Savoury fried toasts

This simple recipe also demands a little bit of more time than your usual rushy mornings, and would be best to make if you have time on your hands in the morning. A breakfast recipe like the previous one. My mother has been making this for a long time now, so we practically grew up eating this! Its made from a local ingredient, chickpea powder, which I think is available in most markets everywhere across the world now. You make a paste with this powder, like you do with a savoury snack such as 'pakoras', eaten frequently in rainy seasons and during Ramazan.

So here's what you do. All the ingredients are very simple, and nothing that you cannot find in a typical Pakistani kitchen.

In a mixing bowl, take about one to one and a half cups of chickpea flour (or locally known as baisan). In it mix about one tsp of salt, one tsp red chilli powder, one to two tsp cumin seeds, ajwaain seeds, which my mother tells me this morning are very good, and aid digestion (btw these are cellery seeds), a little bit of freshly crushed black pepper, dhania powder or khatai powder. Now mix in a little water and with a spoon mix it well until it gives you the consisteny which can cover the back side of your mixing spoon well, so its neither too thick nor too runny, and should ideally cover your toasts well.

Now heat about 2 tbsp of cooking oil in a frying pan. Next, cut your bread slices in whatever shape you want - I like mine in triangles. Take these bread pieces, dip them in your batter well, so they cover both sides, be careful not to allow them to soak up too much of the mixture, otherwise your bread pieces will break, and gently lower them in the pan on high medium heat, until they get a nice golden colour on both sides.

Serve them up with ketchup or salsa sauce, or smear a little garlic paste on them.

Today I had them with fresh strawberry milkshake. Totally divine! And very delicious!