Mushroom Chickpeas curry

 I am getting sucked into the world of "shorts" lately on youtube. I know, I know...I am old enough to not get sucked up in there but sometimes when you don't want to do what you are supposed to do, and you just want to waste your time...thats the place to be...why TikTok is so popular.

This is one of the recipes I found on those shorts but with my own touches

Mushroom Chickpeas curry (Chickpeas and Mushrooms cooked in Indian spices)

Mushroom Chickpeas curry

Ingredients:

1. 1 can chickpeas drained
2. 8 oz mushrooms cleaned and sliced thick
3. 3-4 tomatoes depending on how big those are halved or quartered
4. 1 tablespoon each of coriander powder, chole masala
5. 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, chilli powder, cumin powder, 
6. 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
7. 1 tablespoon oil
8. 2 tablespoons plain yogurt
9. 2 green chillies sliced, 1 teaspoon ginger slicked into thin match sticks.
10. Handful of fresh coriander

In a pan add the tomato quarters or half and 1/2 cup water and cover and cook for 5-6 minutes. Peel the skin off and mash with a potato masher. Add all the spices and ginger garlic paste and cover and cook for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low. Add beaten yogurt and chickpeas and stir to combine and simmer covered for 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and stor to combine and cover and cook for 5 more minutes. Garnish with sliced chillies, ginger and coriander and enjoy with Zeera rice or roti

The same recipe like a Pirate would talk...written by GPT

Ahoy, me hearties! Gather 'round for a tale of culinary plunder, a recipe fit for a scurvy dog (in a good way, of course)! We're makin' a dish so flavorful, it'll make ye swab the deck with yer tongue!

First, ye'll grab yer pan, see? Toss in them tomato quarters, or halves if they be monstrous big, and a half cup of water, mind ye. Cover that treasure chest and let it simmer for five or six minutes, until them tomatoes be soft as a cabin boy's backside.

Once they're good and mushy, peel off their skins like ye're shuckin' oysters. Then, grab yer trusty potato masher and mash 'em 'til they're smoother than a mermaid's tail.

Now comes the spice rum! Sprinkle in all yer spices – the hotter the better, says I! – and a dollop of ginger-garlic paste. Cover the pan again and let it cook for five minutes, until the aromas be fillin' the air like a sea shanty.

Lower the heat, me mateys, to a gentle simmer. Add in yer beaten yogurt – none of that fancy stuff, just a good ol' dollop – and them chickpeas, the heart of this dish. Stir it all together like ye're mixin' a grog. Cover it up and let it simmer for another five minutes, until the flavors have a chance to mingle like pirates at a tavern.

Next, toss in them mushrooms, plump and juicy like treasure chests. Stir 'em in with a hearty "Yo ho ho!" and cover the pan once more. Let it cook for five more minutes, until the mushrooms be tender and soaked in all that flavor.

Finally, the grand finale! Garnish with sliced chillies, ginger, and coriander – the jewels of this culinary crown! And then, me hearties, serve it up with Zeera rice or roti, fit for a king… or a pirate captain! Enjoy yer bounty! Arrr!

Beetroot Dal

 So I have been trying to find different dal recipes because I am kind of getting bored with the "usual". If you have read my blog a few times..."getting bored" is a recurring theme with me. The food I cook tastes pretty good but sometimes (more times than not) I miss my mom's hand cooked food. My daadi ammi...my paternal grandma was also a super awesome cook. But her recipes were very traditional.

My mom was the experimenter. But everything she touched/cooked turned super delicious. Someimtes I think how she might have got the recipes for things she cooked, which now I know have nothing do do with Indian cuisine. She was just awesome in so many ways.

Anyway...this dal is just an experiment on my side and it turned out super delicious and more importantly the hubby loved it. Hope you enjoy it too 

Beetroot Dal (Split Pigeon peas cooked in Indian spices along with Beetroot)

Beet root dal

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 cup split pigeon peas toasted (toor dal)
2. 1 can beet root drained, chopped into small pieces (or 1-11/2 cup of fresh beet root peeled and chopped)
3. 1/2 cup finely chopped onions
4. 1 green chillies, 2 red chillies
5. 1 tablespoon each of coriander powder, chole masala (or amchur powder)
6. 1 teaspoon each of chopped garlic and chopped ginger, cumin powder, chilli powder, cumin, mustard seeds
7. 1/2 tablespoon oil
8. few curry leaves
9. handful of coriander leaves

In a pressure cooker add the toasted dal and beetroot and cook it for 4 whistles with 2 cups of water. Let the steam escape and open the cooker.

In a pan heat the oil and add the mustad seeds and let them splutter. Add cumin and curry leaves and dried chillies and fry for a minute. Add the onions and fry till they start turning brown. Add the green chillies, gralic and ginger and stir for a minute. Add the cooked dal and all the spices and 2 more cups of hot water and simmer for 6-8 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy

More Beetroot recipes

Indian beans and Beetroot fry

Simple Beetroot fry

Indian Beetroot bread
Yummy Beetroot rice

I got onto the Generative AI band wagon and asked the GPT to write the above recipe in a funny way. And here is what it wrote

Okay, here we go, get ready for some dramatic recipe reading!

"Alright, buckle up, buttercup, because we're about to embark on a culinary adventure so thrilling, so beetroot-y, it'll make your tastebuds do the tango!

First, you're gonna grab your pressure cooker – you know, that magical metal pot that can turn a humble lentil into a superhero of flavor? Toss in your toasted dal (because toasting makes everything fancier, duh!) and those ruby-red beets – the earth's little jewels. Now, add two cups of water. Don't be stingy! These guys need a good bath. Clamp that lid on tight and let 'er rip! Four whistles, people! That's the magic number. (Or is it? Maybe it's five. Just kidding! It's four. I think.)

Once the steam escapes (because we don't want any exploding pressure cookers, thank you very much!), carefully open the lid. Behold! Your dal and beets are now best friends, swimming in a crimson sea.

Next, grab a pan. Any pan will do, as long as it's not the one you use to bake socks in. Heat up some oil – just enough to make the mustard seeds do their happy dance. When they start popping like tiny firecrackers, toss in the cumin seeds. They're like the cool, calm cousins of the mustard seeds. Then, add the curry leaves. They're the fragrant superstars of this dish. Don't forget the dried chillies! They're the spice ninjas, adding a kick to the party. Fry this aromatic crew for a minute, until they're all mingling and smelling amazing.

Now, throw in the onions. They're the life of the party, always bringing the flavor. Cook them until they start turning a lovely shade of brown. Then, add the green chillies, garlic, and ginger. This trio is the flavor powerhouse of the dish. Stir it all together for a minute, letting the magic happen.

Pour in the cooked dal and beets. They're the stars of the show, remember? Add all the spices – because spices are like fairy dust for food. And don't forget two more cups of hot water. Hot water is like a warm hug for your dal. Let it all simmer for 6-8 minutes, or until it's reached peak deliciousness.

Finally, garnish with cilantro – the confetti of the culinary world! And then… EAT! Enjoy your beetroot dal masterpiece! You're a culinary genius! (Or at least you will be after this.)"