Cabbage & Potato Spring Rolls

My dad served as a government employee in national agriculture research council of Pakistan, it also had an officers colony built inside the boundary of research council, that’s where I have spent almost all my childhood , we lived there till my dad got retired from his job and we moved to our new home, This particular recipe was given to us by one of my dad’s colleagues daughter  (they also lived in the same colony, a few houses away from us), it was an instant hit in our family,  I remember me and my sister use to make dozens of these spring rolls along with the qeema rolls for my brothers to munch at odd hour hanger pangs. I hope you will enjoy these spring rolls as much as we do.

Ingredients:

1 medium onion (chopped finely)

1 tsp garlic paste

2-3 medium potatoes (boiled and cubes in to small pieces

3-4 cups shredded cabbage

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp chicken powder

3-4 tbsp oil

Method:

1) Take a large pan or wok and heat the oil, then add in the shredded cabbage and stir fry on high heat for 2-3 minutes, add in the potatoes and mix the both, sprinkle chicken powder,  salt and pepper, mix everything together and turn of the flame, take the pan off the heat and let it cool down completely.

2) In a small bowl mix together 1-2 tbsp of cornstarch with ¼ cup of water to make a slurry, Open the roll wrapper package, cover with barely damp towel to prevent drying out. Take one wrapper at a time, add in 1 tbsp of filling, rolls them up as shown in diagram and secure with the slurry

3) Once ready you can fry them straight away, heat oil in a wok, once the oil is hot enough add in the spring rolls, remember not to over crowd the pan. Fry for 3-4 minutes, turning occasionally, once they turn golden brown take them out on a kitchen paper, serve them with ketchup.

4) If you want to freeze spring rolls, freeze them just like this. If you don’t have a freezer this big, then line up the spring rolls on a plate, with plastic wrap between each layer and freeze. Once frozen, gather up all the spring rolls and put them in a freezer safe plastic bag. They have to freeze in a single layer, not touching. Otherwise, they’ll all stick together. Once they are frozen, you can store them however you want.

Note:

* In case you also want to add chicken in it, then use about 250 gms of minced chicken, In a large bowl, add in 1 tbsp soy sauce, ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper. Add in the chicken and mix well. Let marinate for 10 minutes , Heat a wok or large s pan over high heat once hot add in  2 tablespoon of the cooking oil. Stir fry the ground chicken until browned. Remove browned ground chicken from wok to a bowl and set aside, add it to veggies once you take them off the stove.

* The best  ways to defrost spring roll wrappers is to either leave them overnight in the refrigerator  pr leave them on the counter for 30 minutes. Once the wrappers are defrosted, open the package and immediately cover with a barely damp towel or paper towel to keep moist. The wrappers will dry out and crack quickly if left uncovered.

Mixed Vegetable Pakora

Pakoray are hot favorites of everyone especially during Ramadan or on a rainy day. In Pakistan during Ramadan the air is filled with aroma of fried pakora around iftar time . As I child I loved the combination of eating pakora and drinking rooh-afza… that was so satisfying.  The pleasure of eating pakoray on a rainy day is unexplainable,  and also it’s a quick and easy snack/appetizer to prepare when u have guests over for tea.  The vegetable pakora recipe is so easy to prepare, I am also posting a red sauce recipe that is served along with pakora in desi restaurants across UK.

Ingredients:

1 & ½ cup baisan

½ tsp red chili powder

¼ tsp haldi

1 tsp chat masla

¾ tsp – 1 tsp Salt

½ tsp red chili flakes

1 tsp cumin seeds

½ tsp coriander powder

1 tbsp dry fenugreek/qasoori methi

¼ tsp baking powder (this makes the pakora a bit crispy)

2 medium potatoes  (peeled, either cut in to slices or small pieces)

2 medium Onions (sliced)

2 green chili (chopped, try to take out the seeds, if you want less spicy)

Some fresh coriander (chopped)

½ - ¾ cup water

Method:

1) Add potatoes and onions in a bowl; add in chopped green chilies and coriander.

2) Add in the baisan, and all the other dry ingredients, now add in the water and start mixing, don’t add too much water at once.  Mix it till you get a smooth batter, it shouldn’t be too runny or too thick, keep it aside.

3) Mean while heat oil in a karahi, now add spoonfuls of batter in to oil, you can either use tbsp or tsp, depending on the size of pakora you want to keep. Fry till they turn golden brown, turning them occasionally.  Once fried put them on kitchen towel/ tissue paper so the excess oil is absorbed. serve them hot. 

For sauce:

½ cup tomato ketchup

3-4  tbsp water

½ teaspoon of salt

½ teaspoon of sugar

½-1 teaspoon of mint sauce

½ teaspoon red chilli powder,

1 small onion (very finely chopped)

Mix all ingredients together and leave in the refrigerator for few hours before serving.

Note:

·      *    You can add in other vegetables too, such as some cauliflower, chopped spinach, spring onions and aborigine. At times I make simple one just with onions and potaoes and at time I do the mixed veggies ones.

·        *  Fry 2-3 pakoras first and check the spices and flavor and adjust accordingly.

·         * Never over crowd then karahi.

·         * Ones  you add the spoonful of batter don’t turn it immediately, let it fry for some moments so that the pakora retains its shape.

·        * The mint sauce is easily available in grocery stores, it comes in small glass jars.

Fruit Chana Chaat

Here is a little twist to normal chana chaat we make at home, again you will get prefect combination of sweet & sour, choice of fruit depends on your own preference, you can add in grapes, apples, oranges, kiwi fruit or what so ever is available... 

Ingredients:

250 gms  boiled chick peas

2 medium potatoes (boiled, peeled and cubed)

1-2 green chilies (chopped)

1 medium onion (finely chopped)

1 medium tomato (finely chopped)

1 apple (cubed)

½ to 1 cup grapes

2 bananas

1 tsp red chili powder (or to taste)

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp sugar

¼ cup whipped yogurt

chaat masala (as required)

½ cup tamarind chutney

Tamarind Chutney:

200g tamarind (remove seeds)

100g dates (pitted)

150g jaggery/sugar

2 cups water

1 tsp cumin seeds (roast and grind coarsely)

1 tsp salt

Red chili powder as per taste

Method For Chutney: 

Put the tamarind, dates, jaggery and water in a saucepan and cook on a medium flame till the dates and tamarind are soft. Turn off flame and allow the mixture to cool. Put it in a blender and blend mixture together into a smooth paste. Put sauce back into the saucepan on medium flame and add remaining spices. Bring the sauce to a boil and turn off. Allow to cool, then chill and serve.

Method for Chaat:

1) Take a large bowl add in the chick peas, along, onions, tomatoes, fruit, green chilies, yogurt and tamarind chutney.

2) Add in the sugar, red chili powder, salt and chaat masala (i would add about 1&1/2 to 2 tsp). Mix every thing together, check the spices, if you need to add more salt or red chili powder or tamarind chutney do so. Put it in a serving dish, add some papri if you like and chaat is ready to be served.

Qeema Kachori

Kachori is a crispy and flaky tea time snack that is stuffed with spiced fillings. Meats (chicken ir beaaf) as well as vegetable stuffed Kachoris are very popular food item in Pakistan, especially during Ramadan. For now I have made them with mined meat stuffing, you can always try any other stuffing you like…

Ingredients:

For Dough:

½ kg plain flour/maida

½ tsp salt

6-7 tbsp oil/ghee (100 gm)

Water (as required)

For Filling

350-400 gm minced meat

2tbsp oil

1 medium onion (sliced)

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

½ tsp salt (or less)

1 & 1/2 tsp red chili powder

½ tsp turmeric powder

½ tsp cumin seeds

½ tsp garam masala powder

½ tsp dhania powder

½ tsp dry fenugreek/qasoori methi

2-3 green chilies (chopped)

2 tbsp fresh coriander (chopped)

Method:

1) Take a pan and add minced meat along with 1 & ½ cups of water, onions, salt, red chili powder, turmeric powder and cumin seeds, let it cook on low medium flames, for at least 30 or till water almost dries out.

2) Next add in 2 tbsp of oil, garam masala powder, dhania powder, qasoori methi, green chilies and chopped fresh coriander, mix every thing together, and fry the minced meat (make sure to break any lumps) till all the water dries out. Turn of f the flame and let it cool down completely.  

3) For dough, combine flour and salt in a bowl, add in the ghee and mix it well till it becomes crumbly, then start adding water a little at a time and knead it well till you have a soft dough  transfer the dough to a bowl and corer with a damp cloth, keep aside for 30 minutes.

4) Make a paste by mixing together 2 tbsp of plain flour and 4 tbsp ghee. And keep aside.

5) Divide the dough in 9-10 equal sized balls and let them rest for some time. Then roll them out in to circles ( 7-8 inches in diameter)  , its preferable to flatten out the rolled balls with help of your hand, that’s how I did it, if you are not able to do so, flatten them with the help of a rolling pin, don’t press them do hard.

6) Now apply the paste on all the rolled out circles. Sprinkle some plain flour on each rolled out circle as well. Fold the top third of the rolled out circle, Fold the bottom third of the circle so the edges of the folded circle touch. Again apply some paste over the folded side, sprinkle some plain flour and fold from the sides, once from the right and once from the left, making it a small square. Repeat the same process with all the rolled out circles, let them rest for some time.

7) For stuffing, flatten out each square slightly, with the help of your hand, add one tbsp of minced meat filling in the center, bring the edges together to form a ball (first bring the 4 corners together, then twist them slightly. Then bring the remaining open edges together and twist them twice to lock the kachori, Flatten slightly with then help of your hands.

8) Deep fry kachoris on low heat until they turn golden brown and crisp. They will sink to bottom once you add them to oil, but once they get cooked from inside they will rise to top. Turn them over after 2-3 minutes. (Don’t over crowd the karahi while frying), serve with chutney of your choice.

Note:  If you find the process of rolling and folding out the balls hard, then skip that part and  simply press the ball slightly with your hand, put a spoon full of filling in the center, bring the edges together to seal the kachori, Flatten slightly with then help of your hands. 

Kalay Chanay Ki Chaat

 This is yet another variation of chana chaat, but here we are using brown chickpeas/kala chana. It tastes a lot different then the white chickpeas /kabuli chana, contains higher fiber content than Kabulis and are suitable for people with blood sugar problems. Essential dish for Ramadan and easy to take out on picnics…

Ingredients:

1/2 kg brown chickpeas/kalay chanay

¼ cup oil

2 medium onions chopped

1 tsp sonth powder

1/2 cup tamarind 

1 tsp chaat masala

1 tsp salt (leveled)

½ tsp kala namak

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp coriander seeds

4 button red chilies

2-3 chopped green chilies

Chopped fresh coriander

1 large tomato finely chopped (optional, for later use)

1 medium onion finely chopped (optional, for later use)

Method:

  1) Soak the chickpeas over night, next morning wash them 2-3 times and boil them. Once done drain out any excess liquid.

2)  Soak ½ cup tamarind in 1 cup hot water for at least an hour. The tamarind will soften. Squeeze the Tamarind in water and save the pulp that squeezes out in a separate bowl. Discard the seeds and save the pulp.

3) Dry roast the cumin seeds and coriander seeds, let them cool down slightly then grind them in to a coarse powder along with the button red chilies.

4) Take a pan, add ¼ cup of oil and sauté the onions till it get translucent.

5) Add in the chickpeas, salt, kala namak, dry roasted powder, sonth and fry for 4-5 minutes.

6) Add in the tamarind pulp; give it a good stir, cover the pan and let cook on low flame for 5-10 minutes. Let it cool down slightly

7) Adjust the seasoning, add in the chopped green chilies chopped fresh coriander, chopped tomatoes and onions, mix ever thing nicely. Chaat is  ready to be served.

Alu Kay Samosay

A favorite of every Pakistani, be it tea time, a rainy day, or iftar time. Samosas come in various sizes and with various stuffing, and are often accompanied by various kinds of chutneys. Making samosas at home is so much fun and easy, once you start making these at home….be ready to say good-bye to samosas bought from shops…

Ingredients:

For dough:

250gm plain flour/maida

3 tbsp melted ghee

½ tsp salt

½ tsp cumin seeds

1/3-1/4 cup water

For Filling:

2 medium potatoes (boiled and cubed in to small pieces)

2 tbsp oil

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

½ tsp mustard seeds (rai dana)

½ tsp qasoori methi

1 tsp coriander seeds (crushed)

½ tsp salt

1 tsp red chili flakes (kutti lal mirch)

1 tbsp fresh coriander (chopped)

2 green chilies chopped

Method:

1) Mix plain flour, cumin seeds, salt and three tablespoons of melted ghee in a bowl, rub it with your finger tips, until it all looks crumbly. Now start adding water little by little and knead into stiff dough. Keep covered with a damp napkin fifteen minutes.

2) Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pan along with, cumin seeds, qasoori methi, mustard seeds, and crushed coriander seeds. Add in the potatoes along with salt and red chili flakes, stir every thing together and slightly mash the potatoes with the back of the spoon while stirring. Once every thing is mixed up nicely turn of the heat, add and mix in the chopped green chilies and fresh coriander, let the mixture cool down

3) Knead the dough for 2 minutes then divide it in to 3 to 4 balls. Now roll out each ball in to oval shaped disc ( 7-8 inches in diameter), dusting with little flour when needed, cut it in to half from middle. Repeat the procedure with rest of the dough balls.

4) Take one semi-circle and lightly wet its straight edge with water. Fold it into a cone, joining this wet edge and pressing gently to seal well. Fill this cone 3/4 full with the potato filling. Lightly wet the open edges of the cone and press together to seal well. Repeat till all the samosas are ready.

5) Deep fry the samosas till golden brown on medium heat, making sure not to over crowd. Serve with chutney of your choice.


For Chutney: Take 1 cup yogurt, 1 medium sized green chili, 1 tsp crushed cumin seeds, 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander, 1/4 tsp black pepper powder, 1/2 tsp salt and blend it in a blender. 

Fruit Chaat

Almost every family in Pakistan makes fruit chaat at aftaar time during Ramadan, a must have in our family during aftaar. For those who are calorie conscious fruit chaat is an ideal option. You can use any fruits you like such as apples, bananas, guava, pineapple, peaches, mangoes, grapes, oranges, kiwis, pears or strawberries.... Choice is yours!!!!

Ingredients:

1 apple cubed
3 bananas cut in to small pieces
2 peaches skinned and cubed
2-3 guava cubed
Small bunch of grapes (you can use whole or slice them in halves)
Salt to taste
¼ tsp red chilies powder
¼ tsp black pepper powder
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp sugar

Method: 

Mix all fruit, salt, sugar, red chili powder, black pepper powder and lemon juice in a bowl. I have used a mango too as couldn’t find any guava fruit in market. You can also use chat masala instead of red chili powder and black pepper powder. You can serve it fresh, but I usually make fruit chaat an hour before aftaar and put it in fridge that way all the fruits releases their juices and it tastes awesome.

Note:  You can substitute 1/2 tsp of chaat masala  for red chili powder and black pepper powder.

Dahi Baray

In Pakistan dahi baray is one of the most liked snack during the holy month of Ramadan. Especially during summer time it’s a preferred snack as its light and refreshing. Last month I shared a recipe of Dahi Bhalle made with gram flour. This time I am sharing the recipe of bhally/baray made with mash ki daal.

Ingredients

3/4 cup white lentils/mash ki daal
1/2 inch piece Ginger 
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder 
1/2 tsp baking soda 
1 tbsp cumin seeds
7-8 button red chilies

1 tbsp coriander seeds.
Yogurt 1 kg (either use store bought yogurt or strained yogurt)
3 tbsp icing sugar
¼ cup water
Salt 1/2 tsp
Chat Masala (as required)

2 tbsp coriander leaves

2 chopped green chilies
Green chutney (as required)
Sweet tamarind chutney (as required)

Method: 

1) Soak Daal in water for 7-8 hours.

2)  Dry roast 1tbsp of coriander seeds, 1tbsp of cumin seeds and 7-8 button red chilies then grind them.

3) Blend daal, along with ginger piece, adding little water as required for blending. While adding water keep in mind we don’t want the batter to be to runny.

4) Take out the blended daal, add in the baking powder, baking soda, salt and 1&½ tsp of ground masala.  Mix it well for 5 minutes and make a smooth batter.

5) Heat oil in a pan and drop spoon full of batter in it. Fry on medium low heat till they are golden brown from both, about 5-7 minutes.

6) Put 1 tsp of salt and 3 cups of Luke warm water in a bowl. Once the dumplings are done (fried) take them out. Wait for 2 -3 minutes then soak them in water for 5 minutes.

7) Whisk the yogurt with sugar and salt. Pour half of the yogurt in serving.

8) Take the dumplings/baray out of water one at a time and squeeze water with the help of your palms. This will help to remove all the excess oil. Don't put too much pressure while squeezing to avoid the dumplings from breaking apart.

9) Arrange the dumplings/baray over yogurt, pour over the remaining yogurt, sprinkle chaat masala/or the ground masala, chopped green chilies, coriander. Drizzle sweet tamarind chutney over yogurt, dahi barar are ready to be served.

Note: you can serve them as it is, or if you wish you can add some boiled potato cubes, some chopped tomatoes and a small chopped onion to enhance the taste.

Chana Chaat

The Pakistani way of making chickpea salad, it’s a tangy and spicy savory snack made and loved by all Pakistani families around the globe. The holy month of Ramadan is just about to start, and chana chaat is something which is made a lot during Ramadan, so here’s how we make it….

 Ingredients:

250 gms chick peas

2 medium potatoes (boiled, peeled and cubed)

1-2 green chilies (chopped)

1 medium onion (finely chopped)

1 medium tomato (finely chopped)

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp red chili powder (or to taste)

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp freshly chopped coriander

1 tbsp sugar

½ cup tamarind chutney

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp coriander seeds

3-4 button red chilies

Tamarind Chutney:

200g tamarind (remove seeds)

100g dates (pitted)

150g jaggery/sugar

2 cups water

1 tsp cumin seeds (roast and grind coarsely)

1 tsp salt

Red chili powder as per taste

Method:

Put the tamarind, dates, jaggery and water in a saucepan and cook on a medium flame till the dates and tamarind are soft. Turn off flame and allow the mixture to cool. Put it in a blender and blend mixture together into a smooth paste. Put sauce back into the saucepan on medium flame and add remaining spices. Bring the sauce to a boil and turn off. Allow to cool, then chill and serve.

 Method for Chaat:

 1)      Soak the chickpeas over night and boil them the next morning. Once done keep 1/3 cup of liquid aside and discard the rest.

2)      Dry roast the cumin seeds and coriander seeds, let them cool down slightly then grind them in to a coarse powder along with the button red chilies.

3)      Take a large bowl; add in the chick peas, along the reserved 1/3 cup of liquid, onions, tomatoes, coriander leaves, green chilies, lemon juice and tamarind chutney.

4)      Add in the sugar, red chili powder, salt and 1 tbsp of powder made in step 2. Mix every thing together, check the spices, if you need to add more salt or red chili powder or tamarind chutney do so. Put it in a serving dish, add some papri if you like and chaat is ready to be served.

Bhel Puri

A light, crunchy and tangy snack made of puffed rice, boiled potatoes, sev, papri, onions, tomatoes and two chutneys, too many little things added together and the end result is a  burst of flavors...

 Ingredients:

2 large potatoes boiled, peeled and chopped into tiny cubes

2-3 cups puffed rice (murmuray, kurmura, or use rice krispies) 
1 large onion chopped finely
1 large tomato chopped finely
2 green chilies chopped finely (optional) 
Tamarind chutney to taste
Green chutney to taste
Crushed papri (I used the ready-made samosa wrappers as papri) 
1 cup sev 
Salt (to taste) 
Red chili powder (to taste)

A hand full of peanuts (optional) 
Chat masala

Method:

Mix potatoes, onion, tomato, salt, red chili powder and green chilies together in a large bowl. Add the tamarind chutney and green chutney according to your own taste preferences, Combine the dry ingredients puffed rice, sav, papri and mix well. Keep aside till ready to serve. When ready to serve mix dry ingredients and potato mixture.

Add cilantro and tamarind chutneys to your taste making sure chutneys should coat the Bhel Puri. Garnish with plenty of sev and papri. Sprinkle some chat masala. Serve and eat immediately. 

For green chutney:

Ingredients:

1 bunch fresh mint (approximately 100g)
1 bunch fresh coriander 
2 green chilies
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp lime juice

Grind all the ingredients (including the salt which you can add more of later to suit your taste).

For tamarind chutney:


Ingredients:

200g tamarind (remove seeds)
100g dates (pitted)
150g jaggery/sugar
2 cups water
1 tsp cumin seeds (roast and grind coarsely)
1 tsp salt
Red chili powder as per taste

Put the tamarind, dates, jaggery and water in a saucepan and cook on a medium flame till the dates and tamarind are soft. Turn off flame and allow the mixture to cool. Put it in a blender and blend mixture together into a smooth paste. Put sauce back into the saucepan on medium flame and add remaining spices
Bring the sauce to a boil and turn off. Allow to cool, then chill and serve.

Dahi Bhalle

A traditional snack of Pakistan made with lentil based dumplings soaked in yogurt sauce, and topped with a sweet and tangy tamarind paste. Ramadan is almost here and Dahi balle is one of the most popular snacks of holy month of Ramadan here in Pakistan. Some people call it bhalle some call it dahi bhalle, we are among the ones who call it dahi bhalle. You must have heard a lot of people making dahi bhalle with mash ke dal, but in my family they are always made with gram flour. The size of dumplings depends pretty much on your on choice. This time I have made the dumplings slightly larger then I normally do. If you also want try and make them the way I do here’s the recipe…

 Ingredient:

2 cup gram flour/besan

1 pinch baking soda

1/4 tsp red chili powder

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 kg yogurt

2-3 tbsp grinded sugar

Salt (1 tsp for yogurt+1/2 tsp for gram flour batter)

1/2 tsp red chili powder (for yogurt)

Chaat masala

1 cup boondi

2 potatoes (boiled, peeled and cubed)

1 large tomato (deseeded and finely chopped)

1 medium onion (finely chopped)

2-3 chopped green chilies (optional)

4 tbsp green chili & fresh coriander paste

Sweet tamarind paste as required

Method:

1) Take besan and add 1/2 tsp salt, red chili, cumin seeds, baking soda and some water in it. Mix it well for 5 minutes and make a smooth batter.

2) Heat oil in a pan and drop spoon full of batter in it. Fry on medium low heat all barays till they are golden brown from both sides.

3) Add warm water with 1/2tsp salt in a bowl. Dip the bhalle in this water for 2 minutes

4) Take them out one at a time and squeeze water with the help of your palms. This will help to remove all the excess oil. Don't put too much pressure while squeezing to avoid the dumplings from breaking apart.

5) Whisk the yogurt with sugar, salt, red chili powder, chaat masala, green paste.

6) Now take a serving dish mix together chopped onions, tomatoes, green chilies and  boondi. Now arrange bhalle on it and finally pour over the yogurt mixture.  Garnish it with chaat masala and tamarind paste. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.

Note:

1) The method outlined above is the way I like to have dahi bhalle, however most people make them the simple way by layering the bhalle in a serving dish and then pouring over the yogurt mixture.

2) If you don't have chaat masala then dry roast 1tbsp of coriander seeds, 1tbsp of cumin seeds, and 7-8 button red chilies then grind them. My mother used to make this masala for dahi bhalle.

Alu Tikki Chaat

Another perfect combination of sweet sour and savory, this snack is made of spicy potato patties served hot along with tamarind chuntey, coriander-mint chutney, yogurt and a spicy chickpea curry….

Alu tikki

Potatoes - 4 medium sized (boiled and peeled)

Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp

Coriander Powder - 1/4 tsp

Roasted Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp

Fenugreek leaves - ¼ tsp

Salt - As per taste

Oil – 2-3 tbsp

Method:

Mash the potatoes and add the rest of ingredients. Mix well. Divide the potato mixture into large lemon sized balls. Flatten each ball into a round shape of around half inch thickness. Heat a non stick pan or tava and add some oil. Place the prepared alu tikkis on the pan. On medium heat, let the tikkis turn golden brown before turning them over. Turn them over and pour little oil on the pan. Wait till the tikkis turn golden brown, switch of the heat and let the tikkis rest on the hot tava. If the tikkis turn out very soft, then let them cool and reheat them once again. This way the tikkis tend to be crisper for a longer period.

Chanay

Chickpeas 2 cups (boiled)

Onion - 1 large sized, finely chopped

Tomatoes - 2 medium finely chopped

Coriander Powder - 1 tsp

Roasted Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp

Chili Powder - 1 tsp

Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp

amchor powder - 1tsp

Salt - As per taste

Oil - 1 tbsp

Asafetida – ¼ tsp (if you don’t have asafetida you can also use ½ tsp ginger paste)

Ajwain - ¼ tsp

Method:

Heat oil in a pan and add the chopped onions. Fry them till they turn translucent. Add the chopped tomatoes and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, Asafetida, ajwain and mix well till the raw smell disappears. Add the chana and 2 cups of water mix well and let the mixture boil. Add the garam masala, salt. Mix well. Let it cooks on low flame for about half an hour, (thick gravy is needed)

Green Chutney:

Coriander/Cilantro Leaves - 3 tbsp, roughly chopped

Green Chilies - 2-3, roughly chopped

Lime juice - 1 tsp

Yogurt/Curd – 2-3 tbsp

Salt - As per Taste

Method:

Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend to a smooth puree. Green chutney for alu tikki chat is ready.

Tamarind Chutney:

200g tamarind (remove seeds)

100g dates (pitted)

150g jaggery/sugar

2 cups water

1 tsp cumin seeds (roast and grind coarsely)

1 tsp salt

Red chili powder as per taste

Method:

Put the tamarind, dates, jaggery and water in a saucepan and cook on a medium flame till the dates and tamarind are soft. Turn off flame and allow the mixture to cool. Put it in a blender and blend mixture together into a smooth paste. Put sauce back into the saucepan on medium flame and add remaining spices. Bring the sauce to a boil and turn off. Allow to cool, then chill and serve.

Assembling Alu Tikki Chat:

Onion - 1 large sized, finely chopped

Tomatoes (optional)

Papri (optional)

Plain yoghurt

Method of Plating:

Take a bowl or a individual serving bowlor plate, place one or two hot alu tikes on the bottom. Pour some chanay on top of it. Add a tablespoon of chopped onions and tomatoes on top of it. Pour 2 teaspoons of the green chutney on top of it, Pour 2 teaspoons of the date tamarind chutney on top of it and some plain yoghurt. Finally add a little more chopped onion and tomatoes, papri and sprinkle some chat masla. Enjoy the amazing alu tikki chat.

Dahi Chana Chaat

Dahi Chana Chaat is among the various savory snacks you will find in Pakistan. It has all three flavors of sweet, sour and savorym, you can make it during ramadan, make it as a side dish or it can be served on its own too. 

Ingredients:

1/2 kg boiled chickpeas 

1/2 kg yogurt
Boiled potatoes 2 (cut in to cubes)
1 cup boondi (Soaked)
1/2 cup tamarind pulp or alubukhara chatni
1 tsp whole coriander 

6 whole red chilies
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp green chili & fresh coriander paste
Salt to taste
1 tsp Sugar
1 Onion o medium finely chopped
Tomato one large finely chopped
Green chilies as required
Coriander leaves 
Chaat masla

Method:

1) Dry roast together 6 button red chilies, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp coriander seeds.(you can make this powdered masala in advance, and It goes really well with dahi bhalaz). Grind finely.

2) Beat ½ kg yogurt with I tsp of powdered spices, 2 tbsp green chili and fresh coriander paste, salt and sugar.

3)  In a serving bowl spread ½ kg boiled chickpeas, top with beaten yogurt. Now top with soaked boondi and boiled potatoes,  spread, chopped onion, chopped tomatoes, chopped green chilies, alubukhara chutney or tamarind pulp and chopped coriander leaves on top. sprinkle chaat masala on top of chaat. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving

Potato Bread Triangles

One of my all time favorite childhood snack, my mom used to make it for us frequently, but that time she used to dip it in egg and shallow fry it. I have changed the recipe a bit. Haven’t used any egg and used very little oil. You can have it as a tea time snack, even have it as breakfast, or give it to kids for lunch.

Ingredients:

4 medium boiled potatoes
salt  to taste
 3/4 tsp red chili powder
1 medium onion chopped
1-2 green chilies chopped
2 tbsp fresh coriander leaves chopped
1 tsp Crushed cumin/zeera
½ tsp coriander powder
¼ cup of milk (milk will make it a bit smooth)
Juice of 1 lemon
5-6 slices of bread