Baingan Bharta

Baingan Bharta is a very special dish, not because this recipe contains some special ingredient, but it has a little story which means a lot to me. Baingan ka bharta is a very common dish in Punjabi households. I grew up enjoying the dish with hot chappatis and raita for a complete meal, at least once a week. When I got married, I came to know this is the favorite dish of my husband. But unfortunately we don't have the burner cooking range with flame here like we have in India on which the eggplant is wonderfully roasted, cooled and mashed and cooked into a delicious dish; and that was the reason I could never cook his favorite dish.

I always used to feel sad that he can enjoy his favorite dish just once in an year when we visit India. He was lately craving for bharta and this summer we got the idea for bar-be-cue and bought a mini grill, and planned to grill the eggplants and prepare baingan bharta. We could never find the time and opportunity to use the grill, but one fine day I got this thought of giving it a try in the oven.

So I put the eggplants in the oven and called my dad with crossed fingers for the recipe. He is an awesome cook and he makes some of the most wonderful dishes. I wrote this very simple recipe and gave it a try with the oven-roasted eggplants. I tried to prepare bharta in the oven many times, and finally I nailed it in the fourth attempt and my hubby was extremely delighted. This dish has become his absolute favorite since then and now I'm always seeing 2-3 eggplants in our grocery cart during our weekly grocery shopping. So here is the simple, homely and lovely recipe of baingan bharta which I have been making a lot lately.

Ingredients:

Eggplants: 3
Cooking oil: 3 tsp. + for oiling the eggplants
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp.
Onions (chopped): 2
Tomatoes (chopped): 2
Green chilli (chopped): 1
Salt to taste
Red chilli powder: 1/2 tsp.
Peas: 1 cup

1. The first step is to roast the eggplants in the oven. Wash and pat dry the eggplants and poke holes on all the sides using a knife. Oil the outer layer of the eggplants from all the sides.
2. Keep on the oven grill and let them broil for about 40-45 minutes on 150 C. Remove from the oven and let cool a bit. Then put in a big bowl filled with cold water.
   
   
3. Remove the outer skin of the eggplants and cut off the top. Mash the eggplants nicely with hands and keep aside.
4. Heat oil in a pan and crackle the cumin seeds. Add the onions and fry until they are transparent. 
5. Add the chopped tomatoes and green chilli and sprinkle salt. Let cook until the tomatoes are completely soft and mushy.
   
6. Add red chilli powder and the mashed eggplant. Mix well and add the peas. Mix everything well and let cook on medium flame for about 10 minutes. 
   
7. Ready !! Serve hot with chappatis or parathas and raita for a complete light, quick and homely lunch/dinner.

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Looking for more Punjabi recipes? You might like Paneer Makhani, Aaloo Methi Subzi and Bhindi Masala. 

Restaurant style tomato gravy and 10 recipes using gravy

Tomato gravy is one common base for so many Indian recipes and every household has their own version of tomato base curry. This tomato gravy can be used as a base for chicken, paneer, kofta etc. and can also be frozen to always have ready gravy to be added to any dish and your lunch/dinner will be ready in no time !!

Ingredients:

Cooking oil: 6 tsp.
Cardamom (green): 2
Black cardamom: 1
Javitri: 1
Jaiphal: 1 (this will impart a little sweet taste to the curry so skip this if you wish)
Cinnamon stick: 1 inch
Onion (chopped): 2
Tomato (chopped): 3
Cashews: 10-12
Bay leaf: 1
Ginger-garlic paste: 3 tbsp.
Turmeric powder: 1 tsp.
Red chilli powder: 1 tsp.
Coriander powder: 1 tsp.
Cumin powder: 1 tsp.
Kasoori methi: 1 tsp.
Sugar: 1 tsp.

1. Soak the cashews in a little water and keep aside.
2. Heat half the oil and crackle all the whole spices: green cardamom (seeds and covers both), black cardamom, javitri, jaiphal and cinnamon. 
3. Fry for half a minute and add the chopped onions. Stir and fry until the onions turn transparent but not brown. 
   
4. Add the tomatoes and sprinkle salt. Let cook until the tomatoes are cooked and become soft and mushy. 
   
5. Turn off the flame and let this mix cool completely. Grind it to a fine paste without using any water. 
6. Drain the water from the cashews and make a coarse paste of cashews in a mortal pestle and keep aside.
7. Heat the other half of oil and add bay leaf. Add the ginger-garlic paste and fry until the raw smell goes away. 
   
8. Add the dry spices: red chilli powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and kasoori methi. Mix well and let cook for a minute.
9. Add the ground onion-tomato paste and mix everything well. Add the cashew paste and sugar after a minute and let everything fry well until the gravy starts leaving oil on the sides. 
   
10. Turn off the flame and use it in dishes directly or let cool completely and freeze in batches for future use. 

Here are some recipes to use this tomato gravy:

To make butter paneer masala: In this gravy, add the paneer and in a separate pan, heat a little butter, crackle mustard seeds and dried red chilli. Let fry for a minute and add garam masala; mix and turn off the flame. Pour this over the gravy with paneer. Butter Paneer Masala is ready.

To make palak paneer: Boil and blanch the spinach and let cool. Grind to a fine paste with green chillis. Add paneer cubes to the tomato gravy and the spinach paste; mix and stir, let cook for a minute and turn off the flame. Do not cover. Palak Paneer is ready.

To make kofta: Use this gravy for lauki kofta or malai kofta. Skip the sugar, kasoori methi and cashews and dunk the koftas in this gravy and enjoy.

To make green chicken: marinate chicken in a paste of green chilli, mint, coriander and lemon juice for 4 hours or overnight. Heat oil and add cumin seeds and cloves. Add the marinated chicken and fry for few minutes. Cover and let cook until done. Add this chicken mix to the tomato gravy and green chicken curry is ready.

To make vegetable korma: Heat oil in a pan and crackle the mustard seeds and dried red chilli. Add the vegetables: potatoes, cauliflower, carrots, peas and fry for about 5 minutes. Add yogurt and mix well. Let cook covered until the vegetables are done. Add a cup of tomato gravy to this mix and your vegetable korma is ready. 

To make vegetable pulao: In the same method as making vegetable korma, add boiled rice and mix everything well. Vegetable pulao is ready. 

To make egg curry: Boil eggs and peel them. Heat little oil and add ginger-garlic paste to the oil. Add the eggs and sprinkle little red chilli powder and fry the eggs from all sides. Remove from flame. Add the fried eggs to the tomato gravy and egg curry is ready. 

To make chhole masala: Heat oil in a pan and crackle cumin seeds. Add chopped onions and fry well until they are transparent. Add 1/2 cup of tomato gravy and mix well. Let fry until the gravy starts to thicken up. Add the boiled chhole (white chickpeas) and mix well. Adjust salt and red chilli. Let cook for 5-7 minutes and turn off the flame. Garnish with coriander and serve as a quick side dish or to carry in lunch box. 

To make Aaloo Matar Subzi: Heat oil in a pressure cooker and crackle mustard seeds. Add chopped onions and fry until they are transparent. Add the chopped potatoes and peas and salt and turmeric powder. Add little water and close the lid. Pressure cook for 3 whistles and let the pressure release. Open and add tomato gravy and mix well, let cook everything for 5 minutes and turn off the flame. Aaloo Matar Subzi is ready.

To make Achaari Mix Vegetable: Dry roast dry red chilli, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, cloves and bay leaf. Cool and grind to a powder. Heat oil in a pan and add the vegetables: potatoes, cauliflower, beans, carrots, peas and sprinkle salt. Let cook for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the spice powder and add little yogurt. Cover and let cook until the vegetables are done. Remove cover and add tomato gravy (don't add a lot of gravy, just about 1/2 cup) and mix everything well. Cook for 2-3 minutes and Achaari Mix Veg is ready.    

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Namkeen Sev

Who doesn't love Namkeen? These mildly spiced, crunchy and tasty savory snack; namkeens are everyone's favorite and more often than not, we can't stop munching on them once we begin. But sadly, the namkeens bought from the stores contain so many preservatives and added flavors it's scary and nobody has any idea what the "added flavors" actually are.

But we love our namkeen, right? So what's the best way to satisfy our cravings without consuming those extra preservatives which do no good for our health and body? Yes of course, make it at home !! No trust me, it's easier than it seems. You just need a kitchen press and some basic ingredients found in every household and you are done ! Let's move over to the recipe..

This is the kitchen press I have used for making this namkeen sev and I have used the second jali from the right, the one with small round holes.

Ingredients:

Besan (chickpea flour): 1 cup
Salt to taste
Asafoetida: 1/4 tsp.
Peppercorns: 1 tsp.
Oil for frying
Water for making dough

1. Take the besan in a wide bowl and add salt and asafoetida. Keep aside.
2. Dry roast the peppercorns and crush in a mortal pestle. Add to the chickpea flour in the bowl. 
3. Now slowly add water and make a dough which is not too hard but not in a flowing consistency as well. 
4. Now open the kitchen press and wash well. Insert the dough and close with the 'jali with rounds' tightly.
5. Heat the oil on medium high flame and when the oil is hot, slowly start to press the handle to the kitchen press so that the dough is extracted from the bottom directly into the hot oil. 
   
6. Add the dough in batches (depending upon the size of your vessel) and let it fry and keep turning the sides so all the namkeen sev will turn crispy from all sides. 
7. Drain the oil and take out the whole namkeen on kitchen papers with the help of a slotted spoon. Let cool completely and store in an air tight container at room temperature. 
8. This will make a wonderful snack at tea time; or better still, munch away the crispy goodness anytime you like without worrying for the preservatives. 

Instant Gulab Jamun

I know you are already drooling, aren't you?
Well who doesn't loveeeee these little dumplings dunked in a sweet syrup? Yet to find someone who will say no to this drool-some dessert !!
Gulab Jamun is one of the India's most popular desserts (and of course I would not wonder if it's even on the top of that list). It gets it's name from gulab (meaning rose flower: because the syrup is typically rose flavored) and jamun (a purple Indian berry: because when fried, the sweet dumpling gets a typical purple hue).

I know, I know.. I'm coming to the recipe. Typically this sweet is made of khoya, but this is an instant version and I have not used khoya because for one it takes long time to prepare; and for two I did not have khoya instantly available. So how did I make this? I used bread. Yes, I used left over bread to make this delicacy. Can't believe it? Read the recipe to know; and the pictures are the proof !!

Ingredients:

For the sugar syrup:

Water: 2 cups
Sugar: 1.5 cups (can reduce the quantity of sugar till 1 cup which will make syrup less sweeter)
Saffron strands: a few
Green cardamom: 2 (seeds and covers)

For the dumpling balls:

Bread slices: 6 (each slice makes one gulab jamun approximately)
Milk: 1/2 cup
Saffron strands: a few
Little oil to grease your palms
Oil to deep fry

1. First, begin to prepare the sugar syrup because it will take time and it should be warm when the balls are ready. Add the water to a heavy bottomed pot and begin to heat it on medium flame. 
2. When it is getting warm, add the sugar slowly and stirring the sugar in water. The sugar will dissolve quickly as the water is warm. 
3. Add all the sugar and stir the water nicely and bring it to a boil.
4. Simmer and leave it on low flame until the syrup is ready and is of one-thread consistency. By the time we prepare the dumplings.
5. Take the milk in a wide bowl and warm it a bit. You can microwave it for about 5 seconds. 
6. Cut the edges of all the bread slices and discard the corners brown part. Please use plain unflavored bread. 
7. Dip each slice of bread in the milk and quickly remove back and squeeze out the extra milk back to the bowl. Add this bread to the blender. Repeat for all the slices and add all of the milk dipped-squeezed out slices to the blender and discard the remaining milk.
8. Blend till smooth and take out in a wide bowl. Add a few saffron strands and start kneading the mix carefully; you can add a little milk powder if required but I did not add anything else. Do not knead a lot, but enough to get a smooth consistency.
9. Grease your palms with oil and pinch out a little ball from the dough. Roll carefully between your palms to make a smooth ball. Do not make very tight balls, just roll to a smooth ball and ensure there are no cracks in the balls, because then the balls will break while frying.
10. Make soft and smooth balls from all the dough and keep aside.
11. Now heat the oil on medium high heat first and when the oil is hot (test by adding a small pinch of dough), add the dumplings one by one in the oil. Do not touch the balls in oil but stir the oil with a slotted spoon so the balls keep moving. 
12. As you see the dumplings are beginning to change color from white to a darker shade, immediately turn the flame to low to ensure they cook well from inside. Stir the dumplings a little and let cook until they become a darker shade of brown and evenly cooked on all sides; keep stirring to ensure they are fully cooked.
13. Remove the balls with a slotted spoon and take out on a kitchen tissue and let them cool for about 2 minutes. 
    
14. By this time, the syrup will be ready and warm; so now add the balls to the warm syrup and turn off the flame for the syrup. You can add a few drops of lemon to keep the syrup from crystallization. 
15. Don't keep the dumpling out to cool for long time as they will cool and won't absorb the syrup.
16. After about 10 minutes, the balls will soak in the sugar syrup and become heavy and bigger in size. Now remove them on a flat plate with the help of a spoon and let them cool completely. 
17. After they have cooled, transfer to a big bowl and add the sugar syrup over the dumplings slowly to let them soak more syrup. Serve hot or cold as you like !! Decorate with pistachio and saffron strands if you like. 

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Looking for more dessert recipes? Do try this Gulab jamun from ready mix, Gurudwara Kadha Prasad recipe, Mango Shrikhand and Strawberry Kaju Katli. 

Hyderabadi Vegetable Dum Biryani

Me and my wonderful friends have always maintained that Biryani always equals mutton biryani and you cannot actually call anything else a biryani at all; and I'm sure my non-vegetarian friends would agree to the core. As I have not been eating meat for quite a long time now, I have always prepared chicken biryanis and fish biryanis and loving and embracing my biryani with all my heart.

To a non-vegetarian like me, the first choice for biryani would undoubtedly be mutton/chicken and that's the reason I haven't prepared anything remotely which would both be vegetarian and a biryani; well I call the vegetarian version a pulao. But recently I had vegetarian friends over and that was the sole reason to make me try my hands on making a vegetarian biryani. I did not want to serve a pulao, but something special; so I chose to prepare this Hyderabadi Vegetarian Biryani: inspired from my recipe of Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani which I have prepared and devoured many a times.

This is an elaborate recipe with long preparation time, and even though I never imagined, I actually loved the light and royal feeling, both at the same time with each bite of this flavorful biryani: the goodness of vegetables, the aroma of spices and the royal taste with cashews and saffron will make you drool just at the sight of this amazing dish. So let's move on to the awesomeness !!

Ingredients:

For the rice:

Rice: 3 cups
Cloves: 3
Green cardamom: 2 (add seeds and covers too)
Black cardamom: 1
Cinnamon stick: 1 inch

For the curry:

Cooking oil: 6 tsp.
Shahi jeera: 1 tsp.
Black cardamom: 1
Mace: 1
Cloves: 3
Cinnamon: 1 inch
Bay leaves: 2
Onion (chopped): 1 big size
Ginger-garlic paste: 4 tsp.
Tomato (finely chopped): 2
Salt to taste
Red chilli powder: 1 tsp.
Potatoes (finely cubed): 3
Carrot (peeled and cubed): 2
Peas: 1 cup
Yogurt: 1 cup

For the biryani:

Ghee: 2 tsp.
Cooking oil: 4 tsp.
Onion (thinly sliced): 1 big
Cashew nuts: 6-8
Mint leaves: a handful
Coriander leaves: a handful
Saffron strands: 3 pinches
Milk: 1/2 cup

1. First we will prepare the rice: Boil the rice as you normally do. If you want to see how I boil rice without a rice cooker, check this link: How to make perfect boiled rice. I drain the water and cover and let cook in steam and that's where I add the spices: cloves, green cardamom seeds (and covers separately), black cardamom and cinnamon. 
2. Add the spices after draining the water and before covering. Or you can add the spices while boiling the rice as well if you don't want to drain the water.
   
   
3. Now we prepare the vegetable curry. Heat oil on medium flame and add the whole spices: shahi jeera, cardamom, mace, cloves, cinnamon and bay leaves. 
4. Add the chopped onions and let fry until they turn transparent.
5. Add the ginger-garlic paste and fry until the raw smell goes away. I have used grated ginger and garlic in this recipe.
6. Add the chopped tomatoes and sprinkle a little salt. Let cook until the tomatoes are soft and mushy. Add the red chilli powder and mix well and let cook for another minute.
7. Add the chopped and prepared vegetables: potatoes, carrots and peas. You can also add cauliflower and green beans if you like but I did not add in this recipe. Sprinkle little more salt and mix everything well. Let cook for about 2 minutes. 
8. Add the yogurt and mix well. Do not add any water. Cover and let cook for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. If adding cauliflower, add the florets to boiling water before adding to the curry. 
   
9. Remove the cover and turn off the flame. The curry is ready and now we will layer the biryani.
10. Layering the biryani: Take a heavy bottomed pan and add the ghee to the base. This will prevent the biryani from sticking to the base.
11. Add a thin layer of rice and spread evenly. Add a layer of the prepared vegetable curry.  Sprinkle chopped mint leaves. 
12. Add another layer of rice and another layer of vegetables over it. Sprinkle the chopped coriander. Add the final thin layer of rice over it and cover everything evenly with the rice layer. 
13. Add the milk over the layered biryani and sprinkle the saffron strands over it. Cover and add weight over the lid (or seal it with dough) and put this complete setup over minimal flame for about 20 minutes to let every flavor mix in together and produce a wonderful taste.
14. While the biryani is cooking on slow flame, prepare the onions and cashews. Heat the oil and another pan and add the sliced onions. Let fry on medium flame until the onions fry completely and start getting brown and crispy. Drain the oil and remove the onions on kitchen paper to absorb extra oil.
15. In the same oil, fry the cashews until they start becoming little brown on the sides. Turn off the flame, drain the oil and remove the cashew too on a kitchen paper. 
16. To use up less oil in your biryani, fry the onions before you begin to prepare the vegetable curry. In step 3, first fry onions, then cashews and use the same oil for making vegetable curry.
17. Open the lid carefully and top with the fried onions and cashews. Mix carefully and serve hot. The accompanists for Hyderabadi Biryani is always Hyderabadi Mirch Ka Salan but you can also prepare Tamatar Ka Salan or Baby Onion ka Salan to go with the biryani.  

I had prepared this as a main course meal for my guests so did not prepare Salan but rather served it with rich and creamy Dal Bukhara, Boondi Raita, Mint coriander chutney and Mango Shrikhand for dessert.

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Looking for more vegetarian rice and biryani varieties? Try this Green Broccoli Pulao, Kashmiri Pulao, Mint Rice, Malabar Vegetable Dum Biryani, Achaari Coriander Pulao, Mix Vegetable Pilaf and Qubooli Biryani.  

Murungakkai Sambhar (Drumstick Sambhar)

Ingredients:

Toor Dal (Split pigeon peas): 1 cup
Cooking oil: 3 tsp.
Onion (chopped): 1 (optional)
Tomato (chopped): 1
Green chilli (chopped): 1
Drumsticks according to taste
Salt to taste
Red chilli powder: 1 tsp.
Tamarind: 2 tsp.
Sambhar powder: 2 tsp.
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp.
Fenugreek seeds: 1 tsp.
Curry leaves: a few
Dried red chilli: 1
Coriander leaves to garnish (optional)

1. Wash and boil the toor dal with salt for 5-6 whistles or until the dal is soft. Let the pressure release by itself and then open the pressure cooker and mash the dal.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add the onions and fry until they are transparent. I learnt this recipe from a friend who told me no onions are added in this sambhar but I added it for flavor. So this step is optional.
3. Add the tomatoes, green chilli and the chopped drumsticks. Add the salt and fry for few minutes until the tomatoes are soft and mushy. 
   
4. Add the red chilli powder, tamarind and sambhar powder and mix well. Let cook for another minute. The drumsticks will take more time to get tender so we will cook them more together with the dal.
5. So add this mixture to the boiled and mashed dal and add a cup of water. Let cook on medium flame for about 10-15 minutes so that the masala is incorporated and the drumsticks are also tender. Turn off the flame.
6. Prepare the tempering: Heat a tsp. oil and crackle the mustard and fenugreek seeds. Add curry leaves and red chilli and mix and fry for a bit.
7. Turn off the flame and add this tempering to the sambhar. Cover for 10 minutes. Open and stir well, serve piping hot with idlis, dosa etc.

Looking for more sambhar recipes? 

You can try this Hot and spicy sambhar and Parsley Parippu Rasam

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Yellow in nature: Making life beautiful

The yellow glistens;

It glistens with various yellows,

Citrons, oranges and greens; 

Flowering over the skin.

- Wallace Stevens

Yellow is the shade of life. Yellow is the sun. Yellow is the hope, cheer, happiness, optimism, joy. Yellow shines with optimism, enlightenment, and happiness. Beams of golden yellow carry the promise of a positive future. Yellow instills energy, open communication, and can spark creative thoughts.

Nowhere in nature you can find purer color than sunlight passing through the petal of a flower.
- Larry K. Stephenson

Yellow wakes me up in the morning. Yellow gets me on the bike everyday. Yellow has taught me the true meaning of sacrifice. Yellow makes me suffer. Yellow is the reason I'm here.
- Lance Armstrong.

Everything that is yellow is not gold: it is also the color of nature, the color of sun, the color of brightness and cheerfulness. Yellow shines with optimism, enlightenment and happiness.

How wonderful yellow is. It stands for the sun.
- Van Gogh

The colors red, blue and green are real. The color yellow is a mystical experience shared by everybody.
- Tom Stoppard

Yellow flowers are like physical manifestations of sunlight. I'm growing a garden of sunglasses just to help save eyesight and make the world a little cooler.

- Jarod Kintz

Although yellow occupies one-twentieth of the spectrum, it is the brightest color.
- Derek Jarman