Butter Naan and methi matar malai (Flat bread with green peas & fenugreek in white sauce)

This is one of our favourite veggie combination when it comes to naan. This is a low fat version of the methi matar malai and it tastes really superb. Methi matar recipe was given by a friend of mine who is good in cooking north Indian dishes. Naan recipe was given by my pachi (ma's youngest sis)
This delectable combination goes for the Event Made for Each Other hosted by Asvadha.

Butter Naan:

Ingredients:
Maida - 3 cups
Milk - 2 tbsp
yogurt - 2 tbsp
oil - 2 tbsp
honey - 1 tbsp
yeast - 2 tsp
sugar - 1 tsp
salt to taste

Method:
In a small cup take ¼ cup lukewarm water and dissolve sugar and yeast. Set aside for 15 minutes till frothy.
In a wide bowl, take maida, oil and salt and mix well to get something like bread crumbs. Now add milk, yogurt, honey and knead to a soft dough. If necessary add only milk and not yogurt. Knead well for 5 minutes. Keep covered in a warm place for 2 hrs. The dough doubles in volume. Knock and punch and knead well again. Make big round balls and keep aside. Dust the ball with flour and roll out into oval shape. Heat a tawa. Meanwhile smear your hand with water, place the naan on the wet hand and place the wet part of the naan on the tawa to fry first. This gives a burnt spots on naan giving the tandoor effect. Smear butter on naan and cook on the other side till the naan puffs up. Serve hot with side dish of your choice!!!

Methi Matar Malai (green peas and fenugreek leaves in white sauce)

Ingredients:
Methi leaves - 1 cup, chopped
fresh/frozen green peas - 1 cup
onion - 1 chopped
oil - 2 tbsp
jeera - ½ tsp
tomatoes - 2 large
low fat milk - 1 cup
sugar - ½ tsp
salt to taste
garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Masala Paste:
onion - 1
green chillies - 4
ginger - 1" piece
garlic - 3 cloves
cashew - 2 tbsp, chopped
poppy seeds - 2 tsp

Method:
Soak cashew and poppy seeds in ¼ cup warm water and leave aside for 15 minutes.
Blend these soaked ingredients with onion, green chillies, ginger, garlic to smooth paste.
Wash methi leaves, add ½ tsp of salt leave aside for 15 minutes and then sqeeze out of water.
Blanch tomatoes in hot water for 10 minutes. Remove the skin and blend to a smooth puree.
Heat a tbsp oil, add jeera and fry till it crackes, add the methi leaves and cook for 5 minutes. Remove and keep aside.
Heat another tbsp of oil in a kadai add chopped onions and fry till golden brown. Add the masala paste and fry well till the raw aroma disappears. Now add the pureed tomatoes, garam masala and fry. Add green peas, fried methi leaves, milk, sugar, salt and ¼ cup water. Cook covered till thick and saucy. Serve hot.

Aloo Methi Bhaji (Fenugreek-Potato stir fry)

Fenugreek/methi leaves are enriched with Potassium, Calcium, Iron, Vitamin C and has good dietery fiber. Though these leaves are bitter in taste it has always been our favourite!!! Whenever I find it in the market...I buy it immediately. This time I got a huge bunch of it. Hence you guys can look forward for herbal posts...;))for few more days. This is a simple dish my ma makes and goes well with rice as well as chapathi.

Ingredients:
Potatoes - 2 medium, peeled and diced
fenugreek(methi) leaves - ¼ bunch, approx- 1½ cups washed and chopped
onion - 1 finely chopped
green chillies - 1 , slit
cumin seeds - ½ tsp
turmeric powder - ½ tsp
red chilli powder - ¾ tsp
salt to taste
oil - 1 tsp

Method:
Cook potatoes in a pressure cooker till done or microwave for 7 minutes HIGH.
Thoroughly wash methi leaves and chop them fine. Place them in salted water for 5 minutes. Rinse and use.
Peel and chop onions and slit green chillies.
Heat a kadai add oil, splutter cumin seeds and then add onions. Saute till brown.
Now add methi(fenugreek) leaves and saute on medium flame till methi leaves are wilted and rawness is gone.
Now add red chilli powder. turmeric powder and salt. Mix well. Add cooked potatoes, mix and cover with a lid. Cook on low flame for 5 to 10 minutes stirring in between. Aloo methi bhaji is ready to eat.

Aloo Methi Bhaji is off to the Event Weekend Herb Blogging at Daily Tiffin and also to Haalo's site at Cook (almost) anything at Least Once.

Onion Kulcha and Mushroom Masala

Dinner is always simple no rice affair at our home. Its either chapathi with subzi or stuffed parathas or dosas but no rice. Yesterday I saw this recipe for Onion Kulcha on Active cooking which seemed to simple enough to be tried. Mushroom Masala is my daughter's favourite. I have tried many recipes and this particular recipe is inspired from Spicy Tasty which I found while browsing through google. I havn't made many changes except for a few. And yes it tastes like the one made at restaurants.


Onion Kulcha

Ingredients:
Whole Wheat flour or Atta - 1 cup
onion - 1 medium
green chillies - 1
coriander leaves - 3 sprigs
mint leaves - 6 leaves
carom seeds/ajwain - 1 tsp
red chilli powder - ½tsp (optional)
pomegranate seeds - 1 tsp, coarsely ground
salt to taste

Method:
Prepare a stiff dough with flour and water. Allow to rest for an hour. Divide the dough into 4 equal parts and make round balls.
Peel and chop onions finely. Wash and chop green chillies, coriander leaves, mint leaves finely
Prepare stuffing using chopped onions, green chillies, coriander and mint leaves. Add salt, red chilli powder, crushed carom and pomegranate seeds.
Take a dough ball and flatten each with a rolling pin into a round disc. Place a portion of the filling in the middle of the disc, fold in the filling and pinch off the excess dough to seal the edges. Then flatten again with a rolling pin into a large disc.

Place each kulcha on a plate and put it in a microwave to grill each side for 5 minutes or till brown spots appear on the kulcha. One can also tawa fry as for chapathis. Dab with a dash of butter for kids and serve hot with Mushroom Masala.


Mushroom Masala

Ingredients:
Mushrooms - 1 packet around 8 big sized
Onions - 4 medium
garlic - 6 cloves
ginger - 1" piece
cashewnuts - 10-12
cardamom - 2
cinnamon- 2
Bay leaves - 2
Red chilli powder - 2tsp
garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Hung yogurt - ½ cup
Tomatoes - 2 medium
coriander leaves - handfull
butter/oil - 2 tbsp + 1 tsp




Method:
Hang yogurt in a muslin cloth for 15 minutes to drain off the excess water.
Blanch tomatoes in hot water for 5 minutes. Peel off the skin and puree to a smooth paste.
Peel and chop onions, garlic and ginger roughly into small pieces.
Boil a cup of water and add the chopped onions, ginger, garlic and cashews. When onions becomes soft enough. Put off the gas and let aside to cool.
Meanwhile heat a pan and dry roast cinnamon and cardomom seeds on a low flame. Powder them into a fine powder using mortar and pestle.
Wash mushrooms thoroughly in running water. Pat dry the mushrooms. Slice Mushrooms into thin slices. Heat a tsp of butter in the pan and saute mushrooms till nice and brown.
Blend the boiled mixture to a smooth paste.
Now in the same pan, heat butter/oil add cinnamon-cardamom powder and bay leaves. Saute for a while and add the smooth paste. Fry on medium flame till the oil comes to the sides of the pan.
Now add red chilli powder, garam masala, salt.
Add hung yogurt and mix thouroghly. Now add tomato puree and cook for another 8 minutes till the gravy is nice and red. Now add stir fried mushrooms and mix well. Simmer for another 5 minutes.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Onion Kulchas and Mushroom Masala is off to the Event Healthy Family Dinners at What's for Lunch Honey? and Monthly Mingle Page

Chana Sukke (Brown Chickpea masala)

This is a typical Konkani dish usually prepared during festivals and marriages. This humble dish goes well with any kind of saaru/daals. I made this specially for the event CHICKPEAS.

Ingredients:
Dry brown chickpeas - 1 cup
suran/yellow cucumber or magge - a small piece
Frozen/fresh grated coconut - 1 cup
dry red chillies - 8
urad daal - 2 tsps
coriander seeds -3 tsps
tamarind - marble sized
oil - 1 tbsp
mustard seeds - 1 tsp
curry leaves - 1 sprig
salt to taste

Method:
Soak chickpeas overnight. Pressure cook till done and keep aside.
Chop suran or yellow cucumber into cubes and cook separately till done. Mix the chickpeas and suran and keep aside.
Roast dry red chillies till crisp separately. Now roast urad daal and coriander seeds in ½ tsp oil till brown.
Blend dry red chillies, grated coconut and tamarind to a smooth paste. Finally add roasted seeds and blend further for 30 secs.
Add the blended masala, salt to the chickpea-suran mixture and get to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes. Heat oil in a small pan/panna kayli add mustard and curry leaves. Pour this seasoning over the chana.
Serve hot with rice and daali.

This dish is off to the Event JFI Chickpeas at Sometime foodie

Masala Bhindi

This is the dish i found from Jaya V. Shenoy's "Oota Upahaara" when i was eagerly looking for No onion-garlic recipes and I must say it is one of the healthiest and easiest dishes I have ever come across.

Ingredients:
lady's finger/okra/bhindis - ½ a kilo
lemon - 1
Besan/gram flour - 1 cup
coriander powder - 1 tsp
jeera powder - 1 tsp
hing powder/gum - 1 pinch
salt to taste
red chilli powder - 1½ tsp
oil - 1 tbsp

Method:
Wash and pat dry the bhindis. Trim off the ends. Slit the bhindis vertically almost to the end (but keep the end intact).

Sprinkle salt all over the bhindis and leave aside for 10 minutes. Meanwhile sieve besan and add red chilli powder, coriander powder, jeera powder and hing powder/gum(dissolved in water).
Mix well.

Sprinkle this mix over the bhindis till well coated. Sqeeze out the juice of lemon onto the bhindis.
Heat a non stick pan add oil, and arrange the spice coated bhindis in a single layer. Cover and cook on medium flame stirring in between. Cook till the bhindis turn out crisp and nice.
Serve hot as a starter or with steamed rice.

Batata Vaagu (Potatoes in spicy masala)

This dish falls into the category of Konkani cuisine/Amgele Randapa which is usually prepared and served at "Tera javana/Pejje javana" in temples during Car Festivals for five days. This course of meal is served in the mornings. Paaj is Rice gruel/kanji/ganji served with delicious side dishes. One among them is batata vaagu. Batata is potatoes and vaagu literally means Tiger probably bcoz of the redness and hotness of the dish. This hot dish goes very well with the bland rice gruel or with steamed rice and daalithoy. Batata vaagu is similar to Batata saung in many ways but only that this is a No onion-garlic dish

Ingredients:
Potatoes - 2
Tomatoes - 1
Dry red chillies - 5-7( I used 5)
coriander seeds - 1 tsp
fresh/frozen grated coconut - 1 tsp
mustard seeds - 1 tsp
curry leaves - 1 sprig
salt to taste
coconut oil - 1tsp + ½tsp

Method:
Wash, peel and boil potatoes in a Microwave oven for 8 minutes HIGH. OR
Pressure cook whole potatoes till done and peel them.
Chop the boiled potatoes into small cubes.
Heat ½ a tsp of oil and fry red chillies and coriander seeds till light brown. Take care not to burn the seeds.
Now blend the fried red chillies and coriander seeds along with grated coconut and tomatoes to a smooth paste. Heat another tsp of oil in a pan and add mustard seeds let them splutter. Add curry leaves saute and add the spicy masala. Saute this masala over medium flame till rawness disappears and the gravy is bright red in colour. Now add salt, ½ a cup of water and chopped potatoes. Cover and cook on medium flame for around 8 minutes. The gravy thickens. Cook till the dish is semi-dry.

Serve hot with rice or chapathi.

Note: I have made a slight variation in the making of this dish. Traditional recipe calls for blending only fried ingredients with coconut. Chopped tomatoes are normally added to the pan after seasoning with mustard and curry leaves and cooked along with the ground paste. I wanted it to finish up fast and hence a shortcut. Its tastes all well anyway!!!!

Coriander Kadi

I made this kadhi for lunch today and believe me when i say I got it from one of the cookery shows (Kannada channel - Suvarna) today morning at 9am. It was an instant try. These days we are on saatvik diet (pure veg - no onion-garlic) and this dish came as a blessing in disguise. One of the easiest gravies best served with white/brown rice. I also made cabbage upkari and cauliflower/capsicum bhajo(bhajia) to meet up with the new dish I introduced to my family. Both my hubby and kiddo loved it. A real comfort food one can really yearn for!!!!

Ingredients: Serves 3
fresh/frozen grated coconut - 1/2 cup
coriander leaves - half a bunch
green chillies - 1
cumin/jeera seeds - 1/2 tsp
Yogurt/buttermilk - 1 cup
salt to taste

Seasoning
coconut oil or any oil - 1 tsp
mustard seeds - 1 tsp
dry red chillies - 2 long
curry leaves - 1 sprig

Method:
Pick and wash coriander leaves and chop them roughly. Wash and chop green chillies roughly.

Grind grated coconut, chopped coriander leaves and green chillies, jeera seeds to a fine paste in a blender. Transfer the ground paste into the pan/pot/vessel. Add ¼cup water and salt and get to a boil. Now put off the flame.

Beat the yogurt till creamy or just use buttermilk. Add this to the boiled mixture and put on the flame and cook on low heat till u get a first boil. DO not boil for a long time as the yogurt will curdle.

For seasoning, heat oil in a small pan, add mustard seeds and let it splutter. Then add dry red chillies and curry leaves fry for 3 seconds and pour the seasoning into the kadhi. Serve it warm with rice.

cabbage and green peas curry

This is a semi-dry side dish which goes well with rice as well as chapathi. All the ingredients are stir fried in very little oil and hence an healthy dish made in a very less time.

Ingredients:
Green Cabbage - 1 cup
fresh or frozen green peas - 1 cup
tomato - 1 medium
turmeric powder(haldi) - ¼tsp
green chillies - 1-2
garam masala - ½ tsp
cumin seeds - 1 tsp
oil - 2 tsp
mustard seeds - 1 tsp
curry leaves - 7-8
coriander leaves - few strands

Method:
Wash and shred cabbage finely.
Defrost green peas (if using fresh wash and use MW directly) and Microwave HIGH for 1 minute.
wash and chop tomato into fine pieces.

Heat oil over medium heat. Add cumin seeds, mustard seeds and curry leaves. Let them splutter. Add cabbage, green chillies and turmeric , mix well. Cover, simmer and cook for 5 minutes till half done. Then add peas, tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes till crisp and tender. Finally add garam masala and salt. Garnish with coriander leaves.

This dish and Surnali goes to the event FIC- JANUARY- YELLOW by Sunshinemom at Tongue Ticklers

Batate saung ( Potatoes in red gravy)

Potato saung and daali thoy is my hubby's all time favourite. RK doesn't mind eating this everyday and hence this is our favourite now though i don't prepare this everyday...i make it a point to make it atleast once in 15 days.

Ingredients:
potatoes - 2 medium sized
Onions - 2 medium
red chilli powder - 1½ tsp
tamarind pulp - 2tsp
salt to taste
coconut oil or any oil of your choice - 1 tbsp

Method:
Pressure cook potatoes, peel the skin and chop into cubes. OR peel and chop potatoes into cubes and place them in a Microwave-safe dish and add just enough water and microwave for 8 minutes more/less depending on the power of your microwave oven.

Peel and chop the onions to square pieces.

Heat oil in a kadai add chopped onions and saute till light brown. Now add red chilli powder fry for a minute. Soak tamarind in warm water for 10 minutes and sqeeze out the juice or use ready-made tamarind pulp.( i used home made tamarind pulp). Add this pulp to the kadai. mix well. Now add cooked potato cubes and saute for a minute. Add salt and 1/4 cup water. Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes on medium flame or till semi dry. Serve hot with rice and daali thoy

Vegetable Cutlets

Tasty and healthy altenative for the hunger pangs on a lazy weekend. I prepare these yummy cutlets in advance and freeze them. Just defrost them for 30 secs in microwave oven and shallow fry whenever you feel like eating these yummies!!! These cutlets are a boon in disguise when guests drop in.

Ingredients: makes 10-12 cutlets
onions - 1 big
ginger - 1" piece
garlic - 4 cloves
green chillies - 3
beetroot - 1 big
carrot - 1
frozen or fresh peas - 1/2 cup
potatoes - 2 medium
oil - 1 tbsp + 1 tbsp
salt to taste
garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Bread crumbs - 1/2 cup

Method:
Peel and chop onions finely. Peel and mince ginger and garlic finely. Wash and chop green chillies finely. Easier step dump these onions, ginger, garlic and green chillies in a food processor and mince.
Wash, peel and grate beetroots and carrots.
Thaw frozen peas, add half a cup of water and cook on Microwave HIGH for 1 minute.
Wash and pressure cook potatoes or cook in microwave till done. Peel the skin and mash them.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wide pan, add the minced onions, garlic, ginger and green chillies. Saute on medium flame till brown. Add salt to taste, grated beets and carrots mix well. Add cooked peas and mix well. Now add garam masala powder, mix well and put off the flame. Let aside to cool.
Now add boiled and mashed potatoes and knead well to smooth. Check for the seasoning, add salt if desired at this stage.

Shape out the mixture into round or oval flat patties. Place the bread crumbs in a wide plate. Roll the patties over the bread crumbs till fully coated. Now heat oil in a tawa and arrange the cutlets. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Uncover and cook on the other side till nice and brown. Serve hot with mint chutney or tomato ketchup.

Ivy gourd and raw cashew stir fry (tendli bibbe upkari)

This is another traditional side dish which goes very well with daali. tendli is ivy gourd and bibbo is raw cashews. This is no onion, no garlic dish hence highly used during festivals and vraths. In temples during samaradhanes. These cashews hold a special place in konkani cuisine. These fresh cashews are bought during season and used or dried along with the skin for seven days in a muslin cloth and then stored for use in future. I get it from my amma ready to use. I store it in a freezer and remains fresh for more than 6 months. I soak these cashews overnite, peel and use it for my dishes.

Ingredients:
ivy gourd/tendli - 10-15 tendlis
raw cashews/bibbo - 1/2 cup
potato - 1 small piece (optional)
coconut oil - 1 tbsp
mustard seeds - 2 tsp
whole red chillies - 3
asafoetida/hing - 1 pinch
coconut - 2 tbsp grated.

Method:
If using fresh cashews, peel them and place in water till use. If using dried cashews then soak them for an hour and peel them and use.
Cut the tendli vertically into two and then slice them into 2 or 4 pieces according to the size of the tendli. keep aside. Peel and chop the potato into small cubes. Potatoes are optional but it gives a mushy taste to the dish. This dish is best when cashews, tendli and just done not overcooked. So i prefer making this dish in a small pressure cooker (2 or 3 litre) or cooker pan.
Heat the pressure cooker/pan add coconut oil, when hot enough add mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds splutter break red chillies into the pan and saute. Now add the tendli, cashews and potatoes give a quick stir and add hing powder/water, salt and mix well. Add 1/4 cup of water, close the lid of the cooker and cook for just 1 whistle and let cool. Open the lid, add grated coconut and cook on medium flame till all the moisture is absorbed and upkari is dried up. The dish is ready to be served.

Bitter gourd stir fry (karathe talasani)

This humble vegetable has always been disliked by many inspite of its good medicinal properties like stimulating digestion to treating diabetes. But it is our favourite veggie and this particular dish is prepared every fortnight. Try this recipe and change your attitude towards this green veggie.

Ingredients:
bitter gourd - 2 medium sized
onions -2 medium
mustard seeds - 1 tsp
green chillies - 2 slit
jaggery - 1 tbsp, grated
tamarind pulp - 2 tbsp
salt to taste
oil - 2 tsp

Method:
Halve the bitter gourd vertically, remove the seeds. Now slice horizontally into thin slices. Add salt leave aside for 10 minutes.
soak tamarind in warm water for 10 minutes and sqeeze out the juice or use ready-made tamarind pulp.( i used home made tamarind pulp)
Slice the onions, slit green chillies and keep ready.
Heat a non stick pan and add oil, pop up the mustard seeds, then add sliced onions and green chillies, saute for 3 minutes. Add sliced bitter gourd to the pan and stir fry for a minute. ( sqeeze out the bitter gourd while adding to the pan - this does not give a bitter taste to the dish but we like it bitter;))). Add tamarind pulp, cover the pan and cook on low flame till the bitter gourd is fried well and cooked say about 7 minutes. Do not add water at all. Now and jaggery, mix well. and cook further for 5 minutes. Put off the flame and serve hot with rice and daali.

potato and dill bhaji

Staying in gulf, the only source of entertainment is either get-togethers or shopping malls which my daughter has started hating now. So we try to meet up every week over 1 dish party or simply get together and get food from out. It was then, my north Indian friend had made this dish, First of all it goes well with chapathi as well as rice and best part is that this dish is really easy to make. She was all in praises and i make it quite often when i am damn lazy!!!

Ingredients
Potato - 2 medium size
dill leaves - 1 bunch (sabsige soppu)
methi seeds - 1/2 tsp
chilli powder - 1 tsp
oil - 2 tsp
salt to taste

Wash and peel potatoes. Cut into thin square pieces. keep the pieces in water to avoid discolouring.
Heat oil in a non stick pan. Add methi seeds and fry till light brown now add potato pieces and give a stir. cover with a lid and cook on low flame stirring in between till the potatoes are cooked and then let it brown if u like the crisp taste of the potatoes. This will take around 10 minutes.
Meanwhile wash dill leaves in water 3 times or till the water comes clear, chop finely and keep aside.
To the cooked potatoes add chilli powder, salt. Mix well. now add dill leaves mix well and cover with a lid. and another 5 min the dish is ready to eat.

Soya Mushroom pepper masala

This recipe is adapted from KF, Secret of Taste with a change. I have added soya granules which gives a different taste to this dish. It goes very well with chapathis.

Ingredients:

button mushrooms - 10 medium sized
Soya granules - 1/4 cup
onions - 1, sliced
ginger-garlic paste - 1 tbsp
green chilli -1
coriander powder - 1 tsp
turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
black pepper powder - 1- 2 tsp
Tomato - 1 chopped
salt to taste
oil - 2tsp

Method
Clean and wipe the mushrooms dry with a paper towel. slice the mushrooms.

Soak soya granules in hot water for 15 minutes. Sqeeze out the granules and keep aside.
Slice onions and chop tomatoes finely.

Heat oil in a pan, add sliced onions and fry till transparent and pinkish in colour. Now add ginger-garlic paste and fry till dark brown. This gives that peppery look to the dish.

Now add all the powders - turmeric. coriander and pepper and saute for a minute.
Add chopped tomatoes, salt and cook on low flame preferably covered with a lid for quick cooking.

When the tomotoes are nice and soft add sliced mushrooms and soya granules. Mix well, adjust the seasoning as per your taste. cover and cook for another 5 minutes or till the mushrooms are done.

Babycorn Chilli

I have made this dish many a times and always liked by everybody, be it family members or party guests. This dish has to be served hot right out of the stove, charm in eating these babycorns is heavenly!!!

Ingredients:
Baby corns-250gms (10 pieces)

capsicum - 1, deseeded and cut into square pieces

onion - 2, cut into square pieces

garlic - 3 cloves, finely chopped
ginger-garlic paste - 1 tbsp

red chilli powder - 2 tsp
cornflour - 2 tbsp

tomato sauce - 2 tbsp

soya sauce -1tsp
vinegar - 1tsp

salt to taste
oil -for deep frying + 1tbsp
coriander leaves - one handfull, chopped

Method:
Wash and slice babycorns into bite size pieces. Marinate babycorn with cornflour, ginger-garlic paste, 1tsp red chilli powder and salt. keep aside.
Chop the onions and capsicum to square pieces. Finely chop garlic and keep aside.
In a small bowl, mix soya sauce, tomato sauce and vinegar.

Keep the salt and remaining chilli powder ready on the counter.

These steps can be done well in advance.
When just about 10 minutes to serve, heat oil in a kadai for deep frying on one burner and heat a tbsp of oil in a wide pan on the other. when just about hot add chopped garlic and saute for a min or so. Add onions and capsicum and stir fry over a high flame for a minute.
Meanwhile deep fry the marinated babycorn till golden brown and drain on a paper towel.
Come back to the pan, after stir frying for a minute or so add the remaining chilli powder, salt, sauce-vinegar mix and give a quick stir. Now add the deep fried babycorns and cook for 2-3 min. Arrange the babycorn chilli in a serving dish and garnish with coriander leaves.

Channa Baingan (chickpeas n brinjal curry)

This dish goes well with chapathi/rice. Simple and easy to make if u have cooked chickpeas ready. I usually pressure cook 11/2 cups of chickpeas at a time and divide them into batches: one half goes into hummus-arabic salad, other half into the chana salad and other half to the curry.

Chickpeas are low in fat and high in dietery fibre packed with carbohydrates and protiens.

Ingredients:

Chickpeas - 1/2 cup

Voilet brinjals - 2 medium

Onions - 2

Garlic - 6 flakes

Tomato puree - 1/2 cup

Sambar powder - 1-1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Olive oil - 2tsp

Coriander leaves - 2tbsp, chopped

Soak chickpeas overnight. Pressure cook the chickpeas till soft. If you do not have time for the overnight process then soak chickpeas in hot boiling water for an hour and then pressure cook for 15 min. If using canned chickpeas use it as it is.

Slice Brinjal lenghtwise and keep in salted water to prevent discolouration.

Slice onion lenghtwise.

Peel and chop garlic finely.

Tomato puree: cook 1 big whole tomato in water for 4 minutes. once cool enough to handle peel off the skin and mash the pulp.

Heat olive oil in a pan add finely chopped garlic followed by onions.

when it turns golden brown, add sliced brinjals and fry on medium flame till soft.

Now add tomato puree, chickpeas(strain water and add chana alone). Saute.

Add salt and sambar powder. Mix well add 1/4 cup water cook on low flame till semi dry if serving with roti or fully dry if serving with rice.

Garnish with dhaniya and serve hot