Bagara Baigan/ Eggplant curry

Serves 4

Ingredients:

500 gms baingans (brinjal/eggplants)
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp turmeric powder
4 tbsp oil
Salt to taste


For Gravy:
 
2 medium sized onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic (optional), chopped
1 tsp ginger, chopped
2 tbsp raw peanuts
2 tbsp grated coconut
2 tbsp white sesame seeds (til)
1 tsp poppy seeds (khus khus)
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 inch cinnamon stick
2-3 cloves
1 bay leaf
½ tsp peppercorns
½ tsp caraway seeds
1-2 black cardamom
1 lemon sized tamarind ball
3-4 green chillies, chopped
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
¼ cup water


Direction:

• Cut the eggplants in cubes and soak them in salted water for about 15-20 minutes.
• Take a wok and roast all the dry stuff including raw peanuts, sesame seeds, poppy seeds,coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cinnamon stick,cloves,bay leaf, peppercorns,caraway seeds and black cardamom.
• When the spices become light brown, add dry coconut.
• Roast the spices again with coconut Ntill it turns brown.
• Once the spice coconut mixture cools down then add this mixture with the rest of the ingredients ginger, garlic, green chillies, 1 tbsp coriander leaves , tamarind and grind it together with some water.
• Now drain the soaked eggplants.Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok and saute eggplants in it.
• Add 1sp salt and let it cook on low heat for about 8-10 minutes.
• Heat the remaining oil in different pan add cumin seeds and let them splutter.
• Now add the masala paste and fry it on medium heat for about 15 mins.
• Add turmeric powder to the paste and fry for another 20 mins till the oil starts to seperates from the surface.
• Add cooked eggplants along with 1¼ cups water.Add more salt if required.
• Mix and simmer for around 8-10 minutes.
• Garnish it with coriander leaves and serve hot with Roti/Rice.

Tahari / Rice Pulav

Yummy ! That's the only word comes in my mind while talking about Tahari.This is my all time favorite recipe. In my family we just love it. Tahari is a very common North Indian food. It is very healthy and easy to make. You can serve it with curd/ Raita / Mint chutney/Pickles

Serves: 2 to 3 persons

Ingredients:

1¼ cup Basmati Rice
1 medium sized onion sliced
1 large tomato chopped
1 medium sized potato peeled and cut in cubes
1/4 cup green peas
½ tsp. cumin seeds (jeera)

1½ tsp. garlic (lehsan) paste

½ tsp. ginger (adrak) paste
½ tsp. turmeric (haldi) powder
4-5 whole black pepper (kali mirch)
2 cloves (laung)

1 black cardamom (badi ilaichi)

1 stick of cinnamon stick (dalchini)

1 bay leaf

2-3 green chilies

2 tsp Coriander powder
1 tsp garam masala
Salt to taste
3-4 tbs. oil/ghee

1 bunch Coriander leaves

 

Direction:

• Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Add cumin seed, bay leaf, black cardamom, cinnamon stick, cloves, black pepper, and green chili.
• Add sliced onion and cook on medium flame for about 2 mins until it turns pink. Add ginger garlic paste.
• Now add chopped tomato and leave it until tomato has softened.
• Add coriander powder, garam masala and turmeric powder and mix them. Keep stirring until oil leaves the bottom of pressure cooker.
• Add potato cubes, green peas and rice with approximately 1½ cups of water. Add salt and cover it.
• Cook it on high heat for about 15 mins. After 1 whistle remove it from heat.
• Let it cool down a little and garnish it with coriander leaves .Ready to serve with Mint Chutney/Raita/ Pickle (Achaar).

Note: If you want you can add nutrilla, beans, carrot and other vegetables. Different type of rice take different time to cook, check your rice and cook accordingly.

 

Bamboo Shoot Vegetable / Killaanchi Bhaji

Original Bamboo shoot

Peeled Bamboo shoot

Chopped

Ready to eat

 
For today's lunch I made this bamboo shoot vegetable as a side dish..never got a chance to make these bamboo shoots. It is very common vegetable used by Chinese in their soups. It is mostly available during Monsoon. I was not sure whether it would come out good .But to my surprise my fussy hubby ate all up. It was really tasty. So today onward this is going to be a recipe in my Menu card. You can also try it for a change.

Number of Servings: 6
 
Ingredients:   
500 gms. bamboo shoots

1 cup green peas

2 tsps.brown cane sugar
1/2 cup shredded raw coconut

3 tbsp vegetable oil

1/2 tsp.turmeric powder

2 tsps.black mustard seeds

1/2 tsp.asafoetida(hing)powder

1/2 tsp garam masala (optional)
1/2 tsp Amchoor powder(optional)

Red chilli powder to taste

Salt to taste
Preparation:

Peel away the outer shell as it is very hard. Inner core should be soft enough to pierce with your finger nail. Normally inner core is little bitter and tart too. After peeling, chop bamboo shoot into fine pieces. You can also get canned bamboo shoot in any Chinese market. Before cooking soak them for around 8 hrs. in salted water to remove it's tartness. I generally prefer to soak it overnight.
　

Direction:

• Drain bamboo shoots from salted water and pressure cook it for 10-15 mins with a little water.
• Heat oil in a wok on medium flame. Add black mustard seeds.
• As it pops add split green chillis, asafoetida powder , garam masala ,amchoor powder and turmeric powder.
• After few seconds add fresh green peas with half cup of water. Mix well and add red chilli powder and salt to taste.
• Cover and cook for about 5 mins.
• Add cooked bamboo shoots and mix well. Cover and let it cook completley.
• Add sugar and shredded raw coconut and stir.
• Cover and steam for 3-4 minutes more.
• Remove from flame and serve hot with Roti as a side dish. 

Note : You can also use split chick peas instead of green peas. But soak it in warm water for about half an hour just before cooking. You can also add mushroom and beans in it.

 

Hey Everyone !

I am back after such a long time. Hope you all missed my recipes. Oh ! yeah I forgot to tell you all, that I have a two year old son and he is quite naughty. He keeps me busy all the time.
 
Anyways lets keep some extra time for cooking as I am back with lots of mouthwatering recipes..

See you soon.