A peep into Hima's kitchen: Stuffed Eggplant Curry

stuffedeggplant@hima'skitchen

Stuffed Eggplant Curry

A lazy evening when I was bored of all recipes and wanted to try something simple yet tasty, thought of all the yummy dishes and decided to eat Bengan. But was too tired to make the standard bhagara bengan. I was reminded of the tasty egg plant which my neighbor made during our Diwali get together.
Special thanks to her who gave me the recipe immediately and made our evening extra delicious with this simple curry.

Ingredients

1. 6-7 small round eggplant
2. 1 cup peanuts
3. 1 spoon coconut powder ( Optional)
4. 4-5 garlic cloves and 1/2 piece ginger ( optional)
5. 1 spoon dhaniya jeera powder
6. 1/2 spoon red chilli powder
7. Pinch of jaggery
8. Small lump tamarind

Method

1. Semi cut eggplant and boil them in microwave. Add a spoon of salt and turmeric, to avoid bitter taste of eggplant.
2. Dry roast peanuts, ( Peanuts need to be fried thoroughly) and add all the above ingredients.
3. Grind them into a thick, smooth paste. Add water or turmeric water if required.
4. Bring the boiled eggplant/brinjals to cool and stuff them with this paste
5. Let  eggplant/brinjal and the gravy simmer in a spoon of oil for 15-20 minutes
6. Garnish with cilantro and savor it hot with rotis or rice.

Palak Manchuria

After a long sabbatical from the blog here I'm back with a green dish.
   Palak or Spinach is a healthy vegetable but seldom we hear people say We love it, or Yumm...... Palak Paneer is a great dish but Paneer being a cheese item we are drawn away from it. Tried various variations with Palak and personally I liked this dish as soon as I heard about it. With few variations made to the traditional item, here goes my dish.                                                                     


Ingredients
Cauliflower florets, corn flour, oil to deep fry, 1-2 bunches of Spinach (Palak), 1 big onion, ginger garlic paste, 3-4 green chillies, 2 elaichi, 2 cloves, pinch of kasoori methi,  1 spoon of dhaniya jeera powder, pinch of turmeric, salt to taste.


Manchuria process
1. Half boil cauliflower with a pinch of salt
2.. Mix 3 spoons of corn flour with warm butter, food color ( enhances color), and red chilli powder
3.  Make a thick paste and deep fry them in oil
4. Ajinomotto will add better taste. (Optional)
5. Deep fry and pat them on a paper to remove oil


Gravy
1. In a pan add 2 spoons of oil, and add shallow fry the garam masala (jeera, ealichi, cloves, bay leaf) and onions.
2. Add washed spinach, green chillies, pinch of turmeric and salt. Cover it for 5 mts and allow to cook.
3. Add tomatoes to the softened spinach and blend everything in a mixer.
4. In 2 spoons of oil, add kala jeera and add the spinach gravy.  Bring it to a boil for few minutes.
5. Add the fried manchuria to the gravy and bring to boil.


Serve it hot with rotis, naans or kulchas. 

Total time:15-20 mts
Serves: 4 people

Sorakaya-Pesarapappu Kootu;

Dal is considered to be a compulsory dish in our every day cooking. Specially for Vegetarians as it has good proteins. But, eating the same style of Dal everyday can get boring.South Indians usually make Dal using Toor dal, but Moong dal is also a great subsititute. So, if you are open to trying something tasty and different, this can turn out to be a delightful dish.
Sorakaya is called as Dhoodi or Lauki in Hindi and Bottle Gourd in English. This vegetable can be found in any season and is considered to be a very safe on stomach as its very easy to digest. You can substitute cabbage instead of Bottle gourd. Gives the same taste.This item is not completely a Andhra dish, we can call it a fusion of Andhra and Chennai cuisines.

Ingredients

1- Sorakaya/Bottle gourd

1 cup Moong Dal

1 t.spn Black Pepper

1/2 cup grated coconut ( Fresh or frozen works)

1 tb spoon Jeera

1 Spoon Urad dal

2-3 Red chillies

2-Green chillies
Garnish:
1 spoon Ghee
Curry leaves

1 spoon of Jeera, hing/asfotedia, mustard seeds

Method
1.) Cut bottle gourd into small pieces and pressure cook it with Moong dal.

Don't boil them to a paste.

2.) In a open pan add small amount of Ghee and fry Urad dal, Pepper, Jeera, Red chillies, Green chillies. Fry them till red and just before turning off the stove add grated coconut. ( Coconut should not be fried on flame, it will leave oil and the taste will spoil.)

3.) Grind these above items into a thick paste.

4.) Add salt to the pressure cooked dal and vegetable.

5.) Add 2 tb.spoon of oil or Ghee, allow it to heat well. In that add the Garnishing seeds and curry leaves.

6.) Once they start to splutter add the grinded paste and cook it for a few minutes. In the same paste add the Moong dal.

7.) Let the whole dal and garnish simmer for 5-10 mts on low flame.

Tastes great with hot rice and you can have rice crisps or chips as a condiment.
Time to Cook :20 mts

Serves:4

Crunchy Snack-Chegodilu/FingerRings

These days hardly we find time and patience to prepare snacks at home, just drop into a grocery store and pick them up. In my childhood days, summer vacations were fun as Mom and grandmom used to make variety of sherbets, snacks like Murukulu, chekkalu, bajjilu, biscuts, and a whole list of sweets. It's peak summer time in Hyderabad, India, and with kids of all relatives at home, we made these recently. I wish I had taken few more pictures of making these.
Chegodilu happens to be my brother's favorite snack and for a very long time, I was under a impression that these yummy, crunchy snacks cannot be prepared at home. After my marriage, my sister-in-law taught me how to make this and from then, I tried to master this dish. Few simple, basic steps and these awesome healthy snacks are ready. I call them healthy because, its made with Moong dal and Rice flour. Moong dal cools the body and digests easily, same with rice flour. Jeera helps in digestion and enhances the taste.

Ingredients
2 cups rice flour
1/4 cup Maida or All purpose flour
1/2 cup moong dal
1 spoon butter/Margarine/Oil
1 spoon jeera
1 spoon garam masala powder
1/2 spoon Red chilli powder Salt as per taste
Oil to Fry

Method
1.) In a bowl heat 2 cups of water and bring it to a boil. Add salt, jeera and moong dal to the boiling water.
2.) Set the bowl with hotwater aside and allow it to cool well.
3.) After the water cools, add rice flour, maida, warm oil or butter or margarine, garam masala, red chilli powder. Adding oil or butter will help the chegodi to be soft and tasty.
4.) Mix them well, take care that no lumps are formed, you should mix it like chappati atta. It should be easy to make small rounds out of the atta.
5.) Make small rounds and roll them into long threads and attach the ends. It should form like a rings. ( Wish had pictures of these... :( )
6.) Heat oil and deep fry them

Option: If you dont like the taste of Moong dal, you can add sesame seeds. If you don't add either of them also, it tastes good.

Mixed Greens Rice- Healthy, Tasty Rice dish!!!

We make different types of rice like Fried rice, Vegetable Pulao, Tomato Rice, Mint rice, Coconut rice, Jeera rice and a whole list of other varieties.Variety is the spice of life, So,why not spice up our everyday montonous menu of Rice into a Variety tasty, recipe and colorful to enjoy it. I have come across this new recipe and couldn't wait to share it with all of you.



Ingredients
-4 Varieties of Green leafy vegetables of your choice (Palak, Methi, Mint, etc)
-2 Cups Basmati Rice or Sona Masuri rice.
-2Cups of coconut milk
-1 spoon ginger-garlic-green chilli paste
-1 bunch Spring Onions
-1/2 tb spoon Garam masala

Dry Spices : For good smell and enhances taste.
-3 Ealichi

-3 Cloves
-3 Cinammon Sticks

-2 Black Chakra Phool ( a star shaped, great smelling spice)

-3 Bay leaves

Garnish ( Optional)

5-10 Cashew Nuts ( Deep fry them in Oil or Ghee)
Onions-Cut in Round shape

Carrots
Green Chillies

Method
1.) Wash and Soak rice in warm water for 3o mts.
2.) Chop all the greens and set them aside.
3.) In a thick pan, add some Oil or Ghee. Allow it to heat for a minute.

4.) Fry dry spices, spring onions, garlic-ginger-green chilli paste.
5.) Later add the chopped green leafy vegetables

6.) Add salt, garam masala and fry rice in this mixture for a few minutes.

7.) Now add coconut milk, and water. Ratio for adding water is 1:2 (For 1 cup of rice add two cups of water).
8.) Let the whole mixture cook well in a electric rice cooker or pan.

9.) Garnish the rice with fried cashew nuts and you can decorate it with Onions, carrots to make it look more appealing.


Tip: For the rice to cook well in the rice cooker, oil or butter it prior to adding the rice.

Time to Prepare: 20 Minutes (Including time to cook)
Serves: 4-6 People

Gongura Pappu/Sour Greens Dal-Tasty & Tangy

These leaves are very famous in Andhra Pradesh. Outside Andhra or to be more precise, outside South India its completely unknown. But, for Andhra people, its one of The most delightful green leafy vegetables. Elders and kids like it for its wonderful tangy taste.

So, in keeping with the spirit of my blog's title, I bring the authentic taste of Gongura. First let's make the simple Dal with these amazing leaves. In my next blog I shall share the Gongura Pachhadi/pickle recipe with all of you. Here I bring to all of you the unique flavor and taste of Gongura/Sour greens. These leaves are popular for its pickle, Dal and Pulsu ( a semi-liquid substance made with jaggery water and gongura leaves).

Health Fact: It's rich in Iron and fiber health values.


Ingredients

• Gongura Leaves-One Bunch
• Toor dal-1 cup
• Dhaniya Powder-1 tb.spoon
• Red chilli powder-1/2 tb.spoon
• Garlic pods-5-6 (as per individual taste)
• Green chillies-2-3

Garnish:

• Urad dal 1/2 tb.spoon
• Mustard seeds-1/2 tb.spoon
• Jeera -1/2 tb.spoon
• Asafotedia-Pinch
• red chillies-1

Method
1.) Steam cook Toor dal and gongura leaves separtely in a pressure cooker.
2.) In a bowl mix them well and with a thick ladel, mash both dal and leaves well.
3.) After mashing it into a nice paste, add salt, dhaniya powder, red chilli powder, salt, turmeric. 4.) In a pan, add 2 spoons oil. Allow it to heat and add garlic pods first.
5.) After they fry well, then add all the garnishing and add the dal to it.

Tip: If you like the dal to be crunchy, you can have it with raw onions. I like it personally!!