Stuffed Eggplant

Eggplants with dried shrimp

Eggplant stuffed with dried prawns, onions and spices

Yum yum yum. This is my mom's speciality. I remember when as a kid I used to wait for my mom to make this absolutely delicious recipe of eggpplants stuffed with dried shrimps and potatoes. Alternately, this recipe can be made with roasted peanuts. S has an aversion to eggplants but I make sure to add lots of potatoes and he loves it. My little duckie loves to eat this too though he is not fond of the dried shrimps in it. And me, I love the entire thing. So it just works well for the three of us.

Recipe:

4 small eggplants, washed and cut at the top into slits.

2 large potatoes cut into 1/4" rounds

2 medium onions, minced

1 handful dried shrimp, soaked in water and marinated w/ 1/2 tsp red chilli, 1/4 tsp tumeric powder, salt to taste and some tamrind pulp and paste made of 2 cloves garlic, 1/2" ginger, 2 green chillies and some chopped cilantro.

1 cup masala powder of dried dessicated coconut and fried onions

salt to taste

1 tsp garam masala

little sugar to taste
4 tsp + 2 tsp oil for cooking

Preparation:

Heat a heavt bottom pan with 2 tsp oil. When hot, add a pinch of asafoetida to it. Then add the marinated shrimp to it and roast till cooked. When cold, add onions, coconut masala powder, garam masala powder, salt and sugar and mix well. Stuff the eggplants with this mix. Heat the pan again with 4 tsp oil and when hot gently lower the eggplants into it along with the potato rounds and the leftover mixture. Cover and let it cook on low flame. When cooked, serve hot with chappatis and rice and varan.

Enjoy

Dipti!!

I know this recipe seems a little lengthy, but its definetley worth it.

POTATO GRAVY

"Rajasthani" Potato Gravy
I had this Potato gravy while visiting Jaipur and other cities of Rajasthan. My father-in-law loves this potato gravy. So, my ingenous MIL created this gravy on a whim and it turned out very good. Thanks to my MIL for this great and simple recipe.

This gravy doesnot have any complex masalas but the basic stuff you ALWAYS have in your pantry. How come something so delicious could be created from something so simple??? Well, the answer is in the process of cooking, having fun with it and hoping for a great taste:). We had Satyavinayak puja at our place in June. I was finalizing the menu. Had almost decided to go ahead and make chole-puri for 40 guests. Then MIL made this awesome gravy one day. And thats it. I immediately fell in love with it, begged my MIL to make THIS gravy for the puja. Graciously she agreed. Cooking for 40 guests is no easy feat. But we all helped and she managed it. This potato gravy was the main star of my menu. Everyone loved it. My friends begged for the recipe. MIL got dozens of compliments. My party was a BIG success thanks to MIL and this gravy. Everyone loved it so much that hardly any was left for my husband and his brother (the last dinner eaters). This humble and nonpretentious potato gravy is best served hot with hot puris.

Recipe:
2 large potatoes
1 medium onion
1 tomato
1 1/2 tsp corriander powder
3/4 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
pinch of asafoetida
salt to taste
3 tsps oil
handful cilantro -washed and chopped

Preparation:
Boil the potatoes till more than fork tender. This is best done in a pressure cooker and then keeping it on low flame for 10-15 mins before turning off the gas. Peel and chop them into chunks. Dice the tomato and the onion.
Take a kadai and heat oil in it. Once hot, add asafoetida and then mustard seeds. Let the seeds sputter and then add cumin seeds. Add onion and start cooking them. Once they are half -way done then add corriander powder and cumin seeds. Fry the onions on medium-high flame till you get the masala smell and the oil starts seperating. Once the onions are cooked add tomatoes, turmeric and red chili powder and salt. Cover and cook till oil starts seperating from the mixture. Then add the potatoes. Cover and let it cook completely. Add little water to get gravy like consistency. Add the garam masala powder and mix well. Garnish with cilantro.
Serve hot with puris
Enjoy
Dipti

Peanut curry

This recipe was lying around in my drafts folder for a long time. Along with many other recipes, of course. Then I came across the JFI - Peanuts at Cook's Hideout. This is the first time I am submitting my recipe. JFI is started by Indira of http://www.themahanandi.org/

This type of peanut curry is prepared mainly during fasting. I consider fasting as a feast because though you abstain from regular food, there are certain kinds of food which you can make and enjoy. Peanut and buttermilk are the base for this curry with tempering of clarified butter( you can use oil but tastes better with ghee) and cumin.

Recipe:

1 cup roasted peanuts, skin removed, coarsely ground

1 cup yogurt

1/2 tsp red chilli powder- more if you dare

1/4 cup freshly grated coconut

1 cup water

salt to taste

sugar to taste

cilantro for garnishing

3 tsp clarified butter (ghee)

1 tsp cumin seeds

Blend all the ingredients from roasted peanuts to sugar in a blender and blend well.

The consistency of curry shouldnt be too thick but kind of like rasam. Add more water if needed.

Heat a pot and add the peanut curry base to it. Heat separately another pot for tempering. Add clarified butter to it and when hot enough add the cumin seeds. When the seeds start sputtering, add the tempered butter to the peanut curry base. Mix well. Let it simmer a little and then turn off the gas. Do not let it boil too much because this causes the yogurt to separate out. Garnish with cilantro and serve immediately with Upaas potato bhaaji or "vari cha rice ".

This curry is rich in proteins and calcium. The final taste should be a yougurty-spicy curry with hint of salt and aftertaste of sugar.

Enjoy,

Dipti.