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KITCHEN NOTES:

• We can also par boil the potatoes before grating. I havent boiled the potatoes in this procedure.
• Also we can use butter instead of Olive oil for a lovely butter flavour. Increase the cheese for the cheesy twist.
• I have added Salt & pepper while preparing the potato cakes. But some people prefer to add them just over the top before serving.

Call it Chole Puri or Chana Bhatura or Chick pea curry with Puffed Flat bread ,its the same and something which is quite popular in many Northindian houses. Quite simple to make & anytime one thinks of this dish, we finally end up drooling.
An interesting story goes behind the making.
My husband calls a married ( bachelor friend): Tring Tring... wots up? How was your day? Come over for Dinner tonite...
Friend : Good going..No da... Some other day.. Will be picking up Chicken Curry from a friend's place..
Husband :No excuses.. You can pack it for your Sunday Lunch.. Sandy is making Puri Masal..
Friend: Is it?? Will come straight from work... Shall Collect the Chicken tommorow
Well tats exactly how a puri sabji can ask people to make choices.Later I decided... to make Puri & Chana masala rather than Puri Masal .Having used too much of potatoes last week in my cooking ,opted for Legumes instead.



Listing below the ingredients for my version of
Puri:

1. 2 cups of wheat flour
2. salt to taste
3. 1/2 tsp pepper
4. 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
5. 1/2 tsp sugar
6. 2-3 tsp oil
7. Water
8. Extra oil for frying

Method:
Knead all the ingredients together and bind to a soft dough with water. Keep it aside for an hour or so. Make small balls out of the dough & roll out thinly. Heat oil in a kadai until its really hot. Before starting to fry , test if the oil is hot enough. Drop a small piece of the dough into the oil & and it should immediately rise high on the top. Now add the spread out dough one by one to the heated oil . Using a slotted spatula press the puri in the centre & it should instantly puff up. Fry on either side once. At once remove the hot puffed puri's and place it onto a kitchen roll to remove the excess oil. Repeat the same process to make puffed puri's.

PS: Do fry the puri's just before serving.

Chole(Chana Masala):

1. Chana ( Chick Pea) : 1.5 cups
2. Onion : 2 Small Nos . Chopped nicely
3. Tomato : 1 Big Nos .Diced into small pieces
4. Tomato Puree : 2 Tsp
5. Cumin Seeds(Jeera) : 1 tsp
6. Ginger : freshly grated 1 tsp
7. Crushed Green Chilli : 1/2 tsp
8. Turmeric Powder : 1/2 tsp
9. red chilli powder:to taste
10. Whole Garam Masalas :(Star Anise : 1, Bay Leaf:1 , Cloves - 5-6Nos , Pepper :5-6 Nos,Cinamon Stick - 1 inch)
11. Chole Masala : 2 tsp .Incase Chole Masala is unavailable use a combination of(Dhaniya Jeera Powder : 2 tsp,garam masala : 1 tsp, Amchur powder/Anardana Powder: 1 tsp) I used MDH Chole masala this time. I have also tried without the masala with the above combination before.
12. Coriander leaves for Garnishing
13. Lemon Juice : 1 tsp

Method :

1. Soak Chana(Chick pea) 3 -4 hours in sufficient warm water with a pinch of Black Salt & pressure cook until soft. Add a pinch of Salt & Sugar while cooking chana .It works well as a cooking agent.
   My aunt gave me this tip. This avoids soaking overnite. Alternatively use 1 Can of Boiled Chick pea.
2. Heat oil in a kadai , add Cumin Seeds .Once they splutter add Ginger ( Garlic is optional), green chillies & onions. Saute them for a few minutes until raw smell is eliminated. Adding a pinch of salt to onions evaporates the water content quickly. Now add diced tomatoes and saute them until it mixes well with the onion mixture. Keep this mixture aside to cool down a bit . Blend this mixture well in a blender .
3. Again add 2 tsp oil in a kadai . now add all the whole garam masalas . saute them for 1-2 min. Now add the onion - tomato blend & saute them for 5 more min. In the mean while add the tomato puree, turmeric powder, chilli powder , chole masala & required salt.
4. Add the cooked Chana to this gravy with 1 cup of water . Let this Chana cook in a low flame with a closed lid for another 4-5 min so that the spices blend well with the Chana . Saute them once or twice while cooking .
5. Add a dash of Lemon juice to Chole & Garnish it with freshly chopped coriander leaves.

Onion Cucumber Raitha

Ingredients:

1. Yogurt : 1 cup . I used Low fat stirred yogurt for this raitha.
2. Onion :1 small nos
3. Cucumber: 6 inches
4. Coriander leaves
5. Salt to taste
6. Pepper : 1/4 tsp
7. Chilli Powder : 1/2 tsp
8. Chat masala powder: 1/2 tsp
9. Oil : 1/2 tsp

Method:

1. Slice the onions length wise & cucumber into very tiny pieces.
2. Heat oil in a kadai & saute the onions for 2 min. Let it not turn brown.
3. In a clean serving bowl , Add chopped cucumber , sauted onions, about 1/2 tsp salt, pepper & yogurt. Stir them well until they get mixed.
4. Now garnish the raitha with chopped coriander leaves & alternative lines of chilli powder & chat powder.
5. Onion Cucumber Raitha is ready to be served with Chole & Puri.

Coming to Events :

1. Sending this entry across to Sia of Monsoon Spicesfor MLLA15 intiated by Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook
   
   
2. And to RAKS Kitchen's ongoing event Cooking for Guests
3. Viki's Side dish for Chapathi Event