Baingan Bharta (Mashed Roasted Eggplant)

   Baingan bharta is a North Indian specialty made with roasted eggplant(brinjal) and a blend of exotic spices. This delicacy is made by my hubby who always impresses me with his North Indian dishes.

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant 
2 medium tomatoes 
1 large onion
3 green chilies
1/4  inch piece of ginger 
2 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp oil
1/4  tsp turmeric 

1/2  tsp of baingan bharta masala
1/2 tsp of tandoori masala
 coriander for garnish

Preparation:

1.Fire roast the whole eggplant till the skin turns black and easy to peel.

2.Allow them to cool and mash them/ cut in to pieces.  

3.Fine chop the onion, tomatoes, garlic and ginger. Heat the oil in a skillet on medium high and add add garlic, green chillies and ginger to the skillet and saute well till the raw smell disappears.

4.Add onions and saute well. Now add the tomatoes, turmeric and salt, and saute till they are mushy. 

5.Transfer the eggplant, mix well and close the lid. Allow it to cook in medium flame for 10 minutes.

6.Now add the bharta masala and tandoori masala and cook for 5 more minutes. Switch off the flame and add coriander leaves. Baingan bharta is ready and serve hot with roti/ paratha. You can always garnish with chopped cilantro to make it more appetizing!

Dum aloo/ Baby potaotes masala

     Dum aloo belongs to Kashmiri cuisine. The masala sauce for this dish is flavored with garam masala. I did not complicate it with too much spices. A fork can be used to poke holes in the cooked potatoes so that the spices would permeate in the vegetable.

Serves up to 3-4 people
Preparation time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

16-18 baby potatoes
2 large onions
2 large tomatoes
1 tbsp of ginger-garlic paste
1 1/2 tsp of red chilli powder
1/2  tsp of ground black pepper
2 tsp of cumin powder
2-3 tbsp of heavy cream
2 small pieces of cinnamon stick
2 cloves
2 cardamom
olive oil
1 tbsp of chopped coriander leaves
salt as required

Preparation:

1.Pressure cook the baby potatoes and peel the skin. Poke them with fork.

2.Grind the onions in to a paste. Add 1 tsp of oil to the preheated skillet and add cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. As nice aroma comes, add onion paste and ginger-garlic paste. Saute well till raw smell disappears.

3.Grind the tomatoes separately. Add tomato paste and little salt.

4.Saute in simmer flame for 30 minutes and then add red chilli powder, cumin powder, black pepper powder and remaining salt. Add the cooked baby potatoes and close the lid for 15 minutes.
5.Add heavy cream and stir for 2 minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with roti/ puri.

Red Chori dhal/ kootu

  Red chori dhal are starchy beans but rich in fiber. The fiber content in red chori dhal lowers blood cholesterol while offering  cardiovascular benefits.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup red chori dhal

1/4 kg red pumpkin

1 tsp red chilli powder

1/4 tsp of turmeric powder

1 tomato

oil as required

salt as required

Grinding:

1 large chopped onion

1/2  cup of grated  coconut

1/2 tbsp cumin seeds

1 red chilly

Seasoning:

1 sprig of curry leaves

1/4 tbsp mustard seeds

1 red chilly

Preparation:

1.Soak chori dhal for 5-6 hours. Add turmeric, salt and 2 cups of water to chori dhal and pressure cook with red pumpkin.
2.In a pan, add chopped tomatoes, red chilly powder and saute for 2-3 minutes.

3.Grind grated coconut, cumin seeds, red chilly, chopped onions with little water and make it into a smooth paste.

4.Add this paste to the tomatoes in the pan and cook till the raw smell disappears. Add the cooked dhal and cook for 5 more minutes in medium flame.

5.Add the seasoning to the chori dhal. Delicious chori dhal is ready.

6.Serve with rice and papad.

Chettinadu korma

    The main dishes in a south Indian cuisine are sambhar and rasam.  so I wanted to make something different. Then the thought of making korma occurred to me. My mom used to make this recipe with fresh karamani. I tried the same recipe with the vegetables.

Preparation time: 45 minutes
Serves up to 3-4 people

Ingredients:

1 potato
2 Indian eggplants/ Brinjals
2 carrots
1 large onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 tomatoes
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp of fennel seeds
1 tbsp of butter
2 tbsp of chopped coriander leaves
salt as required


For grinding:

3 tbsp of grated coconut
1 tsp of cumin seeds
6 dried red chillies
1 tbsp of coriander seeds


Preparation:

1.Chop the vegetables in to small squares and cook the vegetables (brinjal, potatoes, carrots)  with a pinch of turmeric and salt required for the vegetables.
2.Grind the ingredients together mentioned in the grinding section together in to a paste. Heat butter in the pan, add bay leaf and fennel seeds. Saute for a minute then add chopped onions and crushed garlic. 
3.Saute for 5 minutes, then add the ground mixture. Saute till the raw smell disappears. Add the chopped tomatoes and pinch of turmeric and salt. 
4.Keep sauteing till the tomatoes are wilted. Add the cooked vegetables and close the lid for 15 minutes. Then add the coriander leaves and cook for 5 more minutes. 
5.Korma is ready and serve with rice/ roti.

Spinach channa masala

    My daughter enjoys chickpeas and I always try to be creative with them. The curry I made today goes really well with roti.

Serves up to 3-4 people
Preparation time: 60 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup of chickpeas (channa)
1 bunch of spinach
1 large tomato
6 cloves of garlic
1 stick of cinnamon
1/4 tsp of turmeric
2 tsp of red chilly powder
1 tsp of dhal makhani powder
2 tbsp of heavy cream
pinch of dried fenugreek leaves
1 tbsp of butter
salt as required


Preparation:

1.Soak chickpeas overnight and pressure cook chickpeas with 2 1/2 cups of water. 
2.Heat butter in the skillet and add cinnamon  stick. Saute till nice aroma comes, then add garlic. Saute for 2 minutes.
3.Chop the tomatoes and add them. Saute till they wilt and then add turmeric, red chilly powder and salt. 
4.Then add the chopped spinach and allow to cook. Close the lid for 10 minutes and then add chickpeas.
5.Add dhal makhani powder and allow it to cook in a medium flame for about 20 minutes. 
6.When the gravy starts to thicken add heavy cream and dried fenugreek leaves. Bring it to boil. Serve with rice/ roti.

Peas masala/ Mattar masala

  Peas masala is a Punjabi dish made with peas in a creamy sauce. I tried yogurt instead of heavy cream. Believe me the taste is heavenly!

Serves up to 3-4 people
Preparation time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup of  sweet peas
1 green bell pepper (capsicum)
2 large onions
3 medium sized tomatoes
3 cloves of garlic
1 inch of ginger
1 tsp of red chilly powder(~spice level)
1 tsp of garam masala (MTR brand) 
1/4 tsp of turmeric
1/4 cup of yogurt
2 tbsp of butter
coriander for garnish
salt as required

Preparation:

1.Heat 1 tbsp of butter in the pan. To the melted butter, add roughly chopped onions, garlic, ginger and saute for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and saute till the tomatoes are wilted.
2.Allow them to cool and grind them in to a paste. Heat 1 tbsp of butter in the skillet and add the chopped green bell pepper and saute for 2 minutes. I added green bell pepper to give some crunchiness to the masala. 
3.Then add the peas, turmeric, red chilly powder and garam masala. 
Saute for a minute and add the ground paste and half cup of water. Close the lid and allow it to cook for 15-20 minutes.
4.Switch off the flame and mix the yogurt. Add coriander for garnish. Serve with roti.

Mattar paneer masala/ Peas paneer masala

   Mattar Paneer Masala is a very popular North Indian food. This curry is prepared with vine ripened tomatoes and  green peas. The paneer cheese cubes are added for stir frying.

Serves up to 3 people
Preparation time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

150 grams of paneer
1 fistful of sweet peas
1 tsp of red chilly powder
1/4 tsp of turmeric
1 tsp of coriander powder
1 tsp of garam masala (MTR brand)
250 grams of crushed tomatoes can/ 3 large tomatoes
1 1/2 tbsp of butter
salt as required

Grinding:

10 cashew nuts
1 inch of ginger
3 cloves of garlic
2 green chillies

Preparation:

1.Cut the paneer in to small cubes. Grind cashews, ginger, garlic and green chilly together in to a paste. 
2.In a skillet, add butter. Once the butter is melted, add the ground paste and saute for 2-3 minutes. Now add the crushed tomatoes and cook in high flame. Stir well for 15 minutes. 
3.Add the spices (turmeric, red chilly powder, coriander powder and garam masala) to the skillet. Saute for 5 minutes. 
4.Add the peas and paneer and cook in low flame. Bring it to boil. Serve with roti/ naan.

Brussels sprouts coconut curry

      The Brussels sprout is a cultivator group of wild cabbage which is small and leafy green buds. Brussels sprouts provide cholesterol-lowering benefits and it contains good fiber-component.

Serves up to 2 people
Preparation time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

10 Brussels  sprouts
1 chopped onion
1 tsp of channa masala powder
1/2 tsp of turmeric
1 tsp of cumin powder
1 small cup of coconut milk
1 tbsp of chopped coriander
1 tbsp of olive oil
salt as required


For grinding:
1 chopped tomato
1 tbsp of chopped ginger
1 clove of garlic 
2 chopped green chillies
1 tbsp of coriander
5 cashew nuts 

Preparation:


1.Heat 1 tsp of oil in the pan, add Brussels sprouts. Sprinkle some salt and saute for 5 minutes and transfer to a plate.
2.Heat oil in the pan, add onion saute for 2-3 minutes. Grind the ingredients together mentioned above in to a paste.
3.Add the ground paste to the pan and keep sauteing for 5 minutes till the moisture evaporates. Add turmeric, channa masala powder, cumin powder and salt to the pan.
4.Now add the Brussels sprouts to the pan and mix well. Add coconut milk and close the lid for 15 minutes.
5.Check if the Brussels sprouts is cooked and add coriander as garnish. Serve with roti/ rice.