Roasted eggplant and yogurt dip /How to make roasted eggplant dip from scratch

Alhamdulillah we are in the second ashra (10 days) of Ramadan.In Sha Allah 20 more days left of his pious month .May Allah grant us hidayah to reap most out of this blessed month and beseech his blessings- Ameen. Usually during iftar time(breaking fast) in Ramadan a lot of fried foods are accompanied with fruits and juices .These fried foods are accompanied with dips and chutney's.This Ramadan I am trying to stay away from fried stuff as much as possible .Hope this continues.

Fresh turmeric and ginger pickle |Kacchi haldi aur adrak ka achar |How to make pickle from scratch| Indian style turmeric and ginger pickle

India is land of pickles.Pickle making is an 'art ' an 'un - sung art'.The process of pickle making is under taken with UT- most care ,as the pickle has to last the entire year-Yes you read it right.I have seen my grand mother(s) and till today my mother and MIL too make pickle for the entire year.Especially if its Mango pickle in summer and lemon and green chilly pickle for winters it has to be hoarded in the form of pickle.Special care is taken in selecting good quality spices especially red chilly powder, turmeric, mustard seeds,fenugreek seeds as these are the soul to any pickle.The spices are then sorted of any mud or pebbles ,sun dried to remove moisture and ground on a mortar and pestle .The aroma and texture of spices ground in a mortar and pestle is just incomparable .

Tahini paste |How to make tahini sauce from scratch |home made tahini sauce

Tahini or tahini paste is quintessential part of middle eastern cuisine/Arabic cuisine .It is basically roasted sesame seeds ground with olive oil .It finds its place in dips ,hummus ,babaghanoush and as an accompaniment to falafel .

Peanuts and roasted gram chutney| Chutney for dosa and idli | South indian chutneys

South Indian food is incomplete with out the mention of chutneys ,and pickles.Be it from hot, sour,sour and sweet ....you just start naming it and there seems to be no end to the variations of chutneys .South Indian breakfast  generally starts on a savoury note .

Idlis, dosa, uttappam ......all are paired with chutneys  and sambar of course.  So today's post is a simple yet tasty Peanut and roasted gram  chutney that goes well with idly or dosa .I had served it with ragi dosa.This chutney even goes well with Meduvada.

Every south Indian house hold has its own recipe of chutneys .This is my granny's recipe which till today  I follow  . 

This is a blitz and serve chutney if the ingredients are ready .

Pizza sauce from scratch| Home made pizza sauce| Pizza sauce free from preservatives

Pizza sauce  is the elixir of pizza !!.The magical ingredient that transforms a bread (pizza base) into pizza ,apart from the toppings . The juicy ,aromatic sauce ,together with the cheese and the toppings, gets one self  hooked to the pizza till  the last bite. 

Ooohhh!! I am literally salivating at the very description of a pizza ,I know you all will agree with me .Pizza sauce  is such a versatile ingredient  that can be used  pasta  ,spaghetti  or noodles as a sauce.

When you are really short of time just boil the pasta ,add sauce to it and serve it or pack it as a lunch box .Make ahead sauces really ease the work especially during the morning hours when every one is in a hurry to reach school or office.

To be frank I have never used bottled pizza sauce .Once when I was thinking of buying it just went through  the instructions where it was written "use it within 1 week of opening "."How can any one use the complete 500gm bottle in 1 week "...)p. Just left the bottle where i had picked it  from and with a rough knowledge of the ingredients listed on the bottle tried it at home .Surprisingly it was much better,and a super duper hit with the family .Home made is always a bliss ,apart from being with in your budget .

Since then it has been a regular one on the table ,my kids love it with their bread too!!.

So here is the way to the pizza sauce made from scratch ......with readily available ingredients ,in your pantry .

Hummus

After living for so many....... years in qatar.It has become a second home for us.A multilingual ,multicultural atmosphere brings in different cuisines of the world.Being a foodie family we enjoy every cuisine .Hummus.....is basically  a middle eastern delicacy(dip) made with chick peas ,a must in every arabic restuarant.For me its a healthy sustitute to calorie ladden .......mayonnaise.can be had with any thing  on a bread slice ,with pita bread ,or it really goes well with indian chapathi too......we had it wth turkish bread,and it was yumm......

when ever we have a buffet,we make sure to have it .Was on my to do list for a while  but missed it some how or the other.This time i tried it ,and Alhamdulillah ....it was a success.This is perhaps the easiest one to make with minimal ingredients and stays fresh in the fridge for 3-4 days  .The recipe is as follows.....

HUMMUS

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cup boiled chicpeas
• 1 big lemon
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup olive oil+for drizzling
• 1/4 cup tahina
• olives for garnish
• salt to taste

METHOD

1. De-skin the chick peas (a time consuming prep .....i know...but its worth it).
2. Chop garlic,juice the lemon.
3. In a blender add the chickpeas, garlic and blend it coarsely.
4. Now add the tahina and half the oil,continue blending.
5. Give astir and add the remaining,oil ,salt and lemon juice,blend it till smoooth.
6. Garnish with olives,drizzle with some generous olive oil,serve with bread of ur choice.

   

   HUMMUS

NOTES

1. You can use canned or homemade boiled chickpeas but the latter will give the best result.
2. Olive oil is a must .it cannot be substituted.
3. Use lemon to descretion.
4. U can add cilantro or parseley but I prefer it this way.