Baingan Bharta

I had always thought that Baingan was a boring vegetable and it was not everyone's favorite at home either. The day I reached Delhi after completing post-marriage ceremonies in South India, myself and mother-in-law straight away hit the vegetable market near our house to collect a few vegetables for dinner.

That's when I got to know that such big brinjals exist in the world and a simple yet exotic dish can be made out of that. Char-grilled brinjals cooked with a simple combination of spices and herbs are sure to catch a hot spot in everyone's favorite menu.

Ingredients:

Brinjal (Eggplant or Baingan) - 1 large no.

Onion - 1 large size, finely chopped

Tomato - 1 large size, finely chopped

Green Chillies - 2 nos.

Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp

Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp

Coriander-cumin powder - 1/2 tsp

Garam Masala powder - 1/2 tsp

Jeera - 1/2 tsp

Fresh Coriander leaves - few, finely chopped

Salt - to taste

Oil - 3 tsp

Method:

1. Thoroughly wash the baingan under running water and pat dry. Drizzle a few drops of oil and neatly coat the whole baingan.  Now roast this on open flame on a gas cook-top. Keep the flame to medium and keep turning the baingan after 2-3 minutes so it will get cooked evenly on all the sides.

2. When you start noticing that the baingan has started shrinking in size and the skin starts falling apart, switch off gas. When it becomes cool, peel the skin and wash it under running water so the burnt pieces of the skin are removed if there are any. Wipe and discard any excess water from the baingan. Mash the baingan with the help of a potato masher or using the back of a ladle.

3. Heat oil in a kadai and add Jeera. When they crackle, add finely chopped onions. Once it becomes soft and translucent, add finely chopped tomatoes. When the tomatoes are cooked and becomes mushy, add the mashed chargrilled baingan to this. Now add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander-cumin powder, garam masala powder and salt to taste. Mix well and keep it on low flame till all the masalas blend together with the baingan. To finish it off, sprinkle some slit green chillies and finely chopped fresh coriander leaves. Serve hot with rotis or even plain rice with your favourite daal.

Tips:

1. Choose big eggplants that have shiny surface and are light in weight. It is said that if the eggplants are heavy, they will have more seeds which will spoil the taste of the bharta.

2. You can even roast the eggplant in an oven, however, the smokiness that you get by char-grilling the eggplant will taste spectacular. The eggplant can even be grilled in a tandoor or in an microwave oven.

Bombay special Bhel Puri

Chaat items are always a winner in a party menu. Although the joy of eating it in a road-side chaat shop on the streets of Bombay is unbeatable and a different experience altogether, making it and having them with your family and friends at the comforts of your very home sofa set is not a bad idea at all.

One such item is the Bombay special Bhel Puri – it is a very ideal starter that can be served with chaai in a party or a get-together. It is super healthy, delicious and satisfies the taste buds of adults as well as kids. Even the hungry kids returning from school are going to love this.

Ingredients:

Papdi – 1 packet

Mini Pooris- 1 packet

Mur-muras – 2 cups

Plain sev – 2 cups

Roasted or fried peanuts – ½ cup

Onion -1 cup, finely chopped

Tomatoes – 1 cup, finely chopped

Carrot – 1 cup, grated

Potatoes – 1 cup, boiled and cut into cubes

Pomegranate seeds – ½ cup

Sweet Chutney – ½ cup

Green Chutney – ½ cup

Chaat Masala powder – 1tsp

Salt – to taste

To garnish:

Onion – ½ cup, finely chopped

Plain Sev - ½ cup

Fresh Coriander leaves – ½ cup, finely chopped

Chaat Masala powder – 1tsp

Method:

1. Combine Sweet Chutney and Green chutney in a bowl and keep it separately.

2. In a large wide bowl, crush the mini pooris and the papdis into one or two pieces. Now add finely chopped onions, tomatoes, grated carrots, boiled and diced potatoes, Pomegranate seeds, roasted peanuts and the mur-muras. Mix generous amount of sev. Add the mixture of sweet and green chutneys just enough to coat the bhel puri mixture. Add salt and chaat masala powder.

3. Serve in a plate and garnish with finely chopped onions, plain sev and fresh coriander leaves and sprinkle some chaat masala powder on top. Serve immediately.

For Green Chutney:

Mint leaves - 1 cup

Coriander leaves - 1 cup

Green Chillies - 2 nos

Jeera -a pinch

Amchur powder (or Raw Mango powder) - 1/2 tsp

Lemon - 1/2 medium size

Salt - to taste

Grind all the ingredients under this head except the lemon. Once made into a fine paste, transfer into a small bowl and squeeze some lemon juice into this. Keep it ready in a small bowl.

For Sweet Chutney:

Imli (or Tamarind) - A small lemon sized ball

Seedless Dates - 7-8 nos

Gur (or Jaggery) - 1 Small cup

Jeera - 1 tsp

Red Chilli powder - 1/4th tsp

Salt - to taste

Stuffed Bread Pakoda

This dish entered our kitchen through my daughter who was fond of it

In a pressure cooker, put tamarind and dates and add a little bit of water just enough to soak them. Let it remain on low flame for 12-15 mins. Now add Jeera, red chilli powder and salt to taste. After a couple of mins., switch off the gas. Once it cools down, puree the mixture using a food processor and then strain it.

Tips:

1. The sweet and green chutney that needs to be added to the bhel puri should be of the same ratio. Refrigerate the excess chutney in an air-tight container for up to 30 days.  If you have added more chutney to the bhel puri mixture by mistake, you can adjust the same by adding some more papdis or mini pooris or mur-muras with or without vegetables mentioned above. However, it may not have a great taste. Hence, it is suggested that you add the chutney little by little, have a mix, check and add if needed.

2. Be cautious while adding salt as the chutneys already carry salt in them. So you will need to add only for the bhel puri mixture.

3. If you are making it for a party, you can keep the chutneys ready in a bowl and the other elements in different bowls and mix them only when you are serving or else it will become soggy.

Baked Methi Muthia/Methi crackers

It was that time of the year when I was planning my yearly trip to Chennai and Bangalore where my mother and in-laws are residing currently. I have this habit of making a few snacks every time in order to impress them ;-). Since they all have diabetics and blood pressure complaint, I didn't really want to make something that was not ideal for their health conditions - which meant no fat content.

Here is the recipe for a great and a perfect tea-time snack which is not only delicious but healthy too and you need not feel guilty about it every time you have a bite! :-)

Ingredients:

Gram Flour (Besan) - 200 grams

Rice flour - 50 grams

Dry Fenugreek leaves - 1 cup

Asafoetida - a pinch

Jeera - 1 tsp

Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp

Black pepper powder - 1/4th tsp

Salt - to taste

Oil - few drops

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degree centigrade for 10 mins.

2. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl except oil and knead it to form a soft and smooth dough (like a chapathi dough) using little warm water. Cover it with a lid and leave it to rest for 5 mins.

2. Divide the dough into small balls of equal size and with the help of a rolling pin, flatten them into small thin discs (less than 1/4 inch size).

3. Grease the baking tray with a few drops of oil so the methi muthias don't dry when it is getting baked. Place the rolled methi muthia discs on the greased baking tray. You can sprinkle a few more drops of oil on the other side as well if you would like to have a little bit of moisture on the muthias.

4. When the pre-heating is done, bake it in the oven in convection mode for 180 degrees centigrade for 12 mins approximately . Once done, remove from oven and flip it over. Reduce the temperature to 160 degree centigrade and bake for 10 more mins until the muthias become golden brown.

5. Once they cool, store them in air tight containers. This has a shelf life of upto 3 months without refrigeration.

Tips:

1. If fresh fenugreek leaves are available, finely chop them, wash thoroughly and drain. Slightly toss it in a pan with a little bit of salt and turmeric for about 2-3 mins and proceed as stated above.

2. To get the small thin discs, you can even roll the dough and use a round cookie cutter to get the shape.

Khaman Dhokla

Here's the recipe of delicious, tempting Gujarati snack - Khaman Dhokla which can be made in no time.

Ingredients:

Besan (Gram flour) – 2 cups

Curd – 1 cup
Turmeric powder – a pinch
Salt – to taste

Sugar – ½ tsp
Green chili-Ginger paste – 1 tsp
Lemon juice – 1 tsp
Cooking Soda - 1 tsp

For garnishing:

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Grated carrot – 2 tsp
Grated coconut – 2 tsp

Green chillies (finely sliced) – 3 to 4 nos.
Curry leaves (finely chopped) – a few
Coriander leaves (finely chopped) – a few
Asafoetida – a pinch

Method:

1. Mix together 1 cup of yogurt with little less than a cup of water. Add gram flour (besan) to get a lump-free batter. It should have the consistency of dosa batter – more of pouring rather than dropping consistency. Adjust water accordingly.
2. Add turmeric powder, salt and sugar to the above batter. Leave it aside for at least an hour to ferment.  More the time, more the sponginess.
3. Just before steaming, take a bowl and mix lemon juice, cooking soda, little oil and whisk well. Add this to the batter along with Green chilli-ginger paste
4. Heat a steamer.  Grease a thali with a little oil and pour the batter. Cover the lid and steam for 10-12 mins.
5. Insert a toothpick to check the doneness. If the toothpick comes out clean, the dhoklas are done.
6. Allow it to cool for sometime and cut it into squares.
7. Heat a little oil in a kadai and add mustard seeds. When they crackle, add hing, curry leaves and grated coconut. Remove from heat and add grated carrot, coriander leaves and sliced green chillies. Sprinkle it on the dhoklas.
8.Serve with mint/coriander chutney.

For Green Chutney:

Mint leaves - 1 cup

Coriander leaves - 1 cup

Green Chillies - 2 nos

Jeera -a pinch

Amchur powder (or Raw Mango powder) - 1/2 tsp

Lemon - 1/2 medium size

Salt - to taste

Grind all the ingredients under this head except the lemon. Once made into a fine paste, transfer into a small bowl and squeeze some lemon juice into this and serve. 

Tips:

1. For extra sponginess, take half cup of semolina and whisk it with 1 cup of dahi. Mix this with 1 ½ cups of besan and proceed from point 2. The consistency of the batter will remain the same.
2. The batter should not rest after adding the soda.
3. The batter should be filled only to half of the container as the same will rise.
4. Wipe the water (if any) in the lid of the steamer as it will make the dhoklas mushy.

Madras Marina Beach famous Bread Channa

This was something that I always look forward to during all of my summer holidays. That's the time when we used to go to the famous Marina Beach at Chennai. I fondly remember saying "Akka, oru plate Bread Channa kudunga... karam kammiya.. plastic plate la kudunga.. " etc :-). 

I wanted to share the lovely memories with my 3-year old daughter who has not got an opportunity so far to taste this plateful of deliciousness. Here is the recipe for all of you:

Ingredients:

Bread - Any type, One loaf

Butter - 1 tsp

For Channa:

Chickpea (or White Kabuli Channa) - 250 gms

Onion - 1 large no., finely chopped

Jeera - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Salt - to taste

Chole Masala - 2 tsp (optional)

Whole spices (or Sabut Garam masala) - Bay leaf, Cinnamon, Cloves, Cardamom - a little bit of everything

Oil - 3 tsp

To be ground into paste:

Tomatoes - 2 medium nos.

Red Chillies -2 nos.

Green Chillies - 2 nos.

Ginger - an inch

Garlic - 5-6 cloves

For Green Chutney:

Mint leaves - 1 cup

Coriander leaves - 1 cup

Green Chillies - 2 nos

Jeera -a pinch

Amchur powder (or Raw Mango powder) - 1/2 tsp

Lemon - 1/2 medium size

Salt - to taste

For Sweet Chutney:

Imli (or Tamarind) - A small lemon sized ball

Seedless Dates - 7-8 nos

Gur (or Jaggery) - 1 Small cup

Jeera - 1 tsp

Red Chilli powder - 1/4th tsp

Salt - to taste

For Garnishing- 

Onion - 1 medium size, finely chopped

Coriander - 1 small cup, finely chopped

Plain Sev- 1 small cup

Chaat Masala powder - 1 tsp

Method to make Channa:

1. Soak white chana in water overnight  (7-8 hours at least). Drain water and put it in a pressure cooker and add water to immerse the chana. Tie the whole spices in a small bit of white muslin cloth and put it along with the white chana in the cooker. Add little bit of salt so the Chana will easily get along well with the masalas later. Close the lid and pressure cook it for at least 7-8 whistles. Keep the flame to low and let it remain for another 8-10 mins. Switch off the gas. When the pressure leaves,check if the chana is properly cooked (it should be really soft) and then remove and discard the white muslin cloth which had the whole spices. Drain and keep any excessive water from the chana in a separate bowl.
2. In a pan, splutter some Jeera. Once it starts releasing aroma, add the finely chopped onions for 3-4 mins till it becomes soft and transparent. Now add the ground mixture of ginger, garlic, red and green chillies and tomatoes into the pan. Add salt to taste. Add the turmeric powder and stir. Close it with a lid till all the moisture gets absorbed and it starts releasing oil. When you see the oil getting separated, transfer this mixture to the pressure cooker that contains boiled chana. Check for salt and add if necessary. If you want to make it more spicy, you can add a tsp of red chilli powder at this stage. Add Chole masala (or garam masala if not available) and stir well. Add the excess water that we kept in a bowl earlier if need be. It should be of pouring consistency. Close the pressure cooker lid and keep it on low flame for 12-15 mins till all the masalas coat the chana well. Transfer into a bowl and keep it ready.

Method to make Green Chutney:

Grind all the ingredients under this head except the lemon. Once made into a fine paste, transfer into a small bowl and squeeze some lemon juice into this. Keep it ready in a small bowl.

Method to make Sweet Chutney:

In the same pressure cooker, put tamarind and dates and add a little bit of water just enough to soak them. Let it remain on low flame for 12-15 mins. Now add Jeera, red chilli powder and salt to taste. After a couple of mins., switch off the gas. Once it cools down, puree the mixture using a food processor and then strain it. 

Final Stages:

Toast the bread slices using little bit of butter in a hot tawa. Once this is done, tear them into bite size pieces and arrange them in a plate. Now pour the Channa masala on top of this followed by a spoonful of green chutney and sweet chutney on top. Now sprinkle some finely chopped raw onions, plain sev and finely chopped fresh coriander leaves. To finish it off, sprinkle a pinch of chaat masala powder and serve immediately.

Notes:
1. This can be made as a perfect party time snack. Keep all the elements ready and you can toast the bread and assemble everything just when needed. Toast the bread only when it you are going to serve it otherwise the bread will become soggy.
2. The sweet chutney can be stored in a dry air tight container in the refrigerator upto 30 days.