Muhammara

Muhammara can be described as a Syrian chutney. It is made mainly with red Aleppo peppers similar to our acharwali lal mirch. Since those are in season only in winters I used Red bell peppers. To begin with first the peppers are fire roasted and then ground along with the rest of the ingredients. Toasted walnuts and bread crumbs give body to it. Usually when I make sandwiches I trim the edges and save them to be used for crumbing later in different dishes. Garlic to give it umami. Traditionally pomegranate molasses are used to give acidity. I worked around this and used our own Kakvi or black treacle along with dried anardana and lime juice. It is a delicious rich dip for fried food and a stunning spread on your bread. Oh and we had it with dosa too.

Ingredients

1 cup walnuts

2 Red bell peppers about 250 gms

1/2 cup stale bread edges

6-8 cloves garlic

juice of 1/2 lime

2 tablespoon Kakvi or Black treacle

1 teaspoon anardana or dried pomegranate seeds

1 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder

2 + 1 tablespoon olive oil

salt to taste

Begin with fire roasting the Red bell peppers. Apply oil lightly on the bell peppers and slow roast over a grid on the gas burner. Slow roasting will cook the pepper through. Make sure roasting is even by turning the sides. The skin should be completely charred. Remove from gas and cover with a dome to let the hot roasted peppers sweat and cool too.

Next while the peppers rest start toasting the walnut on a tava. Keep moving the walnuts so you are careful not to burn them. The walnuts once toasted will emanate a fragrance. Stop at that point, remove the walnuts to a plate and allow to cool. 

In the same pan toast the edges of bread slices. I used the edges saved from sandwich making. Toast them crisp n golden.

Meanwhile remove the charred skin of the peppers and cut open. Deseed the peppers and take only the flesh. Put it into a mixer jar. To it add garlic cloves, juice of 1/2 lime, 2 tablespoon Kakvi or Black treacle, anardana or dried pomegranate seeds, Kashmiri chilli powder, 2 tablespoon olive oil, salt to taste. Lastly add the cooled walnuts and crisp bread edge.s. Save couple of walnuts for garnish. Grind together to smoothness. 

Remove the ground paste into a bowl with a spoon create a groove or moat in the paste. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of Olive oil over it and garnish with crushed walnuts. Sprinkle some red chilli powder to add some style.

Serve this Muhammara with your favorite type of bread or Kababs. I love it with fresh baked Khubz and even with Idli or dosa. It is as versatile as you can imagine. The origin might be Syrian but you make it your own the way you use it. Happy eating!

Falafel

Falafels are vadas of the middle east. They are eaten in pita pockets filled with some fresh salad topped with a dressing of tahini or hummus.

I neither had the mood to make tahini nor hummus. Anyways I had made the stew and it was an excellent dip and accompaniment to gulp down bites of Falafel.

Falafel differs from our dal vadas to begin with only the raw material. Rest of the spicing is almost identical to the Indian variety. Falafels are made with soaked Kabuli chana/ chickpeas where as we use chana dal for our dal vadas. The amount of cilantro used is more where as we might use just a handful.

They are great to pop into the mouth. Now in Mumbai these outlets have started in multiple locations. I am yet to try out but the prices look ridiculus. Most Mumbaites may prefer to buy their dal vadas instead from the food counters at the railway station or their favorite hole in the wall shops near home, 2 pieces for Rs.10. I prefer to eat at home whether dal vadas or Falafels. I followed this recipe with some freedom.

Ingredients

1 cup chickpeas/ Kabuli chana soaked overnight
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon cilantro
1 teaspoon cumin
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil for frying

Grind the chickpeas to grainy texture. Mix intermittently to get uniform texture. While grinding add cilantro.

Add the chopped onion, garlic, cumin, pepper and salt. Mix well. Roll into lemon sized balls. If you think they don't hold together well you can use some flour or add bread crumbs as binders. I did not do this as I was able to shape them well and knew they would hold shape while frying.

Fry them in a shallow pan using Olive oil, on high heat. Make them golden. Most times they are deep fried but shallow frying also makes them nice and crunchy while you use less oil. Especially when using Olive oil.

Serve hot with tahini or hummus and go traditional. I'll do that next time. A pita pocket too sounds good but not so soon.

Do note this:

Read here about how Olive oil deteriorates at high temperatures and should not be reused. So to avoid large quantity of leftover oil shallow fry with whatever amount of oil you need.

When I am frying something what I follow is fry first, mostly shallow, rarely deep frying. I never deep fry in Olive oil as I do not want to waste the expensive oil after frying once. Then use up whatever oil you need for cooking the other dishes on your day's menu. I try to finish off whatever little oil I have after the shallow frying, immediately.

Actually this applies for frying in any kind of oil even if they are the high temperature resistant ones like refined vegetable oils. I still don't like to keep leftover oil.

Hasa Al-Khadr Maa Hummus

I was looking for a middle eastern stew recipe. When I chanced upon this site. This stew/ soup is created by combining Chickpea soup with the vegetable soup and creating a new name too!

This stew or soup you decide, is traditionally cooked in a Tajine pot over an olive wood fire. I however made in on a gas and then served it in a glazed clay pot.

It is one hearty stew, I prefer to call it that. A medley of vegetable cooked in the juices of caramelized onion and chickpeas is spiced with cumin and coriander powders is usually eaten like a curry with couscous or the middle eastern flat breads. I made Falafels to go with it instead. I have studied a couple of recipes and then done my own thing. So here it is for you.

Ingredients

1 cup White Chickpeas
1 onion chopped fine
2 garlic pods
2 cups chopped vegetables (carrots, tomatoes, mushrooms, potatoes etc.)
1/2 cilantro chopped
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder
1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt to taste
1/2 lemon juice

Heat the oil in a small pressure cooker. Fry the onions and garlic till caramelized. Add the chickpeas and top with water. Cook for 3 whistle. Cool till you are able to open the cooker safely. Then add the rest of the ingredients, chopped veggies, all the spice powders and salt. Cook for another 3 whistles. Open the cooker once cooled and mash the chickpeas with the back of the spoon. This will give the gravy a bit of thickness. Squeeze the lemon juice into the entire dish and give it a stir.

Serve it in a pot with a lid with a flat bread or couscous on a platter. I deviated though from this as you see.

I would be making this with different beans and veggies combinations more often. It is simple, healthy and tasty perfect for people on protein diets.

A Middle Eastern Meal

and a dimension of Indian Northwest Frontier

Falafels and Hasa Al-Khadr Maa Hummus

Blogging makes you adventurous. I have loved Khubuz with lots of butter dipped in Hummus. This is however the first time I have made a middle eastern meal, it was my dinner last night. It consisted of the Falafels and Hasa Al-Khadr Maa Hummus. I also made Paneer Tikka.

The Falafel is a dal vada from the middle east.

Hasa Al-Khadr Maa Hummus, I'm guessing I got the name right is a stew or soup you decide.

Paneer Tikka recipe based on what I enjoyed at Barbeque Nation.

Come back for the delicious recipes.

Bye for now and more later...