Baingan Ka Bharta (Spicy)

Baingan Ka Bharta

Credit: Sangeeta Parihar

Ingredients:

1. Big Brinjal  1 Approx 500gm
2. Chopped Onions  2 medium ones
3. Chopped Tomatoes 3 medium ones
4. Chopped Garlic 10-12 (Kaliyan)
5. Garam Masala 1 tsp
6. Chilli Powder 2 tsp
7. Turmeric Powder 1 tsp
8. Salt For taste
9. Oil

Preparation:

• Apply oil on Brinjal & roast on gas flame till it's roasted well. Let it cool. Peel off the skin after it cools down and mash the pulp
• Add oil in a pan, chopped garlic, onion & cook till it turns golden brown.
• Add chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder, garam masala, salt, chilli powder & cook till oil oozes.
• Add roasted peeled off Brinjal into the pan & cook till 5-7 mins. Garnish with fresh corriander leaves & serve with hot chapati

Karela (Bitter Gourd) sabzi

Karele ki Sabzi

This is simple yet a very simple & handy recipe. It takes about an hour to make it, but the effort is well worth it.

Courtesy: My friend Shweta Singh

Ingredients:
1. Karela - 3 big ones
2. Onion - 7-8 medium ones
3. Oil - 3 tbs
4. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
5. Red chili powder - 2-4 tsp depending on your need for hotness
6. Amchur powder - 2 tsp
7. Saunf powder - 2 tsp
8. Coriander powder - 3 tsp

Preparation:

Cut onion in slices and karela in rounds. Put karela in bowl of salt water (which u will drain off before cooking) so that the bitterness is reduced.

1. Take good amount of oil in pan, add onion, fry it for about 5 mins, until its translucent
2. Add karela, fry them for about 10 mins
3. Add Salt,turmeric,red chilli powder,coriander powder,saunf powder. Mix well, close the lid and let them cook
4. Once it is half cooked,add anchur powder
5. Let it cook until Karela leaves oil

Serve with rotis...

Stuffed Brinjal (Aubergine) In coriander gravy

 

 

1. Brinjal (aubergine) -  5/6 small
2. Coriander -  1 bunch
3. Tomatoes -  2/3 medium size – grated
4. Garlic cloves -  5/6 mashed
5. Chilli powder - 1 heaped teaspoon (depends on how spicy you need it)
6. Salt to taste
7. Coriander powder -  1 teaspoon
8. Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
9. Oil - 2 tablespoons

 

• MASALA:
• Cut coriander leaves coarsely. Add chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, garlic paste,  tomatoes and salt to the cut coriander leaves and mix it properly. Keep the masala aside.
• PREPARATION:
• Cut Brinjals in half (leave the 2 pieces sticking together at one end for stuffing).
• Stuff the Brinjals with above masala.
• Take 2 tablespoons of oil in pressure cooker or pan (with lid) and heat the oil. 
• Place the Brinjal in the cooker and also put the remaining masala in the cooker. Put 1 cup of water and close the lid and let it cook. 
• Check to see if the brinjals are tender and remove from heat.
• Serve with chapatti or paratha with curd!!

Spicy Chicken Drumsticks AKA Puru Uncle's Chicken (PUC)

This is also called Puru Uncle's Chicken (PUC). This name was given by a sweet little girl who loves my spicy drumsticks. She is my son's schoolmate.

For 6  chicken drumsticks: Remove skin and make deep cuts using a knife on the drumsticks. 

The Marination Paste

1. 1 tablespoon Kashmiri chilli powder (non-hot)
2. 1 tablespoon cumin (jeera) powder
3. 1/2 tablespoon coriander (dhaniya) powder
4. Salt as per taste
5. 1 tablespoon Chicken Masala 
6. Oil - enough to make a thick paste

Mix all the above ingredients and make a paste.

 

Coat the chicken pieces with the above paste and keep it in the fridge for 2 hours

Preheat oven to 220 deg Celsius for 10 mins.

Put the chicken drumsticks in an aluminium or parchment paper and cook at 150 deg celsius for 20 minutes.

Turn the chicken over, coat it with the leftover masala paste, and cook it for 15 minutes at 150 deg Celcius Check if the chicken is tendered using a fork.

Remove from the oven and eat!! :-)

You can also make rolls with chicken meat along with eggs, tastes yummy!

Masala Paste
Marinated chicken with Masala Paste
Drumsticks coated with Masala Paste
Drumsticks ready for over
Final Product! :-)

English Breakfast

English Breakfast, a photo by Puru * on Flickr.

A simple but sumptuous English breakfast of baked beans, bacon, scrambled eggs, sausages, tomato, onion and toast. Only hash browns are missing! Enjoy!

Baby Potato Fry

South Indian style baby potato fry

Ingredients:

• Whole Baby Potatoes 1 KG (with skin)
• Green Chillies - 2 chopped
• Curry Leaves - 7-8
• Coriander leaves - a few
• Mustard seeds (Rai) - 1 teaspoon
• Urad Dal (Black gram/white lentils) - 1.5 tablespoon
• Oil 2 table spoon
• Red Chilly Powder - 2 teaspoons
• Salt to taste
• Hing (Asafoetida)  - 1/2 teaspoon
• Turmeric powder (Haldi) - 1 teaspoon

Method

1. Boil Potato. Remember the potatoes need to be firm (Do not cook in the cooker and do not boil as required for mashed potatoes).
2. Take a 1.5 table spoon of oil and heat it. Put hing, 2-3 curry leaves and 1 teaspoon turmeric powder in oil.
3. Put the boiled potatoes oil and heat it in low/medium flame while frequently stirring. Add salt. Fry until the skin of the potatoes shrivel a bit. This takes about 20 minutes.
4. Add Red chilly powder once the potatoes are shrivelled properly
5. In a separate pan, take 1/2 tablespoon of oil and add 1 teaspoon of mustard seeds (rai) and 1.5 tablespoon of urad dal. Fry until they the urad dal is golden brown. Add chopped green chillies and curry leaves. Once they are fried, add the whole thing in to the potato pan and mix them well.
6. Taste the salt and chilly add more if necessary

Serve with Dal Rice or with Dahi (Yoghurt) Rice
:-)

Fish Valentine

(Grilled/shallow fried fish with herbs, served with spinach mashed potatoes and tossed tomato salad)

We had this dish at a local restaurant (Polka Dots, Pune). It was fantastically presented and delicately made with subtle seasoning of herbs. Its pretty easy to make and takes about 45 minutes once you have all the ingredients ready. We don’t know what this recipe is called, so I gave it the same name with which it was referred in the restaurant menu.
For us the spinach mashed potatoes and the tomato salad combination with the fish was the winner!
Ingredients
For Fish

• Fish – 6-8 Fillets (Any white fish will do)
• Chilli Flakes – 1 teaspoon
• Dried herbs and Seasoning (like dried oregano, basil etc. Italian seasoning will do) – 1 teaspoon
• Lemon juice – 1/2 a lemon squeezed
• Salt and Pepper as per taste
• Flour
• Oil – 1 tablespoon

For Spinach Mashed Potatoes

• Boiled potatoes – 5-6 medium sized
• Spinach Puree – 1 tablespoon
• Butter – 50 gms
• Milk – 1/2 cup
• Salt and Pepper

For Tossed Tomato Salad

• Tomatoes – 3 medium sized
• Italian Herbs and seasoning – 1/2 teaspoon
• Olive Oil – 1 tablespoon
• Coarsely ground roasted peanut – 2 teaspoon
• Salt and Pepper
• Honey – 1 teaspoon
• Pitted olives – 7-8

Method
For Fish

1. Marinate fish with chilli flakes, herbs, lemon juice, salt and pepper for 30 minutes
2. Once the fish is marinated, lightly dust it with flour.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a shallow pan,  put the fish in the pan and shallow fry. Toss then on other side when one side is golden brown.

For Spinach Mashed Potatoes

1. Boil 5-6 medium potatoes. Grate the potatoes before mashing them.
2. Add Spinach puree, milk, butter, salt and pepper.
3. Mix everything together for a long time until you get consistency.

For Tossed Tomato Salad

1. Cut 3 small tomatoes in big square pieces
2. Add 1 teaspoon honey, herbs, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 7-8 chopped olives, 2 teaspoon of coarsely ground peanuts
3. Toss them together to mix well

Serving
Serve Fish, Mashed Potatoes, Tomato Salad with lettuce