute the tomatoes till they are soft and mushed up, add the secret ingredient ketchup and mix
• Add the chole to the mixture and mix gently so that chole are properly coated in the mixture
• Add the reserved water depending on the gravy you need, check and adjust the seasoning
• Simmer the stove and cook covered for 5-6 minutes and garnish it with cilantro leaves
• Serve it with bhature, puri or chapatti with sliced onion and lemon wedge by the side and there you have it friends.....Chole Masala!!!

Puran Poli

Puran poli-a delicacy prepared on any festive occasion in Maharashtra. Its one of the favorite dishes of my family. My little one loves it a lot so I used to buy the readymade frozen puranpoli for her and this is the first time I attempted to make one on my own. Turns out that it is really simple and easy to make and realize that fresh homemade ones are better than the readymade frozen ones. My job became easlier when I got this recipe from my MIL.... I know many of you must be good at this but since it was my first time and the poli turned out good, so thought of sharing this with you all, my friends.

I am posting this for this month's JFI hosted by Kay and this is the first time I am taking part in the event.

Ingredients
1 cup Channa dal or Tuver dal
1 cup Jaggery
1 tsp Cardamom powder
½ tsp Nutmeg powder
2 cups Wheat flour
1- 1/2 tsp Oil
1 cup Water
Salt to taste
Ghee

Method

• Knead a smooth dough similar to one for making chappati, using wheat flour, oil, salt, and sufficient water, keep aside
• Pressure cook Channa dal with 2 cups of water and a pinch of salt upto 3 whistles
• If you have water in excess pour them out and keep it aside
• Now add jaggery to this dal and stir continuously on low flame
• Add cardamom and pinch of nutmeg to the mixture and continue stirring
• If the mixture becomes too stiff you could add reserve water to it or if its runny continue stirring it. The mixture should be like a loose dough which could be spreadable.

(Channa dal mixture)

• Take a lime size dough and roll it as you would for chappati but medium thickness and then spread the dal mixture on the chappati.

(Spread dal mixture on rolled out dough)

• Now roll out another lime size dough into a chappati and place this rolled dough on the previously rolled dough and seal the edges with water.

(place the second rolled out dough on the earlier spreaded mixture)

• Once again rollout the rolled dough gently so that they adhere to each other and are sealed properly
• Place the puranpoli on a heated tava, after a few minutes when you see it puffing turn it and after a minute on the other side start pressing the puran poli with the back of a spoon turning them, it will puff up. This make the puran poli soft
• Place it a plate and spread ghee on both the side......and there you have it friends Puran poli!!!!
  
  

Note:

You could have puran poli just like that or with any curry. I like it with Rajma and I use the reserved water from the cooked dal to cook rajma.

Alternatively you could also make them by rolling the dough in small circle as in puri then adding the tbsp of dal mixture in the center making a bundle and rolling them again using a little flour.