A twist in the recipe

I buy healthy foods like I used to shop for accessories in my college days.  I just pick random ingredients with all good intentions  of making something deceptively rich and artery clogging, but actually healthy and frequently forget about it after the first disastrous attempt.  Kollu or Horsegram was one such victim; I made kollu thuvaiyal, my co-sister's recommendation, the first time and no one could tolerate the taste, least of all me.  Kollu rasam hardly needed more than a spoon of Kollu. The Kollu stayed forgotten in the recesses of my pantry.
I love hot spicy milagaipodi with idli/dosa, sometimes even with rice, but the store bought variety don't quite pack a punch and have a strong hing taste.  I decided to make horsegram version which does pack a punch, an awakening (for the kollu) if you will, tasteless on the tongue to "Wow!  What was that?"
It seems to be a day of side-dishes.  I have not given up making Gau lunch he finishes with joy, yet fairly healthy and calorie laden.  Atleast once a week it is a burger, the patty made with beans and potatoes, raw veggies and 2 slices of cheese, homemade paneer and tomato sauce. Today was going to be Chickpeas and potatoes. Burger patty, Not hummus
I have always liked the idea of Hummus in theory, though I have never ever tasted a hummus I actually liked.  Even in Austin or Dallas.  I have ventured into making my own Hummus before for Gau's birthday party (What was I thinking?!) and ended up picking out Bread smeared with hummus from under the cot a month after the party!  Yet here I am doing the same thing again today - attempting hummus, not cleaning out biology experiments,  serendipitously though.
I soaked of chana (chickpeas) overnight and cooked it in the pressure cooker.  I forgot to throw the potato in with the chickpeas, it was already 6.40 and lunch has to be packed and ready by 7.00 .  I quickly whipped the chickpeas with lemon, coriander leaves and 2 cloves of garlic in the blender to make a patty.  It was soggy and lacking something, I hunted around and could not locate my tahini bottle.  I had made some fresh paneer for adding to the sandwich.  I siphoned off a scant 1/3rd cup and added it to the soon-to-be-hummus in the blender jar, added some chilli powder, salt, extra virgin olive oil and gave it another whir.  The end result was a lot more satisfying. still sticky but creamy sticky. I assembled a subway sandwich with the usual veggies  and hummus. I had, typically, forgotten to procure the burger bun too.
The ultimate compliment is from my decidedly grouchy (about food, school...) son.  "The sandwich was good, I wouldn't mind another like that". Maybe Tahini being a tad on the bitter end is the reason I disliked Hummus in the past.  Paneer works a lot better. And yeah, I simply hate parsley.  Coriander leaves are awesome.

Kollu Milagai Podi

1. Kollu 1 cup soaked overnight and sprouted during the day
2. Tur daal 1/3 cup
3. Black Pepper 1/2 tbspoom
4. Red Chillies 10 nos
5. Jeera  1/2 tbspoon
6. Sesame Seeds 1/3 cup

Roasted mix from the oven

(you could add Curry leaves, Hing (fried in oil though), Peanuts also)

much less scary end product

• Preheat oven to 350 deg C.
• Pour the kollu into a wide plate and place it in the center shelf of oven, you could do it in a wok on the stove top instead; my 2 year old wants to play with the knobs on the gas stove so I avoid long durations at the stove when we are home alone.
• Stir the kollu every five minutes and heat until the kollu just starts to pop out of the shell
• Add the rest of the ingredients and fry 5 - 10 minutes more
• Cool.  Add 1 tbspoon salt and grind to desired texture.  
• Store in a airtight box.

I have had this with idli and adai.  Awesome, hot and no hint of hing.  I fried 2 leftover idlis in 1 tspoon ghee mixed with 1 tsp kollu podi, gau lapped it up.


Hummus with Paneer

1. 2/3 cup dry chickpeas, soak overnight, cooked until soft
2. 1/2 lemon juiced and 
3. 2 cloves garlic
4. 1 tsp red chilly powder
5. 1/3 cup paneer
6. 1/4 cup cilantro
7.  1 tbspoon olive oil

Blend items 1 to  5 together with salt to taste.  Then repeat with the oil until a well blended together.

Freshly made paneer

Hummus a la Gau