January | 2014 | SHERPANI CHEF

Archive for January 28, 2014

Aaloo channa jhol (Potato & garbanzo beans sauce)

Posted on January 28, 2014 by SherpaniChef

Aaloo channa jhol is our today’s recipe. This is a very popular Nepali dish and is mostly eaten as a snack with rice, puri or sel roti. In Nepali, aaloo means potato, channa means garbanzo beans and jhol means sauce or soup. I am sure a lot of people love aaloo and eat aaloo on a regular basis. However, in Nepal if you get “zero” on an exam, some people might tease you saying you are eating a potato. Try some of this aaloo sauce, so you won’t have to eat aaloo on the exam 😉

Ingredients:
5 small boiled potatoes diced
2 tomatoes chopped
1 can garbanzo bean
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoons ginger garlic paste
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups water
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
red chili paste or powder to taste
Salt to taste
Green chili or Chopped cilantro (to garnish)

Directions:

1. Prepare all the ingredients.

2. In a large pan, heat oil. Once the oil is hot, add onion, ginger, garlic paste and cook until onions are soft.

3. Add turmeric, cumin and red chili powder.

4. Add tomatoes. Mix well.

5. Cook tomatoes over medium heat until they are soft.

6. Once the tomatoes are cooked, add garbanzo beans, potatoes and salt. Mix well and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.

7. Add 2 cups of water. Cook the soup until it boils.

8. Enjoy with mini puris.

Posted in Food, Nepali Food, Vegetarian

Til ko Ladoo (Sesame seeds ladoo)

Posted on January 16, 2014 by SherpaniChef

Til ko ladoos are sweets made with toasted sesame seeds and jaggery. Traditionally, this ladoo is devoured on Manghe Sankranti. Since it is difficult to find jaggery, I use molasses. Here is a quick and easy recipe. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup Molasses
1/2 cup coconut powder
1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder (optional)

Directions:

1. Roast the sesame seeds in a flat pan on medium heat until they are aromatic (stir frequently). Keep aside.
OR, Put the sesame seeds in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for 3 minutes and keep aside.

2. Microwave coconut powder for 30 seconds.

2. Microwave molasses and butter for 15 seconds.

3. Add toasted sesame seeds, cardamom powder, coconut powder and molasses together and mix well. Let the mixture cool for a while.

4. Grease your palms and when the mixture is still warm. Take enough in your hand to form a golf ball-sized lump.

5. Place ladoos on a plate and let them cool. You can store it for up to 10-15 days in an air-tight container.

Posted in Desserts, Food, Nepali Food

Homemade Hair Conditioner Because You are Worth It ;)

Posted on January 14, 2014 by SherpaniChef

Since all my recent posts have been about food, I thought I would post a beauty recipe today. After all looking good is also important 😉 If you are having trouble with dry hair this winter, this post might help you. Today’s post is about homemade hair conditioner. Strangely, I love giving hair treatments and facial treatments to my sisters and mom. If you were related to me, I would give you one for free. I recently made this hair treatment for my sister. She has long hair, so the amount of ingredients used in this post is for long hair.
As a side note: Since the ingredients are all food, if you were to make this homemade hair conditioner in Nepal, people will say sarcastically: khanalai chaina taukoma? (the literal translation is “for to eat nothing, for on head?” 😉 What this means is your looks is more important than your hunger (which of course is true).