Cooking with Pushpa: Class 3

After a small hiatus last week, my cooking classes with Pushpa are back! This week we made chhole, or chickpeas, masala and bhindi fry. Bhindi is commonly referred to as "ladyfingers" in Europe or most affectionately called "okra" in the United States. Purchasing produce in India is really making me wonder about some of the names we have for things in the States, for instance, aubergine or eggplant. Bhindi is one of my favorite vegetables here in India and I learned today you can either fry it, or make a subzi with this lovely green vegetable. A subzi is a term used when sauteing vegetables, if you are sauteing something other than a vegetable such as chicken, mutton, chhole you would call it a masala. After we finished our two dishes, we made chapati to accompany the meal tonight. The recipes are below, along with a recipe for the garlic and ginger paste if you cannot access a prepared version.

Chhole Masala
Ingredients

• 1/4 cup oil
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon jeera, or cumin, seeds
• 2 tablespoons garlic and ginger paste
• 1 cup tomato puree
• salt to taste
• 1 teaspoon of prepared chhole masala spice mixture
• 1 cup water
• 250 grams of chhole, or chickpeas, already cooked or canned
• 1/4 cup freshly chopped coriander

Masala Ingredients

• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1/2 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/4 cup coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon garam masala

Directions

1. Heat oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat.
2. Add cumin seeds and onion to pan, and saute for about 10 minutes.
3. Add garlic and ginger paste to the mixture and saute for an additional 5 minutes.
4. Add a pinch of salt, the masala mixture, and tomato puree and saute for 5 minutes.
5. Add chhole masala spice mixture and 1/2 cup of water, then saute for 5 minutes longer.
6. Add chickpeas and mix. Add the remainder of water to make a gravy and the chhole moist.
7. Cook for 5 minutes. Garnish with 1/4 cup freshly chopped coriander leaves.
8. Serve warm with chapati.

Note: If you cannot find chhole masala spice mixture, the back of the package lists the ingredients as chili powder, turmeric, star of anise, coriander, pomegranate seeds, lemon seeds, bishop's weed, and mint.

Bhindi Fry

Ingredients

• 500 grams bhindi, ends trimmed and cut lengthwise
• 4 tablespoons garlic and ginger paste
• 2 tablespoons coriander powder
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1/4 cup cornflour
• 1/8 cup atta, or whole wheat flour
• 1/2 of lemon, juiced
• pinch of salt

Directions

1. Add 1/4 inch of oil to the bottom of a pan and heat on medium.
2. In a bowl, add bhindi, garlic and ginger paste, coriander powder, chili powder, cornflour, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Mix with hands.
3. Fry bhindi until browned, for about 3 minutes. Turn bhindi in oil for optimal browning.
4. Squeeze the other half of the lemon over the bhindi.
5. Serve warm with chapati.

Garlic and Ginger Paste

Ingredients

• 250 grams garlic, roughly chopped
• 250 grams ginger, roughly chopped
• Water

Directions

1. Add garlic and ginger to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse.
2. Add a little water to the mixture and continue to pulse until the mixture becomes a paste.
3. Store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to one month.