Zaiqa

Eggplants/Brinjal/Baingan are one of those vegetables which are often not much preferred by many people. I too did not like this vegetable much during my childhood, except when my Ammi used to prepare this eggplant snack. I and my sister really love it. These eggplant snacks are my all time favorite.

Baingan Bhajiya – Eggplant Fritters

I have used Japanese eggplants,  which are long and slender, like a cucumber. I buy these kind when I plan to prepare eggplant fritters as I feel the slices of the eggplants are of approximately same diameter and I can make many fritters out of just two Japanese eggplants. This time during my grocery visit to the market, I bought two of them and prepared these as snacks. They were yummy. You can however use the common ovoid shaped Indian eggplants too for this recipe. I love to enjoy these fritters without any chutneys. They are so tasty as they are.

Baingan Bhajiya – Eggplant Fritters

Ingredients:

• Gram Flour/Besan – 110 gms
• Japanese Eggplants – 2
• Garam masala – 1/2 tsp
• Ginger Garlic paste – 3/4 tsp
• Red Chilli powder – 1 tsp
• Salt – 1 1/4 tsp
• Oil – to deep fry

Method:

• Put gram flour, garam masala, red chillli powder, salt and ginger garlic paste in a bowl and mix them well. Pour hot water into it, little at a time and mix well, so that the consistency of the mixture is like a thick paste. It shouldnt be watery. So, be careful while adding water. Mix well. This will the batter.
• Pour Oil to deep fry the fritters in a Kadai, or a Wok.
• Cut the eggplants into 4mm thick disks. Dip them in the batter and deep fry them till they are golden brown on both sides.
• Remove with a slotted spoon on a kitchen towel.
• Once all are done, arrange them on a serving tray and serve hot.

Luv,
Mona

I had prepared this yummy lamb dish for dinner yesterday, from Madhur Jaffery’s. It was delicious.

Dum Gosht – Slow Cooked Lamb Curry

The recipe is simple and quick to prepare. It takes only minutes for the stove top preparation, and the rest is to just let it finish off in oven at low heat until tender, so that it cooks completely and slowly.

We had it with Afghani Naan and Plain white rice. It was a delicious meal! Here goes the recipe-

Dum Gosht – Slow Cooked Lamb Curry
Source: Madhur Jaffrey’s Illustrated Indian Cooking

Ingredients:

• Canola Oil – 1/4 cup
• Lamb meat – 500 gms, cut into 2 cm cubes
• Onions – 1, large, finely chopped
• Ginger-Garlic paste – 2 tsp
• Red Chilli powder – 1 tsp
• Salt – 2 tsp
• Black Pepper powder – 1/2 tsp
• Yoghurt – 1 cup, lightly beaten

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
2. Pour oil into a large non-stick pan on medium heat. When the oil is warmed, put the meat pieces into the pan, as many as the pan can hold, and brown them on all sides. With a slotted spoon remove the meat pieces once browned into a deep bowl. Cover and set aside.
3. In the same pan throw in the sliced onions. Once they are translucent, add the ginger garlic paste to it. Stir fry them for a few minutes. Now, put the browned meat with all its juices into the pan. Sprinkle red chilli powder, salt, black pepper powder and mix it well. Pour in the lightly beaten curd and bring it to a boil on simmer.
Then, pour this mixture into a baking dish and cover it with a lid, or aluminium foil, taking care that it has been covered properly and once formed, the steam will not escape from anywhere. Transfer this baking dish with the mixture in it into the oven for an hour.
4. After an hour, check the meat if it is tender and soft. If it is not, pour in half cup water, give it a stir, cover the dish very well again, and put it inside the oven for more 15-30 minutes till the meat has been properly cooked and is tender. Once done, garnish with chopped spring onions and serve hot with Naan or Plain White Rice.

Luv,
Mona

Ah! The weather has finally changed and I subsequently got to witness snow! .. snow for the first time in my life !

Earlier it felt quite peculiar to witness darkness at 4:00 pm itself in the evening, and I sometimes found it scary. I remember, back in India, between 4 and 5 in the evenings, children from every house would gather on streets or parks, team up and start playing games, the most common~Cricket! 5:00 pm was a lively, noisy time, when I mostly got to hear ‘howz that!’ or ‘out!’, but here in winters, it becomes pitch dark, with everyone returning home in the darkness for a long night from their job places. But I have eventually got used to it.

Today I plan to make a nice big snowman in front of my house once my hubby returns home. I love watching snow from indoors. I love it when my feet goes inside the pile of snow and I leave a trail behind. lts fun! But, yeah, the cold outside is just too much, but if proper winter coats, caps, scarfs and gloves are worn, all is well and fine. So everyone, keep yourselves warm in this winter by wearing good winter clothes.

Warm and comforting foods are what I am craving for in this winter. And whats more comforting than Indian food, that has got spices and masalas, to make your body warm by the heat and comfort you. I had prepared this creamy chicken curry some days back. I had chicken lying in the freezer, some cream, almonds, nuts and spices. I thought to mix them all up and prepare a curry out of it. We had Peas Pulao along with this chicken curry, our meal was gratifying and pleasurable. Everyone loved it. Here’s the recipe:

Badami Malai Murgh – Creamy Almond Chicken Curry

Ingredients:

Chicken Breast – 500 gms
Ginger-Garlic paste – 1 tbsp
Salt – to taste
Red chilli powder – 1 1/2 tsp
Almonds – 1/2 cup
Canola oil – 3 tbsp
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Garam Masala – 1 tsp
Half and Half cream – 1 cup

Method:

1.Wash and cut the chicken breasts into 2 cm approx cubes.
3. Mix the chicken pieces with ginger-garlic paste, salt and red chilli powder. Let it marinate for about 1-3 hours at room temperature.
4. Add 1/2 cup water to almonds and grind it to a smooth paste.
5. Pour oil in a heavy bottomed pan at medium heat. Once the oil gets warm, add zeera and let it splutter.
6. Lower the heat and add the marinated chicken with all its juices. Stir well and let it cook for 5 minutes.
7. Add a cup of water to it and let the chicken cook, covered, till it is tender. Keep stirring it occasionally. You can add more water if the gravy dries up before the chicken gets soft.
8. Add the almond paste and cream and mix it well. Adjust the salt and red chilli powder according to tastes. Cover and let it cook, stirring only to avoid it getting stuck to the bottom of the pan. Serve it hot.

Luv,
Mona

As good as this curry looks, it tastes wonderful. You can prepare this curry along with Mitthi Dal and Khushka(Plain White Rice) and you will never forget this incredible combo which i learnt from my Lovely Mom! I use the left over, (if any!!) in between bread as sandwiches for lunch during work time. This saucy curry has a sweet and sour flavour and gets prepared very soon.

Fresh Ripe and Red Tomatoes

Tomatoes are rich in Lycopene, a strong antioxidant, and are healthy such that they are eaten raw in salads. They are rich in anti-oxidants and help prevent the occurance of Cancer, Heart diseases, Cataracts etc. Tomatoes are healthy when eaten raw, but their nutritional value enhances when they are cooked. The best way to choose tomatoes while buying them is to find for those that are firm, red and ripe. However, if you do not intend to use them immediately, you can buy raw tomatoes and ripen them at home at room temperature to use them later on. Or you can also preserve the ripe red tomatoes in the refrigerator to freeze their ripening process.

This particular recipe of Tamatay Gosht is simple to prepare, yummy and delectable. Try it out, Here goes the recipe..

Tamatay Gosht – Meat in a Fragrant Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

• Lamb Meat – 500 gms, cut into 2 cm approx cubes
• Tomatoes – 4, large, ripe, red
• Garam Masala – 1 tsp
• Red Chilli Powder – 1 tsp
• Salt – 1 3/4 tsp
• Green Chillies – 3, small, slit
• Ginger Garlic Paste – 1 tsp
• Oil – 2 tsp
• Onion – 2, large
• Curry Leaves – 8
• Coriander Leaves – For Garnish

Tamatay Gosht – Meat in a Fragrant Tomato Sauce

Method:

• Wash well and then pressure cook the lamb pieces in some water in a pressure cook till they are tender. Keep aside.
• In a pan, Pour oil, and fry the sliced onions till they are browned. Add ginger-garlic paste, slit green chillies and curry leaves. Fry them all a little.
• Now add the tomatoes and the pressure cooked meat with the stock.
• Mix in red chilli powder, salt, garam masala, and let it cook covered for 5-8 minutes till the tomatoes are mushy and properly cooked.
• Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Suggested Accompaniments: Roti and Chawal

Updated Jan 28 ’09: I am sending the picture of Tomatoes to Click Red, a food photography contest.

Luv,
Mona

I remember my childhood days when my dearest Mom would prepare Plain White Rice, Mitthi Dal and Tamatay Gosht.. Oh yummy! I miss my Ammi terribly whenever I prepare this combination in my house. This used to be a regular combination for the Sundays lunch during my childhood in India, and we never felt tired of it anytime, it was such delicious and comforting.

Tuvar Dal (Yellow Lentils/Pigeon Pea)

You can enoy this dal along with rice and tamatay gosht as said above for a meal, or you could also enjoy it for the breakfast. Just tear up a few Phulkas or Parathas and soak them into the dal in individual plates and serve warm. We even enjoy Mitthi Dal as a soup in crispy cold winters, or when down with flu.

‘Mitthi Dal’ means ‘Sweet Dal’. There’s no sugar added to the dal here, but the subtle sweetness of the dal is enhanced by the caramelized onions. Red chilli powder is not added, instead green chillies are used.

Mitthi Dal – Sweet Yellow Lentils Stew

Ingredients:

Tuvar Dal (Yellow Lentils/Pigeon Pea) -1 cup
Salt – 1 3/4 tsp
Turmeric – 1/4 tsp
Oil – 2 tbsp
Onion – 1, medium sized, finely sliced
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tbsp
Small Green chillies – 3, slit lengthwise
Fresh Cilantro+Mint leaves – 1/2 cup, washed and finely chopped

Mitthi Dal -Yellow Lentils Stew

Method:

1. Wash and soak the dal in surplus water for about 2-3 hours.
2. Drain the water from the dal and add 3 cups fresh water and salt, green chillies, turmeric and pressure cook it till soft.
3. Pour the softened dal with the water in a blender container and blend it till its smooth. You can also blend it using a hand blender or just whisk until smooth. Add more water if needed to blend.
4. Pour it back into the pressure cooker and let it cook on medium heat. Add warm water to make it into a pouring consistency.
5. Meanwhile prepare baghaar or the tempering in a pan, pour oil and fry the sliced onions till they are browned, and crisp. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry it along for 2-3 minutes. Add the contents of the pan to the dal along with the oil and stir well.
7. Add the chopped cilantro and mint and bring it to a boil once. Serve warm.

Suggested Accompaniments: Rice or Roti and a Vegetarian or Non-vegetarian Side dish. I usually enjoy it along with Plain rice and Tamatay Gosht, or just as a soup in chilly winter season.

This delicious dal is my entry to the event ‘Delicious Dals from India’ being hosted by Suma at her blog Veggie Platter.

Luv,
Mona