Aachari Baigan( eggplant)

For me achaar means “pickled” and I wasn’t innovative enough to go beyond that. Until I had savored Achaari Chicken and Achaari Baigan . This tangy spicy delicacy is  incorporated with any vegetable  or non veg. The spices are from Punjab and Bengal ( as some spices given here are used in Bengali dishes ). I tried a  Tarla Dalal recipe with few changes & modification..
 

 

 

2 tbsp ginger-garlic  paste
1 tsp chilli powder
½ tsp  turmeric powder
salt to taste
1 tbsp oil

Other ingredients
2 cups brinjals (baingan / eggplant), cut into 1" cubes oil for frying
1 tsp fennel seeds (saunf)
1 tsp mustard seeds ( rai / sarson)
1 tsp fenugreek (methi) seeds
1 tsp nigella seeds (kalonji)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1/2 tsp asafoetida (hing)
2 tbsp oil
1/2 cup sliced onions
1 tsp ginger-garlic  paste
1 tsp chopped green chillies
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp dried mango powder (amchur)
salt to taste
3/4 cup curd,
3 tbsp chopped coriander  for the garnish

Method

1.      Combine the brinjals/eggplant with the prepared marinade and toss gently. Keep aside for 15 minutes.

2.      Heat the oil in a pan and shallow fry  the brinjals/eggplants till  golden brown. Keep aside.

3.      Combine the fennel seeds, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, onion seeds, cumin seeds and asafoetida in a small bowl and keep aside.

4.      Heat the oil in a pan and add the above mixture.

5.      When the seeds crackle, add the onions, ginger-garlic paste and green chillies and sauté till the onions turn translucent.

6.      Add the turmeric powder, chilli powder, garam masala( shaan brand), dry mango powder and salt and sauté for 2 minutes.

7.      Add the curd, fried brinjals and mix gently.

8.      Cook for 3-4 minutes.

9.      Garnish with coriander and serve hot with rice or rotis.

Modification: you can stuff Chinese eggplant with number 3, 4 and 5 mixture.

Prepare the eggplant by cutting off the stem ends. Slice the eggplant lengthwise leaving it still attached at the stem end.  Divide the filling into equal portions and stuff the eggplants gently. Heat the oil in a pan and shallow fry  brinjals/eggplants till done....Enjoy!

Tortilla Soup

You know are blessed if you have wonderful trustworthy friends around you..Touch wood when you read this as I am blessed to have one. Sharing Pallavi's Tortilla Soup which we all absolutely loved. She is a wonderful cook herself and I might be just sharing a lot more from her kitchen and many more recipes from my friends circle..

Ingredients:
1 Stalk of Celery
1 Carrot peeled
1/2 Roma tomato
1/2 onion
1 clove garlic
1/4 of a small cabbage
1/2 of any color pepper
1/2 a ripe avocado
1 can of corn
1/2 can of black beans
1-2 tsps of green chillies
1 Adobo chilli
1/2 can of Organic Veg Broth
Hot water ~ 3 cups ( use as needed)
A handful of tortilla chips
1 tsp of any southwest masala

Method:

Blend all the above ingredients in a blender. Add hot water as needed to make it thinner.
Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream & shredded cheese. Also add cubes of avocado & fried tortilla strips.
You may leave the corn & beans a little crushed instead of purred for texture & visual appeal :)

Enjoy!!

Achari Aloo Or Paneer

A change to my daily potato dish or Paneer is to add  panch pohran, also known as Bengali spices..I like to add 1 tbsp of diluted chutney (tamarind or coriander) in ¼ cup of water and mix it few minutes before I remove it from stove top. Recipe follows..

Ingredients

2 cup potato or paneer
1 tsp fennel seeds (saunf)
1/4 tsp mustard seeds ( rai / sarson)
5 to 6 fenugreek (methi) seeds
1 tsp nigella seeds (kalonji)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1/2 tsp asafoetida (hing)
1/2 cup fine chopped onions
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp black salt (sanchal)
3/4 cup  curd
1 tsp plain flour (maida)
3 tbsp chopped corriander
3 tbsp oil
salt to taste

Method

Mix the fennel seeds, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, nigella seeds, cumin seeds and asafoetida in a small bowl.

Heat the oil and add the seed mixture.

When they crackle, add the onion and sauté till it turns translucent.

Add the Potato, turmeric, chili powder, black salt and stir for some time.

Add the curd, sprinkle the plain flour and mix well.( If  curd too sour add ¼ cup of milk)

Add the coriander and salt and bring to a boil.

Serve hot with rice or rotis.

Paneer wraps

Its been real long since I have made this. But I did jot down several recipes I  had success in . Here is one from my book.

• Cottage cheese (paneer), cut into thin strips. As I make Paneer at home I can cut them into 3 inch by 4 inch in size. About 6 to 8 slices ( careful when you mix them as this size can break easily) OR 2 cups cubed paneer.
• Whole wheat flour roti or roomali rotis (I prefer this one). You can find them in Indian stores.
• Lemon juice (if desired)
• Oil 2 to 3 tablespoons for frying
• Garlic, ginger paste 1/2 teaspoon
• Onion cut in elongated slices/thin strips..1 large
• Green capsicum, cut into thin strips, 1 medium. You can add different colors of bell peppers too.
• Red chilli powder, 1 teaspoon
• Dry mango powder (amchur), 1 teaspoon
• Salt to taste
• Bean sprouts 1/2 cup
• Lettuce leaves 4 or 5 large
• For flavor: Dollop of sour cream, guacamole and hot sauce or any flavored sauce you decide to choose. Get creative here.

• There are two ways you can use Paneer. Cut and shallow fry with spices (follow recipe below and add them once onions are done) 
• OR   
• add 1 cup yogurt and 2tbsp tandoori paste. (Buy Tandoori paste from Indian stores. Shaan Brand) Add salt to taste.
• Bake in 350 degree for 20 minutes OR cook them in pan. If you decide to cook in pan use ½ a cup of yogurt or it will be very liquidy. heat oil in a pan then add mixture.  Cook on low heat. Do not add yogurt and paneer mixture together to recipe below. If you do then you might as well eat paneer curry with rice/roti ;-)

METHOD

.Heat oil in a pan, add garlic paste and ginger paste and sauté for half a minute. Add onion and continue to sauté for 2 min. Add green capsicum, red chilli powder, dry mango powder, salt. Add bean sprouts and continue to sauté for another minute. Make sure sprouts are not overcooked they still remain crunchy. You are basically mixing them for flavor.  Remove from heat and set aside. Prepare paneer the way you want. I like it baked with yogurt and that’s what I have used for this recipe.

To prepare the wraps divide the paneer mixture into four equal portions. Place a roomali roti on the worktop and arrange a lettuce leaf over it. Spread a portion of paneer, then mixture over the roti, spread sour cream, guacamole and hot sauce. Squeeze lemon juice if desired. Roll and secure with aluminum foil. Prepare the remaining wraps in a similar way and serve immediately.

Rajma Aloo tikki ( Kideny Beans and potato cutlets.)

Growing up in Delhi, needless to say that I grew up with Delhi street foods, a snack of endless varieties, eaten on the run or with group of friends. A Reasonably priced food seems to suite teenager’s budget to impress their date. My favorite has been Aloo chat with loads of tamarind juice, mint chutney and yogurt. Here is my Healthier version Rajma ( kidney beans)aloo tiki, Rich in iron, copper, potassium, zinc protein and carbohydrates.

preparation in advance: 2 cups boiled kidney beans ( if using Canned , drain and add them to boiling water to remove strong odor of Canned food. Boil and drain.

1 large size potato boiled and mashed. ( you can also use microwave to make it soft)

1 cup mixed vegetables boiled and mashed (beans, carrots, ¼ of beetroot for color, peas) this can be optional 

2 slice of bread (soak them in water for few seconds. Drain mash and use this for binding)

¼ cup semolina

 Grind

 Ginger ¼ inch

½ cup coriander leaves, 5 mint leaves or ¼ tsp powder.

2 or 3 green chills

 Dry spices:

1 tbsp Garam masala

1 tsp jeera pwder\

1tbsp chaat masala

½  tsp kala namak( balck salt)

Red chilli powder

Method:

In skillet warm 3 Tbsp oil add ½  tsp cumin seeds. At this point some love to add ½ cup chopped onions but I usually do without it.

Add vegetables, mashed kidney beans with dry spices, stir and cook for 10 minutes. Add potato and grind stuff to this mixture. Add Bread and semolina, salt to taste and any extra spices you think is needed. I usually end up adding more chaat masala and red chili powder. Mix well.

Now very gently flatten it into a 2-inch patty. Repeat the procedure for all pieces.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a non-stick pan over a low heat. Slip in the patties and pan-fry on both sides till crisp golden brown, adding oil if required, on a very low heat.( if the mixture does not bind, add 2 tbsp corn flour OR bread crumbs. OR simply dip them in 1 egg beaten, roll them in bread crumbs)

Serve hot with chutney.

I have eaten deep fried version which in my opinion taste a little better. But then anything fried is awesome if you don’t count calories!!

Apple Coffee Cake with Crumble Topping and Brown Sugar Glaze

So what am I doing at 11:47 PM on Friday nite…Baking a cake with my assistant my Son. I was scrolling through Emerill Lagasse "easy cakes" and I decided to choose this one. It is as simple as it promises. I positively did make changes. I replaced some ingredient to make it healthy by substituting with oil for butter and non fat yogurt for sour cream (I mixed ½ cup of butter milk and half yogurt. This kept my cake moist and soft). Inviting children to the kitchen is great way to get hands on experience and appreciate the effort you put in and you are lured by compliments “Mom it’s as good as store bought” Ahh..that made my day!!
Recipe follows:   Prep Time: 30 min, Serves: 12 servings

Ingredients

Cake:

• ½ a cup of vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

·         1 teaspoon ground cinnamon , ½ tsp clove powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups cored and chopped apples . I did not peel them .
•  

Crumble Topping:

• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened .I melted in microwave and this is where I did not mind using butter .

Brown Sugar Glaze:  Optional

• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons water

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish with 2 teaspoons of the butter.
In a large bowl, mix together with hand mixture, oil and sugar until light.. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating after the addition of each. In a separate bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon ,clove and salt. Add to the wet ingredients, alternating with the yogurt  and vanilla. Fold in the apples. Pour into the prepared baking dish.
To make the topping, in a bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter, and mix until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the topping over the cake and bake until golden brown and set, 45 minutes. For doneness, insert knife, if it does not come out clean then do not hesitate to bake for another 10 minutes or longer. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes.
To make the glaze, in a bowl, combine the sugar, vanilla, and water and mix until smooth. Drizzle the cake with the glaze and let harden slightly. Serve warm.YUM!!

My weekend Brunch Aloo rassa ( potato gravy) & Poori

Poori Aloo  Rassa/ sabji, has been famous weekend brunch for us over many years. This is my Mom’ recipe which surly come out better when she prepares it but I think, I make it second best. Here is a very simple recipe loved by many of my friends.

 Aloo Rassa:

Ingredients:

4 medium boiled potatoes.

½ can of 15 oz of Tomato sauce. 
2 tbsp chopped Coriander leaves for garnish.

    Pinch of asafetida (hing).
    Coriander Powder ( dhania).   
   ½ Tsp Turmeric powder.   
  1 Tsp mango powder ( amchoor)  
   ½ tsp Jeera ( cumin seeds)3 tbsp
Oil for frying ( mom loves 2 Tbsp of ghee)
1/4 tsp of garam masala
Salt  

Heat oil, add  cumin seeds/Jeera, Hing and then coriander powder, turmeric powder and mango powder/Amchoor. Fry them for less than 5 seconds, Add tomatoes sauce and salt. mix well, cover and cook for 5 to 10 minutes or until you see a bit of oil  floating on top or sides. Add chopped potatoes. Mush few to make thicker gravy. Add 1  ½  cup of water cover and cook on low medium flame for another 10 minutes. Sprinkle Garam masala and chopped coriander leaves for garnish.

Serve Hot with Pooris.