Zaalouk | Eggplant goes Moroccan

I started liking eggplant since I started blogging. I have tried several recipes  -Indian and international with it and loved it as salad, pizzas, dips , etc. But these days show me an eggplant and the standard recipe to turn to is bharta. The  North Indian roasted and spiced spread goes well as side, dip and spread. 

This time I decided to go for something thats equally spicy but different. I decided to do  Moroccan cooked salad called 'zaalouk' . 

'Cooked Salad'? Did you hear it right ? 

Yup. Moroccan chefs cook the eggplant by boiling it and then turn it into this salad by adding tomatoes and other spices and seasonings. I found a roasted version here which included roasted peppers as well and it turned out perfect with my meloui.

Ingredients: 

Eggplant: 1 large

Green Bell Pepper: 2 -medium sized

Olive oil: 1/3 cup ( I used less)

Tomatoes: 2-3 medium peeled and chopped

Fresh Cilantro/ Parsley: 1/3 cup (I used a mix of both herbs

Garlic clove: 3-4 

Paprika: 2 tsp

Ground cumin: 1 tbsp

Salt: 1.5 tsp +/-

Water: 1/3 cup

Lemon Juice: 2-3 tsp

Green chili (optional)

Preparation:

Wash and stem the eggplant. Slice it lengthwise and place it on a lined baking sheet. Wash and halve the bell peppers and place it on the baking sheet.If you are using additional green chili  or even garlic cloves you can place in the baking sheet.

Broil /Roast the eggplant and other items in the oven for about 20 minutes until the peppers are charred and the eggplant turns soft. If the peppers are done before the eggplant, remove them from the oven and put htem in a ziplocked bag where will sweat out and loosen from their skin. 

You can even broil/roast these directly on the gas stove. Once done, peel the pepper, and coarsely chop these.

Once the eggplant is done scoop put the flesh from the eggplant discarding skin and large clumps of seeds and coarsely chop and mash it. Keep side.

While the roasting is being done, heat a deep pan/skillet on medium and adding  little oil, garlic cloves, spices, salt and herbs.

Add in enough water and let it all  cook until pulpy and raw smell disappear.

Then add in the mashed eggplant and chopped peppers including the optional green chili and adding more water (if needed) let it cook covered  for another 10-15 minutes until the water is almost absorbed and flavours are mixed well.

Adjust salt and seasonings and add in the lemon juice and cook for another minute or so stirring to prevent from burning. 

Serve the zaalouk hot or cold with bread. Its perfect as a dip, spread, topping etc. 

I liked it with meloui and both were polished off in no time.

Meloui | Moroccan Breakfast Pastry

Rghaif is the general name given to leavened or unleavened bread/pastry in Morocco. These are made using mostly all purpose flour, wheat, semolina flours etc and are usually sold as street food. They are typically used to break fast during Eid -ul - Fitr as well. 

When Ramadan was around the corner, I saw as usual several delicacies flying around in the blogging world. This time I did try out the yeasted Moroccan Ramadan breakfast pastry/ pancake called Meloui from here.

This simple yeasted pastry is made using all purpose and semolina flours and it is shaped by rolling the strip of dough like a carpet/rug. I didn't master the art of folding a meloui but yup it came out well and tastewise was yum. Its usually served with honey-butter sauce, but I preferred spicy side and went for another Moroccan side zaalouk  made using eggplant.

Ingredients:

All Purpose Flour: 2 cups

Fine ground Semolina: 2 cups

Sugar: 2 tsp

Salt: 2 tsp

Instant Yeast: 1/4tsp

Warm Water: 1.5 cup approximately.

Folding and shaping the pastry

Vegetable oil

Soft Butter

Fine semolina

Preparation:

Mix the dry ingredients of flour,semolina, saugar, salt and yeast in a bowl and add in enough water to form a dough that is soft and easily kneadable. You can add more water/flour as needed to prevent it from being dry / sticky respectively.

Transfer it to an oiled (not floured) counter and with oiled hands knead it somemore time to get a smooth and elastic dough.

Pinch off palm sized pieces of the dough and shape into a round ball. Place it in an oiled/lined baking sheet / bowl and let it rest for atleast 20 minutes covered with plastic wrap.

Take each ball and with oiled hands/ with oiled rolling pin roll it out on counter -preferbaly oiled- to a circle as thin as possible. 

Dot it with butter and then semolina.

Fold this circle in thirds like a letter- fold top third/left third to the centre, then bring the bottom third/right third up to cover the first fold. We will be getting a rectangular piece.

Dot this strip of dough with more butter  followed by semolina.

Then fold again into thirds like a letter. 

You will end up with a very narrow strip of rectangle.

Flatten this strip to remove any air bubbles and sprinkle more semolina.

Then roll it up like a rug/coil pinching the loose end of the dough to the coil to seal it.

Place the rug/roll upright on an oiled tray and cover with a plastic wrap.

Continue this process with all the other dough pieces.

Take a coil/roll and flatten it into a 1/8" thick disc using hands or rolling pin (carefully so that the folds don't disappear within the circle) and cook on a preheated pan/tawa on medium  heat. Turn the sides several times after few seconds till both sides are dotted with brown spots and cooked properly.

Serve warm with sweet syrups or spicy sides like I did.

The shape looked like naan and it was nicely layered inside - this especially if you could flatten it with hand and not rolling pin. the texture was bready and it was very filling. The eggplant side was perfect with this and that post will be up soon.

Moroccan Style Potato Stew

A variety of stews especially with potatoes can be found in almost every cuisine. The use of spices and other condiments gives it a regional touch. I love spuds and try out several cuisines as well. So was very happy that I found a simple Moroccan style potato stew from Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian. It is easy to make and goes well with any choice of bread/rotis.

Ingredients:

Onion: 1 small size finely chopped

Tomatoes: 1 big chopped into small pieces

Potato: 2 big peeled and chopped into bite sized pieces 

Turmeric: 1 small pinch

Cumin powder: 1/4 tsp

Paprika : 1/2 tsp +/- as per taste

Cayenne Pepper  : as per taste (optional)

Fresh Cilantro/Coriander leaves: 1-2 tbsp finely chopped

Salt: as per taste

Preparation:

Heat oil in a deep pan on med-high heat and when oil is hot, add the onions. Reduce the heat and saute till transparent. 

Add tomatoes,coriander leaves and potatoes along with spices and salt and stir well so that the spices are slightly toasted and get equally distributed. Add in enough water as needed for the potatoes to be cooked.

Cover with a lid and bring to boil. Then reduce to simmer and let it cook till the potatoes are tender and enough gravy is there. To make the a thicker sauce/gravy you can mash in few potato pieces as well. 

Serve hot with breads/rotis or even rice and optionally some green salad as recommended by the author. I served it with my batbout bread and the pairing was great.

A gentle stew which is easy to make and very hearty too.My pics are not that great but the stew surely was. :)

Batbout m'khamer - Moroccan Pita for World Bread Day

Batbout m'khamer or simply batbout or m'khamer also knwn as toghrift or matlou is Moroccan style Pita. Its chewy and thick ,a bit spongy and is used with grilled meats or for mopping up gravies. Like pita, it is a  simple yeasted flatbread which can be cooked stove top as well. I have adapted mine from Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian and it was perfect with Moroccan style Potato stew. 

Ingredients:
Active Dry/Instant Yeast: 1 tsp
Sugar: 1/2 tsp
Warm Water: 2 tbsp + 1/2 cup or more as needed

All Purpose Flour: 1 cup
Semolina : 1 cup
Salt: 1.5 tsp

Preparation:

Combine yeast,sugar and 2 tbsp warm water and stir well so that the yeast is not clumped together but dissolves. Keep aside for about 5 minutes till it becomes frothy.

Meanwhile mix together the flour and fine semolina along with salt and make a well in it. Add in the yeast solution and another 1/2 cup of water and gather together to form a dough. Add the water accordingly and start with around 6 tbsp so that it does not become too wet.

Once the dough is formed,knead it well till smooth and elastic. Grease a platter/baking sheet with oil and keep near.Also oil your hands before handling the dough. Break the dough into small pieces and shape each piece into a small ball using greased hands and place in the baking sheet. Cover with a plastic wrap or tea towel and let it rest for about 5-10 minutes.

Grease a counter top or work space with oil - also if using your rolling pin as well. Take a ball, slightly flatten it within hands and then gently roll it out to a circle/disc with the greased rolling pin. Keep this on the baking sheet and continue the same proces with remaining balls as well. Keep the balls separately in the baking sheet and let them rest and increase for a hour atleast covered with a plastic wrap.

Keep a cast iron tava/frying pan over medium flame  and let it get very hot. Take a flatbread and place it on the tava. Cook it for about 1 minute and then flip to the other side till it starts browning with spots on top. Before removing the cooked bread from the pan,take it within hands and rotating it like a wheel, try to brown the edges as well. Repeat for all the discs and keep the cooked breads covered within a towel or foil so that they remain warm till serving time. 

Serve with your choice of sides - like meat or gravies or salad. I served it with a simple Moroccan style potato stew which I adapted from the same book. I will be posting the recipe later.

A chewy pita like bread which is very filling. I also halved it and served it sandwiched with a cheese slice. Simple and delicious. The bread is perfect for World Bread Day today on October 16th, an event by Zorra of Kochtopf which has been going on religiously for the past 5 years and is into 6th this year.

Sweet Feggous Salad

Recently I bought snakemelon or uri or Armenian cucumber. Don't be confused I am referring to yard long cucumber known as Kakri/ Kakdi in Hindi and also called Feggous in Morocco.It is actually a variety of musk melon and related to cucumber. It can be used just as you use the cucumbers in salads and it is easier to digest than the regular common ones and is fruity. You can get more info on it here and here.

I have never tried a sweet cucumber salad before and so I tried out the simple feggous salad  from Morocco- adapted from here. This is meant as a sweeter side for the fiery hot mains,but I ended up eating it as a snack/dessert etc -May be I sweetened it much more!. But whatever it was the sugar with cucumber was hearty and add to it the nutty orange blossom syrup, which is a mood lifter.

Ingredients:
Kakri/ Uri/Feggous Cucumber: atleast 1 grated
Sugar: 1-2 tsp as per taste
Salt: a pinch
Orange blossom syrup/Orange Flower water :1-2 tsp
Lemon juice: a big squeeze of lemon

Preparation:
Cut the ends of the cucumber and grate into thin long strands. Depending on the ripeness it may have small seeds which are perfectly digestible. Optionally you can remove them.

Mix with all the other ingredients and adjust the taste. Let it stand for around 10 minutes for the flavours to mingle and then serve. Else chill in the fridge till serving time.

Serve as a starter or a side or snack as it was for me.

It is sweeter and crunchy and perfect hearty and a guilt free snack. Loved the orange flower scent which lifts us up.
Now, those who turn their noses away from this sweet salad do not worry, we have a savoury raitha -a traditional one at that - coming up next.

Moroccan Carrot Salad

This is a simple salad that has the Moroccan flavours of cumin and coriander.I found this salad in Vegetarian times and was curious how it comes out.I am not sure whether it is authentic Moroccan dish but hearty and easy it sure is.Cumin and coriander are spices that I normally use in spicy gravies and rarely in a salad especially as whole seeds.So I just crushed them a little so that the flavours are easily mixed in.

Ingredients:
Carrots: grated:  cup
Currants: handful: almost 1/4  cup
Apple Juice: 1 tbsp
Lemon Juice: 1.5 tsp
Olive Oil: 1-2 tsp

Walnuts: handful : almost 1/4 cup
Cumin seeds: 1tsp +/-
Coriander Seeds: 1 tsp+/-

Cayenne Pepper /Chilli powder: to taste
Salt: to taste

Cilantro: garnish

Preparation:

Wash,peel and grate carrots in a bowl alnong with currants..Add in the oil and juices and little salt.

Toast the walnuts,cumin and coriander seedds till the seeds emanate a nice aroma and the nuts start to brown.Lightly crush the toasted mix and add it to the carrot bowl.Toss well.Add in cayenne pepper or chilli powder and adjust salt and serve garnished with cilantro.

A simple easy to make carrot salad with flavours not commonly used in salads.You can use raisins instead of currants,but I  felt the orange carrots contrasts nicely with the colour of the currants.The apple juice adds slight sweetness and you can adjust the quantity with lemon juice .A sweet,spicy and tangy salad which is  refreshing and I loved it.The apple juice makes it a bit sweet,lemon juice add tartness and currants are slightly tangy.Add to it the heat or spiciness from the coriander seeds and cumin.A mouthful of salad gives you What I did not like in the salad was the walnuts.I am not a nuts person-I like them only in baked goodies and not in salads or sides-so I may omit them the next time.

This simple salad is visiting NCR:Carrots at TinnedTomatoes.

Taktouka-Moroccan Tomato Pepper Salad

This is a simple Moroccan style cooked salad which I had made from CookingwithAlia.The recipe is simple as usual and obviously tasty.The salad can also be used as a dip or spread or enjoyed as itself.

Ingredients:
Green Bell Pepper: 1
Tomatoes: 4-5medium or 2-3 Big juicy
Onion: 1 big
Garlic: 3 cloves or 2 tsp minced
Paprika
Pepper
Salt
Olive oil: 1 tbsp+

Preparation:
Chop onions finely.Chop the bell pepper into bite size pieces and gently peel the skin off tomatoes and chop them into pieces.The recipe did not say about peeling the skin but the video showed that the skin of tomatoes had to be peeled.

Heat oil in a pan and add the chopped onions and saute.As they start cooking,add the salt,pepper,paprika,minced garlic and saute.Cover and cook for a few minutes while the onions may start sweating and cook in their water.Remove the lid and add the chopped tomatoes.Mix well and cover and cook for another 8-10 minutes or so when the tomatoes start cooking and release juices.Add the chopped bell peppers and cover and cook for around 15-20 minutes till they are cooked.

If there is not enough tomato juice in the pan then you can add water as needed for the pepper to be cooked.

Taktouka is ready when all the liquid is absorbed and the peppers are cooked.Serve as a side salad or chunky dip or spread.

The dish was heartily spicy and I enjoyed it very much.It can be tried in the microwave as well.

Sellou -Morrocan Almond Sesame Dessert

This is another Moroccan Ramadan Special dish that I adapted from Cooking With Alia. Only thing is I quartered the recipe and made the dish as I was not sure how it will turn out and did not want to waste the items.It turned out tasty for me and hence I am posting it .The recipe involves baking the flour in the oven and roasting of almonds,sesame and anise and mixing it altogether with honey and butter.

Ingredients:
All Purpose Flour: 9 tbsp

Almonds: 8 tbsp
White Sesame Seeds: 4 tbsp
Anise Seeds: 1/2 tsp

Cinnamon Powder: 1 tsp + as much as you like
Powdered Sugar (Confectioner's Sugar): 4 tbsp
Salt: a pinch

Unsalted Butter: 2 tbsp
Honey: 2 tbsp


Preparation:

Spread the flour in a baking dish and bake for around 40 minutes in a pre heated oven at 350F.Stir the flour every 5 minutes so that it does not burn .It turns from normal white colour to a light yellow colour .The colour is similar to that of raw/natural chickpea flour.

Meanwhile in a pan, roast together the anise seeds,sesame and almonds.This takes around 12-20 minutes till the sesame turns brown and a roasted aroma comes from them and the almonds look roasted brown. Take 2/3rd of the roasted mix and grind to a fine powder in a processor.Add in powdered/confectioners sugar and cinnamon and salt to this and blend well.Pour in a big bowl.It looks like..

Coarsely grind the remaining nut mix like this

And add to the sugared nut powder in the big bowl.Take out the baked flour and sift it into the nut mix in the big bowl.The sifting ensures that the flour is lump free.Break on lumps if any and continue sifting.

Melt butter in the microwave or double boiler and pour into the mix along with honey.It looks like..

Mix well with hands and you will be getting a moist sand-like crumbs which can stick together when pressed into a shape.This is our sellou.

Pour the coarse grains into moulds and press together to form a shape and invert into serving platter or simply spoon into the serving cups.Garnish with more almonds and powdered sugar.I went for almond garnish only.

The taste is almondy and sesamy.My daughter did not like it though my husband and myself enjoyed it.This is not for those who do not like sesame.The quantity is enough for around 3+ moulds depending on your mould size.

Update on 5th Oct '09: I posted this dish on 4th thinking that I could meet the deadline of AWED:Morocco which unfortunately (blame it on me!) ended on Oct 2nd.But It was TOO NICE of Pavani who hosted it to accept this very late entry along with Carrot Macharmal salad which I had forgotten to mail her (I think age is catching up with me!).HEARTY THANKS, PAVANI.Do check the delicious round up of AWED:Morocco.

The sellou is also travelling to Sireesha's Sweet Series Event.I am off to mail her before I forget again.

Carrot Macharmal-Moroccan Spiced Carrot Salad

This is a simple recipe of Moroccan style spiced and cooked carrot salad.The recipe takes time but is great as a topping,side dish,spread etc and not just a salad.Normally salads are something that are cooked very less or has raw ingredients and has a dressing.But this salad is one where the carrots which can also be eaten raw are cooked thoroughly.May be each cuisine has its own variation.Earlier cooked salad I did was a Vietnamese Poached Eggplant Salad .This carrot salad -( do not ask me the meaning of the term macharmal coz I have no idea) also begins with the same way of poaching.I adapted this recipe from Cooking with Alia - a wonderful source of Moroccan recipes.

Ingredients:
Carrot: 3 big and thick
Garlic Cloves: 2 big or 3-4 small
Parsley: 2-3 tbsp chopped

Spices as per taste
Paprika
Cumin powder
Pepper :fresh grated

Salt
Olive Oil: 1-2 tbsp

Preparation:
Peel the carrots,cut lengthwise and remove the core. Then cut into cubes.Peel the garlic cloves.

Boil water in a vessel and add the cubed carrots and whole garlic cloves.Simmer and let them cook for around 15-20 minutes.Drain and keep aside.

Heat olive oil in a skillet/pan/kadai,add the drained carrot and garlic and saute so that the oil coats the carrots.Add chopped parsley,mix well.Then add the spices and salt and mix well.Continue cooking and then start mashing the carrots with the ladle or masher.Continue this process till all the carrots gets mashed up and reduces in volume and the spices get cooked and blend well.This again will take around 15 + minutes.

Serve hot or cold as per season along with bread or as per your preference.You can also serve it atop lettuce leaves or lightly steamed/blanched/raw cabbage leaves or even as a wrap filling.

If the core of the carrot was used then there would be difficulty in mashing it and I suppose thats why it was removed.Well the time taken to make the dish was worth spent as the taste is great.Do check out the video of this recipe here.

The lovely salad being Mediterranean is going to NCR:Mediterranean hosted this time by Lisa and obviously is also a part of AWED:Morocco an event by DK and currently hosted by Pavani of CooksHideout .The salad is a part of Moroccan Ramadan speciality and is on way to Lubna's Ramadan Event- Joy from Fasting to Feasting

Moroccan Spiced ChickPea Spinach Soup

Moroccan cuisine has been influenced by Indian cuisine.Morocco being a port there has been several influences on its culture and cuisine and it helped evolve a definite Moroccan cuisine which can be very hearty to Indian tongue.The spices we grew up with travel with us to Morocco.We never feel that its not Indian,though ofcourse some changes are definitely there.

I found an intriguing ChickPea and Spinach soup here and on trying it found that it perfectly suits my spicy tongue and is very hearty.It is made of chickpeas and spinach as we know from its name,but another secret ingredient here is apricots.

Ingredients:

Chickpeas : 1/2 cup

Spinach: 1 cup + chopped or 1 small bag of baby spinach leaves

Onion:1 medium

Garlic: 1-2 cloves crushed

Chilli Powder: 1-2 tsps per taste

Cinnamon: 2 tsps or more as per taste

Tomato Paste: 2 tbsp

Dried Apricots: 4+ or almost 1/4 cup chopped

Lemon juice: 1 tbsp or 1/2 lemon

Lemon Zest :zest of 1 lemon (I did not add)

Veg broth : 2 cup+

Salt & Pepper

Preparation:

Presoak chickpeas and cook till soft.Finely chop onions and crush garlic.Chop spinach or leave as such if using baby spinach.

Heat olive oil in a pan.Add chopped onion and saute till raw smell goes.Add crushed garlic and saute till the mix softens.Add cinnamon powdered and chilli powder and cook for 1 more minute.Add tomato paste and cook again for 2-3 minutes.Add chopped apricots,lemon juice & zest and veg broth and half of the cooked chicpeas.I also added the water in which the chickpeas was cooked.Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes.Allow it cool a little bit.

Puree the mix in a blender in batches if needed.Return the soup to the pan and add the remaining chickpeas.If the soup is too thick add more water /stock. Add salt and little papper and bring to boil.Reduce the heat to a simmer and then add the chopped spinach and cook for a few more minutes till spinach gets done.

Serve hot with more pepper garnish or a swirl of sourcream or yoghurt to reduce the spicy heat.I did not go for the yogurt option.

A warm bowl of ChickPea Spinach soup is perfect for Jacqueline of Tinned Tomatoes where NoCroutonsRequired has leaves as the theme.

Another bowl of hearty chickpea soup travels to Apu of AnnaRasa for Legume Love Affair -Twelfth an event by Susan

The Soup being vegan is perfect for IAVW-Moroccan hosted by Lavi of HomeCooks, an event by Vaishali

Moroccan Mint Tea

Mint tea is almost a national drink of Morrocco.Moroccan style mint tea is served all over North Africa and has become a part of culture.It is made using the green tea powder available there or rather imported from China and it is also called the Chinese gunpowder.The preparation varies from region to region. Basically we require the Moroccan tea pot for doing this but it can be done using the normal tea pot or generally any pot .I always prefer milky tea and am no lover of black tea but I like green tea.Add to this the additional refreshing flavour of mint,the taste was a surprise for me.The mint and green tea balance each other perfectly.

Ingredients:
Green Tea: 1 tsp
Boiling water: 1-1.5 cups
Mint:10-12 sprigs
Sugar: 1-2 tbsp

Preparation:

Boil water .Keep the tea pot ready.Add a little boiled water to the tea pot and swish it out.This is just to warm the teapot.This is optional though.

Add mint sprigs,green tea,sugar to the tea pot.

Pour boiling water onto this into the tea pot.
Let it sit for a a few minutes so that the tea is brewed and the flavours are absorbed.You can also stir with a spoon.

Pour the tea into a glass and then pour back in.Repeat it once more.Also make sure you pour from a little height.This pouring twice make sure the flavours are well blended and the sugar is dissolved and pouring from a height ensures foam on top of the glass and also cools it a little bit and this is the way it is supposed to be done in Morocco.

Pour into a serving cup through a strainer/seive so that only the liquid remains in the cup and the green tea and mint residue remain in the tea pot.Normally Moroccan tea pot have a strainer in the beak which ensures only the liquid is poured into the serving cup.

Garnish with mint and serve.

The recipe serves one.you can also substitute the sugar with honey or agave nectar.I used part honey and part sugar.For a video on this visit here.

I am a tea drinker and this way is slightly different from making the normal milky tea.Also the pouring from the height is almost a ritual related to coffee or atleast to me.Remember glass full of foaming decoction coffee served in SouthIndia or similar restaurants.This is a bit similar though I prefer it foamless.Anyway the simple yet refreshing Mint Tea is onway to JFI:Mint, an event by Indira of Mahandi and currently hosted by Ashwini of SpicyCuisine

Moroccan Style Chickpeas Stew

Moroccan dishes are hearty because its a mix of several cuisines like Arab,Jewish,African etc.The spices used are commonly cumin,coriander,ginger etc and the typical spice blend is known as Ras al Hanout and the popular hot sauce is 'Harissa '.Ras al hanout is a combination of around 70 spices and harissa paste used also as a sauce or in curries or soups is a combo of dried/smoked spices like coriander,caraway and cumin and chili peppers.I found an easier stew recipe from here with chickpeas and potatoes and few spices but it was deliciously hot and spicy.

Ingredients

ChickPeas/Garbanzo beans/White Chana: 1 cup (presoaked & cooked till soft)
Potato: 1 large
Carrot: 1 big
Onion: 1 big
Veg Broth: (1/2 cup +) OR (water+tomato juice/puree/paste )can be used
Garlic : 1 clove
Jalapeno pepper: 1
Cumin Powder: 2 tsp
Chilli Powder: 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder: 1/2 tsp
Tomatoes: 2+ OR use tomato paste/juice/puree as per taste OR one can of diced tomatoes along with brine.
Salt: as per taste

Preparation:

Presoak 1/2 cup of dry chickpeas and pressure cook till done.Chop the onions,potatoes and carrots into bite sized or small pieces.Mince/crush the garlic.Slit the jalapeno pepper and if needed de seed it.You can also chop it into small pieces unless you do not mind biting into it.I chopped it as it was okwith me.

Heat olive oil in a large pan and add the onion,carrot,garlic and jalapeno to it.Saute on medium for a few minutes till they start to cook.Add potato,tomatoes diced,broth,chickpeas ,salt and the spice powders .Mix well.Bring to a boil.Then let it simmer till the veggies are cooked for about 10-15 minutes or until the required gravy consistency is reached.Serve with rice/breads/couscous.

I did not use the broth nor tomatoes.Instead I added around 1/2 tbsp of tomato paste and tomato juice and the water in which the chickpeas were cooked.This depends upon you.You can also add extra water if needed.Also adjust the chilli powder with jalapeno.Cumin powder is supposed to be more than chilli powder and I did likewise.It was deliciously perfect for me.I served it with rice and also had it as a hearty winter soup.The estimate yields about 4 bowls.

This hot n spicy stew is going to JFI:Chickpeas,an event started by Indira of Mahanandi and currently hosted by MS of SometimeFoodie.

Another warm bowl is going to grace My Legume Love Affair 7th Helping ,an event started by Susan of WellSeasoned cook and currently hosted by Srivalli of Cooking4allseasons.

Update on 15th Jan,2009: The stew is reddish yellow in colour- reddish because of tomato juice and a tinge of yellow because of turmeric.The light here is very dim and the fotos does not do justice to the colour,but this is one of my first entry to FIC:Yellow,hosted by 'subki aunty aur hamari pyaary,Sunshine Mommyji' (PS: She is celebrating her First BlogVersary Today,DO WISH HER :D ).THANKS H,for accepting