Gulla Bhajji ( Smoked Eggplant dip)

This is my favourite!! Infact I was called guula by my siblings during our childhood days. We would keep names to each other, my favourite was eggplant hence they named me guula just because they hated the look of it. Even now when I go home I ask my ma to make it. Thankfully my daughter also loves it, so I have a company now. This dish is really easy to make. All those eggplant lovers give it a try and you will never repent!!! This dip is specially for the "Chutney/dip Mania Event" by Ramya's Mane Adige.

Ingredients:
Green brinjal/ mattigulla or purple brinjal - 1 big
green chillies - 1-2
salt to taste
asafoetida/hing water - 1 tsp if powder use ½ tsp
tamarind - marble size or tamarind paste - 1 tsp
coconut oil - ½ + 1 tsp

Method:
There are two ways of cooking Brinjals.

1.Wash the brinjlal and wipe it dry. Keep the stem intact. Prick all over with a fork. Smear the brinjal with coconut oil and keep over direct flame till it turns brown first turn over and brown all the sides then wait till it turns black allover(almost burnt). This gives a smoky effect to the brinjals. (as we do for bhartha).
2. Wash and cut the brinjals into big cubes. Add water just enough to cook the brinjals. Cook till done.
Set aside to cool the smoked or cooked brinjals. Then peel off the skin and take the inner pulp in a bowl. Add chopped green chillies. salt and hing water/powder, tamarind and mash well with a potato masher. OR just blend all the ingredients except brinjals and coconut oil to coarse paste. Add this paste to brinjal pulp and mix well. Add coconut oil and mix well. gulla bhajji is ready to be served with rice or can be eaten just like that.

Variation:
1tbsp coconut can be added while blending or mashing to thicker consistency.
Asafoetida can be replaced by chopped onions and coriander leaves(do not blend).

Palak Chutney

During Pregnancy or even otherwise one is advised to eat a lot of green leafy vegetables to keep ourselves healthy and fit. Spinach is one such easily available green leafy veggie containing amino acids, iron, vitamin C and folic acid. But always make it a point to add lemon juice to the spinach dish since vitamin C content in the lemon juice helps the body to absorb the entire iron content from spinach.

As the richest source of folic acid, spinach is a very valuable food during pregnancy and lactation. Megaloblastic anaemia of pregnancy occurs because the mother is deficient in folic acid. This deficiency of folic acid occurs as this substance is required for the developing foetus. Regular use of spinach during pregnancy will help prevent the deficiency of folic acid. It will also prevent threatened abortion and accidental haemorrhage, deficient absorption of food by small intestine associated with lassitude i.e. tiredness, shorness of breath, loss of weight and diarrhoea. Spinach is also good source of nutrition for nursing or lactating mothers and improves the quality of their milk.

This recipe is simple and delicious!!! I am not praising it just like that. When you have things handy this dish will hardly take any time. Whenever i buy spinach i always buy 2 bunches if they are fresh and crisp. I clean the leaves rinse and chop them. Heat a knob of butter or any oil and add these chopped leaves and cook till leaves shrink. let them cool. blend them to a smooth puree in a blender and use. This puree stays well in a freezer for a month. Just defrost and use. Normally I prepare Palak pulao palak paneer, palak puris.
Since sakshi is at home on winter vacation my schedule has been disturbed. Hence just cook whatever comes handy!! This puree had been loitering around in my freezer since a week and i did't want to go for an elaborate lunch nor any fast food this was the only healthy alternative i could think off. Hence came up with this dish, hoping to be liked by everybody..

Ingredients:
Palak puree - 1/2 cup
Onions - 1 medium
Tomato - 1 big
oil - 2tsp
mustard - 1 tsp
curry leaves - 5 leaves
red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
water - 1 cup
salt to taste

Method:
Peel onions and slice them thinly.
Wash tomatoes and cut them to thin slices.
Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and let them crackle now add curry leaves and saute. Add sliced onions, saute till pink in colour now add chilli powder and tomatoes saute for a while say 2 min on medium flame. now add palak puree and saute for another minute. Add salt and a cup of water cover with a lid and cook on low flame till the tomatoes are mashed and the gravy is semi dry. this will take around 8 to 10 minutes. Serve hot with chapathis

Tomato Chutney

This chutney goes well with all kinds of dosas, but the best with Mushti Dosa.

Ingredients:
For Frying :

Oil - 1 tsp
cinnamon - 1" long
clove - 2

Aniseed/saunf - 1/2 tsp
whole red chilli - 4
Onion - 1, chopped

garlic - 2 cloves, peeled and chopped
ginger - 1/2" scraped and chopped

Tomato - 1 big, chopped
salt to taste

Seasoning:

oil - 1 tsp

mustard seeds - 1 tsp

curry leaves - 4 leaves

coconut - 2 tbsp

roasted chana dal- 1 tbsp (huri kadle/kadle pappu)

Method:

Heat oil in a pan, add clove, cinnamon, saunf, red chilli and fry for a minute, now add chopped onions, garlic and ginger and fry till brown. Add tomatoes and cook till nice and soft. let it cool.

Grind to a smooth paste along with coconut, roasted chana dal and salt. For seasoning, heat oil add mustard seeds, let it splutter add curry leaves. Pour this seasoning to the tomato mix. Tomato chutney is now ready.