WISHING EVERYONE A VERY HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS DIWALI!!
There have been phases where I have oscillated between being a non vegetarian and then switching back to being a vegetarian. I wasn’t always a non vegetarian. In my mother’s house, we rarely had chicken or mutton and fish was a rarity, except for fish fritters in winters. The emphasis was always on eating one’s veggies. The things however changed once I moved to my marital house where I encountered hard core carnivores. Everyday at least one meal would have fish, mutton or chicken. And if anyone in the house was not in a mood for vegetables on the menu, they would simply have an omelette with bread. So much of non veg food, was quite something for me to handle. There would come a point when I wouldn’t even want to hear the word chicken or fish. When we moved into our own house, I ensured that we incorporated more veggies in our meals. And last year, when I switched over to being a vegetarian, again, I tried to incorporate as many veggies and lentils & legumes that I possibly could, into my meals. I try cooking them in different ways so that they provide me with a healthy variety of meals.
Although green garbanzo beans are a seasonal produce, you can find them being sold in dried form just as regular black or white chick peas at your grocery store. Soak them the same way as well and you have them just as fresh green garbanzo beans would be. I enjoy them as a salad, in rice pilaf and as a curry or as this fudge here. The fudge takes very little time to get cooked and makes for a healthy and tasty dessert.
1 C Dry Green Chickpeas (Chholiya)
¼ C + 1 tbsp Ghee (for roasting) plus extra for greasing the tray
250 grams Khoya (Mawa)
¾ C Sugar (adjust to taste)
1½ tsp Cardamom Powder
2 – 3 tbsp finely sliced Pistachio
2 – 3 tbsp slivered Almonds
Pick, wash and soak the green chick peas in water for 5 – 6 hours. (I soaked them over night)
Drain the soaked chickpeas and grind them to a paste, not too fine (it is purely a matter of taste whether you like somewhat coarsely ground chick peas or want to turn them into a fine paste)
In a heavy bottom cooking pan or wok (kadahi), heat the ghee and add the chick pea paste.
Roast it for a minute on high flame stirring continuously and then reduce the heat and roast it till the colour begins to change and the raw smell is gone. (A total of 7 minutes approx.)
Add a few along table spoons milk (to moisten and bring everything together) with cardamom powder, two tablespoons pistachio and two tablespoons almonds and keep cooking on low heat for another two minutes or till the milk is absorbed yet the mixture is not dry. (Keeping it moist is important)
Remove the pan from the heat and keep aside and cover it.
In another heavy bottom pan or kadahi, roast the mawa on low heat without adding any ghee.
Roast till the colour changes to golden.
Switch off from the heat and allow to cool. Add mawa and sugar to the roasted chick peas and mix it all well till everything is well incorporated.
Decant the contents in a plate or tray (mine was 9½ inches by 7 inch) and using a spatula spread it around and even it out. Level the surface and garnish with the remaining pistachios and almonds.
Cover with a cling wrap (with the cling wrap touching the contents as this will prevent any moisture to develop inside). Keep the tray in the refrigerator for the fudge to firm up so that you can slice it with ease.
Once it is firm, cut the fudge in slices of the size you desire and serve. Enjoy!
Note: In case you intend to use fresh green chick peas (when they are in season), here is an idea of the approximate weight – the soaked and drained weight of the garbanzo beans was approximately 370 grams (+ / -).
Yield: 15 slices
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