There are many dishes which taste good in all seasons, its not always the ingredients but the way they are cooked that makes them suitable for all seasons, all bodytypes and all times of the day. Because they are balanced in taste and attributes or gunas.
We are in the midst of January and though Spring is said to be next in line, the short winters we experience in this part of the earth are at their peak, it still gets a little too cold everynow and then. I have been living on simple meals like dal chawal, khichadi since a few days and now as the air gets heavier with more moisture I feel the need to eat something more earthy yet warming not heating yet certainly not drying nor moist soupy.
This recipe is a very common and flavorful one I prepare often combining the channa with sweet potato or pindalu instead of white potatoes. It just needs a small tweak in the method of preparation to get the right flavor off the ingredients. This is the way I prepare channa bateta:
Heres what you need:
1 medium sized potato washed, peeled and cubed into 3/4th inch sized blocks soaked in water till ready for use.
1/2 cup black channa soaked overnight (optionally sprouted)
1&1/2 Tbsp sesame seed oil
1 tsp ginger choped into 1/2cm sized cubes
Sendha Namak and ED7 Spice Mix
1+ Tbsp tamarind juice
Corriander leaves and Lemon
And heres what you do:
Pressure Cook the channa in sufficient water and add sendha namak to it. Keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan and once sufficiently warm, drain the potatoes and add to the oil. Mix continuously to ensure all pieces are coated with oil. Fry them, mixing constantly till they develop a slightly colored edge. Once cooked, remove and keep aside. Reduce flame.
In the leftover oil, add chopped ginger and ED7 masala mix immidietly to avoid burning.
Now add the boiled channa with the water and mix to coat the spices. Add the potatoes to it and allow it to cook for some time. As the gravy starts to thicken, add tamarind juice and cook for a few minutes only.
Once ready, switch off the flame and add corriander leaves. Keep it covered until ready to serve.
And now heres why we do what we do:
The secret to great tasting Indian food is great tasting genuine ingredients from spices to vegetables to beans.
There are many varieties of potatoes and the best amongst them are the ones that are not really white. Many varieties of those really white potatoes available in the market tend to be more astrigent than sweet (these are the commercially grown varieties suitable for the american style french fries sold at fastfood stores). Indian potatoes, as used in this recipe, are smaller in size and offwhite to yellowish in color, those are the best kind of potatoes to use in the traditional recipes cooked using traditional techniques and spices. These potatoes are healthier with a higher moisture and sugar content so they combine very well with black channa. They are also more hearty and nourishing and thus more sattvik.
When shallow fried directly in oil, they tend to cook quicker due to the higher sugar and moisture content and also develop a crust quickly while softening from the inside. This is what compliments the slightly hard and astrigent mouthfeel of chickpeas.
They give out a heavenly fragrance (of potatoes) which won't come from those astrigent tasting potatoes even if you deepfry them. They taste different too. The latter (astrigent potatoes) require more oil while cooking and because the sweet taste is missing, you crave more carbs and get more thirsty.
One way to develop the sugars and reduce the astrigency of white potatoes is by storing them in cooler temperatures. Soaking them in cold water before cooking is also a nice way to reduce the astrigency.
Using the right potatoes is the key to getting all the six ayurvedic tastes represented in this dish and creating a balanced healthy dish.
Sprouting of such beans is a personal preference that depends on the weather which dictates your gutfeeling. Most sprouts cook faster and have a slightly crunchier mouth feel while soaked beans are way too easy to overcook or undercook. Salting the beans while cooking is not a solution appropriate for the long-term.
Mouthfeel is an important criteria in digestion. According to Ayurveda, the tongue is a mirror image of the digestive system. If food doesnot feel right on the tongue, it is an indication of difficulty the digestive system wiil encounter. The solution is not to sit and try to dissect the taste while eating but listening to your body and eating to satisfy the whole being.
We are in the midst of January and though Spring is said to be next in line, the short winters we experience in this part of the earth are at their peak, it still gets a little too cold everynow and then. I have been living on simple meals like dal chawal, khichadi since a few days and now as the air gets heavier with more moisture I feel the need to eat something more earthy yet warming not heating yet certainly not drying nor moist soupy.
This recipe is a very common and flavorful one I prepare often combining the channa with sweet potato or pindalu instead of white potatoes. It just needs a small tweak in the method of preparation to get the right flavor off the ingredients. This is the way I prepare channa bateta:
Heres what you need:
1 medium sized potato washed, peeled and cubed into 3/4th inch sized blocks soaked in water till ready for use.
1/2 cup black channa soaked overnight (optionally sprouted)
1&1/2 Tbsp sesame seed oil
1 tsp ginger choped into 1/2cm sized cubes
Sendha Namak and ED7 Spice Mix
1+ Tbsp tamarind juice
Corriander leaves and Lemon
And heres what you do:
Pressure Cook the channa in sufficient water and add sendha namak to it. Keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan and once sufficiently warm, drain the potatoes and add to the oil. Mix continuously to ensure all pieces are coated with oil. Fry them, mixing constantly till they develop a slightly colored edge. Once cooked, remove and keep aside. Reduce flame.
In the leftover oil, add chopped ginger and ED7 masala mix immidietly to avoid burning.
Now add the boiled channa with the water and mix to coat the spices. Add the potatoes to it and allow it to cook for some time. As the gravy starts to thicken, add tamarind juice and cook for a few minutes only.
Once ready, switch off the flame and add corriander leaves. Keep it covered until ready to serve.
And now heres why we do what we do:
The secret to great tasting Indian food is great tasting genuine ingredients from spices to vegetables to beans.
There are many varieties of potatoes and the best amongst them are the ones that are not really white. Many varieties of those really white potatoes available in the market tend to be more astrigent than sweet (these are the commercially grown varieties suitable for the american style french fries sold at fastfood stores). Indian potatoes, as used in this recipe, are smaller in size and offwhite to yellowish in color, those are the best kind of potatoes to use in the traditional recipes cooked using traditional techniques and spices. These potatoes are healthier with a higher moisture and sugar content so they combine very well with black channa. They are also more hearty and nourishing and thus more sattvik.
When shallow fried directly in oil, they tend to cook quicker due to the higher sugar and moisture content and also develop a crust quickly while softening from the inside. This is what compliments the slightly hard and astrigent mouthfeel of chickpeas.
They give out a heavenly fragrance (of potatoes) which won't come from those astrigent tasting potatoes even if you deepfry them. They taste different too. The latter (astrigent potatoes) require more oil while cooking and because the sweet taste is missing, you crave more carbs and get more thirsty.
One way to develop the sugars and reduce the astrigency of white potatoes is by storing them in cooler temperatures. Soaking them in cold water before cooking is also a nice way to reduce the astrigency.
Using the right potatoes is the key to getting all the six ayurvedic tastes represented in this dish and creating a balanced healthy dish.
Sprouting of such beans is a personal preference that depends on the weather which dictates your gutfeeling. Most sprouts cook faster and have a slightly crunchier mouth feel while soaked beans are way too easy to overcook or undercook. Salting the beans while cooking is not a solution appropriate for the long-term.
Mouthfeel is an important criteria in digestion. According to Ayurveda, the tongue is a mirror image of the digestive system. If food doesnot feel right on the tongue, it is an indication of difficulty the digestive system wiil encounter. The solution is not to sit and try to dissect the taste while eating but listening to your body and eating to satisfy the whole being.
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