Punjabi Baingan Bharta

Punjabi Baingan Bhartha was introduced to me by one of my friend Anukriti Varun Dixit. She has taught me how to make a recipe flavorful using minimal ingredients. I was thinking that Baingan Bhartha involved lot of masalas to make it tasty. But I was wrong !!

By choosing perfect sized egg plant and  good quality ripened tomatoes; and the combination of these two makes  bhartha totally an exquisite dish.

Baingan Bhartha is a wonderful North Indian vegetarian recipe that tantalizes your taste buds. Roasted egg plant is slow cooked with onions and tomatoes. The sweetness of ripened tomatoes is combined with charred flavor of egg plant gives it a very good taste.

Previously, I have posted Baingan Bhartha in Shruchi Kitchen. But this recipe is truly in Punjabi style.

Ingredients

1 Egg Plant

2 Ripened tomatoes, finely chopped

1 Onion, thinly sliced

2 Green chilies, finely chopped

1/2 tsp Red Chili powder

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

3 tsp Oil

Salt

Method

• Roast egg plant in slow flame on a stove top. Cook until all skin in charred
• Allow egg plant to cool. Peel discard the skin. Mash or chop the pulp and keep it aside
• In a heavy bottomed vessel, heat oil, add green chilies, onions. Fry until onions turn transparent
• Then add tomatoes and fry for 2 to 3 minutes
• Add chopped egg plant pulp, red chili powder, turmeric powder and adjust salt as per taste
• Cook in low heat for 10 to 15 minutes until tomatoes and egg plant pulp are completely cooked
• Serve hot with paratha, roti or chapathi

Bas Saaru | Vanchina Charu | Vegetable Stock Curry

Bas Saaru is prepared from vegetables, sprouts and lentil stock. It is a traditional and authentic recipe of southern part of Karnataka. Bas Saaru is a healthy and a humble recipe served with ragi ball (mudde) or steamed rice and soppina palya (seasoned leafy vegetables). 

The broth is made from lentils like toor dal,  leafy and green vegetables like  cabbage, dill, spinach, beans; and sprouts like green gram, horse gram etc. It is seasoned with pepper, cumnins, onions, garlic, curry leaves,  tamarind pulp, turmeric powder and sambhar powder. It is a protein packed recipe and a staple diet among farmers in Karnataka. 

Ingredients

For the broth

1 cup Toor Dal

2 cups of Cabbage, roughly chopped

2 cups of Beans, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 bunch of Dill, roughly chopped

4-5 cups of water

For the masala

1 onion, cubed
2-3 Garlic cloves

Curry leaves

1/2 tsp Pepper corns

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp sambhar powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

2-3 sprigs of Cilantro

1 marble size tamarind
1 small piece of jaggery or 1/2 tsp Sugar

Salt

Method

• In a pressure cooker, add toor dal, cabbage, beans, dill and water. Cook for 15 minutes. After cooker has cooled, drain excess water into a bowl and keep vegetables aside 

• In a pan, roast cumin and pepper corn. Saute a minute or two. Finely grind them into smooth powder

• In the same pan, heat oil, add onions, garlic, cilantro and curry leaves. Saute until onions turns slightly brown color. After it has cooled, grind these ingredients smoothly along with a scoop of cooked vegetables

• In a separate bowl, extract tamarind pulp using warm water. Soak in warm water for few minute and mash it with your  hands. Discard if there are any fibers or skin

• Now, add this stock back to pressure cooker, add ground onion- garlic puree, roasted pepper-cumin powder, sambhar powder and turmeric powder. Also, add tamarind pulp. You can adjust thickness of gravy by adding water

• Add jaggery and adjust salt as per taste. Simmer for 10 to 15 miniutes

• Serve hot with seasoned vegetables and steamed rice or ragi ball

Raw Banana Kofta Curry

I always wanted to try North Indian style curry using raw banana. I had been formulating this recipe for a while. The idea for this recipe st-ricked me when I made Vada Curry. In Vada Curry, vadas are made in advance and they are dunked in gravy.  So using this concept, why not try making koftas using raw bananas? Some of the ingredients are very much similar to vada curry. 

This is a simple and straightforward recipe. Its a spicy vegetarian curry made with deep fried raw banana dumplings soaked in cashew-coconut curry mix.

Ingredients

For the Kofta

1 Raw banana

1 small onion, finely chopped

4 tsp Chickpea Flour

2 Green Chilies, finely chopped

3 Sprigs of Cilantro, finely chopped

1 small piece of ginger, finely chopped

1/4 tsp pepper powder

salt

Oil for deep frying

For the gravy

1 small stick of cinnamon

2 Cardamom

2 Cloves

1 small piece of Ginger, minced

1 Onion, finely chopped

1 Tomato, finely chopped

1/4 tsp Garam masala

1/2 tsp Coriander powder

1/2 tsp Paprika

1/2 tsp Red chili powder

10 Cashew nut, soaked in water for 1 hour

1 Cup of Coconut milk

Salt

3 tsp Oil

Cilantro

Method

Making Koftas

• In a large pot, cook raw banana in water for 15 minutes. Remove the skin and shred banana

• In a mixing bowl, add shredded banana, onions, chickpea flour, green chilies, cilantro, pepper, ginger and salt. Mix well. Take a small portion of this mix and roll it into balls about 1 1/2 thick

• In  the meantime, heat oil for deep frying. Gently leave raw banana balls in oil and fry in medium heat until it turns brown

• Use absorbent paper and drain excess oil

Making Curry

•  In a blender, make a smooth paste of soaked cashew nut. Add very little water if required

• Heat oil in the same pot for cooking banana. Add cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and ginger. Saute for a minute and then add onion. fry until onions turns transparent

• Add tomatoes, garam masala, coriander powder, red chili powder, and paprika. Saute until tomatoes are completely cooked

• Add cashew nut paste, coconut milk and 1 cup of water. Adjust salt as per taste. Simmer for 10- 15 minutes until oil separates out from gravy. Add cilantro

• Add koftas to the grave just 10 minutes before serving

• Serve hot with Naan or chapathis

Idli Sambar

Idli sambar  is one of the standard recipes in many homes across Southern India and this is a traditional combo in Indian breakfast recipes. Sambar is specifically made for Idli using toor dal, sambar onions (pearl onions) and different spices. 

Whenever I visit my grandparents house, my aunt's used to make idli and sambar for breakfast. This sambar which my grandmother makes is exclusively for idli and even the sambar powder entirely is different. The amalgamation of hing, curry leaves, red chilies and  coriander seeds is so bold that, I can even sense its smell before I even step inside the house. I remembers all our cousins sit in a row with stomach rumbling and screaming for idli :-) Whenever I make this recipe, I feel nostalgic which brings back memories of my childhood.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup Toor Dal 

10 - 12 Sambar onions (pearl onions)

2 Tomatoes, chopped

2 tsp sambar powder

1/2 tsp Jaggery or sugar

3-4 sprigs of Cilantro, finely chopped

1 samll piece of tamarind

Salt

3 tsp Oil

For seasoning

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin  seeds

1/4 tsp hing (asafoetida)

1 sprig of curry leaves

Method

• In a pressure cooker, add washed toor dal and 4 cups of water. Cook for 15-20 minutes

• In a bowl soak tamarind in hot water for 5 minutes and mash it to extract put. Discard skin and excess fiber

• In a large pot, heat oil, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, hing and curry leaves. When mustard seeds starts to sizzle add onions, fry until it is transparent

• Now add tomatoes. Saute until it is cooked

• Add sambar powder, jaggery and tamarind pulp. 

• Add cooked dal and 1 cup of water. Adjust salt as per taste.  Simmer for 10 minutes

• Add chopped cilantro 
• Serve hot with Idli

Kala Channa Curry

Kala Channa Curry  is a protein packed vegetarian curry recipe from Punjabi Cuisine. This recipe is very new to me and I was introduced to this recipe from one of my friend Anukrithi. My knowledge of cooking with kala channa is only sundal and coconut- onion based South Indian style Kala channa curry.

The flavors are magnificent and bold. The base for this curry is made from pureed onions and tomatoes and it is spiced with red chili powder, coriander powder and mango powder.

Ingredients

2 cups Kala Channa

1 Onion, diced

2 Tomatoes, diced

1 small piece of ginger

1 tsp Red chili powder

1 tsp Coriander powder

3/4 tsp Mango powder (Amchoor)

2 tsp Besan (chickpea flour)

Salt

2 tsp Oil

Procedure

• Soak Kala channa in water for at least 5 hours

• Boil kala channa in a pressure cooker for 15 minutes until it is completely cooked

• In the meantime, puree onions, tomatoes and ginger without adding water

• In a pot, heat oil and add the puree. Cook until it reduces and oil separates out from the masala

• Add red chili powder, coriander powder, mango powder and chickpea flour. Mix well

• Add cooked kala channa with water and adjust salt as per taste. Simmer for at least 10 to 15 minutes until gravy thickens

• serve hot with steamed basmati rice or paratha

Baby Corn Kurma

Baby corn Kurma is a festive dish prepared with baby corns in a thick, spicy and creamy sauce of tomatoes, onions, cashew nuts and coconut. It is a comfort food served with parathas and flavored steamed rice. 

This is an experimental recipe which I tried it for the first time and turned out to be delightful and scrumptious dish. I had bought baby corns for Manchurian which I always make, but this time I wanted to make something different, so I decided to make spicy baby corn gravy for chapathi. The recipe has 2 kinds of masala - first masala is made with onions, tomatoes, green chilies, ginger and garlic. This forms the base for the gravy. Second masala is made with coconut, cashew nut along with different aromatic spices which gives both smooth and creamy text for the base. 

This recipe has many steps, but its worth trying it !!

Ingredients

250 gms Baby corn, cubed

1 Bell pepper, diced

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

1/2 tsp Coriander powder

1/2 tsp Red chili powder

Salt

3 tsp Oil

For masala 1 -

1 Onion, diced

1 Tomato, diced

3 Green Chilies

2-3 cloves of garlic

small piece of ginger

For Masala 2 -

10 - 15 Cashew nuts, soaked in water for 30 minutes

1/2 cup Coconut

1 tsp Fennel seeds

1 small piece of cinnamon

2 Cloves

Method

• For Masala 1 - In a pan, heat a tsp of oil, add onions. Saute until it turns transparent. Then make a paste of fried onions, tomato, ginger, garlic and green chilies

• For Masala 2- Make a fine paste of cashew nuts, coconut, fennel seeds, cloves and cinnamon. Add water if required. 

• In a pot, heat 2 tsp of oil. Add onion-tomato-chili paste. Saute until raw smell goes out

• Add turmeric powder, coriander powder and red chili powder. Mix well

                                       

• Add baby corns and bell pepper. Evenly spread masala over baby corn. Saute for 2 minutes

• Add coconut-cashew nut paste and add 1 cup of water (you can always adjust amount of water depending up on how much gravy is required)
• Adjust salt as per taste and simmer for 5- 8 minutes

• Serve hot with chapathi or steamed rice or paratha

Tip-

• Instead of baby corn, paneer can be substituted