Evergreen Bhindi - Bhindi masala

If there's one vegetable that I can eat salted and roasted with minimal oil, no other spice added, it's bhindi. My fondness for bhindi (or okra or vendakka) does NOT stem from the childhood gyan of mooLai valarum (sharper brains). I love the color, the vibrancy and it's texture (which is most often that not, grossly mis-cooked)

Here's what I made for lunch today. Quick, simple and tastes divine.

Ingredients:

Bhindi - washed and cut into 1" pieces - 200 gm
Cashewnuts - 4 -5 - ground coarse
Shallots (Madras sambar onion) - 5 - 6 - peeled
Onion - 1 small - chopped
Tomato - 1 - pureed
Green chili - 2
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste

1/4 tsp each of the below
Turmeric powder
Cumin powder
coriander powder
garam masala
Red chilli powder (adjust per taste)

Curd - 1 tbsp

Recipe:

In 1 tsp oil, shallow fry the bhindi (and sprinkle some salt), until they transform into a rich green color. Do not cover the pan at this point. - This would take about 10 minutes - when you alternate between high heat and low. Set this aside.

In 1 tsp oil, add the onions and shallots, and cook until soft. The shallots take a little longer (and mine was crunchy at the end, so you might want to let this cook a little longer). To this add ginger garlic paste, saute for a minute, add pureed tomato and salt and let cook until the oil separates.

At that stage, add the powdered spices and let cook for a few minutes. Add curd and ground cashew and mix well. Add the bhindi. Cook covered for a couple of minutes.

Serve hot with phulkas / roti / naan.

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Baingan Sabzi (Eggplant Curry)

Eggplant aka brinjal is one of my favorite vegetables. It has seen various forms in our kitchen - baingan barta, kathrika ennai curry and kathrika kothsu.

I'd wanted to make something different and quick with baingan.

I'd seen this recipe sometime ago and don't quite remember the original source. It made a yummy combination with rotis.

Ingredients: (Serves 1)

Brinjals - cut into bite-sized pieces - (about 3 - 4 brinjals)
Cumin (jeera) - 1 tsp
Cloves - 3-4
Cinnamon stick - 1/2
Coriander seeds (Dhaniya) - 1 tsp (add more if you like dhaniya flavor)
Red chilli - 3 - 4 (as per taste)
Tamarind - a little
Onion - 1 med - finely chopped
Coconut (grated)- 4 tsp (The original recipe called for coconut but I didn't have any handy)
Oil - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste

Recipe:

Soak the brinjals in water to remove the bitterness.

Heat 1/2 tsp oil, add cumin seeds, cloves, cinnamon stick, coriander seeds and red chilli. Fry until it releases the aroma (make sure it doesn't blacken). Add 1/2 of the chopped onion to this and saute for a few minutes. Add the coconut (if using) and tamarind, turn of the stove and cool. Grind into a paste and set aside.

Heat the remaining oil, saute the onions until soft. Add the brinjal, cover and cook. When this is half cooked, add the paste and sufficient water, salt and cook until the brinjals are tender.

Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

Serve hot with rotis / phulkas.

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Diwali Delight - Rava Laddoo

As Diwali neared, I decided it's time for me to crack sweet-making. That's something I'd never been able to master, and even the most simplest of sweets (not counting payasam and chakkara pongal) always left me nervous. I have made a mess many a time and have had to throw away batches. (I did perfectly make vella cheedai and I pride myself on that :D and I suppose vella paagu is slightly more forgiving than chakkara paagu)

And mom and I always end up fighting in the kitchen (the proverbial territorial fight) and this time I clearly told her that for once, I only want her guiding and instructing me and not actually making the sweet. And with that out of the way, we got into gear.

Rava ladoo was the first. Easy peasy stuff and no sugar syrup required. Yay! (And I know someone who loves this, so all the more better for me to learn how to make this one)

And here is how we make these cute little balls!

Ingredients:

Bombay Rava (Sooji) - 1 cup
Sugar - 1.5 cup
Melted Ghee - 1 cup (You can substitute with vanaspati if you like, but hey, what's a little indulgence without fresh ghee)
Cardamom powder - 1 pinch
Cashew nuts - chopped - 4 tsp (approx - use judgment)
Gram flour / Roasted gram flour - 1/2 cup (optional - I didn't use this while making mine)

Method:

Roast Rava until hot and aroma is released. But ensure it doesn't turn brown. (That means constant stirring and keeping an eye on it). Let cool
Grind into fine powder in a mixie. (Pass it through a sieve if it's not fine enough)
Grind the sugar. (If you can find powdered sugar in the store, nothing like it)
In a mixing bowl, add the rava, sugar, cardamom powder and cashew nuts.
Slowly add the melted ghee, and mix with a spoon. (Add more ghee if you think the mixture is a little too dry / crumbly)

Now, we come to the actual art (er..) of making the laddoos. Bunch up a big portion of the mixture in your hand, and squeeze it within an inch of its life. Squeeze, turn, squeeze turn - alternatively, until you produce a nice little ball without cracks. Place it slowly in a dish, and repeat act with the rest of the mixture. There, we are done!

Happy Deepavali :-)

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