Baghara Baingan

Ingredients:
1/2 kg brinjal
3/4 tbsp cumin seeds
4 tbsp coconut powder
1/4 tbsp jeera
3 tbsp ground peanuts
5 tsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp jeera powder
2 tbsp dhaniya powder
1/4 tbsp turmeric powder
2-3 green chilies, slit
small bunch of coriander leaves
1 ½ tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 tbsp red chilly powder
1/2 tbsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
lemon sized tamarind soaked in 1 cup water for 20 minutes and made into a pulp
4-5 tbsp oil

Method:
Grind coconut, groundnut, sesame, jeera and dhaniya into a paste. Mix red chilly powder, turmeric powder and ginger garlic paste with mixture and add salt to your taste. Set aside. Wash the brinjals and quarter each. Soak them in salted water and set aside. In a kadai, heat the oil and add jeera. When it sputters, add the paste and cook for 5 min or when the oil starts leaving the sides. Add a little water and the brinjals. Cook till brinjal pieces turn tender. Add tamarind pulp and keep stirring gently. Leave on slow fire for another 3-4 min. Garnish with coriander.

Easy to make Vegetable Koorma

Ingredients:
3 medium size potatoes
1 cup peas
3 carrots
2 drumsticks
2 tomatoes
few beans
fresh grated coconut
green chillies
poppy seeds
salt to taste
Curd
1 tsp garam masala
1 small bunch of green coriander

Method:
Cut the vegetables into small pieces. In a thick pan bring 1/2 cup of water to boil and add the vegetables to it and let it cook well. Grind to paste coconut, green chilies, poppy seeds and salt and add to the cooked vegetables. Add tomatoes, curd and 1 tsp garam masala and allow it to cook for another few minutes and turn down the flame. Garnish with coriander and serve hot. This absolutely oil free and tasty dish goes very well with roti.

Beans Podi Curry

Ingredients:
Thuvar dhal 1/4 cup
Channa dhal 1/4 cup
Jeera 2 tbsp.
Urad dhal 1 tbsp.
Red chillies 4
Asafoetida(Hing) a small pinch
Mustard seeds 1/4 tbsp.
Curry leaves a few
Salt to taste
Cooking Oil 5 tbsp.
Beans - chopped 2 cups

Method:
Dry grind thuvar dhal, channa dhal, jeera,urad dhal and red chillies coarsely.Bring 1/2 cup of water to a boil, add salt, and mix the dhal mixture with this water. Cook this either in a pressure cooker or a microwave oven. Cook the chopped beans separately. Heat some oil in a pan, splutter mustard, then little bit of jeera,1/2 tbsp. urad dhal, hing, and curry leaves in oil, and add the dhal mixture to this. Keep stirring until the dhal becomes slightly dry. Now add the cooked vegetable, and keep stirring until everything mixes well.

Besan Ladoo

Ingredients:
Besan - 4 cups (a bit thicker than ordinary)
Sugar - 2 cups (powdered)
Almonds (Badam) - 20-25 nos. (chopped)
Ghee - 1 cup
Cardamom pwd. - 1 tsp.

Method:
1. Heat the ghee in a pan.
2. Add besan part by part and mix it well. Keep on low flame. Keep stirring to avoid burning.
3. When the aroma comes, remove from heat and cool.
4. Add the powdered sugar to it and mix well.
5. Add the almonds and shape the mixture into balls.

Spinach Vada

Ingredients:
Moong dal - 2 cups
Channa dal - 1 cup
Rice - 1/2 cup
Spinach - 1 bunch
Ginger - a small piece
Green Chilles 3-4
Hing a small pinch
Salt 1 tbsp.
Cooking Oil for frying

Method:
Soak rice and dals for 1 hour in water. Grind ginger, green chilles, hing, salt and the soaked dhal coarsely. Add finely chopped spinach and make small balls.Deep fry in oil. Serve hot with sauce or chutney.

Rasmalai

Ingredients:
Milk - 1 1/2 litre
White Vinegar - 3 tbsp.
Sugar - 3 cups
Flour (Maida) 2 tbsp.
Crushed Green Cardamoms - 1 tsp.
Pista - 10-12 nos.

Method:
1. Boil milk and cool it.
2. Add vinegar to the milk, slowly little by little and keep stirring.
3. Filter the mixture using a thin cloth and squeeze out the water.
4. Place the cheese (paneer) on a board and while still hot, knead it till no granules are left.
5. Repeat the process after adding the flour to it.
6. Make small balls from the mixture and flatten it.
7. Make thin sugar syrup. In a small bowl mix little flour with water and add this to the boiling sugar syrup.
8. Add crushed cardamoms to the syrup.
9. Add the rasmalais to the sugar syrup. Garnish with grated pistas.

Dal Payasam

Ingredients:
Moong Dal (lentil) - 1 cup
Coconut - 1/2
Jaggery - 2 cups (grated)
Cardamom powder - 1 tsp.
Cashewnuts - 1/4 cup
Raisins - 1/4 cup
Ghee

Method:
1. Wash and drain the dal. Fry it in hot ghee for 2-3 mins. Keeo aside.
2. Fry the cashews and raisins in ghee and keep aside.
3. Cut 5-6 coconut rings and chop it further to small pieces. Fry it in ghee and keep aside.
4. Grate the remaining coconut and grind it with 1 cup hot water.
5. Drain and reserve the coconut milk. This will be thicker.
5. Again add 1 cup hot water to the ground and drained coconut and grind.
6. Squeeze the milk out and reserve in a separate bowl from the previous.
7. Add this second milk to the fried dal and pressure cook it.
8. In the meantime, boil 1- 1/2 cup water and add the jaggery to it.
9. Boil it till the liquid obtains a thick consistency. Pour this into the boiled dal mixture and stir well.
10. Cook for a few mins. Add cardamom pwd. and the fried cocunut pieces, cashews and raisins.
11. Keep strring all the time. Add the thick coconut milk and mix well. Remove from heat and serve hot.
12. It tastes great if eaten cold too.

Vegetable Kofta

Ingredients:
Potatoes - 6 big nos.
Carrots - 3 cups (sliced)
Onions - 3 nos. (sliced finely)
Garlic - 1 cloves (crushed)
Ginger - 1 inch piece (chopped)
Cinnamon pwd, Cloves pwd, turmeric pwd. - 1 tsp. each
Tomatoes - 2 nos. (pureed)
Chilli pwd. - 1/4 tsp.
Salt and Black pepper
Flour for coating, Oil for deep frying
For Garnishing - 4 tbsp. thick cream and chopped fresh corriander leaves.

Method:
1. Cook the potatoes and carrots and mash them up. Mix salt and pepper to taste. Reserve the vegetable stock.
2. Form the mixture into small balls, coat with flour and deep fry in hot oil till golden brown.
3. Keep it aside. Fry onions in oil till golden brown. Add ginger, garlic, cloves, cinnamon, turmeric and a little water.
4. Cook for 2 mins. Add the tomato puree and simmer till it forms a thick sauce.
5. Then add the vegetable stock, pepper, salt and chilli powder and bring to boil.
6. Place the cooked koftas in the sauce and simmer for some time. Add the cream just before serving and garnish with corriander leaves.

Navaratan Curry

Ingredients:
100 grams (4 oz.) french beans.
100 grams (4 oz.) carrots
100 grams (4 oz.) potatoes
100 grams (4 oz.) cauliflower
100 grams (4 oz) capsicums
100 grams (4 oz) paneer
100 grams (4 oz.) cashewnuts
100 grams (4 oz.) raisins
100 grams (4 oz.) green peas
2 tomatoes
1 teacup curd
4 tablespoons ghee
Ghee for deep frying
Salt and sugar to taste
Pineapple pieces and few cherries for decoration.
For Masala Paste
6 cloves garlic
2 green chillies
4 kashmiri chillies
1 inch piece ginger
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 teaspoon jeera
3 cardamoms

Method:
• Cut the french beans, carrots and potatoes into small cubes.
• Cut the cauliflower into big pieces
• Boil the french beans, carrots, cauliflower and green peas
• Deep fry the potatoes in ghee
• Cut the paneer into small cubes and deep fry in ghee
• Cut the capsicums into long strips
• Grind the tomatoes with very little water
• Whip the curds
• Heat the ghee in a vessel and fry the paste for a little time
• Add the tomatoes and curds and fry again for a few minutes
• Add the vegetables, cashewnuts, raisins, paneer pieces, salt and sugar
• Cook few minutes
• Decorate with pineapple pieces and cherries

Very tasty curry for rotis,naans and parathas.