Tag Archives: starters

Recipe: Hummus and Tahini

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I’ve made Hummus years and years back when I was on a food experimentation drive. The past few weeks, in a bid to increase good protein, I was thinking of making hummus again, but somehow this did not happen. Then the other day, I read about someone who was raving about Tesco’s caramelized onion hummus and I was intrigued. This made me want to try making hummus again, and also try it with caramelized onion. As luck would be, I also had some dry chickpeas or garbazano beans which were going to go bad soon and so this recipe of hummus soon saw the light of the day.

When I made Hummus earlier, I didn’t add Tahini paste to it, thinking I won’t get it here in Singapore. Then when I went online and found how to make it, I realised it was very simple and so this time, I made it as authentic as I could….

Hummus and Tahini

Ingredients:

Tahini 2For the Tahini Paste 

  • 2 tbsps white sesame seeds
  • 3-4 tbsps extra virgin olive oil

Hummus 2For the Hummus

  • 2 cups dried chickpeas, soaked overnight and cooked in a pressure cooker until soft
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 3-4 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 tbsps tahini
  • 2 tbsps lemon juice
  • salt to taste

Method:

For the Tahini

  • Soak the sesame seeds in a bowl of water and drain it.
  • In a dry pan, dry roast it till it starts to crackle. This should take not more than 5-6 minutes. Do not let it brown too much and burn.
  • Take it off the gas and let it cool completely.
  • In a small mixer/blender, blend the sesame seeds to a powder, then add the olive oil and blend till it becomes a smooth paste. Keep aside.

Hummus 2For the Hummus

  • In another pan, add 1 tsp oil (I used a canola olive blend) and when it warms, add the chopped garlic and stir, letting it brown and caramalize.
  • When it browns, remove and keep aside. In the same pan, with the remaining oil, add in the chopped onions and let them brown and caramalize. Once it has browned, remove and keep aside.
  • In another mixer blender, add the chickpeas, caramalized onions and garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and tahini and blend well.
  • You can blend it smooth like I did or keep it slightly coarse. You can also keep some onions aside to use as a topping.
  • Check for salt and serve. You can also add some red chilli powder to use as a topping when serving.

I usually eat this plain, or add in my red chilli chutney and eat….

Hummus 4

 

Recipe: Carrot and Peanut Chutney

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My Chutney series continues….

Carrot Chutney 1Last week, while making dosa, a rice-based pancake, we wanted to have a chutney, but were tired of having the usual coconut and tomato chutneys which I usually make. So I decided to experiment and see if I could tweak something we usually make and come up with something else. I decided to tweak my carrot thuvaiyal recipe. It was a hit, with the sweetness of the carrots balanced with the spiciness of the chillies and the tartness of the tamarind.

Carrot and Peanut Chutney

Carrot Chutney 2Ingredients:

  • 1 cup chopped carrots
  • ¼ cup peanuts (soak them in hot water for 20 mins so they soften. Then drain and keep aside)
  • 5-6 fresh red chillies (you can use dried red chillies as well as change the amount depending on the intensity of the chillies and your tolerance levels)
  • 2 medium sized onions, chopped
  • 5-6 pods of garlic
  • ½ inch piece of ginger
  • 1 small marble-sized ball of tamarind (or 1 tsp of tamarind paste)
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tsp oil
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • Method:
    Heat oil in a pan and when warm, put the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and fennel seeds one by one, stirring it for a couple of seconds each before the next one is put in the pan.
  • Fry the garlic and ginger for a few seconds each and then add the onions and let it soften and brown
  • Add the chillies and fry till it starts to soften and wilt. Then add the drained peanuts and fry for a minute.
  • Add the carrots, stir well and add a pinch of salt to help cook faster. Cover and cook until the carrots are well-cooked.
  • Once the carrots are completely cooked, remove the pan from the fire and let it cool completely.
  • Blend this mixture in a blender or mixture until it becomes the consistency you like. I prefer chutneys to be very fine, but others like a more coarser texture, it’s completely your preference.
  • Check for salt and add if needed. Transfer to a bowl and use for idlis, dosas, rotis and even bread!

Carrot Chutney 3

 

Curry Leaves Chutney

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I had a load of curry leaves today and while talking to my mum, told her about this chutney I make sometimes using these leaves. Now curry leaves are mostly used in South Indian cooking as part of the tadka, but you can also make chutneys and thogayals out of it. Here is my version.

Curry Leaves Chutney

Ingredients:

1 cup curry leaves
1/4 cup black raisins
A small sized ball of tamarind
6-7 green chillies
1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves
1/2 cup raw peanuts
1 inch piece ginger
Salt to taste

Method:
Dry roast the curry leaves until they just start becoming crisp. In the meantime, put
the raisins and tamarind in a small bowl and pour just enough hot water to cover. Once the water has cooled a bit, grind everything together – the curry leaves, raisins, tamarind, chillies, coriander leaves, peanuts and ginger. Add water as needed and  grind it to a fine paste. Add salt to taste and you have yummy curry leaves chutney

This is yummy even with bread, idli, dosa etc.