PICKLED FRESH CHICKPEAS AND CARROTS: LEELA CHANA-GAJAR NU ATHAANU

This is a fresh pickled relish flavoured with fresh green garbanzo beans, carrots, and mustard, quite typical to Gujarat - home for me! Although this is Gujarati in flavours, it's neutral enough to be great with Indian food from any region. 

As I've mentioned before, I have a pickle affliction. And while I almost always relegate dried garbanzo beans to hummus, I simply love fresh garbanzos. They're a bit of work because of the shelling they require but they're totally worth it. I've never made Indian pickles before because I assumed they need things I can't be bothered to go find. But this recipe couldn't be simpler! If fresh garbanzos are out of season, make it with carrots alone.

I find dried garbanzos to be quite heavy so I seldom have them whole, but these fresh ones are mild, light, and easy to eat even raw with a bit of lemon, salt, and cilantro.

Adapted from Gujarati Chatko.

Leela Chana-Gajar nu Athaanu
Makes: 1 - 2 cups

- 1 cup fresh chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
- 4 small carrots, cut into 1 in. pieces
- 1/4 cup black mustard seeds, coarsely powdered in a blender (not in a food processor)
- 2 tbsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. chile powder
- 1/2 cup safflower or other neutral oil
- 1 lemon, juiced

1. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a rolling boil. Add the carrots and boil for 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low and remove the carrots from the water with a slotted spoon. Spread out the carrots on a dry kitchen towel to dry completely.
2. Bring the water to a boil again and add the chickpeas. Boil for 2-3 minutes, turn off the heat, and strain the chickpeas.
3. Spread out the chickpeas on another dry kitchen towel to dry completely.
4. In a medium bowl, combine the oil, powdered mustard, salt, chile powder, lemon juice, and stir to combine. Add the carrots and chickpeas and mix everything well. Taste and adjust the salt and add more chile powder if you want more heat. Keep in mind that the vegetables will reduce in volume a bit as they pickle so it's best not to overdo the salt and chile.
5. Transfer to a clean, dry glass jar and close the lid. Leave the jar in a very sunny spot for 3 - 5 days.
6. Refrigerate and enjoy with any kind of Indian food!

SKINNY DIPPING: HUMMUS

Hummus is such a favourite of mine! I make it very often when I'm in town consistently. When I'm in town inconsistently, I get hummus nearly everyday at lunch from a Mediterranean restaurant near office. Along with hummus I also get grape leaves, baba ghanouj, olives, and salad from there, but that's another story. Suffice to say I eat mostly vegetarian and mostly Mediterranean food - and I don't get tired of it.

Hummus is: chickpeas, tahini, garlic, lemon, salt. Drizzled with good olive oil.

Hummus is not: blended with any "flavours". No kalamata olives, roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, spinach, artichokes, etc. Cilantro and chipotle? Yikes!

You can add whatever you want to your dip including chickpeas, and I'm sure it's delicious, but it's not hummus. It's some other dip, by any other name. I do it too, and I make up names for those dips.

Hummus: Chickpea Dip with Tahini

Makes: approximately 3-1/2 cups

- 2 cups dried garbanzos/chickpeas

- 1/3 cup tahini

- 4 cloves garlic

- 1 lemon, juiced

- 2-1/2 tsp. salt

- 3-4 tbsp. olive oil, for garnish

1. Put the chickpeas in a large bowl. 
2. Add enough water to cover the chickpeas by 2-3 inches. They will absorb water and swell so you need abundant water for soaking.
3. Let the chickpeas soak for up to 24 hours, but at least 4 hours.
4. Drain the water and cook the chickpeas in one of the following ways:
1. Pressure cook
2. Slow-cook on low overnight - chickpeas and just enough water to cover by 1 inch
3. Boil on the stove for 1 hour or till very soft
5. Drain most of the cooking water and let the chickpeas cool till just cool enough to blend. To get a smooth hummus you want to blend the chickpeas while the skin is still soft. You can obviously make hummus with refrigerated chickpeas but it will be slightly grainy - still delicious! Or, you can warm up the chickpeas with a bit of water so everything's softened up.
6. Put the chickpeas, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and 3/4 cup of the cooking water or fresh water into a blender.
7. Blend to get a very smooth puree.
8. Add more water in 1/4 cup increments if needed to help with blending. The hummus will get thicker as the chickpea puree absorbs some water.
9. Adjust salt and lemon to taste.
10. Put 1 cup of the hummus in a shallow dish or bowl, spread with the back of a spoon into a flattish layer.
11. Garnish with a generous drizzle of 2 tbsp. olive oil and: paprika, minced parsley, or boiled chickpeas.
12. Repeat with the remaining hummus or refrigerate for 3-4 days.
13. Serve cool or chilled with any good Arabic bread.

CHICKPEA, MINT, AND CITRUS DIP (WITH TOASTED PEPPERCORNS)

I seldom write effusive blog posts, but sometimes things just fall into place. Sometimes you have exactly the amount of things you need to fall into place. Or into your blender! Like this delicious dip that will take an unexpected turn in your mouth thanks to the smoky toasted peppercorns and fresh grapefruit.

I pulled a shoulder muscle and was in pain all day at work but I reeeeally wanted to workout like I normally do in the evening. It's the thing I look forward to every single day, because it's fun! And lively. Well anyway a workout was just a preposterous idea because my "trial" moves in the work bathroom left me unable to move much for a good 15 minutes. So I took the hint and came home, certainly not up to cooking or eating.

But - I had cooked chickpeas, a beautiful bunch of fresh mint, which is one of my favourite herbs, and over half a bunch of equally beautiful fresh parsley. And an aging grapefruit.

And - I absolutely hate wasting food and always feel dreadful about having to throw away food, especially if it's because of my own neglectfulness. 

So - I decided that the chickpeas would have to become my usual hummus that I could take to work as a snack, and the herbs would become a persillade but with mint and parsley. And the grapefruit - especially great with toasted pepper and a light sprinkle of salt - would be a snack. That, I reckoned, was the way to dispense with things expeditiously so I could mope about having to stay in all evening.

But as I was laying everything out, the smell of the torn mint and parsley leaves, the lemon, peppercorns, and grapefruit halves was just so heady together that I figured I'd have a go at putting it all together in a dip. And it turned out to be phenomenal - gorgeous light green, with a garlic-ey, herbal scent and the smokiness of toasted peppercorns. Love it!

Chickpea, Mint, and Citrus Dip (with Toasted Peppercorns)

Makes: approximately 1-3/4 cups

- 1-1/2 cups chickpeas, cooked

- 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves

- 1/8 cup parsley

- 1/2 cup grapefruit juice (from 1 medium grapefruit)

- 1 Meyer lemon or a regular lemon, juiced

- 2 large cloves garlic

- 1 tsp minced ginger

- 1 tbsp olive oil

- 2 tsp freshly ground toasted black pepper, or regular black pepper

- 1 tsp salt, or to taste

1. Blend everything until it is smooth. Adjust seasonings to taste - add more lemon juice, salt, pepper, and olive oil to taste.

2. Garnish with minced parsley or a drizzle of olive oil, or both.

3. Let it sit for a few hours/overnight to let the flavours meld and let the dip thicken a bit as the chickpeas absorb some of the liquid before serving. Or, serve immediately as an appetizer with bread/pita, pita chips, crostini, lavash, roasted vegetables, crudites, or as a main with roasted salmon.