Stuffed Aubergines/ Ennai Kathirikkai

Statutory Warning: Not recommended for health freaks.

This is one of my grandmother's specialities. Almost twice a month it is a regular at her place. As the name suggests, this needs a lot of oil to get the right taste. So, if you are a health freak or not in the mood to indulge in something just for its taste, then it is a better idea to just smell it.

Ingredients:
Serves Two

500 gms of small dark purple brinjals ( the caps need not have to be chopped off)
Oil
Salt
1 tbsp turmeric powder
a dash or two of Aesofatida
Tamarind pulp - 1/2 cup (optional)

Masala Powder:

Dry roast the following ingrdients, spread and cool. Once at room temperature, grind them very finely.

Coriander seeds - 2 portions
Cumin seeds - 1 portions
Channa Dal - 2 portions
Dried Red Chillies - 8-10
Black Sesame seeds - 1/2 a portion

Roast Sesame seeds sepearately. Also, add the chillies in the end. Use as much required and store the rest in an air-tight container.

Method:

Cut the Eggplants from the bottom in the form of a cross making two cuts, keeping the caps in tact. Keep aside in a bowl of water, turmeric and salt, so that they don't change color. Meanwhile, in a bowl mix the freshly ground masala with turmeric powder, aesofatida, salt and the tamarind pulp. Tamarind pulp is completely optional, as my grandmother makes with it and mother-in-law without. Both tastes equally good. The difference it can make is with the amount of spice (hotness) you require. If are someone who likes it to very spicy, then add the tamamrind pulp to balance it out. Else, just give it a skip.
Stuff the eggplants by coating the insides with this masala. Heat about 1/2 cup of oil in a pan. Add these stuffed babies into it and close the lid. Once the eggplants trun pale, remove lid and keep stirring so that they don't burn. Keep cooking until the eggplants lose the sogginess and begin turning crisp. You might have to add oil if all of the initially added oil gets absorbed. Sometimes, there might be some oil left in the pan, once cooked. drain it off.

Serve hot. Enjoy one of my favorite delicacies from my grandma's kitchen.

Corn Salad

It's rather funny how I ended up making this salad. Just as I was getting ready to mix up a Mexican Rice Salad, I suddenly decided to drop the brown rice part of it and make it just a salad, a plain one. So, Corn Salad, I called it.

Ingrdients:
Serves Two

1 cup boiled corn
1 tomato chopped finely
1 cup diced Cucumber
1 cup torn mint leaves
3-4 tbsp lemon juice
salt and Pepper to taste
Olive Oil
1 tbsp Vinegar
Generous amount of Lettuce
1 cup hung Yoghurt
1 cup sliced Olives

Method:
Mix all the above ingredients except Lettuce. Serve chilled on a bed of Lettuce.

Note:
A cup or two of cooked brown rice mixed with the above ingredients minus the Yoghurt will make for a amazing Mexican Rice Salad. To complete the Mexican taste, you could even add a cup of boiled Red Kidney Beans.

BisiBele Bath/ Sambar Rice/ Hot Lentil Rice

Just as the name suggests, it is a very traditional Udipi (a region in Karnataka) dish. Again, being the usual me, this recipe I made today has variations to suit my taste buds.

This recipe involves the grinding of a fresh masala powder . I have listed it's ingredients in portions so that, it is easier to grind a quantity depending on your needs and store the excess in an air-tight container.

Ingredients:

Serves four

10-15 baby onions peeled
4-5 beans cut to about an inch in length
1 carrot cut to thin trips for about an inch in length
1 cup peas
1 tomato diced
1 capsicum chopped lengthwise
1 cup grated coconut
1 cup tamarind pulp
1 cup toor dal (split pigeon peas)
2 cups raw rice
1 tsp Mustard seeds
5-6 Fenugreek seeds
4-5 dried red chillies
1 tsp Turmeric powder
1 cup finely chopped cilantro
a handful of curry leaves
a dash of Aesofatida
Salt to taste
Oil
5-6 tbsps of Ghee/ clarified butter

For Masala:

Coriander seeds - 1 portion
Cumin seeds - 1/2 a portion
Chana Dal (deskinned split garbenzo beans) - 2 portions
Urad Dal (deskinned black lentils) - 1 portion
Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 portion
Cinnamon stick - 1 inch
Cloves - 3 pieces
Green Cardamom - 2 pieces
Dried Red Chillies - to taste
Dry roast the above ingredients with the desired amount of dried red chillies. I have used about 12 chillies, as you can see in the picture above.  Add the chillies in the end as they tend to redden quicker. Roast them all until brownish red but take care not to burn them. Spread them and let cool. Once at room temperature, grind them very finely. If warm, there are chances for lumps to be formed while grinding and their storage capacity decreases.

Method:

Add about 3-4 tbsps of oil to a pressure cooker. Temper with mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, dried red chillies, curry leaves and a aesofatida. Add the onions and saute till they turn transparent. Add tomatoes and saute it liquifies. Now add all the vegatables and toss briefly. Add coconut. Add the tamarind pulp. Now add turmeric powder, ground masala and Salt to taste. Add the toor dal and rice and mix well. Add about 10 cups of water, mix well and close the lid of the pressure cooker. Cook till the rice turn soft say for about 5-6 whistles. Once done, add ghee and mix well, mashing the rice in the process. Garnish with fresh cilantro. Serve hot. It is best had with Raitha and Papad or Potato chips like the ones that have been homemade here in the picture below.

Note:

The recipe described here has been based entirely in the quality of the ingrdients I use. It is bound to vary espcially when it comes to the quality of toor dal or raw rice. You might need to soak either or both accordingly in water, in advance to match the method given above. Sometimes, it is also suggested that that the dal be cooked in advance.

Aamras/ Pulp of Mango

While the name of the recipe sounds as simple as it can get, to get the desired flavour definitely calls for some directions or prior knowledge. Initially, even I used to think it is just finely pureed Mango pulp, until I made it one day and realised it din't match the flavor I was used to consuming at a Gujarathi joint. It was then that I made an effort to learn how to make it the proper way.
Well, here too, like many of my other recipes, I do not have a picture, as it was finished even before it could be served. So, I had to give the camera a miss.

Ingredients:
Serves Two

Pulp of about 4 Alphonso mangoes
1 cup milk at room temperature
Sugar to taste

Method:

The pulp of mangoes once removed with hands goes in the blender with the milk.Now filter the contents from the blender using a clean muslin cloth to remove the fibers from the fruit. Add Sugar to adjust the sweetness. Serve chilled. This can be had with Puris or Rotis too.

Note:
If the pulp of mangoes is too watery, then reduce the amount of milk. Just take care the consistency of the end product isn't too watery. It shouldn't run but at the same time, it isn't too think.

Nutella Coffee

Ingredients:

Serves One

1 cup cold milk

1 tsp Instant Coffee Powder

2-3 Nutella

Sugar to taste

1/2 tsp Vennila Essence

1 scoop of Vennila ice-cream

Ice cubes - optional

Method:

Dissolve the instant coffee powder in a 2-3 tsps of hot water. Blend this concotion, milk, sugar, Nutella and Vennila Essence in a blender. Add to a serving glass and adjust the desired chillness with some ice cubes. Garnish with a scoop of Vennila ice-cream and some instant coffee powder or/ and castor sugar.

Note:

I have used Vennila Pods instead of it's essence. To use the Pods, soak them in Vodka in a closed, air-tight container. As when you need to use, cut a piece of the pod and puree it and filter to make fresh essence of it. One average-sized Vennila Pod equalls about 3 tsps of Essence.

You could even use filter coffee decoction to make this. In that case, make coffee to your desired taste and then blend it with Nutella.

This can be served hot, just by adding hot milk instead of cold milk and by skipping the ice-cubes and ice-cream.

Inspired by the recipe I found here:

http://www.jeyashriskitchen.com/2012/05/nutella-cold-coffee-recipe.html

Capsicum Pulav

Ingrdients:

Serves Two

2 cups of Basmati Rice
1 Green Capsicum (Bell Pepper) chopped lengthwise
1 Red Capsicum chopped lengthwise
1 Yellow Capsicum chopped lengthwise
1 Onion chopped lengthwise
1 Tbsp Cumin
Oil
Salt

Method:

Soak Basmati rice in water for about 30 minutes. In a large Saucepan, add about 2 Tbsp of oil. Add Cumin and let them crackle. Add the Onions and saute till they turn transparent. Add all the chopped capsicum and saute till cooked. Keep stirring so that they are slightly crispy and not overcooked. This might take about two minutes. Now drain the water out of the Basmati rice. Add the rice into the pan and mix it well with capsicum. Add needed salt and about 4 cups of water and close the pan with its lid. Keep stirring in between and cook till all the water is absorbed. Serve hot.

Vermicelli Soup

Ingredients:
Serves Two

1 cup Vermicilli
1 Tomato diced roughly
1/2 cup Spring Onions chopped
2-3 Garlic cloves
1/2 inch Ginger roughly chopped
1 or 2 Green Chillies
8 cups Vegetable Broth
1 cup Parsley
Oil
Salt

Method:

Dry roast Vermicilli until golden. Keep stirring so it doesn't burn. Keep aside. Now on the same pan, add about 1 Tsp of oil, add the Tomatoes, Garlic, Ginger, Chillies and keep stirring until cooked. Puree this in a blender. Keep aside. Now in a pan, add about 1/2 a Tsp of oil and add the Spring Onions and Parsely. Toss  briefly and add the Puree into the pan. Now add the roasted Vermicilli and about 4 cups of Vegetable Broth. Close the pan for about 2-3 minutes or until the Vermicilli turns soft. Now add the remaining 4 cups of Vegeatble Broth and simmer briefly. Add Salt to taste and serve hot.

Note:

If this soup is going to be your meal, add about one mashed Potato just before adding the roasted Vermicilli onto the Puree.

French Beans in Salsa

This is of course inspired by several online cookbooks with variations that suit my family and the ingredients I had access to at that moment.
I was kinda bored of the usually south-Indian food we were consuming while at home. So, I thought I should boldly try cooking other cuisines too. Mexican, it was decided. To start with, I thought I should make some Nachos. Well, of course, with Salsa to go with it. But how do I make just that little bit of Salsa for a dip? So, I decided to come up with a main course that probably would need Salsa. I opened my refridgerater and figured that I hadn't used French Beans in a while. That was it, Beans in Salsa.

Ingredients:
Serves Two

500 gms French beans - chopped evenly to approximately one inch long

For Salsa:
5-6 small sized Tomatoes
1/4 large Onion - finely chopped
3 large Garlic Cloves
5-6 Jalapeno Peppers - finely chooped
1 cup Cilantro - finely chopped
1 cup Tomato puree
1 tsp Cumin Powder
Olive Oil
Salt
Water

Method:
First, it is best the Salsa is made. I used the food processor to make this and I haven't yet come across a native Mexican who probably knows to make it without one. So, probably it is indeed one of the major ingredients to get this done.
In a sauce pan blanch the tomatoes. Drain the water and let the tomatoes dry for a while. Do not discard the water. Now in a pan, add about 1 tsp of Olive Oil, saute the onions until they turn transparent. Add garlic, jalepeno peppers, and cumin powder. Toss briefly until the oil separates. Take care not to burn it. Keep this aside and let it dry too. Peel the skin off the tomatoes. Remove the seeds if you wish to make a finer paste: but I just let them be. Now once the onion-mixture have cooled a bit, add all of them (the mixture and the tomatoes) into the Food Processer along with Cilantro, salt to taste and tomato puree. Grind them all to a coarse paste. If it is too thick, add the water that was kept aside earlier, after blanching the tomatoes. Transfer it to a bowl and Salsa is ready.
It is best had after refridgerating for at least two hours, at it lets the ingredients settle better.
If you want to store it for a longer time, add a little bit of Cider Vinegar to it, bottle it and refridgerate.

Now come to the part of making the French Bean Dish. In a saucepan, add the chopped french beans and fill it with enough water to cover the beans. I used the water that was left over after blanching the tomatoes. This helps to infuse the taste of tomatoes into the beans. Add little salt and let it boil until you get the aroma of the beans being cooked. Once done, drain the excess the water and keep aside.

In a larger pan, add 1 tsp of Olive Oil. Once the oil is hot enough, lower the flame and add about 2 cups of Salsa into it and saute briefly. I wanted a little bit of gravy, but if you wish to have it in a semi-gravy form, you could about half the amount (1cup) of Salsa. Now add the Beans into the pan and saute for about a minute just to let them mingle(!). Add salt to taste and serve hot.

Note: This dish is best had with Pita Breads or Rice. I chose to go with Rice. Since my husband craved for some coconut rice, I made them with Coconut Rice. Although, traditionally coconut rice is had with something more hot/ spicier like a simple hot potato curry, I chose to try something new and it didn't trun out to be a bad idea, as it left both hubby and baby asking for a repeat.

Spinach With Yoghurt And Walnuts

Spinach With Yoghurt And Walnuts : Wonder Woman - Who are you today?

Corn Cutlets/ Makkai Kebab

Just as I was thinking what to snack on with my evening coffee, I happened to bump into a recipe from the television: it was Vazhaipoo (Plantain Flower) cutlet. Residing in that part of the world where Plantain Flower is a definite rareity, I thought of an alternative and zeroed-in on Corn instead. Also, I've tried a lot of variations to make a healthier version.

Ingredients:
Serves four

2 cups Corn Niblets
2 cups Split Bengal Gram (Garbenzo Beans)
1 1/2 cup Onion - finely chopped
4-6 Green Chillies - finely chopped
1 inch Ginger - finely chopped
2 Garlic Cloves - finely chopped
1 cup Parsley - finely chopped
3 tsps Red Chilli Powder
Salt to taste
Saturated Oil as required
A pinch of Aesofatida (optional)

Method:

Soak the beans in water for about half an hour. Now grind the beans and make a semi-liquid paste, almost to the consistency of Dosa batter. In a mixing bowl, mix the paste with the corn niblets and salt. Leave the mixture in a steamer for about fifteen minutes or until cooked.
In a wok, add oil to fry the onions. Once the onions have turned transparent, add the chillies, garlic and ginger and stir fry. Add salt, aesofatida(if required) and Chilli powder and stir well. Now add the steamed mixture to the wok. Add the parsley and stir them all briefly. Do not let the mixture harden. Take it off the flame. The mixture by now should have taken the consistancy of Chappathi dough. Make small balls out of the dough and press it between your palms to give it a Tikki or Masala Vada shape.
Shallow fry the Kebabs/ Cutlets in a griddle or tawa. Fry till golden brown. Drain the excess oil and serve hot with your favorite dips.

Stir Fried Broccolli

This was our mid-morning snack or call it Hors D'oeuvre for our lunch meal.
Just as the name suggests, it is nothing but a stir fry of Broccolli that takes nothing more than a few couple of minutes to make. It sure is one of easiest, healthiest and tastiest snack one can possibly think of.

Ingredients:

Serves Two

Broccolli - about 2 cups
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp red chilli flakes
salt to taste

Method:

Heat the oil in a wok. Add the chilli flakes once the oil is ready. saute for about a minute. Add Broccolli and stir fry until tender. Add salt to taste. It is now ready to eat.

Simple isn't it?

Healthy Spiced Cream of Carrot and Lentil Soup

Ingredients:
Serves two
3 large carrots - scrubbed (not necessary to be peeled)
1 medium sized potato - peeled
1 small onion - chopped
3-4 baby onions- peeled
1-2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup lentils
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive oil/ Saturated Butter
1 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Chilli Flakes
Coriander leaves to garmish (optional)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Method:
Steam largely chopped carrots, potatoes, lentils in a steamer or a pressure cooker. Add salt to the water in the steamer so that the flavor pops when cooked.
Stri fry the garlic cloves, largely chopped onions and the baby onions in 1 tbsp of Olive Oil. Saute till the oil separates or till the garlic and onions turn golden brown. Add salt and keep aside.
Puree the steamed vegetables, lentils and the stir fried garlic and onions. Add the lemon juice. Mix well.
Temper with 1 tbsp Oive oil. Add the cumin and chilli flakes. Add it to the puree once the cumin crackles.
Add Salt and Pepper to taste.
Garnish with coriander leaves if required.

 It's best had with Pav or Mini bread rolls.