Vasant Panchami B'Fast!

I know vasant panchami was a month back, but this post took quite a while to come into existence as my hands are full and my feet always at work. Vasant panchami always brings fond memories. Being a household ladies function, it is not a central or state holiday. As a child, I would get up on the vasant pachami day without a fuss, get ready for school early, wear my school uniform and make rounds to all the punju and UP households to eat the yummy breakfast Mrs. Mola, Mrs. Alok Kumar and Mrs. Lakhanpal had made for us girls. Three breakfasts, all alike were filling. Nevertheless,  I gorged on them happily. The menu was always the same- Puri (Deep fried wheat bread), Sheera (semolina pudding) and Sookha kale chane ki curry (Dry black chickpea curry).

I would gladly have my feet cleaned by these ladies.They put some haldi on our hands and tied the sacred dhaga (thread) on our skinny wrists. Then they would make us sit on the floor and serve us breakfast.

I am reproducing the kale chane ki curry and sheera to say thanks to all those ladies who invited a south Indian young girl to join their homely sweet function with lots of love and affection.

Sookha Kale Chane Ki Curry:-

Ingredients:-

2 cups of soaked kala chana (soak over night)
1 onion chopped
2 green chillies finely chopped
2 inches of ginger grated
1 tsp of red chilli powder
1 tsp of garam masala
1 tsp of coriander powder
1 tsp of jeera powder
2 tbl spns of oil
1 tbl spn of fresh lime juice
chopped coriander for garnishing
pinch of turmeric powder
pinch of sugar
salt to taste

Method:-
Cook the chana until soft and bite-able in the cooker with some salt.
Heat the oil in a wide base pan.  Add the onions and ginger. Fry well for 1 min.
Add the kala chana and all the masalas. Stir well and cook closed for about 15 mins in low- medium flame. Stir every few mins to avoid burning at the bottom.
Add the lime juice and mix well.
Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot.

Point to Notice:- Sheera should be mildly sweet and not laden with sugar like the south Indian kesari.

Sheera:-

Ingredients :-


1 cup semolina
1-1.5 cups of sugar
1 clove
pinch of cardamom powder.
1 cup of water
2 tbl spns of ghee +some more to add at the end while serving
1 cup of warm milk with a few strands of saffron
1/2 tbl spns of cashews fried in ghee
1/2 tbl spns of almonds fried in ghee
1 tsp of raisins fried in ghee

Method:-
Heat the ghee. and add a clove in it Add semolina and fry until it emits a nice aroma escapes.
Add sugar and mix well.
Add the water and milk and keep on stirring until the mixture reaches desired soft consistency.
Add the cardamom powder and mix well.
Stir in the fried almonds, cashews and raisins.
Add a dollop of ghee and serve hot.

Serve both with hot puris.