Methi Chhole aur Ajwain Puri/Fenugreek chickpeas curry with fried puffed bread

he past week was good fun. My brother was visiting us for the last few days, hubby took a couple of days off work and then of course the festival of Holi. We had a lot of fun with a lot of hanging out, cooking up a storm, riding around town, eating out on occasion when I did not feel like cooking, playing a game of cards or scrabble... you get the idea. All in all, it was great and as I write this on late Sunday evening (which by-the-way is the worst time of the week for me) with mixed emotions I realized I missed out on updates from the blog world for which I believe I owe an apology to all my dear friends.

This is a dish that I made a few days ago, again in my methi cooking frenzy, which like most other methi dishes was a hit with hubby and believe it or not with my little princess too. It is a protein packed dish and is relatively easy to put together too. If you like chhole, you are gonna love this. It goes great with puris and especially a flavored puri like the ajwain puri that I have posted here. The ajwain flavor is simple and nice and the puris can be had as a snack by themselves too.

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Raj Kachori with Chhole / Puffed fried bread with spicy and tangy chickpea filling

Raj Kachori is a popular street-food in India. Back in my hometown in India there is a small hole-in-the-wall store that makes them the best I've ever had and these kachoris are definitely in the list of a few things that I do make sure to get my fix of whenever I am visiting. They are basically a crispy and flaky puffed fried round flat bread filled with a spicy and tangy chickpea filling and topped with different chutneys. They makes for an awesome and filling street food. I came across this recipe while I was going through one of my cookbooks from Sanjeev Kapoor. It immediately triggered all the memories and I knew I had to make it. The kachoris are a little tricky to make but you should be able to get it right in a couple of attempts.

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Chhole bhature

hhole or chana masala is one of the most popular vegetarian dish in Northern India. When classically paired with bhature (a match made in heaven) it is the type of street food that can be had as a whole meal, so fulfilling, so hearty, so yummy, pure indulgence, simply mouthwatering. No wonder it continues to be the most popular food item in Indian restaurants all over the world. It is generally served for breakfast with a tall glass of lassi in the punjabi households, where it originated, but has become a much loved weekend brunch and dinner in our household.

It is a chickpea (kabuli chana) dish cooked in a spicy onion tomato based gravy with a deep fried unleavened bread :) Bhatura is one of my fav breads. It is a delicious soft bread that is chewy at the same time. They are such a treat to the eye and to the taste buds alike. My little one gets so excited when they puff up while frying :) My dear hubby earlier used to detest the dish, but that was before meeting me:) Now he can not wait to eat it whenever I make it. I learned this recipe from my mom, very simple and easy to make but tastes out of this world. Also she never used the store bought chhole masala powder (which is not needed in the first place). Hope you like it.

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