Eggplant Rice - 2

          I am yet to start cooking after coming here to India, this is again another dish that I had done, before coming here. It is another version of the eggplant rice, you can see a different version of the eggplant rice here, a small change in the spices added to the dish results in an entirely new one. A friend of mine makes this, it has fennel seeds for the flavoring part, you can use both the huge eggplants as well as the smaller varieties..

Need To Have

• Basmati Rice - 1 + 1/2 cup
• Eggplant - 1 huge one chopped
• Onion - 1 big chopped
• Tomatoes - 2 big chopped
• Turmeric Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Red Chilli Powder - 1 + 1/2 teaspoon
• Coriander Powder - 2 teaspoons
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Curry Leaves - 10 to 15 leaves
• Roasted Cashews - 2 tablespoons
• Chopped Coriander Leaves - 1/4 cup

Make  A Powder

• Fennel Seeds - 2 teaspoons
• Cloves - 4
• Cinnamon - 1" piece

Method
         Cook the rice and cool it. Heat some oil, add the mustard seeds, once it starts spluttering, add the onions, saute till transparent, add the powder, mix for a few minutes. Now add the chopped tomatoes, cook for a few mins till it starts to break down, add the turmeric, chilli and coriander powders, mix. Add the eggplant pieces and salt, mix, cover and cook till done, finally add the curry leaves, mix everything well till dry and then cool it. Now mix this with the rice, garnish with the roasted cashews and coriander leaves. Serve with some raitha.

Sending it to Simply.Food for Sara's Cooking With Love - Dad event and
                to Palakkad Chamayal for Anu's SYF & HWS Series - Fennel Seeds event.

Note
Add a little more oil than usual, at the end, it should be a little oily, otherwise when you mix in the rice, it'll be very dry.
You can make the eggplant mix, refrigerate it and use it later, should keep well at least for a week or even more.

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‘ONLY’ Event For June & The Giveaway Cookbook

Hi.
It’s peak summer here and  in a lot of countries summer holidays have just started. Come summer, and everyone wants to enjoy cool drinks, ice-cream, milkshakes, juices and stoned fruits…
Summer welcomes many ‘Stoned Fruits’ like peaches, cherries but the most awaited is the Mango. Mango, as is fondly called the king of fruits, is the theme of this month’s ‘ONLY’ event.
The event is guest hosted by ANU of Anu’s Healthy Kitchen. Do read her blog later today for all the event details and rules.


After the completion of event, from the Indian Entries a winner will be chosen by me by a random method. The winner will get a Tarla Dalal’s cookbook, sponsored by www.tarladalal.com.

This giveaway is only open for the bloggers who are following my blog Publically and not Privately or Discreetly.

Good luck to all..

Those interested in hosting ‘Only’ Series after July’12, leave me a line, in the host line up page. I’ll post the new year’s schedule soon..

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Eggless Banana Muffins

          This month, for eggless baking, Gayathri had chosen Banana Muffins. Though banana muffins are fairly easy to bake, sometimes it is difficult to get the right texture when doing an eggless version. Usually I use flax seeds powder instead of eggs, since I wanted to use a different alternative, this time I used fat free evaporated milk. Also I replaced half of the all purpose flour with whole wheat flour and used cardamom for flavoring, the end result was very satisfying..

Need To Have

• All Purpose Flour - 1/2 cup
• Whole Wheat Flour - 1/2 cup
• Ripe Bananas - 2
• Fat Free Evaporated Milk - 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons
• Brown Sugar - 1/2 cup
• Oil - 1/4 cup
• Cardamom Powder - 2 teaspoons
• Baking Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Baking Soda - 1 teaspoon
• Salt - a small pinch

Method
          Preheat the oven to 350F. Mash the bananas well, can use the blender. Sift together both the flours, baking powder and baking soda. Beat the oil, evaporated milk, sugar, bananas well, add the salt and the cardamom powder. Now, fold in the dry ingredients, pour it into greased muffin pans and bake it for 15 mins. Cool and remove from the pan.
Sending it to Zesty South Indian Kitchen for the Hearth And Soul Blog Hop event,
                to Sumee's Culinary Bites for the Bon Vivant - Fruit Recipes event,
                to Tickling Palates for the Let's Cook With Fruits event,
                to Priya's Now Serving for Vardhini's Bake Fest event,
                to Simply.Food for Sara's Cooking With Love - Dad event and
                                         for Let's Bake Cupcakes And Muffins event.

Note
Do not mix too much after adding the dry ingredients.
I usually have whole cardamoms powdered with a little sugar, if you are using fresh cardamom powder, use 1 to 1+1/2 teaspoon of it, since fresh cardamom will be more flavorful.
I used mini muffin pans, and I got 24 muffins, also if you are using the big muffin pans, the baking time will be a little more.

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Watermelon White’s/ Rind’s Jhunka, Step by Step

Hi!

Today I’m posting a very healthy and tasty recipe which is just perfect for this summer. With the temperatures soaring over 40C, the body dehydrates easily and one fruit that helps prevent that is, Watermelon. After eating the juicy flesh, one is always left with the rind which has an inner soft white part and outer hard green part.

The watermelon rind is normally discarded but I must tell you, it is very rich in minerals and obviously water too, being a part of the fruit.This semi-dry curry makes use of the white part which is just below the red portion, is juicy and fibrous without the sweetness. So, this curry is a good source of adding dietary fiber to your food and the best part is it’s low calorie too. This curry makes good use of a part which otherwise people normally throw. So, it’s a preparation made, best out of waste.

When cooked, the Watermelon white has a taste which closely resembles the cucumber. This particular preparation is quite popular in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra i.e, Nagpur and close by areas. The food in this area is spicy and makes surplus use of oil and chilies. I’ve definitely not used that much oil and that many chilies but have added enough chilies to produce a good flavor as the rind is quite mild. So, unless made a little spicy, the curry does not get the right kick..

The Jhunka is traditionally eaten with Bhakri but I make Jowar rotis very regularly these days. My family loves this preparation especially my MIL was thrilled to see that such a tasty curry can be made using the white. She was so ecstatic after tasting the curry that she told me that she will teach this to all her co-sisters and SIL.

Water Melon Rind’s Jhunka

Preparartion Time:15mins

Cooking Time:10mins

Serves:3

 

Ingredients

1cup water melon white, grated

4tbsp heaped gram flour, besan

2-3tbsp sour curds

5-6 green chilies

1tsp coriander powder

1tbsp coriander stems, chopped

a large pinch, good quality asafetida/heeng

1/2tsp turmeric powder

4-5tsp oil

1tsp mustard seeds

Method

Roast the besan/ gram flour on low flame, till an aroma is produced.

Heat oil and let the mustard splutter.

Add green chilies, heeng/asafetida followed by turmeric.

Add the grated white portion, mix.Sauté.

Add salt to taste. While adding salt, please keep in mind that the rind will lose water and reduce on cooking. Cover and cook till half done.

Add chopped coriander stem and mix.

Add roasted gram flour, mix.

Add the curds and mix.

Add the coriander powder and red chili powder if required. Mix.

Add enough water to get a semi dry consistency, mix and cook covered till done.

Serve hot with rice or roti, I served it with Jowar Roti.

I’m going out on a vacation for a 4days, will come back and acknowledge all entries for ‘Only’ Cooking With Chocolate, those who have not sent their entries, rush your recipes till 31st May.

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Pudina Thogayal (Mint Chutney)

         There are days when you don't feel like eating anything heavy, you crave for something tangy and refreshing, this mint chutney here, is ideal for those days. Also pudina or mint is well known for its many benefits, good source of important minerals like iron, calcium, magnesium and phosphorous and also the vitamin C. Everybody has their own version of this chutney, I also add some ginger to this chutney which nicely compliments the flavor of mint..

Need To Have

• Fresh Mint Leaves - 2 cups
• Dried Red Chillies - 5
• Urad Or Black Gram Dal - 2 tablespoons
• Shallots - 5 chopped
• Chopped Ginger - 1 tablespoon
• Chopped Coriander - 1/4 cup
• Jaggery - 1/2 teaspoon
• Tamarind - small marble size

Method
          Heat a little oil, roast the urad dal and the red chillies, remove and keep. Add a little more oil, add the chopped shallots, saute till it turns transparent, then add the ginger, saute for a minute. Now add the mint leaves, saute till it wilts and the moisture from the leaves evaporates, finally add the coriander leaves, mix and switch off. Cool this and grind it with the roasted chillies, urad dal, jaggery, tamarind and salt. Goes well with plain rice and some sesame oil or ghee. Also tastes great with idlis, dosas and even rotis.

Sending it to Erivum Puliyum for Sangee's Show Me Your "Hits" - Iron Rich Foods event and
                to Simply.Food for Sara's Cooking With Love - Dad event.


Note
Don't grind it to a smooth paste, it should be slightly coarse.
The urad dal that we use in this chutney is without the skin.
Soak the tamarind in little warm water, this way it's easy to grind.

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Hi all!

Hope you all are enjoying your summer holidays. So what all have you been up to? I’m all set to leave for a  family function, this month end and looking forward to the break. The heat and humidity is just killing here and not to mention the nonsensical power cuts, makes you feel so dizzy at times.

The heat has made me so irritable that I’m just not myself these days but that still does not let me skip kitchen. The kitchen is a fuming furnace where each and every pore of your body cries and sheds tears..am I exaggerating too much..but honestly, one sweats so much these days..

I get so tired easily that I can't even remember, when was the last time I felt energetic. My meals are largely one pot meals and heavy breakfast for the kid.  I ensure the breakfast is heavy enough to let him be satisfied for 4-5hrs. One such breakfast that the kid enjoys is the Vermicelli Omelet. It's a very quick to make preparation and moderately easy to try.

One vermicelli omelet and the kid is happy and satisfied for 4-5hrs. It's heavy, it's filling, it's a nutritious and it can be a very flexible recipe based on the veggies and greens one has at home. I've use loads of coriander to add the green color and flavor, plus I've used the regular onion, tomato, capsicum with the regular seasonings. The spice level and seasonings can be changed as per one's choice and palate. My kid loves chilies, so I've added green chilies, chili flakes and pepper but one can adjust the hotness as per one's taste.

The kid gives a me a thumbs up, every time I make this omelet.

The only expertise needed is in cooking the omelet as it's quite a thick one and to ensure even cooking throughout, one needs to gradually scrape the bottom and push the liquid down to cook. Also, some expertise is required in turning this omelet. I've provided some simple tricks in the method  section to work on that..

Vermicelli Omelet

Preparation Time:10mins

Cooking Time:10mins

Serves:1-2

Ingredients

1cup boiled vermicelli (use roasted version)
2eggs
1/4cupchopped coriander
2-3green chilies (finely chopped)
a large pinch crushed black pepper
1/2tsp roasted cumin powder
a pinch of red chili flakes
2-3tbsp capsicum, finely chopped
1/2onion, finely chopped
1/2tomato. finely chopped
1clove garlic, finely chopped
a pinch of mustard powder
salt to taste

Method

Boil the vermicelli as per instructions on the pack. Strain and take it in a bowl.


Add the black pepper, salt to taste, red chili flakes and roasted cumin powder.


Tip in all the chopped veggies and mix with the vermicelli.



Break the eggs and put them in the bowl.



Mix thoroughly.



Heat 3-4tsp oil in a non-stick pan and pour the omelet mix. Keep on a medium flame.



Using a wooden spatula, keep scraping the bottom of the omelet till it’s half cooked. Cover with a lid and cook on low flame till done on one side. Using two spatulas, lift the omelet and turn. Else, remove it on a plate and then slowly slide into the pan. Cook on the other side till golden in color.



Serve hot with toasted bread or just eat it...

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