Baigan Bhartha : Smoked Brinjal/ Egg Plant

Cooking time: 15 mins
( including the cutting  of the vegetables and the smoking of the brinjal)

Ingredients:
1 medium size Brinjal ( Use only fresh)
3 medium size Tomatoes
1 big green chilly
1 big onion
10 cloves of Garlic peeled and slightly crushed
1/2 tsp of cumin seeds, and 1/2 tsp of mustard seeds
2 or 3 tsps of Garam masala, and 1 tsp of Aam Chur (dry mango powder, optional)
Salt to taste
3 tsps of any vegetable oil.
1 tsp of red chilly powder, 2 tsp of coriander, and cumin powder( Dhanu jerra powder) optional
Fresh chopped coriander leaves

Directions:
Instead of chopping the onions just slice them length wise
Cut the tomatoes too in the same manner
peel the garlic and just crush them lightly
slit the green chilly or you can even chop them finely, depending on your taste
wash and dry the brinjal, and slit a little and keep a few cloves of garlic inside it.
Roast the brinjal directly on the gas stove.
Keep turning around till all sides are smoked and cooked properly and the skin is charred
 Keep  it aside to cool

Take a frying pan and heat the oil in it. Throw in the cumin and mustard seeds into the pan and let them splutter.
Now add the sliced onion  to it along with the garlic, keep the heat in low and let the  onions turn slightly  pink, do not brown it.
Next add the tomatoes
Just lightly toss them
after a few seconds add salt, red chilly powder, dry mango powder and the danu jerra powder. Mix everything and let the tomatoes become slightly soft, do not try to mash them.
Now peel the brinjal remove the garlic cloves, ( just add the garlic to the onion, tomato mixture) and just lightly cut the brinjal, at the same time pressing them slightly with the knife itself, do not mash the brinjal completely.
Add this to the onion and tomato mixture and mix everything together, if it looks too thick add a little bit of water to bring to the right consistency
 Next add the garam masala powder, and keep the dish covered for about 3 minutes on a low flame. This is done to retain the flavour of the garam masala.
Never add turmeric powder to this dish, for the red colour should come only through the tomatoes and the red chilly powder.
People add fresh cream, some even add milk, but then it would taste different, the mild flavour of brinjal will be lost, and it would not get that red colour.
Pour it into a serving dish and garnish it fresh chopped coriander.
It goes best with Paranthas and Phulkas (all Indian breads).
I am aware that there are many ways in which people make this dish, but after trying this method, I found it to be the best, for it brings out the real subtle flavour of brinjal.
I learnt this recipe from a Punjabi friend of mine, whose husband runs a very famous Punjabi Dhaba in Bangalore.

                                                      Sorry for the bad image

                 See the chunks of lightly mashed brinjal, tomatoes and the garlic are visible

The attractive red colour comes out, by not adding turmeric.(this tip was given by my punjabi friend)
Enjoy this super simple dish, and let me know how you found the taste of this Smoked Brinjal recipe made my way.

When Hunger Strikes Have This Wonder Soup

The wonder soup is made with tomatoes, onions, green peppers, celery, cabbage, onion, and any other vegetables like cucumber, broccoli , carrots, mushrooms etc. also can be added.

It is a very light tasting yet filling  soup, to have whenever, we are bored or feel like having something between meals. Since it is made with lots of vegetables it is highly nutritious and healthy in between food to be had at any time of the day. People who are familiar with the GM diet would know about this particular soup.

Here, I am not adhering strictly to the ingredients mentioned in their wonder soup recipe, for I like to add a lot more variety of vegetables to it to make it even more tasty and healthy. It is so simple and easy to make, here is my version of this soup:

Ingredients:

Half of medium sized cabbage( roughly chopped)

2 medium sized onions (chopped into medium size pieces)

10- 12 button mushrooms (chopped into medium size pieces)

Two big tomatoes

a few flowers of Broccoli

half a cucumber 

1 medium sized carrot

1 large capsicum

(Please don't add Beetroot and Potatoes)

Chop all the vegetables into medium size

Method:

In a large deep frying pan pour 2 tsp of olive oil

Once the oil  is hot put the onions, mushrooms and the capsicum and fry them till they are a little brown

Now add all the other vegetables to this and give it good stir.

Next add some seasoning like Italian spice powder about 2 tsp, salt to taste and 2 tsp of Oregano. If you have flax seeds add 2 tsps of that too. You can also add 1 tblsp of organic Apple cider Vinegar.

Add about 4 cups of water or enough to cover all the vegetables completely

 Cover it with a lid wait till the water starts , once it starts to boil reduce the heat to simmer

Let it simmer for about 10 minutes, and come back to check whether all the vegetables have cooked well (they should not over cook, they should be slightly crisp).

Now your Wonder Soup is ready to be transferred into a big bowl.

Now you can have some of this healthy hot soup, or let it cool and refrigerate it and keep it for 2 days, taking out as much as you want and heating it in the microwave and having it off and on as much / or as many times you want. It would help in you keeping your weight down. no wonder it is called the "Wonder Soup" .

Serve it as a special starting dish for large parties, it’s that good!  Most important is, that, it is so easy to prepare, just takes 10 minutes to prepare. And because it’s a vegetarian soup, it’s a crowd-pleaser for everyone.
I make this soup every two days, and we have  it two times in a day.

This soup is very addictive, and it is a good addiction. 

I am a little lazy to type the recipe again separately, and anyway it is a very easy recipe, there is hardly any thing complicated about it.

bon appétit!

Don't forget to comment after you visit here. Your comments would really inspire me to share more recipes with you all.

More Kuzhambu (Typical South Indian Dish)

                                    More Kuzhambu ( Typical Iyengar Style)

A lovely tangy Vegetable gravy dish made out of sour butter milk. Today I am writing the recipe made with White Pumpkin. The basic gravy is the same, however, you can change the vegetables according to your liking or availability. Generally vegetables like White pumpkin, Chayote Squash (Chow Chow), Okra, Green Capsicum, Egg plant are the ones, that are mainly used with this gravy. Many times I have even seen people use Potatoes too.
But  the vegetables mentioned above tastes very good when cooked and added to the basic gravy.
One thing important is that the the Butter milk must be sour, because sourness only would give it the taste. Since I live in a place where butter milk never get sour enough, I would have to use a little bit of Tamarind juice to make it sour. It is perfectly alright to use Tamarind if one cannot get sour curd  or buttermilk. The taste would be just the same.

Ingredients to be soaked in water together:
1. 1 tsp of Tuvar dal, 
2. 1 tsp of Channa dal, 
3. 3 tsps of dry coriander
4. 1tsp of Carom Seeds (Ajwain or Omam)
5. 3 tbls of grated coconut
6.1 green chilly and 1 red chilly (you can add more according to the amount you prefer)
7. 1/2 tsp of rice
8. As always with all my dishes I add quite a few curry leaves while grinding itself.

 Soak a small lemon sized tamarind ball in cup of water( if the butter milk is sour then no need for tamarind)
For the vegetable:
100- 150 grams of  White pumpkin, cut into big pieces (about 1 inch squares)
Boil them with enough water to cover them, along with a tsp of Turmeric powder, salt to taste, and a tsp of Hing/ Asafoetida. 
Keep the pot covered with a lid and once it has come to a boil, turn the heat to simmer and let them cook till they are half done.
Next squeeze the juice of the Tamarind and add it to the boiling Pumpkin mixture
Boil everything together till the raw smell of the Tamarind goes off
Add more water as required. It should be of pouring consistency not too thick.
Test whether the Pumpkins are cooked.
In the meantime grind the soaked mixture in the grinder into a paste.
Pour this mixture into the Pumpkin mixture, keeping the gas at simmer all the time
Wait for it to come to a boil or two.
Take it off from the stove and pour it into a serving bowl.
Now take a small thick bottomed pan, and heat it
Add one tsp of Sesame oil, once it is hot enough add 1 tsp of Mustard seeds, 1 tsp of Fenugreek seeds, once they splutter, add a few curry leaves and pour this on top of the More Kuzuhambhu
Add some fresh chopped coriander leaves. (optional)
(I have not added Jeera in this because instead of Jeera I have used Carom seeds)

Serve it hot with Rice, along with some dry vegetable curry, some Aplams/Popadams/ Potato wafers. It also goes well with Chapaties, Dosas and Adaas.
Mostly people make it with Jeera, but it can also be made with Carom seeds, which most people have forgotten to use these days in this dish. (it is not invented by me)
 People who have had More Kuzhambu in our house really appreciated the slightly different taste the Carom seeds bring to this yummy dish.
The ingredients:

                                        The ground Masala to be added to the boiling  Pumpkin mixture

                                       The Yummy More Kuzhambu served along with other items
                                                                                      for Lunch

                                   Serve it with some Parupu, it would taste very good.

Delicious Stuffed Brinjal (Eggplant) Curry.

Almost everyone loves stuffed Brinjal curry. There many ways to make it, according to the region one belongs to, in North India it is made differently and that also tastes good.
Some times we can mix both ways  to make this wonderful dish.
Today, I made this as a side dish in the South Indian style.
It is very easy to make with all the ingredients, present always in the kitchen.

Here are the ingredients needed for making Masala for the stuffing:

1.Baby Brinjals about 10 to 12 (slit into 4 only half way)
2. Oil about a few drops (just to brush a little)
3.Urad dhal 1 tsp
4.  Dry Coriander about 3 tsp
5. Peanuts about 2 tblps
6. Grated dry Coconut (Copra) 2 tblsp
7. 2 red chilies ( you can add more if you feel like)
8. Sesame Seeds about 2 tblsp
9. Cinnamon about 2 inches long, 1/2 tsp of Hing
10.Clove: 2 and 1 tsp of  Febugreek seeds
11. Plenty of Curry leaves

Method:
1. Dry roast Coriander, Red Chilies, Cinnamon, Cloves, Sesame seeds, Fenugreek Seeds and let them change color a little bit, and then add the curry leaves. Keep them aside to cool.
2. In the same pan dry roast the peanuts, remove it and keep it aside
3. Dry roast the dry grated coconut/or if you don't have dry coconut, just dry roast the fresh grated coconut. Keep it also aside to cool.
4. Once they have cooled down grind the peanuts coarsely, don't let them become powdery. Keep it aside.
5. In the same grinder jar powder all the  other ingredients, including the Hing.
The aroma that would emanate from this masala is mind blowing.
Some people add Jaggery, but I have not added, as the sweetness is there from the coconut itself. But if you like you can some (only a little bit)  add it later towards the end  of the cooking .

I made this in the Microwave. It takes the same time whether you do it in the Microwave or on the gas stove.
I just brushed a drop of sesame oil on the slit Brinjals.

To do the stuffing:
Take the ground mixture, add salt to taste, 1 tsp of Turmeric powder, mix them well.
Now stuff each Brinjal between the slits
Place then in a glass Microwave safe bowl, cover it loosely with some paper towels
 Keep the Microwave on high for about 5 minutes.
Take it out in between and just turn the brinjals.
After 5 minutes it would almost be cooked

 Take them out and add coarsely ground Peanuts and keep it high for 2/3 minutes  or till it done completely.

Now for the Tempering:
  Heat a pan on the gas stove, add 1/2 tsp of Sesame oil ( if it is not there  it is okay you can use vegetable oil)
Once it is hot enough add 1/2 tsp of Mustard seeds and a few  fresh Curry leaves
 Now transfer the Brinjal Curry to the pan and just lightly stir them once so that everything is well blended.

 Place it in a serving plate and decorate it with freshly chopped Coriander leaves.
 Now your Stuffed Brinjal Curry  is ready to be served.

Remember, we can cook delicious dishes using less oil, less salt , less sweetness, less spices and still enjoy them. Once you have tasted the goodness of food cooked this way, you will never go back to the old style cooking. Can you believe it, that this whole dish was prepared using less than 1 teaspoon of oil and I have only dry roasted all the ingredients for the masala?

 Change to a new healthier life style: Cook out of the box!

Next recipe would be "More Kuzhumbu", you would definitely love the way I make it.

Ennai Badane kai ( Brinjal in Gravy)

Ennai Badane kai is a typical North Karnataka side dish which goes well with the famous another North Karnataka speciality which is Jhola  Roti.
However one can have it with Rice, Biriyani, Parantha and Roti, as it goes well with them too.
It is made by using small size Brinjal which is slit in the middle into 4. Now we can use any color Brinjal, white, violet, or green it doesn't matter, for it would taste the same.
However, white colored small Brinjals are very rarely available, sometimes only in speciality stores like Namdhari. it is always very soft inside with no seeds, and with no insects too. It almost feels and tastes like butter.
This time I happened to get white Brinjal, and I decided to make Ennai Badnekai with it.

Here are the ingredients:
1. Brinjal small size any color about 6/7
2. oil about 1tsp. some curry leaves
3. Turmeric powder 1 tsp.
4. small piece of tamarind soaked in water

For the masala :
grated Coconut, about 3 tbls
Cashew nuts about 4/5 (optional)
Ground nuts(dry roasted) 4 tblsps
coriander (dry) about 2 tsps.
Jeera about 1 tsp.
Cinnamon, 1 inch piece, 3 cloves
1 small onion
2 medium size tomatoes
a few cloves of Garlic
4/5 pepper corns
1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger
2 small cardamom
3 tsps of oil fr frying the ground masala.

 To add later:
1 tsp of Garam masala
some fresh chopped coriander leaves
 a few curry leaves
a tsp of fresh grated coconut ( just for decoration)

 Method:

First slit the brinjals into 4 just half way
Heat 1 tsp of oil in a non stick pan
add just a tiny bit of salt and turmeric powder and a few curry leaves
 add the whole slit Brinjals, and fry them keeping the heat in simmer, and close it with a lid
 keep stirring occasionally, within few minutes they would be crisp on top and be cooked from the inside. Take them out and keep them aside.
Now for the masalas:
 grind all the masala items together in the mixer grinder, to a fine paste, adding just a little bit of water if needed.
 Next heat the remaining oil in the same pan in which you fried the Brinjals

Add the ground masalas to it and fry till the raw smell vanishes
 Now add the tamarind water to this paste, add 2 small cups of water, to it.
 Add the salt to taste and 1 tsp of Red chilly powder, and the Brinjals
Let everything come to a boil, reduce the heat to simmer, covering it again with a lid.
 Keep stirring once in a while, add water according to the need of the dish which should be thick and a little of a pouring consistency, like a typical gravy.

Once everything is nicely blended and cooked add the final ingredients, that is the Garam masala, and keep the it covered for about a few seconds, then take it out and pour it into a serving dish.

 Decorate it with freshly chopped coriander leaves, coconut and curry leaves.
 Serve it with  Jhola Roti, Plain Rice, Biriyani, Parantha, or Plain Phulkas.
 You can also make a raw vegetable salad with Onion, Tomatoes, Cucumber and Carrots.

I have mentioned very little oil, whereas it is made with lots of oil, that is why the name "Ennai / oily Badane kai)
Enjoy!