Aloo Chholey
Finally, I am once again posting on one of the many cookbooks I have on my bookshelf. I have been devoting my posts of late to the two on-line cooking groups that I am a member of: Wok Wednesdays and Tuesdays with Dorie. My goal of cooking one recipe out of every cookbook I own has kind of gone by the wayside.
Starting with this book I hope to get back on track. I chose a very simple side (actually this is listed under appetizers and snacks) to go with my dinner salad. I love potatoes, I love chickpeas, and cumin is one of my favorite spices.
The recipe calls for amchoor, a mango powder made from sun-dried raw green mangoes. You use this powder in dishes when you want to add a tart flavor similar to lemon, but without added moisture. I omitted this and added a little extra lemon juice. I figured a little moisture would not hurt this rather dry textured snack.
Rock salt was also called for in the recipe; again I substituted - as with the amchoor I did not want to buy something I know I will not be using often, if ever again. In place of the rock salt I used a coarse sea salt; I know (after reading this) it is not the same, but will do in a pinch.
This snack would benefit from a dollop of raita, a cool cucumber and yogurt sauce. I had some Greek yogurt in the fridge and used that; it kicked it up a notch for sure. This would even be good wrapped up in a tortilla. Come to think of it, this is very similar to another really good chickpea recipe, sans the potatoes and there you sauté the chickpeas in the spices; do check it out - it too really is a tasty dish!
Success meter (1-3): 3
My daughter & I purchased this book
to get a taste of Indian fare before
she went on a month long tour of
India last year.
Notice the beautiful background - a scarf our daughter
brought back from India.
Aloo Chholey
Potato & Chickpea Snack
Serves 4
200g / 7oz. (1 cup) dried chickpeas (garbanzo beans), soaked overnight
500 g/ 1lb 2oz (3 medium) potatoes, unpeeled
1 tsp. amchoor
1 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. rock salt
½ tsp. chili powder
½ tsp. lemon juice
Salt
Drain the chickpeas and cook them in a pressure cooker with 500ml/18 fl. Oz (2 1/4cups) water for about 10 minutes. Alternatively, put the chickpeas in a pan with the water and cook for about 2 hours, or until soft. Drain and set aside.
Cook the potatoes in a pan of boiling water for about 20 minutes, or until soft, then drain and allow to cool. When the potatoes are cool, peel off their skins, return to the pan and cut into dice.
Put the chickpeas, potatoes and all the remaining ingredients in a bowl, then season with salt and mix together.
India Cookbook/Pushpesh Pant
This looks interesting! I haven't made much Indian before.
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