Khatta Meetha Tikha Baingan

Does the title give you an idea about the dish?? Its such a long name for a simple dish, but nothing else can describe this dish!!

I have no clue about the origin of the dish. I mean is it maharashtrian, punjabi or from somewhere else. The only thing I know about its origin is... Mom's kitchen!!! I totally LOVE this dish. It has all the tastes packed in it.. spicy, sweet and sour!!

Ingredients:
4 small brinjal
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/2 tbsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tbspn shredded jaggery
1 1/2 tbsp tamrind paste
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
Salt to taste
2 cups of water

Method:

• Slit the brinjal like a "+" shape on one end.
• Mix all the other ingredients and squeeze together with fingers and mix well.
• Set aside for 10 mins.
• Stuff the mixture in the baingan. Some mixture will remain.
  
• In a hot pan, add about 2 tbspn of oil.
• When hot, add the brinjals one by one.
• Add the remaining mixture.
• Add about 1 cup of water.
  
• Cover and cook on high heat till it starts boiling, then lower the heat to medium.
• Keep on changing the brinjal's position.
  
• Let cook till the brinjals are thoroughly cooked on all sides.
• Check in between, and add the remaining water little by little so that the gravy doesn't become too dry.
• Garnish with chopped cilantro before serving.
  

Enjoy with phulkas or rotis or steamed rice!

Garlic Methi Paneer

I had some leftover paneer in the fridge. Thought of making paneer makhani, but then thought... nahhh too heavy!!! Then I remembered I had methi lying in the fridge, and I had to make something out of it. Would have made methi paneer pulav, but then thought NOT making rice as we already had biryani last night... rice 2 days in a row.. not healthy!

So thought of making methi paneer. Had never made this before. Though of googling, but thought otherwise and decided to go with my mood and come up with something.

And it sure did turn good. What a healthy meal... methi paneer, dahi kadhi and rotis!

Ingredients:
4 cups, washed n chopped methi leaves
1 cup cubed paneer
5-6 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
2 green chillies, chopped
1 tbsp dhania-jeera powder
1/4 tspn chilli powder
A pinch of sugar
Salt to taste

Method:

• In a tbsp of hot oil, add the garlic and saute till fragrant.
• Add the onions and green chillies and saute till the onions are translucent.
• Now add the paneer and fry till they turn golden brown on some sides.
• Add the sugar, turmeric powder, dhania-jeera powder, salt and methi leaves.
• Cover and cook till the leaves become a little limp.
• Enjoy with rotis!
  

Green Beans Sabzi

This vegetable is so versatile in its use. You can just steam it, boil it, add in soups etc etc. But I love to have it as a sabzi cooked the indian way. At my mom's place we used to make this very simple. You can make it as a curry to but I used to like it this way coz it retains its crunch. The best way to cook this is to make it crunchy and not over cooking and making it soggy! I always like to have this simple meal with some roti and dal too.

Lunch yesterday was roti, farasbi bhaji (green beans sabzi) and some sweet n sour lime pickle given by a friend. Simpleee :)

Ingredients:
3 cups green beans, chopped
1 potato, cubed or medium sliced (optional)
1-2 green chillies, chopped or slit vertically
1/2 tspn ajwain
2-3 curry leaves
1/4 tspn mustard seeds
1 tspn jeera (cumin seeds)
1/4 tspn turmeric
A pinch of Sugar
Salt to taste

Method:

1. In some oil, put a tempering of mustard seeds. As they start spluttering, add the curry leaves and jeera and saute.
2. Add the ajwain and saute a bit.
3. Add the turmeric, sugar, beans, potato and salt.
   
4. Cover and cook for about 8-10 mins.
5. When cooked, the beans should have a crunch but not undercooked either.

Enjoy with rotis.

Palak Khichdi

This is what I had for lunch today! I love this simple yet heart warming dish. Just the perfect rice dish to have in winter... and any other time ofcourse.

My first introduction to this dish was some 4-5 years ago in THE shopping suburb of Bombay.. BANDRA.. in this restaurant which I visited for the first time too... Sheetal Bukhara. I still remember the first bite I took of the palak khichdi and my romance with this dish has blossomed since then :) Truly heart pleasing, comforting, simple dish... which let me add... a few restaurants still suck at! You have to get the right soggy consistency and the right amount of garlic and onion bites in between. I cant stop raving about this dish!!

When in Bombay (I still don't like it calling Mumbai but slowly getting accustomed with the new name), I never attempted making this dish. When I it tried here for the first time a year back.. it had the right taste but not the right consistency. But now I get it PERFECT!! Mom says she still cant make it right.. M dying to feed her my haath ka palak khichdi.. For heavens sake.. this must be THE one dish I can make better than mom!! :)

Today I made this with baby spinach that I had in the fridge. You can use spinach bunch too, as I usually do :) I always use basmati rice for this dish as it imparts its own special flavor!

Ingredients:
1 cup basmati rice, washed and drained
2 cups water
About 2 handfuls of baby spinach
4-5 garlic pods, chopped
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/4 tomato, chopped (optional)
1 green chili
1/4 cup milk
1/4 tsp garam masala
A pinch of sugar
A pinch of turmeric
1/2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp ghee

Method:

• Blanch and puree the spinach with the green chili. Set aside
• In a hot saucepan, add the oil and ghee.
• Add the garlic and saute for about 5 seconds, then add the onion and saute till they turn pink and translucent.
• If using, add the tomatoes and stir.
  
• Now add the rice and mix well with the onion and garlic.
• Add the spinach puree, turmeric, sugar, garam masala, salt and stir well.
• Add the water and milk.
• Cover and let it boil on medium heat.
• The dish is done when the rice is fully cooked and **the spinach puree still floats on top.

Enjoy with a dollop of ghee if desired :)

Note:
** Check in between when the rice is cooking. If desired add 1/2 cup water more. You want the end result not seperate rice grains but a sticky mushy khichdi.

Baingan Bharta

Alongwith the bangda curry, I also made baingan bharta. Reason... the baingan was lying the fridge for quite sometime and I wanted a backup for the fish curry, just incase I dont have the curry! Well I did have... not only the curry but also the fish!!!! My mom will be very happy to hear that I did have the fish... as I used to always hog the fish curry and the onus of having the fish was on my mom n maid!!! hehehe.

Back to the baingan bharta...

Ingredients:
1 nice eggplant (baingan)
3/4 medium sized onion chopped
4-5 chilles
4-5 curry leaves
4-5 cloves of garlic
salt
turmeric
Cilantro for garnishing

Method:

• Pre-heat the oven at 425F.
• Punture the baingan with a fork all over, and coat it with oil.

• Place the baingan in the oven and roast for about 1 hr to 1 hr 15 mins till the baingan shrivels completely.

• Meanwhile, coarsely ground the curry leaves, green chillies and garlic with a mortar n' pestle. This is gives a very distinct taste as compared to chopping these.

• Remove from oven, and remove the skin gently.

• Cut the stalk off and place the baingan pulp in a bowl and pound it with a pestle till the pulp softens and is seperated without any threads.

• Heat oil in a pan, and add the chilli-garlic-curry leaf paste and saute for about 2 mins on medium heat, till you get a nice fragrance (khamang vaas in marathi).
• Add the onions and saute till they turn translucent.
• Now add haldi, mix and add the baingan and mix. (You can add a tbspn of water to help mixing)
  
• Let it simmer on medium heat, covered for about 5 mins.
• Garnish with cilantro.
  

Potato Crisps

The winter plays tricks with your tatse buds! You fill hungry for no rhime or reason sometimes... and you want something realllyyy spicy! At least I do :)

So yesterday at noon, when this mood hit me, I just made some simple potato crisps. Its so easy yet heavenly!!

Ingredients:
1 potato cut like french-fries
1 tbsp Chilly Powder (more or less according to taste)
1/2 tspn turmeric
Salt to taste
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbspn Oil

Method:

• Heat a pan and add oil
• When its very hot, add the spices.
• Saute and immediately add the potatoes and salt.
• Cover and cook without any water. The steam will cook the potatoes.
• When done, serve it on a plate and sprinkle the lemon juice. Enjoy!!