Bihari Baigan Bharta

Courtesy Anjana Kumar aka Ma

Serves four

Ingredients

• 1 large sized Indian Eggplant
• 1 table spoon mustard oil
• 3 green chili chopped finely
• 2 table spoons finely chopped ginger
• 2 table spoons finely chopped garlic
• 3 table spoons finely chopped coriander
• 1 table spoon lemon juice
• Salt and Black Pepper to taste
• Small onion chopped finely

How to :

1. Roast the eggplant on fire till the skin starts to turn charred.
2. Remove the skin completely from the eggplant and discard
3. Make a lumpy mash of the eggplant.
4. Add the oil, salt, pepper, chili, ginger, garlic, onion, coriander and lemon juice and mix well.

Serving suggestion

• Serve with Khichdi

Vegetarian Risotto

Courtesy Alex McLaren


Serves four

Ingredients

• 1+3/4 Arborio rice
• 6 cups or more vegetable stock (I prefer College Inn stock)
• Pecorino Romano or Parmesan, a few handfuls of it, finely grated.  It's also standard to have some to spoon over at the table.
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion (sweet onion preferred) or shallot
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup finely chopped mushroom

How to :

1. Get the stock very hot, close to boiling point. 
2. Fry the mushroom in 3 tbsp of the butter slowly so as to soften the mushroom but not brown it much.  Getting the mushroom flavor to infuse into the butter is particularly important, so save the butter along with the mushroom.
3. Lightly fry up the onion in the remaining butter.  A little olive oil can be a helpful addition at this step, to keep things even.  The onion should be fried only until soft translucent, not further.
4. Add the rice to the onion/butter mixture and stir so the rice is coated.
5. Add 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup of the stock and bring the mixture to a slow simmer, stirring fairly constantly.  When the stock has been almost completely absorbed, add another half cup or so, stir it in, with the mixture still simmering.  The process should continue until the rice is somewhat firm, but fully cooked.  Al dente, if you will.
6. Mix in the mushroom and its butter, as well as two handfulls of the cheese.  Mix it up, it should be done.  

 

Tips

• This dish becomes very sticky and unpleasant fairly quickly, so it should be eaten when cooked.

Malai Kofta

Ingredients

For Koftas

• Paneer - 250 gms
• 4 medium sized potatoes - boiled
• 2 table spoon cornflour
• Broken cashew pieces
  
• Salt to taste
• Black pepper 1/4 tsp
• Oil to deep fry

For Gravy

• 3 medium sized onions - boiled and pureed 
• 4 tablespoon ginger/garlic paste
• 4 cups tomato puree
• 2 tablespoom Kasuri Methi
• Salt to taste
• Turmeric - half tsp
• Corrander pwdr - 1 tsp
• Cumin pwdr - 1 tsp
• Red Chilli pwdr - 1 tsp
• Garam Masala - 1 tsp
• Oil to cook - 2 tbsps
• 1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)

Method

Kofta : 

1. Grate the paneer finely and mash it together with the boiled potatoes. 
2. Add the cornflour and make a smooth mix with no lumps.
3. Add the salt and pepper to and mix the dough
4. Make small balls of this dough and put a small piece of cashew in the center.
5. Deep fry these paneer balls till golden brown.

Gravy : 

1. In a  non-stick deep pan put 2 tablespoons of oil and heat
2. Pour the pureed onion and cook on medium flame till the moisture is gone and starts to turn light brown
3. Add the ground ginger-garlic and fry for another 5-7 minutes.
4. Add the tomato puree and fry for 10 more minutes stirring occasionally
5. Now add the all the powdered spices and Kasuri Methi and fry for 5 more minutes.
6. Add 2 cups of water and boil for 15 minutes
7. Stir in the cream and cook for 5 more minutes on a medium flame.
8. Drop the koftas when u r ready to serve.

Baigan (Eggplant) Chakka

Courtesy Anjana Kumar (aka Mommy)


Serves four

Ingredients

• 2  Chinese Eggplants
  
• Spice mix
  
• 2 table spoons ginger garlic paste
  
• 1 tsp salt
  
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
  
• 1 tsp red chili powder
  
• 1 tsp cumin powder 
• 1 tsp coriander powder 
• 1 tsp Aamchur powder or 1 tablespoon lemon juice 
• 1 tsp asafoetida powder
  
• 2 tablespoons oil
  

How to :

1. Mix all contents under Spice mix in a bowl and add 2 tablespoon  water to make a thick paste. 
2. Cut the eggplants into 1-2 inches thick circular wheels 
3. Fork the eggplant slices or poke with tooth pick.
   
4. Drizzle oil generously in a non-stick shallow pan and heat.
   
5. Dip the eggplant slices in the spice mix and coat on both sides. 
6. Place the slices on the heated pan surface in a single layer with enough space to ease flipping. If all the slices do not fit on the pan, cook in batches.
   
Cover the pan and cook on reduced flame for 10 minutes till one side is reddish brown. 
8. Drizzle oil on top of eggplant slices before flipping over.
9. Repeat step 7. Before removing the eggplants from the pan you can cook uncovered to remove excess water if any.

Tip:


You can cut thick slices of onions, potatoes or green peppers and dip in any leftover spice mix and saute in the same pan to serve with the eggplants.


Serving Suggestion
 

• Best eaten with Roti or Parathas

Aloo Matar Anda (Potato Peas Egg) in Coconut curry

Courtesy Tanya Sarang

Serves Four

Ingredients

• 8 eggs hard boiled and sauteed in very little oil till the outer layer is golden brown.
• 2 medium potatoes cubed into 8 pieces each
• 1 ½ cup of shelled peas
• ½ Coconut – coarsely grated
• Ginger – 1 inch piece coarsely chopped
• Garlic -10 cloves coarsely chopped
• 2 medium Onions – chopped finely
• 2 medium tomatoes – chopped finely
• 2 green chilis – chopped finely
• Salt
• Powdered spices – 1 table spoon garam masala, 1 tea spoon turmeric and 1 Maggi Bullion
• 4 table spoon oil
• Half cup of finely chopped coriander for garnishing

How to

• Put two table spoons of oil in a deep pan and fry the chopped onion, garlic and ginger till golden brown
• Now add the grated coconut and sautee till the coconut is slightly brown.
• Grind this mix in a mixie and create a puree.
• Put two table spoons of oil in a deep pan and fry the rest of the chopped onion till golden brown
• Now add the chopped tomatoes and green chili and the powdered spices and cook till it is mushy.
• Add the pureed coconut, onion, garlic and ginger into the pan and cook for 5 minutes on medium flame, stirring occasionally, till it mixes well.
• Now add the peas and potatoes and cook for 5 more minutes
• Add 2 cups of water and the eggs and boil for 10 minutes.
• Garnish with coriander and serve

Punjabi Chole (chickpeas) Recipe

Courtesy Anjali Aggarwal

Serves Four

Ingredients

• Chick Peas – 1 ½ cups – soaked overnight
• Onion – 1 large – chopped finely
• Ginger – 1 inch piece – 3/4^th brunoise, 1/4^th julienne
• Garlic -10 cloves – brunoise
• Tomato – 2 medium – chopped finely
• Salt
• Powdered spices – 1 tea spoon chilli powder, 1 table sp cumin powder, 1 table spoon coriander powder, 1 tea spoon garam masala
• Whole spices – 2 bay leaves, 5 cloves, 2 big black cardamoms, 1 inch piece cinnamon tied in a muslin cloth AND 5 small green cardamoms
• 1 table spoon Amchur powder
• 2 table spoon oil
• Half cup of finely chopped coriander for garnishing

How To

1. Put the soaked Chick Peas, chopped onion, tomatoes, salt, brunoise ginger and garlic and the whole spices (the ones tied in muslin and the green cardamoms) in a pressure cooker with 2 cups of water (the peas should be just about immersed in the water) in a pressure cooker and cook at medium flame for three whistles.
2. Let the cooker cool and then open and remove the muslin with the whole spices.
3. In a shallow pan add the oil and heat on medium flame.
4. Add the julienne ginger and saute for one minute, then add the ingredients under ‘Powdered spices’ and saute on low flame for 1 minute. Now add this to the chick peas and mix well.
5. Put the chick peas on medium flame and cook for a few more minutes to allow the spices and chick peas to mix well.
6. In another pan – dry roast the Amchur till it is coffee colored। Now add this to the chick peas and cook for a few more minutes.

Serving Suggestion :

1. Garnish with coriander and serve with puris, bhatura or kulchas.

Amaranthus (Cholai saag) Coconut Milk Curry

Courtesy Nibha Kumar (aka Nitu)

Ingredients

• 150 gms amaranthus
• 11/2 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 medium sized onion,chopped
• 3 cm piece ginger ,chopped
• 10 green chillies,chopped
• 1 stalk curry leaves
• 1 tsp black pepper powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup coconut milk(1st extract)

How to

1. Wash amaranthus and chop finely
2. Heat oil in pan and sprinkle mustard seeds ,when it starts sputtering add onion ,ginger,green chillies and curry leaves and fry till onions turn translucent.
3. Mix amaranthus, pepper and salt and cover pan and cook over low heat for 5 mins
4. Pour in coconut milk and cook for two mins.

Karela Chana (Bitter Gourd stuffed with Black Bengal Gram)

Courtesy Anjana Kumar (aka Mummy, Mumma, Ma)

Ingredients

• 1 cup black chick peas soaked over night
• 2 dried red chili (khadi mirchi)
  
• 2 big size Karela (Bitter Gourd)
• 1 big onion - chopped finely
  
• 10 cloves Garlic and 1/2 inch ginger ground to a fine paste
  
• 4 tablespoons oil
  
• Salt to taste
  
• 1 tsp Turmeric powder
  
• 1 tsp Red Chili
  
• 1 tsp Cumin powder
  
• 1 tsp Coriander powder
  

How to :

1. In a non-stick deep pot - add the oil and let the cumin and red chili sputter.
   
2. Add the chopped onions and saute till golden brown.
   
3. Add the ginger garlic paste and saute for another 6 minutes till the paste starts to leave the surface of the cooker.
   
4. Now add the salt and all the powdered spices like coriander, cumin, turmeric and chili.
   
5. Cook for several minutes till everything mixes well.
   
6. Now add the black chick peas, minimum water and close to pressure cook. On medium flame cook till u hear two whistles.
   
7. Take the karela and slit it lengthwise and remove all seeds and contents from inside the karela. Now boil it in salty water for 10 minutes.
   
8. After cooling the karela, stuff it with the seeds and the cooked chick peas.
   
9. Now heat oil in a shallow frying pan and lay down the karelas lengthwise to shallow fry the karela. Let the Karelas get crispy brown on the outside.
   
10. Serve with Rotis or Parathas.