I was not a born foodie,neither was I inclined towards cooking from the very beginning. In fact those who know me knows what my struggle was like, because of certain health conditions I had to survive on low protein and fat diet. I have no regrets because my mother did her best to make my food taste good. Today I cook and share recipes with all of you through this blog and I do this only to feel the happiness by sharing. The journey so far was not easy for me but it was not difficult either because my dreams were always there to motivate me.

This post is not about my journey but rather about a Chef who unknowingly have changed the meaning of my life. Today I talk about dreams because this man have influenced me so much that I gather the courage to pursue my dreams.

 I was in high school when we shifted to Kolkata. The city life was quite new to me,though there was struggle in every step,I was still enjoying its speed. Every afternoon,my mom used to watch' Khana Khazana' in Zee Tv, it was a cookery show hosted by our renowned Chef Sanjeev Kapoor. I started watching the show to give my mom some company. Everyday he used to came with new recipes and stories related to that recipe, and this is exactly when I realized the food that we eat has its own history, somebody in somewhere has created the recipe and families inherited those recipes for ages. I learned amazing facts about different cuisines specially about Indian cuisine. Then there was a day,when I decided to follow one of his recipe from the show. So one Sunday I followed his recipe of Chole and made it for breakfast. The outcome was very impressive and then there was no looking back.

 I should have shared this recipe before but God knows why I didn't. So this time when Kamalika (founder of Kolkata Food Bloggers) came with this online event,where you have to make something following your favorite Chef's recipe, I didn't took a second to decide what it should be. So here is the recipe which will always be very close to my heart.

 Here,I have followed the recipe of Chef Sanjeev Kapoor,who is not only a famous Indian chef but also a very good TV host and his culinary show Khana Khazana was one of the longest running show in Asia. He is also a very successful restaurant consultant as he lends his name to many restaurants all over India. His books on ready to cook meals are famous all over the world. In short he is an inspiration for many food enthusiasts like me.

Ingredients :

• Kabuli Channa/Dry Chickpeas : 1 cup ( soaked overnight)
•  1 medium/ large size Onion : ( Paste )
• 2 Small/ 1 big Tomato : ( chopped)
• Ginger paste : 1 tbs
•  Garlic paste : 1 tbs
•  Mint (pudina) paste : (1/2 cup)
• Coriander paste :( 1/3 cup )
• Sahi Masala : 1/2 tbs ( dry roast 2tbs cumin seeds and1 tbs coriander seeds,make a powder) 
• Cumin Powder : 2 tbs
• Coriander powder : 1 1/2 tbs
• Turmeric : 1/2 tbs 
• Red Chilli Powdr : 1/2 tbs
•  Whole Garam Masala
• Bay leaves : 2 to 3
• Salt 
• Sugar : 1/2 tbs
• Oil : 3 to 4 tbs.

• 

Method :

• Take a pressure cooker or a deep pan,pour 2 cups of water and boil the chana.
• In a cloth take 1 tbs of tea leaves and tie it. Put the cloth in the cooker/pan,together with the chana. This will give a nice color to the chana.
• In another pan heat oil,add bay leaves and the whole garam masala. Once the masala start changing color,add the onion,tomato,ginger and garlic paste. Stir well for seconds before adding the mint and coriander paste.Stir occasionally on medium flame for 2 - 3 minutes.
• Add salt,turmeric,cumin,coriander and red chilli powder. Stir the masala for another couple of minutes.
• Once the masala is ready add the boiled chana and mix well.
• Now add a cup of water and allow it to boil,let the chana simmer for 25 minutes on medium flame.
•  Your chole is ready, garnish with chopped onions and coriander leaves.
• Serve hot with any Indian bread.

Today I am sharing a traditional snack recipe of litti, which is very popular in Jharkhand district of India. In Bihar litti is served with Murg Korma ( Chicken cooked in creamy gravy ) and Choka ( a preparation of roasted and mashed Potatoes,Eggplant and Tomatoes ). The outer crust of this snack is prepared from wheat and they use roasted gram flour (Sattu) and spices for the stuffing.

• Sattu - 200 gms
• Grated Ginger - 2 tbs
•  Chopped Green Chillies - 3 to 4
• Coriander leaves - chopped
• Ajwain - 1/2 tbs
• Cumin Powder - 1 tbs
• Mustard Oil - 1 tbs
• Pickle Spices - 1 tbs
• Lemon Juice - 1/2 tbs
• Salt according to taste

  Recipe Of Litti

Method :

• Take 2 cups of flour in a bowl and add ajwain,ghee,baking soda and curd,knead the dough properly and keep it aside for at least 30 mints.
• In another bowl take sattu and add grated ginger,chopped coriander leaves,green chillies,lime juice,ajwain.cumin powder,pickle spices and mustard oil.Mix the sattu well with all these ingredients.
•  This mixture is also known as Pitthi,so if the mixture seem to be too dry you can add some drops of warm water.
• Now make small balls from the dough and flatten the balls with the help of your palms,put 1 tbs of pitthi (the mixture for the stuffing) on it and close the edges. Press this stuffed pieces to flatten a bit.
•  Next take a non stick pan and allow it to heat,then place the stuffed pieces on the pan and cook them by turning occasionally until the sides became brown.
• You can  also serve litti with coriander chutney.