Recipe 2 and 3: Mezze Platter - Part 1 (hummus and tahini)

Like every Sunday morning, headed to Star Bazaar with dad to get the essentials for Mezze Platter and some grocery stuff for home. Returned back with bags containing 4 packs of pita bread (4 each in a pkt), iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, capsicums – green, red and yellow, sesame seeds (til), garlic, curd, brinjal (egg-plant / aubergine).

All other things required were there in the house.

It turned out to be simply delicious. Although it was our first attempt (anushka and mine) at the Turkish / Mediterranean cuisine, it turned out to be beautiful. Will surely make this for another lazy weekend.

Let’s start with the recipes…

Hummus

Ingredients

White chick peas (kabuli chana)	½ cup	Soaked for 12 hours
Garlic cloves	6 to 8
Tahini sauce	3 tbspn	Recipe below
Lemon juice	2 tbspn
Red chilli powder	1 tbspn
Olive oil	3 tbspn
Salt	To taste

Garnish

Coriander

Few twigs

Thinly chopped (recipe suggests parsley)

Method

1.    Soak the chickpeas for 12 hours. Drain all water and boil in fresh water until soft (15 to 20 minutes)

2.    Cool and remove the skin. Set aside

3.    Put all remaining ingredients alongwith the chickpea in a mixer and blend till you get a smooth thick consistency (taste this and see if you need more salt or chilli)

4.    Remove in a bowl and garnish with coriander

In the entire Mezze platter, have used coriander instead of parsley. Use parsley if you get it or coriander works just fine.

Tahini Sauce

Ingredients

Fresh curd	3 cups
Sesame seeds (til)	3 tbspn
Garlic cloves	3 to 4
Lemon juice	2 tbspn
Olive oil	2 tbspn
Salt	To taste

Method

1.    Roast the sesame seeds on a tava till it starts popping. Stop the gas, once it starts cracking

2.    Hang the curd in a muslin cloth (I normally use a hankie) for 15 minutes till the water is all drained out

3.    When the sesame seeds are cooled, add all the ingredients and blend them in a mixer

4.    The consistency is thicker and the sesame doesn’t break easily. Keep whisking it till it becomes a smooth paste (the entire mixture has a very pungent smell. Don’t bother about it)

It is now ready to be used to prepare hummus