Eggplant /Baigan / Vangi Barith

 Everyone's Favorite and delicious Indian Dip.

Ingredients:

• 1 Purple Eggplant (roasted & mashed)
• 1 tsp Garlic cloves (minced)
• 1/2 tsp Ginger (minced)
• 1 Onion (chopped)
• 1/2 Tomato (chopped)
• 1/4 cup Green Peas (frozen) 
• 1 tsp Cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp Red chili powder
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1/4 tsp Coriander seed powder
• 1/2 tsp Garam masala / goda masala
• Sal to taste
• Few coriander leaves
• 3-4 tsp Oil 

Method: 

          Heat the pan with oil, add cumin seeds and allow them to splutter. Add onion, garlic and ginger and fry tiil they turn light brown. Add tomatoes, peas and fry for few minutes. Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, coriander seed powder, salt ,few coriander leaves and fry for few minutes. Add roasted and mashed eggplant and cook till everything is mixed well. Garnish with few coriander leaves.

Serve hot with Rotti / Pulka/ Chapati.

This recipe goes to Torview's  Food palette series purple event.

Cabbage Kofta Curry

Ingredients:

For Kofta

• ½ cup Cabbage (shredded)
• 2 tsp Besan/ All purpose flour + as required
• Oil for deep fry

Method:

        Squeeze all the water in the cabbage. Heat the pan on medium heat and roast this cabbage with out oil till all the water vaporizes. Once its ready, let it cool a bit. In a bowl add flour, salt and cabbage, make the small balls. Deep fry till they turn light brwon color and keep a side.

For Gravy

• 1 Onion (chopped)
• 2 Tomatoes (chopped/ paste)
• 1 tsp Cumin seeds
• 1 tsp Coriander seeds
• 1 Cardamom (1)
• 1 Cinnamon stick (small)
• 1 Clove
• A piece of ginger
• 1 Bay leaf
• ½ tsp Red chili powder
• Sugar (as per taste)
• Salt to taste 
• 3 tsp Oil + more

Method:

       Heat the pan with oil, add cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cardamom, clove, ginger, onion and fry for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, red chili powder and fry for another 2-3 minutes. Add salt, sugar and mix it well. Let it cool a bit and make a fine paste with little water. Heat the pan with a little oil, add bay leaf, above made paste and cook till the oil separates. (can add little water if the paste is too thick)Turn off the heat and add kofta’s and cover for till serving or 5-7 minutes.

Garnish with coriander and dollop of thick curd. Serve with Chapati / Pulka.

Palak Paneer / Spinach & Cottage Cheese Curry (dry)

The Palak paneer (dry) made with cashew-nuts, paneer and palak. This is very thick, healthy and rich indeed..:)

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch fresh Spinach / Palak
• 1 cup Paneer / Cottage Cheese (cut into cubes)
• 1/4 cup Cream 
• 3/4 cup Onion (very finely chopped)
• 1 Tomato (chopped)
• 2 Garlic cloves (finely chopped)
• 1 tsp Ginger paste
• 1-2 Green chilies
• 2 Tbsp Cashew-nuts (soaked in water for 1 hrs)
• 1 tsp Cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp Red chili powder (optional)
• 1/2 tsp Garam masala powder
• 2-3 Tbsp Oil
• Salt as per taste.

 Method:

       In a blender add washed spinach, soaked  cashew-nuts, green chilies, ginger and  very little water to make paste. (i like little coarse paste) Let it sit for a while.

Heat the pan with oil, add cumin seeds, allow them to splutter. Add onion and tomatoes and fry till they turn brown. Add above made paste, cream and fry till the gravy starts thickens. Add paneer cubes, salt, garam masala, chili powder and gently mix everything well. Cook for 5 minutes and turn off the heat and cover with lid and let lid for 10 minutes.

Serve palak paneer with Chpati  / Naan.

Palak Paneer / Spinach & Cottage Cheese Curry (dry) goes to Reshmi's Veggie/ Fruit of the month-spinach event which was started by Priya.

Aamras / Mango Shikerni Rasayana

Happy Mother's Day to all my blogger friends... 

Aamras is very simple and easy to make. Its a lovely combo with Poori or Non flavored sheera or Chapati.

Ingredients:

• Alphonso mangoes (Fully riped) (haapoos/ aapoos)
• Jaggery / Sugar ( as per taste)
• Cardamom powder
• Few black pepper (optional)
• Salt (very little) (optional)

Method: 

          Peel and remove all the pulp of mangoes. Put thses chopped mangoes, cardamom powder, black  pepper, salt  (very little) (optional) and pulse for few times till everyting turn smooth paste. 

Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Note:

• For non flavored sheera, same procedure as Sheera but only difference is don't add Sugar & Raisins.

Gobi Manchurian

 Very famous and everyone's favorite Indo-Chinese starter or appetizer dish..Its incomplete meal without eating gobi manchurian with Veg Fried Noodles..

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Gobi/ Cauliflower (used frozen)
• ½ cup All purpose flour/ Maida
• 1 ½ tsp Rava (for crispiness)
• ¼ tsp Black pepper powder
• Oil for deep frying
   
  For Masala / Sauce
  


• 3-4 Green Chilies or Capsicum (sliced)
• 1 Onion(thinly sliced)
• 3-4 Garlic cloves (finely chopped)
• 1 ½ tsp Ginger (finely chopped)
• 1 Tbsp Soya sauce (more or less as per taste)
• 2 Tbsp Tomato sauce (used Maggie hot & sweet) (more or less as per taste)
• 1 Tbsp Red chili sauce (more or less as per taste)
• 1 Tbsp Oil
• Coriander leaves chopped (optional)
• Spring Onion (finely chopped)
• Salt to taste

Method:

         In bowl add maida, rava, black pepper powder, salt and make a smooth barter by adding little water (like pakoda consistency) and keep it a side.De froze (bite size), the cauliflower in microwave as per the instruction on the package and dry them on pepper towel. (try to dry completely)

          Heat the oil on medium heat for deep frying. Dip these dried cauliflower in the maida barter and fry till the golden color or bit crispy. Let them sit on a pepper towel for a while.

For sauce:

          Heat the pan on low to medium , add oil , add garlic , ginger, green chilies and fry for a minute or so. Add onion and fry till they get golden color. Add soya sauce, tomato sauce, chili sauce and stir for 1-2 minutes. Add some water and cook till every thing is well blended and cooked. Turn off the heat and add fried cauliflowers. Mix it well. Leave for 5-8 minutes in the sauce so that it absorbs all the liquid.

Garnish with Coriander leaves & Spring onions.Serve hot.

Note: 

• If using fresh cauliflower: Cut into small pieces (bite size). In boiling water cook these till they are tender (not mushy). Dry them on paper towel. 
• If the sauce turns too watery: Add 1 tsp All purpose flour (Maida) or ½ tsp Cornstarch to sauce so that it thickens a bit. 

Veg Fried Noodles recipe goes to Shama's Fastfood event- Noodles. And Kadi Pakoda (But with Methi Pakoda)  recipe goes to Kalyani's Cooking with Herbs & Flowers - Fenugreek event which was started by PJ.

Varanfal / Kara Bele kadabu/ Wheat squre dumpling in spicy gravy

Varanfal/ kara bele kadabu is very easy to make ,healthy and famous breakfast or brunch.. Its made with Toor dal and wheat flour dumplings. The simple and not so spicy type and step by step pics you can see here. (Bele kadabu/ wheat squre dumpling in Toor dal gravy)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Wheat flour
• 1 cup Toor Dal (pressure cooked & mashed)
• 1 Tomato (chopped)
• 1-2 Garlic (minced)
• 1 Green chili (optional)
• 1 tsp Cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
• 1 tsp Red chili powder
• 2 tsp Oil / Ghee
• 1/4 tsp Tamarind  pulp
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp Goda masala or gharm masala
• Jaggery as per taste
• Few fenugreek  / methi seeds
• Few coriander leaves
• Salt to taste.

Method: 

        In a bowl add wheat flour, salt ,water and make a dough as we do it for chapati. Let it sit for 1 hr or so. Heat the pan with ghee, add cumin seeds, mustard seeds , allow them to splutter. Add tomatoes, green chili, garlic, few curry leaves, methi seeds and fry for few minutes. Add cooked dal and water. Add red chili powder, turmeric powder, salt,goda masala and let it cook for few minutes.

        Mean wihile Roll the dough into small  balls and roll them into thin circles using some wheat flour and cut it as per you liking shape. Add theses dumpling into dal. cook till the dumpling are cooked and everything is blend well. (add more or less water as per desired consistency)

Garnish the Varanfal with coriander leaves and Serve hot with lots of ghee on it!!!

If you like non spicy type then click  here.

  
Sol kadi (without coconut!!!) recipe goes to Torviewtoronto's Food palette pink event and Saffronstreaks's Summer coolers event and Radhika's Sun & fun event.

Tofu Jalfrezi

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Tofu cubes (soy cheese) (drained)
• 1 cup Green Bell Paper (sliced)
• 1 Tomato (sliced)
• 1 Onion (sliced)
• 1 tsp Cumin seeds
• 1 tsp Ginger n Garlic paste
• 1 tsp Tomato paste
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp Red chili powder
• 1/8 tsp Kasuri mehti (optional)
• 3 tsp Oil + pan frying
• Salt to taste
• few Coriander leaves

Method: 

        Pan fry the tofu cubes till they turn light brown. Heat the pan with oil, add cumin seed let them splutter. Add onion, ginger n garlic paste, pepper and fry  till they are soft. Add turmeric, red chili powder, kasuri methi and fry for 3-4 minutes.Add tomatoes, tomato paste and cook for few minutes. Add pan fried tofu, salt and little water and cook for 8-10 minutes or till everything cooked well.

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with hot roti/ chapati. You can also see the recipe of  Paneer Jalfrezi

Notes:

• Tofu need to be drained well before pan frying as it contains lot of water.
• Its very soft in texture so do not flip often while pan frying. On medium heat it might take 8-10 minutes each side to get brwon color.
• Tofu can crumble if its not handled well. 

Amrakhand recipe goes to Reva's Healing food Mango event started by Siri and guest hosted by Reva.

Tomato Rice ( type 2)

 The tomato rice (type 2) is full of flavors as rice is cooked in coconut gravy.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rice
• 2 Tomatoes(riped)
• 1 Onion (thinly sliced)
• 1 tsp Tomato paste
• 2 Green chiles
• 1/2 cup Coconut (fresh/frozen)
• 1/4 cup Milk
• 1 tsp Cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp Red chili powder
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric power
• 2-3 Cloves
• 1/2 inch Cinnamon stick
• 1 Bay leaf
• 2-3 tsp Ghee/ Oil
• Salt to taste

Method:

           Take the tomatoes, coconut , milk and add these in to mixe bowl and make a fine paste. Heat the pan with ghee/ oil, add cumin seeds let them splutter. Add cloves, cinnamon stick, bay leaf. Add onion, green chilies and fry till the  turn light brwon. Add tomato paste and fry for few minutes. Add turmeric powder, red chili powder and give a nice mix. Add above made coconut and tomato paste, cook for few minutes. Add rice, salt and water. Cook till the rice is tender. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve hot tomato rice with raita.

This recipe goes to Sanyukta's CWF-WF-WV- Tomato Event which was started by Kiran.

 

Happy Ugadi or Gudi Padwa

Wish all my blogger friends a very happy  Ugadi or Gudi Padwa. On this auspicious day their will be lot of variety festival food. No changes in the menu...:) Its typical festival foods enjoy virtual treat!!. 
Check the links given below for all recipes..

1 .Holige / Puran poli

2. Kattin Saaru / Katachi Amti

3. Yennegai Badanekai /Stuffed Brinjal or Potato Sabji

4. Raw Mango Chuntey

5. Raw Mango Rice

6 .Masala Vada

7. Rice (plain)

8. Papad

9. Cup of warm milk with puran poli.

10. Lots and lots of Ghee!!