Baingan Bharta (Roasted Eggplant curry)

Can't believe year is going to end in couple of weeks. November and December goes quicker than any month. Holiday season means baking, good food, meeting friends and lots of deals. I am eagerly waiting for upcoming holidays to relax and have some good times with my friends.
Coming to tonight's recipe, last week my friend brought me big fatty eggplants from farmers market. Initially I thought I will make andhra style eggplant chutney but decided to make baingan bharta for dinner.

Baingan Bharta is nothing but charcoal roasted eggplant cooked in tomato, onion spicy mixture.  Usually in India eggplants are roasted on direct fire to infuse smoky flavor in the dish. Since our house is electric stove I used oven to roast eggplants.

Next time when you find big fatty eggplants try this recipe.



Ingredients:

2 Egg plants (big fat eggplants)
2 medium sized onion finely chopped
3 tomatoes finely chopped
2 or 3 green chilies (split length wise) increase as per your spice level
1tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1tsp red chili powder(optional.. As per your spice level)
4 garlic pods (crushed)
1tbsp oil
1/2tsp cumin seeds
curry leaves (optional)
salt as per taste

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 450 F. Sprinkle few drops of oil and rub on egg plants and bake in the oven for 30 to 40 mts. Depending on your oven power adjust the time. Once eggplants are baked turn off the oven and let it cool for few minutes and remove the skin and chop.



In a pan add oil, once oil is hot add cumin seeds. Once cumin seeds starts splattering add crushed garlic and cook for a minute. Now add chopped onions, curry leaves and cook till raw smell of onion goes away. Add tomatoes, spices(cumin, chili, salt and coriander powder). Cook on a medium heat till tomatoes are completely cooked. To cooked tomatoes mixture add chopped eggplant and cook for 8 to 10 mts while mashing and mixing eggplant in spice mixture.Adjust salt and turn off heat. Serve with hot rotis or rice.

Mint Rice

Yesterday was just like any other weekend. Only difference is, we continue to do our tradition of decorating christmas tree. After all the chores, I had no energy to cook multiple dishes for dinner so decided to cook simple rice. So ended up making mint rice (pressure cook method)

Here is our Christmas tree:



Here is the recipe.



Ingredients:

Mint - 2 bunches
cilantro - 1 bunch
Rice - 2 cups
6 green chillies ( increase or decrease as per your spice level)
ginger - 1/4 inch
salt - as per taste
garlic - 2 pods
4 cloves
bay leaf
onion - 1 medium size cut in strips
1tbsp cashew nuts (Optional)
oil

Preparation:

Pressure cook method: 


Wash and chop mint and cilantro and grind into coarse paste along with green chilies.
Make a paste of ginger and garlic and keep it aside.

In a pressure pan add oil. Once oil is hot add cashew nuts, cloves, bay leaf sauté till they are light brown then add onions and ginger garlic paste. Once onions turn golden add mint, cilantro paste and cook for 2 more minutes. Now add washed rice, water(1:2 ratio) and salt. Pressure cook for 2 whistles and turn off the heat.


Using Cooked rice method: 

Cook rice (using 1:2 ratio of rice to water). Once rice is cooked spread it out in a wide pan and cool it.
Wash and chop mint and cilantro and grind into coarse paste along with green chilies.
Make a paste of ginger and garlic and keep it aside.

In a wok add oil. Once oil is hot add cashew nuts, cloves, bay leaf sauté till they are light brown then add onions and ginger garlic paste. Once onions turn golden add mint, cilantro paste and cook for 2 more minutes. Now add rice and salt and mix well and turn off the heat.

Delicious mint rice is ready to be served. Serve with raita.

Lentils with Swiss Chard

I never heard nor tasted swiss chard when I was in India. In India we usually cook lentils with spinach, gongura(red spinach), fenugreek leaves, Amaranth leaves, tender tamarind leaves etc. After coming to USA learned different greens (kale, swiss chard, collards, arugula etc, . Out of those greens I love the taste of Swiss chard and Kale. Research shows that Swiss chard is one of the best greens with full of antioxidants.  I do cook regularly swiss chard and kale either salad form or lentil soups. Yesterday's lunch was swiss chard lentil soup.  Thought of sharing this healthy recipe with all of you so here is the recipe






More information about Swiss Chard : Source WHFoods..

Link

Few lines from that page: " Swiss chard is not only one of the most popular vegetables along the Mediterranean but it is one of the most nutritious vegetables around and ranks second only to spinach following our analysis of the total nutrient-richness of the World's Healthiest vegetables."


Rooster near our house: My daughter took this pic : Loved the way she captured the colors and the rooster.




Ingredients

1 cup of tur dal/red gram
1 bunch of swiss chard (remove the stem and chop the leaves since colored stems are very hard.)
1 pinch of haldi/turmeric powder
1/2 medium sized onion - chopped
2 garlic pods crushed
2-3 green chillies (split length wise)
Salt to taste
red chili powder (optional)
2 tsp lemon juice

for tempering/popu/tadka:

1-2 red chillies
1/2tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp jeera/ cumin seeds
Hing/ Asafoetida
1tbsp Oil


Preparation:

Cook lentils in a cooker for 4-5 whistles, keep it aside. (Note: 1 cup of lentils needs 2 cups of water to cook.)
In a seperate vessel heat oil add tempering items, once mustard seeds start splattering add chopped onions, crushed garlic and cook till raw smell of onion and garlic goes away. Now add chopped swiss chard, green chillies and cook for 5- 6 mts once the greens are cooked add the cooked dal, salt and pinch of haldi/pasupu/turmeric powder (You can add red chili powder/ black pepper if you want little spicy). Let it cook for 5-6 mts on medium heat and adjust spices. Once lentils cooked with all the spices, add lemon juice and mix well and turn off the heat. Garnish it with fresh coriander leaves.(optional)




Serve with hot rice along with chips or papad or Vadiyalu.

This Lentil soup is rich in protein and good source vitamins.

Pav Bhaji

How many of you drool hearing this recipe? I do. I still remember those days where I used to travel approximately 15kms to eat Sardar Pav Bhaji in Mumbai.  Not even single restaurant till now managed to impress me for pav bhaji like the way we get in mumbai streets.  I cannot justify with my words the taste of pav bhaji which we get in Mumbai.  Somehow I manage to make pav bhaji as close as I can come to the mumbai street food taste.

Yesterday night I decide to make pav bhaji for dinner.
Here is the recipe which I follow. (Adapted from friends)



Ingredients:

1 cauliflower (cut into florets)
3 carrots cut into cubes
2 bell peppers cut in cubes
1 potato boiled and mashed
1/2 cup green peas
2 medium sized onions finely chopped
5 tomatoes or 3 cups finely chopped
2tbsp pav bhaji masala
1tbsp ginger garlic paste (optional. You can ignore this if you are using chili paste)
1tsp red chili powder(increase as per your spice level) or chili garlic paste
salt as per taste
pinch of turmeric powder
2tbsp oil or butter

To serve:

Pav,
chopped onions
lemon wedges
chopped coriander

Procedure:

Chili paste: soak 6 red chilies ,3 garlic cloves in 2tbsp water for 30 mts and grind into fine paste.

Pressure cook cauliflower, carrots, green peas and bell peppers for 1 whistle. In a thick bottom vessel/pan add butter or oil, once oil is hot add onions and sauté for few minutes till the raw smell goes away. Add ginger garlic/chili paste and cook for a minute and add chopped tomatoes and cook till tomatoes are cooked completely into a smooth paste or oil separates from tomatoes. To this add pav bhaji masala, red chili powder(if you want more spicy), turmeric powder and salt. Cook for a minute and add boiled vegetables and mashed potato and mash thoroughly using potato masher. If required add  1/4 cup of water to get the right consistency. Cook for 8 to 10 mts and adjust the salt as per the taste.

Slice pav add butter and sprinkle pav bhaji masala(adding pav bhaji masala is optional) . On a heated pan add butter and roast sliced pav on both sides till the pav is lightly browned.

On a serving plate keep bhaji garnish with chopped onions and coriander(Optional: add 1/8 spoon of butter on top of the bhaji.) and serve with roasted pav and lemon wedges.

I am sure after reading this your mouth will start drool.