Bihari Tomato Chutney

Courtesy Anjana Kumar aka Ma

Serves four

Ingredients

• 2 medium sized tomatoes
• 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 tomatoes on fire till the skin starts to turn charred.
2. Mash the tomatoes into a chunky chutney
3. Add the oil, salt, pepper, chili, ginger, garlic, onion, coriander and lemon juice and mix well.

Serving suggestion

• Serve with Khichdi

Bihari Aloo Bharta

Courtesy Anjana Kumar aka Ma

Serves four

Ingredients

• 2 large boiled skinned potatoes
• 1 table spoon mustard oil
• 3 green chili chopped finely
• Salt to taste
• Small onion chopped finely

How to :

1. Mash the potatoes such that there are no lumps.
2. Add the oil, salt, chili and onion and mix well.

Serving suggestion

• Serve with Khichdi

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

Khichdi

Courtesy Anjana Kumar aka Ma

Serves four

Ingredients

• 1 cup rice
• 1 1/2 cup lentil - mallka or masoor
• 6 cups hot water
• One large onion - sliced very finely
• 4 bay leaves
• One large dried red chili 
• 1 table spoon cumin
• 1 tea spoon turmeric
• Salt to taste
• 2 table spoons Ghee or Oil

How to :

1. Soak the rice and daal/lentil in hot water for 30 minutes
2. In a thick bottom pot heat the ghee or oil and add the bay leaves, cumin and red chili and let it sputter
3. Add the thinly sliced onions and let it saute till the onion starts to turn crispy brown
4. Add the salt and turmeric and stir in for 15 seconds. 
5. Add the soaked rice, daal and water and bring to a boil.
6. Cook for about 25 minutes till the rice and daal are well cooked to almost a mush.

Serving suggestion

• Serve with Bihari Baigan Bharta, Bihari Aloo Bharta, Bihari Tomato Chutney, Papad, Pickles and Yogurt

Mixed Vegetable Masala

Serves four

Ingredients

• Mix Vegetables : Cauliflower, Potato, Beans, Carrots, Capsicum, Mushroom, Peas - chopped to medium sized pieces
• Wet Ground Masala 

• One large Onion
• 2 large tomatoes
• 1 inch ginger piece
• 10 cloves garlic

• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 4 tablespoon Oil
• Dried Fenugreek leaves

How to :

1. Puree all contents under Wet Ground Masala in a blender. 
2. In a frying pan put two table spoon oil and heat. 
3. Saute all the vegetables for 5 minutes. 
4. In a non stick pan put 2 table spoon oil and heat.
5. Pour the pureed contents into the hot oil and saute for 20 minutes or more on medium flame, stirring frequently till the oil starts to separate out in the pan. 
6. Add the salt, turmeric and chili powder and cook for 10 more minutes. Sprinkle water when needed to make sure that the spices don't stick to the bottom of the pan.
   
7. Add the dried fenugreek, sauteed vegetables and 500 ml water to the pan. 
8. Boil for 10 minutes till the gravy thickens.
   

Serving Suggestion
 

Best eaten with Roti or Parathas

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

Lauki Raita

Serves Six

Ingredients

• 1 small lauki/doodhi (Image)
  
• 1 tsp Cumin seeds
• 1 tsp Mustard seeds
  
• Salt to Taste
  
• 1 tea spoon dry roasted cumin powder
  
• two pinches crushed black pepper
  
• 2 green chillies - chopped finely
• 1 teaspoon oil 
• 2 cups beaten yogurt

How to :

1. Chop the lauki/doodhi very finely or alternatively thick grate it.
   
2. In a non-stick deep pot - add the oil and let the cumin and mustard seeds sputter.
   
3. Add the chopped lauki, salt, pepper and cumin powder and cover on low flame for 15 minutes till the lauki is soft or mushy.
Remove from fire and let it cool. 
5. Add the lauki into the beaten yogurt and mix well. Keep refrigerated.
   

Serving Suggestion :

Serve with stuffed parathas, naan, or just as accompaniment to any meal

Cracked Wheat (Daliya) Upma

Serves Two

Ingredients

• Curry leaves
• 1 tsp Cumin seeds
• 1 tsp Mustard seeds
  
• Potato - 1 medium, chopped into small pieces
  
• 1 big Onion - chopped
  
• 1 big Tomato - chopped
  
• 3 green chillies - chopped finely
• 1/2 cup peas
• Small piece of ginger chopped finely
  
• Oil
• Salt to taste
  
• Pinch of black pepper
  
• 1 and 1/2 cup cracked wheat -dry roasted five minutes till it turns reddish
  
• 3 cups hot water
  
• 20 Peanuts - roasted and crushed coarsely
  
• 1/2 cup chopped Coriander
  

How to :

1. In a non-stick deep pot - add the oil and let the cumin, mustard oil and curry leaves sputter.
   
2. Add the potatoes and cook till the potatoes are golden red.
   
3. Add the chopped onions and ginger now and cook and cover till the potatoes are soft and onions are translucent.
   
4. Now add the chopped tomatoes, green chillies, peas and salt and cook covered for 5 minutes till the tomatoes are mushy.
   
5. Add the pepper powder and cook for two more minutes.
   
6. Add the roasted wheat to this and stir it in with the rest of the ingredients.
   
7. Now add the hot water and mix the contents.
8. Cook covered on a medium to low flame for 15 minutes, stirring once in a while
   
9. Now add the crushed peanuts and coriander and mix.
   
10. Cook till it is slightly dry.

Serving Suggestion
 

• Best served with green coriander or garlic chutney

Dal Bukhara (Kali Dal)

Serves Twelve

Ingredients

• 1.5 cup black urad dal
  
• Half cup rajma
  
• Half cup chana dal
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
• Half cup ginger/garlic paste
• Half teaspoon turmeric powder
• Three teaspoon coriander powder
• Two teaspoon chilli powder
• Two cups thick tomato puree
• One teaspoon garam masala
• Two tablespoon dried methi leaves
  
• One tablespoon oil
  
• One stick butter (or alter to suit diet :))
• One cup half and half cream (or yogurt for the healthier alternative)
• Salt to taste

Preparation

• Soak all the dal/lentils in water overnight.
• Pressure cook the dal mixture in little water for 15-20 min.

How to

• In a deep non-stick pot, crackle the cumin seeds in oil.
• Add the ginger/garlic paste and turmeric and saute for 5-10 min stirring frequently
  
• Add the tomato puree, salt, chilli and coriander powder and saute for 20 min on a medium flame, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is a thick paste.
• Add the butter to the pot and cook for 5 min
• Mix in the dal, garam masala, methi leaves and 3 cups of water to the pot. Reduce flame to avoid spatter and let the mixture cook for at least 30 min. The longer you let the mixture cook, the better the end result!
  
• Stir in the cream and cook for 10 more minutes.
• Bonus points - transfer the dish to a slow cooker at least 3-4 hours before serving and enjoy the compliments :)

Serving Suggestion

• Best with hot rotis/naan.