Brinjal And Tomato Curry

Ingredients

1 lb (455 gms) Brinjals
3 to 4 ozs (85 to 115g) thinly-sliced Onions
2 ozs(60g) Butter or Pure Ghee
Salt as per the taste
12 ozs (340g) Tomatoes
2 to 3 shredded Green Chillies
1/2 teaspoonful White Pepper
1/2 teaspoonful Red Pepper

Method:

1. Peel and cut the brinjals into wedges. Rub on 1-1/2 teaspoonfuls salt and leave them in a colander for half an hour to allow the moisture to drip. Wipe each piece carefully but do not wash.
2. Heat the butter or ghee; sprinkle 1/2 teaspoonful red pepper, stir for a second and add sliced onions. Cook on slow fire so that it does not brown. Then add the brinjals; cover and cook on slow fire until they are half done. Lastly add slices of peeled seeded tomatoes, green chillies, the remaining salt and the white pepper. Cover and cook slow fire until done.
3. Shake the pan every now and then while cooking in order to avoid sticking of the brinjals or the masala to the bottom of the pan.

Vankaya Perugu Pachadi

Ingredients

2 Large Brinjals
2 cups Fresh Curds
1 tbsp Oil
1 tsp Ghee
4 Green Chillies
1 bunch Coriander Leaves
1 tsp Urad Dal
1 tsp Chana Dal
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
3 Red Chillies
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
Salt - as per your taste

Method:

1. Wash the brinjals and wipe them well with a dry cloth.
2. Rub a little ghee or dalda on the entire surface of the brinjals.
3. Hold the brinjals with stems over fire, to burn skin. Keep turning the brinjals, so that the skin on the surface is uniformly blackened. Put the brinjals on fire until they get softened.
4. Remove from fire when done and wash the brinjals in a dish of water. The skin automatically comes off. If it does not come off the skin needs to be peeled off.
5. Mash the brinjals. Keep aside.
6. Make a paste of green chillies, coriander leaves and turmeric, add the paste to the brinjals and mix thoroughly.
7. Take a kadhai and put oil in it. Add urad dal, chana dal, red chillies, cumin seeds and mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds start spluttering remove from fire and mix it with the mashed brinjals.
8. Beat the curds till smooth, add salt and the brinjals along with the paste to the curds.
9. Serve with Rotis or Rice.

Bhendi Masala

Ingredients:

1/2 pound okra(ladies finger)
3 medium sized red onions
4 green chilies
1 tablespoon khus-khus
a handful of cashews
2 tomatoes
cup yogurt
1 teaspoon chili powder
teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
a little each of cumin, methi seeds and saunf
salt for taste
fresh cilantro for garnish

Method :

1. Chop the okra into pieces a little shorter than your pinky. (Wash and clean them before chopping) Dry them thoroughly and fry them in oil partially.
2. You can finish crisping them in the oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. (This method uses less oil) Keep the fried okra aside.
3. In a pan dry roast the khus-khus and cashews. Take them off the pan and add a little oil to the pan.
4. Chop the onions and brown them lightly in the oil.
5. Grind the onions along with the khus-khus and cashews.
6. In the pan add 2 tablespoons of oil. (Slice the green chilies and the tomatoes) Add the cumin, methi seeds & saunf when oil is hot.
7. Then add sliced green chilies & tomatoes.
8. Cook for 5 min. Now add the ground paste and all spice powders from 8 to 10. Cook til oil separates.
9. Add yogurt and cook for 15 min. Salt to taste, garnish with cilantro.
10. Finally add the fried okra, mix well and switch off the stove. Enjoy with pulav or all kind of rotis.

Khatta Meetha Baingan

Ingredients:

• 10 baby eggplants
• 6 curry leaves
• 2 green chillies slit
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp black mustard seeds
• 1 tsp ginger grated
• 1 tsp garlic paste
• 1 tbsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp vinegar
• 2 large tomatoes chopped fine
• 3 tsps tomato ketchup
• Salt to taste
• 2 tbsps vegetable/ canola/ sunflower cooking oil
• Chopped coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

• Trim the stems of the eggplants very slightly and slit them (not all the way) into quarters.
• Heat the oil in a pan and add the curry leaves, mustard and cumin seeds. When they stop spluttering, add the ginger and garlic and fry/sauté for a minute.
• Now add the green chillies and fry/sauté for a minute.
• Add the coriander, turmeric and red chilli powders, vinegar, tomatoes, ketchup and mix well. Fry/sauté for a minute.
• Add the eggplants, salt to taste and cook till soft.
• Turn off fire, garnish with the coriander leaves.
• Serve with hot chapatis (Indian flatbread)or parathas

Poori With Chole

For making Poori's

Ingredients:
2½ cups of whole wheat flour
2 tsp sour cream or home made yogurt
½ water or accordingly
salt as per taste
oil for deep frying
Method

1. In a large vessel mix wheat flour, salt first and then add sour cream and little water knead into a soft dough.
2. Cover and leave it for ½ hour. Make this into smooth round even sized balls. Using a roller pin flatten the balls one by one to make it round and flat of medium thickness.
3. Deep fry this in oil till the poori pops fully and then drain and remove it from the frying pan.
4. Serve hot with Chole or any favorite side dish.
   

For Making Chole:
Ingredients:

2 cups of Chickpeas/Garbanzo beans, soaked in water overnight or for 8-12 hrs
2 red onions, grated
3 green chillies, cut lengthwise and chop
2 tbsp crushed tomato paste or tomato puree
1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp ginger paste
½ tsp of chilli powder
½ tsp of turmeric powder/haldi
1 tsp of chole masala powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
2-inch cinnamon stick
4-5 cloves
few bay leaves
salt as per taste
1 tbsp of oil
Method

1. Pressure cook the soaked chickpeas/garbanzo beans with little salt for about 5-6 whistles or you can use canned ones too.
2. Meanwhile grate the onion and heat oil in a large sauce pan.
3. To this add bay leaves, cinnamon stick and cloves saute till the aroma fills the room.
4. Add the grated onion, chopped chillies, ginger paste, garlic paste and saute for 5 or more mins so that the raw taste of onion is gone.
5. Then add all the powders and fry for a min or so, add crushed tomatoes/puree and salt.
6. Lastly stir in the cooked chickpeas/garbanzo beans, saute till everything is mixed well.
7. Serve hot with pooris.

Dosakai Pachadi

Ingredients:

1 medium size dosakai (melon cucumber)
weighs about 350gms
10 green chillies, cut lenghtwise
(you can reduce as per your spice level)
1 tsp dhaniya (coriander seeds)
1 tsp jeera (cumin seeds)
Handful of toasted peanuts, peeled
3 tbsps of chintakai thokku
1 tbsp of cilantro, chopped
Salt as per taste
1tsp of oil


for tempering/tadka:

1 tsp of mustard seeds
few curry leaves
a pinch of asafeotida
1 tsp of oil
Method:

Peel the dosakai (melon cucumber), deseed and chop into very small and thin pieces or cubes.

1. Heat the oil and add green chillies, saute it till cooked and be sure not to burn them.
2. To this add dhaniya (coriander seeds) and jeera (cumin seeds) and fry for a min, cool and keep aside
3. First grind roasted peanuts and add the chillies, chintakai thokku, cilantro, salt and just grind coarsely so that all ingredients are mixed well.
4. Mix this with dosakai pieces and keep aside.
5. For tempering heat a tsp of oil, add mustard seeds let them splutter, add curry leaves and fry for a few seconds on low heat.
6. Lastly add a pinch of hing/ asaefotida and pour the tempering on the pachadi, mix well and serve with hot rice.

Dosakai Fry

Ingredients:
6 cucumber – peeled,
de-seeded and cubed
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp coriander powder
½ tsp amchoor powder
1 tbsp ghee
1 tsp ginger – chopped
1-2 green chillies – slit lengthwise
1 tsp rock salt
½ tsp sugar
1 tbsp finely chopped
coriander leaves

Method:

• Make a paste of all the spices with some water and set aside.
• Heat ghee in a pan and add the green chillies.
• Sauté for a minute before tossing in the cucumber.
• Add the spice paste, salt and sugar. Cook until the cucumber is soft.
• Remove from heat and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Cabbage Channa Dal

Ingredients

Cabbage 500 gms
Chanadal 100gms
Dry Red Chilli whole 4nos
Mustard seeds 1tsps
Turmeric Powder 1tsp
Garlic & Ginger paste 1tsp
Salt to taste
Oil 2tsps
Coriander powder.

Method:

1. Boil chanadal in 3 cups of water, stain and keep aside.
2. Cut cabbage into small dices.
3. Heat oil add mustard seeds, dry red chilli and then add ginger garlic paste cook for 2 mins.
4. Add cabbage cook until soft. Add turmeric powder, salt & chanadal mix well. Then add coriander powder.
5. Serve hot.

Gutti Vankaya Koora

Ingredients:

Gutti vankayalu - 10-15
cut the brinjals as four parts
but don't cut at the end
Oil - 5 tbsp

Masala Ingredients:

mustard seeds,jeera,
fenugreek - 2 tsp
chanadal, urad dal - 1/4 cup
redchillies ,curryleaves,

peppercorns- 3-4
grated coconut - 3tbsp
cashewnuts ,peanuts - 1/4 cup
coriander seeds - 3 tbsp
oil - 2tbsp
the above in oil .
Cool it and make fine powder.

Method:

Heat oil and fry the stuffed brinjals.Cover and Cook till the brinjal is soft.Now add 1/2 cup of water and cook on a very low flame till gravy is formed.

Add salt .Mix it and turn off the stove.

Beans With Coconut

Ingredients:

2 pounds fresh green beans
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon mustard seed
2 teaspoons coriander seed
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup flaked coconut
dash hot pepper sauce

Method:

Clean green beans, slice into 2-inch pieces and set aside.In large skillet melt butter over medium-high heat. Sautémustard seed, coriander seed, onion and ginger for 1 minute.
Stir in beans and salt. Stir-fry for about 5 minutes, untilbeans are still crisp.Stir in coconut and hot pepper sauce. Cover, lower heat andook for about

10 minutes, until beans are tender.