Achari Baingan / Egg plant / Aubergine

Ingredients

3  medium sized Baingan / Egg plant / Aubergine, make thin slices

2 cloves  garlic, crushed

1” finely chopped ginger

1 medium sliced onion

2 tomatoes cut in cubes

2 green chillis finely chopped

5-6 curry leaves

½ teaspoon kalonji (Nigella seeds)

5-6 fenugreek seeds

½ teaspoon fennel seeds

½ teaspoon cumin seeds

½ teaspoon coriander powder

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon red chili powder

Salt to taste

1 ½ tablespoon oil

Method

Heat oil in a Kadhai/Wok

Fry baingan slices in the oil and drain out.

Keep all fried baingan slices aside.

Now in the remaining oil in Kadhai/wok, add ginger and garlic paste. Stir it.

Now add sliced onion to it. Cook it till the onions become golden.

Now add kalonji (Nigella seeds), cumin seed and fenugreek seeds.

Add chopped tomatoes, curry leaves, fennel seeds and green chili. Cook it till tomatoes become little soft.

Now add turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chili powder and salt.

Add all fried baingan slices to it and mix it well.

Sprinkle little water over it and cover it with a lid.

Cook it over a slow flame for about 10-15 minutes, till baingan slices get cooked.

Dish out in a serving dish.

Serve while hot with parantha.

Mixed Vegetable kofta curry

 Ingredients

For Kofta

½ cup finely chopped & parboiled carrots

½ cup finely chopped & parboiled French beans

½ cup finely chopped & parboiled cauliflower

1 medium boiled and mashed potato

1 cup porridge oats grind to make powder (chickpea flour/besan can also be used)

 ½ cup boiled rice, mashed

1 green chili finely chopped

1” ginger finely chopped

1 tablespoon finely chopped coriander leaves

Salt to taste

½ teaspoon coriander powder

½ teaspoon cumin seed powder

½ teaspoon garam masala

½ teaspoon red chili powder

Oil for frying

For gravy

3 medium sized onions (make paste)

3 medium tomatos (make puree)

1 tea spoon ginger paste

1 tea spoon garlic paste

2-3 green chilli (paste)

½ teaspoon of red chilli

½ teaspoon turmeric power

½ teaspoon garam masala

½ teaspoon coriander powder

½ tea spoon jeera power (cumin)

2 cardamoms

2 leaves of tejpatta (Bay leaf)

A small piece of cinnamon

Chopped coriander leaves

2 cloves

A pinch of powder of kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
Making Kasuri Methi (dried fenugreek) at home

Salt to taste

2 tablespoon Oil

Method

Heat Kadhai/Wok

Dry roast oats powder for 3-4 minutes over slow flame. Keep stirring it.

Remove from stove.

Add chopped and parboiled vegetables, mashed potatoes, green chilies, ginger, mashed rice, cumin seed powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala and salt to it.  Mix it well.

Make small balls out of this mix.

Heat oil in a Kadhai (wok).

Fry all koftas golden brown over a medium flame

Drain and keep aside.

Gravy

Heat oil in a pan. 

Add ginger & garlic paste to it. Stir it.

Add onion paste; cook it till the paste become golden.

Add green chilli paste and keep stirring it.

Now add the tomato puree to it and cook it till the oil separates.

Add bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, garam masala, coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder and salt to taste, and stir it well.

Now add 2-3 cups water to it and cook for 8-10 minutes.

Now add kasuri methi powder.and cook for another 2 minutes.

Arrange koftas in a serving dish.

Just before serving the curry, pour gravy over koftas and garnish them with chopped coriander leaves.

Serve while hot with parantha or rice.

Sabudane ki Kheer (Tapioca Pearl Pudding)

Ingredients

1 cup tapioca pearls (Sabudana)

½ liter Milk

½ cup condensed milk

½ cup sugar (to taste)

1 table spoon finely chopped cashew nut

 1 teaspoon finely sliced pistachio

¼ cup raisins

1 table spoon blanched and sliced almonds

½ teaspoon powder of cardamom seed

Few strands of saffron mixed in 1 table spoon milk

Method

Wash the Tapioca pearls, drain the water and keep them aside for 2-3 hour.

Tapioca pearl will become translucent and more than double in size.

Boil milk in a pan.

Now add sugar, cashew nuts, almonds, raisins & condensed milk, mix it well and cook for 5 minutes. Keep stirring.

Mix saffron mixture to it.

Add tapioca pearls and cook for another 8-10 minutes on slow flame.

Now take it out in a serving dish

Spread cardamom powder & sliced pistachio over it.

Tapioca pearl kheer /pudding can be served hot or chilled.

Pomegranate Spring Onions Raita

Chilled Pomegranate Spring Onions Raita tastes heavenly in Indian summers.  It can be served with rice, stuffed parantha, parantha and curry, or as a side dish.

Ingredients

2 cup curd/Yogurt

½ cup fresh pomegranate seeds

½ cup juice of pomegranate seeds

2 spring onions, finely chopped green part and white part

¼ teaspoon black salt

1 tablespoon sugar

Method

Beat the curd so that it becomes smooth in texture.

Add sugar and black salt in curd.  Mix it well.

Add pomegranate seeds, juice, and spring onions (keep aside few pomegranate seeds and finely chopped green part of onion for garnishing) in curd.

Mix it well.

Pour the raita in a serving bowl.
Garnish with pomegranate seeds and finely chopped green part of spring onions.

Keep it in a fridge.

Serve chilled

Bhindi Masala (Spicy Okra/Ladies Finger)

Ingredients

500 gms Bhindi/Okra

2 onion, sliced

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon ajwain/thymol seed

A pinch of asafetida

½ teaspoon red chili powder

½ teaspoon garam masala

½ teaspoon cumin seed powder

½ teaspoon coriander powder

½ teaspoon cumin powder

1 teaspoon coarsely grinded fennel seed

½ teaspoon amchoor (raw & dry mango) powder

Salt to taste

1 tablespoon Vegetable oil

Method

Cut all Bhindi/Okra into two lengthwise and then cut into 1” long pieces.

Heat oil in Kadhai/Wok.

Add asafetida.

Add Ajwain/thymol seeds.

Add onion and stir fry it to golden.

Add turmeric powder.

Add Okra and salt.

Mix them well with the oil.

Cover the Kadhai with a lid.

Cook it over a slow flame for 7-8 minutes.

Open the lid and stir the Okra.

Add coriander powder, garam masala, amchoor powder, red chili powder, cumin seed powder and fennel seed powder in the Okra.  Mix it well.

Now cook it over a slow flame, uncovered, for about 15 minutes or until the stickiness of Bhindi/Okra will disappear and the whole dish will become little roasted.  Keep stirring from time to time. 

Pour it in a serving dish.

Serve with parantha and any Indian curry.

Cordia/labede/gunda ki sabzi

In India cordia is known by different names in different places.  In Rajasthan, North India, it is known as Lasode or Labede. Whereas it is called as Gunda in Gujarat. 

Cordia/Labede is used as a key ingredient in making pickle in many parts of India and it is very delicious.

My wife makes a spicy and delicious sabzi (dish) of Cordia.  Cordia is boiled and de-seeded.  Then stir fried with oil and dry masalas over low flame for about  30-40 minutes.  Cordia is a very sticky vegetable.  Its stickiness disappears while cooking on a slow flame for a long time.  It can be made in a large amount and kept in the refrigerator. It can be then reheated and consumed within a week.

Ingredients

500 gm Cordia/Labede/Lasode/Gunda

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon cumin seed

A pinch of asafetida

½ teaspoon red chili powder

½ teaspoon garam masala

½ teaspoon coriander powder

½ teaspoon cumin powder

1 teaspoon coarsely grinded fennel seed

½ teaspoon amchoor (raw & dry mango) powder

Salt to taste

1 ½ tablespoon Vegetable oil

Method

Remove the stem from Cordia / Labede.

There are two ways on how to proceed from here.

You can either boil them in water till they become soft. (This is the traditional way of doing it)

Then remove from water.

Or

You can place all the cordia / labede in a plastic bag and microwave them for about 7-8 minutes on high power. (With this method, roasting the cordial / labede will take less time in the later stage, as the cordial will not absorb extra water in the microwave).

Cool all the cordia / labede at room temperature.

De-seed all the cordia / labede. For this, press the each cordia / labede with your right hand thumb and first two fingers.  The seed along with a sticky glue-like substance will automatically come out of cordial / labede.

Now heat the oil in a Kadhai/wok.

Add asafetida.

Add cumin seeds.

Add turmeric powder.

Add all the de-seeded cordia /labede and salt.

Mix them well with the oil.

With the help of a spatula, lightly crush all the cordia /labede.

Cover the Kadhai with a lid.

Cook it over a slow flame for 7-8 minutes.

Open the lid and stir the cordia / labede.

Add all the masala in the cordia / labede and mix it well.

Now cook it over a slow flame, uncovered, for about 40 minutes or until the stickiness of cordia / labede will disappear and the whole dish will become little roasted and of golden color.  Keep stirring from time to time.  

Pour it in a serving dish.

Serve with parantha and any Indian curry.

Arbi Amritsari

Arbi Amritsari is a very popular snack of Punjab made from Arbi (colocasia roots).  It can be serve as a starter/snacks or as a side dish with dinner.

Ingredients

500 gms Arbi (colocasia roots) (boiled& peeled)

50 gm besan/chickpea flour/Bengal gram flour
1 teaspoon oil for roasting besan

50 gm Corn flour

50 gm Breadcrumbs

½ teaspoon red chili powder
½  teaspoon turmeric powder
½ teaspoon  garam masala
½  teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon chat masala

½ teaspoon ajwain (thymol seeds)

½ teaspoon cumin seeds powder

½ teaspoon ginger paste

½ teaspoon garlic paste

2 teaspoon lime juice
½ tablespoon oil for marination

Oil for frying

Method

Press all arbi a little with the help of your palm.
sprinkle some salt and half of the lime juice over the arbi and mix gently.

Heat the oil in a Kadhai/Wok.

Roast besan till golden.

In a dish mix corn flour,  breadcrums, besan, salt, red chilli powder,  cumin seed powder, garam masala, coriander powder, turmeric, chat masala, ajwain,  oil, lemon juice and ginger garlic paste.  Mix it well
If this paste is too thick, add little water and make it smooth so that it can be coated over all the arbi.

Coat each arbi with the above mixture properly.

Keep all arbi aside to marinate for about 1 hour.

Heat the oil in a Kadhai/wok.

Deep fry all arbi to golden from all sides.

Pour them in a serving dish.

Serve while hot with a tomato ketchup or green chutney.(recipe : Green Chutney)

Black Grapes & Apple Raita

Ingredients

2 cup curd/yogurt

1 cup seedless black grapes cut into two lengthwise

1 apple, peeled and cut into small pieces

1 tablespoon sugar (or to taste)

¼ teaspoon cardamom seeds powder

Method

Beat the curd so that it becomes smooth in texture.

Add sugar in curd and mix it well.

Add grapes and apple pieces in curd.

Add cardamom powder.

Mix it well

Pour the raita in a serving bowl

Keep it in a fridge.

Serve chilled with any stuffed parantha, hot parantha and curry as a side dish or a complementary dish

Baingan / Egg plant / Aubergine raita

Ingredients

1 medium size Baingan roasted on grill or on direct gas flame

2 cup curd/yogurt.

½ teaspoon roasted cumin seed powder

2-3 green chilies, finely chopped

½ teaspoon of red chilli powder

½ teaspoon mustard seeds

6-7 curry leaves

½ teaspoon black salt

Salt to taste

1 teaspoon oil

Method

Peel & mince the roasted baingan. Cool it at room temperature.

Put baingan and curd in a food processor/blender. Make a smooth puree’.

Add black salt, green chilies, salt, roasted cumin seed powder and mix well.

Pour the content in a serving dish.

Heat oil in a small bowl.

Add mustard seeds.

Add curry leaves.

Add red chili powder.

Pour it over the raita.

Keep it in a fridge.

Serve chilled with any stuffed parantha, hot parantha and curry as a side dish or a complementary dish.

Mushrooms Capsicum Curry

Ingredients

1 Cup Mushrooms, if large chopped in four and if small chopped in two (boiled)

 1 red capsicum cut lengthwise in strips

1 yellow capsicum cut lengthwise in strips

1 green capsicum cut lengthwise in strips

2 sliced onions

2 sliced tomatoes

½ cup cottage cheese cut in 1” long pieces

2 pineapple rings, cut in 1” long pieces (discard center)

1” ginger finely chopped

½ teaspoon garlic paste

2 green chilies, finely chopped

 ½ teaspoon garam masala

½ teaspoon cumin seeds powder

½ teaspoon coriander powder

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon red chili powder

Salt to taste

1 tablespoon finely chopped coriander leaves

1 tablespoon oil

Method

Heat oil in a pan

Add ginger and garlic in the oil and stir it for a while.

Now add the chopped onions. Fry till golden

Add green chilies and stir fry it.

Add the chopped tomatoes and cook

Now add all the chopped capsicum and mushroom. Stir it.

Add garam masala powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, chilli powder and salt to taste and stir it. 

Cover the pan Cook it for 15 to 20 minutes on a slow flame.

Now add cottage cheese pieces and pineapple.  Cook for another 2-3 minutes till the cottage cheese is tender.

Pour it in a serving dish.

 Garnish it with chopped coriander leaves.

Serve while hot with paranthas or Nan