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!
  

Prawn Biryani

Prawn or shrimp biryani.. yummmy!! Thats just about it you can say about this dish!! Prawn biryani is something one can make in a jiffy and still taste like heaven!! I usually make this with malwani masala. But sometimes use normal chilli powder too. Malawan is a coastal area in maharashtra and is know for its seafood and spicyyyy food :)

Ingredients:
20-25 shrimps
3-4 cloves
1 small stick of cinnamon
1 elaichi (cardamom), crushed
1-2 bay leaves
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 onion, chopped
2 tbspn ginger, chopped
1 1/2 tbspn garlic, chopped
2 tbspn chilli powder
1 tspn turmeric powder
1 cup chopped cilantro
2 cups basmati rice, washed and soaked
3 3/4 cup water
2-3 tbspn Oil
Salt to taste

Method:

• Heat oil in a saucepan.
• Add the whole masala (cloves, elachi, cinnamon, bay leaves).
• As it starts to splutter, add the ginger garlic and saute.
• Add the onions and fry it on medium heat till it turns pink and translucent.
• Now add the tomatoes, chilli powder and turmeric and fry continuously for 3-4 minutes.
• Cover and simmer till the mixture releases oil.
• Now add the shrimp, 1/2 cup cilantro and the soaked rice.
• Mix well, add salt and water.
• Cover and cook on high heat till the rice comes to a boil.
• Now lower the heat and cook till well cooked.
• Garnish with cilantro and enjoy as it is or with raita.

Fried Shrimps

Last night was a shrimp fiesta! Made some prawn biryani and prawn fry alongwith some raita and sat in front of the TV and had a lovely dinner! Well I mention TV specifically coz after almost a gap of 2 yrs, we got the cable! Yeah we had decided to get of the hook as we were slowly turning into couch potatoes! So we got it out and started taking some classes such as language and swimming and stuff.

Anywayz back to food :)

I am not a great fish eater. But when it comes to prawns/shrimps, I can have a lot of it :) Love the way my mom makes shrimp biryani, shrimp curry, fried shrimps, shrimp masala.. etc etc!! Will post these recipes hopefully soon :)

Ingredients:
15-16 mid-sized prawns
Salt to taste
1 tbspn chilli powder
1/2 tspn turmeric powder
1/2 tspn tamrind paste
3-4 tbspn suji (rava)
Oil for frying

Method:

• Mix all the ingredients, except the rava.
• Keep aside for 15-20 mins.
• Heat a pan with some oil.
• Pat the shrimps one by one on the rava, and place on the pan.
• Cover and cook for 2-3 mins on medium heat.
• Uncover and let it cook for another minute tehn turn.
• Let cook on teh other side.
• Serve hot as a side dish.

Paneer Mixed Veggie Parantha

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup wheat flour
1 tbspn salt
Warm water
Little oil

1 cup grated paneer
2 handfuls of baby spinach, chopped
1/2 medium green or red bell pepper, chopped finely
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 lemon/lime juice
1/4 cup peas, boiled
1 medium potato, boiled and smashed
1 inch ginger, chopped finely
1-2 green chilles, choppped
1 tbsp dhania-jeera powder

Method:

• Knead the flour with oil, salt and warm water enough to make a soft dough. Set aside for 15-20 mins.
  
• Mix all the other ingredients and smash well.
• Roll out a small of dough and stuff a small ball of the stuffing.
• Enclose it properly and roll it out gently.
• Do not worry if the stuffing comes out a bit. It looks and tastes better :)
• Cook the parantha on both sides till golden brown using oil or ghee.
• Enjoy it as is with some butter and/or with curd and pickle!

Neer Dosa

Neer dosa or water dosa is the best thing to make when you feel like having dosa but haven't soaked and fermented the dal-rice combo as required to make the usual dosa. Since it requires about an hr or so of soaking the rice, you can make this real quickly and is a good dish to serve when you have surprise visitors.

The authentic way of making this dosa, is to grind the rice with some coconut. But I wanted to avoid using coconut just so that its is healthier. So I completely avoided it and also I added chopped curry leaves and chopped cilantro to the batter just for that zing. But its not the authentic way.

Ingredients:
1 cup rice, soaked in warm water for a min. of 1 hr
1 spoon rice flour (optional)
2-3 curry leaves, torn
2-3 sprigs of cilantro, chopped
Salt as per taste

Method:

• Grind the rice with as little water as you can add.
• As the rice starts grinding, add more water and keep on grinding.
• Remove the batter in a bowl, and add the remaining ingredients and mix well.
• Add more water if required. The consistency should be watery.
• To make the dosas, heat a griddle and wipe some oil on it.
• Neer dosas are not made like the traditional dosas where you to spread the batter.
• Instead you splash the watery batter on the tava (griddle) and swirl around if required.
  
• It should form thin layer.
  
• It should form small holes on the surface.
• Let it cook completely on the bottom.
• If you want it crispier, turn on the other side and heat it as well.

Enjoy with chutney and sambhar.

Cilantro-Dalia Chutney

When one thinks of chutney, one invariably thinks of idlis and dosas!! And its the same vice versa!! Thats exactly what I had for lunch today! Neer dosa with green cilantro chutney.

Mom used to make chutney with coconut as the main ingredient. But after I got married, I learnt this chutney from my MIL. What mom used to make is imprinted in my mind and soul... and I LOVE it. But for a healthier version, read using lesser coconut, I make this chutney on a regular basis at home now.

A simple chutney can be enhanced by giving it some tadka (tempering). It just changes the whole look and taste of a chutney.

Like most of my cooking, even the chutney I make, I NEVER measure ingredients. But have tried my best to make a note while I made it today.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup grated coconut OR About 2 1/2 sq. inch of coconut piece
1/2 cup Split Dalia
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
8-10 curry leaves
3-4 green chillies
3-4 garlic cloves
1 inch ginger
1/2 tspn sugar
1 inch tamrind ball
Salt as per taste

For tempering:
1 tbsp ghee
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
2 pinches of asofoetida (hing)
1 dry red chilli, broken into pieces
2-3 curry leaves

Method:

• For the chutney, grind all the ingredients with water.
  
• If required, add more water till you get the desired consistency.
• And then add the tempering/tadka of mustard seeds, hing, dry red chillies and curry leaves in ghee.