Baked Spiced-up Chickpeas

uch is being said these days about the importance of eating healthy. I believe there is an increased awareness among people in general as well. The sad part is that health food oftentimes discounts on arguably the second most important aspect of food - taste. Well it does not have to be that way. It can not only taste great but actually taste like some of the most sinful treats that we coerce ourselves into resisting. If you have ever tried chana-zor or 'mixture' as it is also called in some parts of India, you would know that awesome tangy spicy crunchy taste that I believe hardly there would be any soul that does not like. Yet, at least I know for one that resists it due to all the deep frying involved. This masala mix of chickpeas is a attempt to create the same spicy tangy taste but without having to fire up the fryer. Being chickpea based, it also provides a healthy serving of protein. Although, after you've tried it you will care less about the nutrition and simply enjoy the addictive taste.
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Lal Chana Ghugni aur Tikona Paratha/Black Chickpea Curry and Paratha

 was craving to have something that is closer to home and to the heart... and when you talk about close to home you often think of simple things that mom made that you enjoyed growing up. This dish is one of my comfort foods. Every time I make it, the sound of the sizzling spice and the aroma reminds me of home, of my childhood… lal chana ghugni used to be a staple back home – I love the flavor these special spices bring when cooked in Mustard oil. If you are not aware, traditionally most of the recipes from my native cuisine  use mustard oil for cooking ~ in my opinion the flavor that mustard oil imparts can not be replaced with any other substitute. This recipe is a plain, simple comfort food ghugni with poori or parantha reminds me of the frequent weekend breakfasts during our childhood days. The side dish used to be yogurt, pickle and gud (palm jaggery).

Every recipe from home comes with a satchel full of memories ~ while growing up and having mom to cook for me, I never really paid attention to how comforting and delicious some humble ghugni might taste and smell. It was just a part of everyday, which of course I didn't make much of in those days. After all that was mom and this is what she always made, right? ... aah... the things we take for granted...  Many years later, I love the smell intensely because I miss it so much and no matter how good I make it, it never comes close to the taste of mom's ghugni.

Paratha is a general term of a flatbread cooked in a pan with some oil. They come in various shapes and sizes varying from one region of India to another. Sometimes they are round, sometimes stuffed, even layered but for me parathas always have been these triangle ones, the ones that I picture in my head when I hear 'paratha'.

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Kachdee / Lentil Fritters

couple of weeks ago it rained here almost each day of the week as it got colder and colder. We even had to turn on the heat in the house which by the way is quite unusual for around here. One evening as I sat at my workstation looking through the big window at the drizzle outside, it had me completely nostalgic of the rainy evenings back at home in India. It used to get pretty cold there too and we used to huddle up in blankets. Those cold evenings where when we really craved for spicy and fried food to perk us up.

Kachdee is a traditional Bihari (from the Bihar region of India) snack. If belongs to the Pakora family except it is made with chana daal (Bengal gram lentil). It is basically a coarsely ground lentil paste mixed with spices and deep fried to get a nice crispy exterior.
Everyone in the family was a fan, dad and grandpa alike and so were we. So while we snuggled up in our blankets, one of us would innocently suggest "wouldn't it be nice if we could get some nice hot Kachdee from somewhere" and mom, a good sport as she always is when it came to cooking, would willingly volunteer to fry up some.
I still love 'em. Hubby is not a big fan of pakoras so I do not make them very often but this time around I just could not resist.

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