Basic Hummus and Chapati

Please forgive me, as my photos doesn't seem to be that enticing, but I assure you, your friends and family will love you more when they taste this.  I can just have this anytime of the day, especially while watching my favorite TV shows paired with red wine.

I made this in a breeze and took a photo real time, just after making the batch, it was gone in 30 seconds, so I wasn't able to prepare to get the best food shot.  I'm like that, I always cook food on a whim and forgets to get the proper photo op preparations.

Lighting was blah, since I just used my phone to get the quick shot and it was night time...

But the flavor was AHHHH!

When making this consider getting a good can of chickpeas and authentic Indian Tahini, which you can both get at any Indian store.  I got mine at Magallanes Complex.

Tahini gives the dish the distinct flavor.  It's made from hulled sesame seeds churned to paste and is a staple in many cuisines, especially in the Mediterranean and Middle East.

Make sure to get Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil, making the taste clean and the aroma well-balanced.

You may order here.

Hummus Recipe

Basic hummus recipe (lifted from www.jamieoliver.com)

Serves 6-8 as a starter

2 x 400g cans of chickpeas (reserve the liquid and a few chickpeas for decoration)
6 tsp tahini
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp crushed sea salt
6 tbsp quality extra virgin olive oil (plus extra for drizzling)
3½ tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
Paprika
Coriander or parsley leaves (optional)

Procedure:

Rinse the chickpeas in tap water, drain and dump into the food processor. Add the tahini, crushed garlic, salt, lemon juice and seven tablespoons of the reserved liquid from the cans. Turn on the food processor and slowly pour in the oil while it runs.  In my case, I tried to use the blender, since my food processor could not hold the density.

When the mixture is fully combined and smooth, tip it into a serving dish. Drizzle with some more extra virgin olive oil and decorate with a few whole chickpeas. Sprinkle with paprika and finely chopped coriander or parsley leaves, for color.

Chapati Recipe (lifted from rasamalaysia.com)

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour (or stone ground drum-wheat also known as “Atta”)
1 cup water (approximately)
1 teaspoon salt
Little extra flour in a shallow plate or pie dish to help with coating and dusting while rolling the chapattis

Procedure:

Sieve the flour, add salt to it and mix well. Place the flour in a large bowl and add ¾ cup of water. Stir lightly with fingers in a circular motion till the flour start to gather. Add 1-2 tablespoons of more flour if the dough looks too sticky or add little more water if it looks too dry and firm.

Knead the flour until you have soft and pliable dough that does not stick to your fingers. You can put little oil on your hand while kneading the dough to help with kneading. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for minimum 1 hour at room temperature. If keeping for longer period store the dough in refrigerator and make sure to bring it back to room temperature before using it.

Once ready to make chapatis, heat the griddle over medium-high heat. Divide the dough into 10-12 equal-sized balls and start working with each ball separately. Place the bowl in dry flour and flatten it a bit with help of finger tips. Transfer the flatten ball to any clean flat surface and with help of rolling pin, roll it into approx. 6-7 inch circle of uniform thickness. While rolling the chapati if the dough sticks to the rolling surface, dust it and the surface lightly with little flour.

Place the rolled chapati on the hot griddle and cook for 30 seconds or until tiny golden dots appear on the bottom, flip over to the other side. Once the other side is also covered with larger brown dots, turn it over again. Soon the chapati will start to puff up. With the help of a folded kitchen towel press gently on the puffed part, gently pushing the air to the flatten part of chapati until the whole chapati puffs up into a round ball (don’t get disheartened if your chapati doesn’t puff up like a ball, it will still taste as delicious as the puffed on. It may take a little practice to get perfectly puffed chapatis). You can puff up the chapati on direct flame too.

For photos read more at http://rasamalaysia.com/chapati-recipe/2/#Q5lufLEllYB4HVUb.99

Enjoy!

Do visit my RECIPE page for more easy ways of entertaining your family's palate.

The Best Indian Cuisine in the Banana Republic

New Bombay

Authentic Indian Cuisine

   The good thing about internet nowadays is being able to buy stuffs online.   Advertising in the internet can be costly or costless   On the second hand, customers like me, who often puts value for money next to quality of food and service, finds it delightful to  hunt for good dining bargains.
   It was time for me to try out new things and enjoy  God's blessing in all the areas of the said LIFE.
   Little did I know that buying e-tickets and online vouchers will really come in handy in my new found hunger for life.   Dining in New Bombay, to be honest, is my first experience in this matter.   I used a Buyanihan voucher to pay for our food that would have cost P500, but the voucher only cost P200.   The allotted deal was enough for two heads, well that depends on what you will choose from the menu.   Whatever excess in the bill is what you just have to pay.  

Here are the foods we ordered:

For appetizer, we had SAMOSA, triangle empanadas filled potatos mashed the Indian way.
It has two dips, the tangy Tamarind chutney and green coriander chutney.  Both are amazingly new to my palate.  Both dips makes the yummy crusty pastry tastes better and blends so well with the potato filling that is mildly seasoned.

Samosa dipped in coriander chutney, moderately spicy with the leafy taste.

Chicken Tikka Masala, the main dish.
The flaming hot plate...Everything is out of my world.  I'm not a picky eatery, however, i don't like very spicy dishes.  Eaten with either rice or chapatti, an unleavened bread.  We tried it both, and even went scale higher with Cheese Naan, like chapatti but has cheese inside.

I guess eating spices became their second nature.

The Chappatti
To trully enjoy Chicken Tikka Masala, one has to dip a portion of the Chappatti to the dish.  

Of course I have to try their Chais, Hot Indian Tea.   Good to balance the mix of spice you had.   Though I never dared to drink Ginger Tea or Salabat, now I know how it tastes and feels like.   To even spike it up, it has milk and sugar, those are just what I recognized, I don't know what the concoction is, but one should not leave the place without trying this.

And to finish my meal, I had to try KULFE, an Indian Ice Cream.   It is made of low fat milk, saffron and dry fruits.  I know that saffron is the most expensive spice, and I never had recipes using the coveted spice.  Saffron makes the dish pink and more appealing to the senses.
Could you imagine a dessert with spice?!...

I love this Kulfe!

I don't want to say a mouthful, since my mouth really spoke to me!  Wheew!  I think I'm getting accustomed myself to the spicy gastronomic reverie.  
Do visit New Bombay, they have a file of  almost all of the dish in the Indian Cuisine, Shorba (soup),  Vegetarian Tandoori, Chicken and seafood dishes, and a lot, lot more.

We tried it at their main branch at Sagittarius Bldg., H.V. Dela Costa.   But we were at the Columns (Malugay St.) first to check out their restaurant.  Both venues look appealing though.

From here on I will be rating my ridiculous adventure for food.

GASTRONOMIC RATING:  (watch out)

 Find them at www.newbombay.com.ph