Baingan ka bharta

This is simple and no stress baingan ka bharta. And it's delicious :)

Though 1 eggplant is enough to serve 2 people I normally make it with 2 eggplants, serves me well the next day :)

Ingredients:

2 eggplants

1 big clove of garlic, thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1 big tomato

2 green chillies, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon chilly powder

1.5 teaspoons coriander powder

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1/4 teaspoon garam masala

salt to taste

Method:

-wash and dry the eggplants, make slits (1.5 inches long, approx) and slide in garlic slices

- make 7-9 or more slits stuffed with garlic

- rub a thin layer of oil over the eggplants on an oven tray double lined with al foil

- put on the oven on max temperature, mine is 250 degrees

- place the eggplant tray in the oven and let it cook off, this will take about 30 mins, depending on the size of the eggplants, turn every 7-10 minutes (using tongs) till the eggplants are soft and turn a little watery.

- take the eggplant tray out of the oven and let the eggplants cool

- chop the top off and peel the skins off revealing cooked eggplant

- squash the eggplants to a pulp with the back of a fork or chop it up !

- to a pan on medium heat add 2 teaspoons of oil

- add cumin seeds, let them crackle

- add chopped chillies

- then add the spices followed by the eggplant pulp

- stir fry for about 10 mins stirring occassionally

-then add the chopped tomato

- add salt to taste

- cook for a further 7-10 mins

- add chopped fresh coriander and stir thru till it wilts a little.

serve with chappati's ..... yummm !!

Gatte Ki Sabzi

Gatte ki Sabzi is a quintessentially Rajasthani dish, it's delicious and there are many ways to cook the curry but, i only know one way of making the actual 'gatte', here goes !

As a child my Nanima used to make the best gatte ever and then after getting married into a Rajput family the love for gatte ki sabzi continued !!

The Gatte :

Ingredients :

1.5 cups of besan (chickpea flour)

salt to taste

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon roasted & ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon chilly powder

1 large pinch garam masala

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1.5 teaspoon oil

2 teaspoons yoghurt

Water - 1/8 cup approx

oil for coating gatte once the dough is ready

1 litre tap cold water for boiling the gatte rolls

Method :

Mix the besan with all the masalas.

Add 1 teaspoon oil & yoghurt and crumb with your finger tips till the texture is like bread crumbs.

Add water a little bit at one time (besan takes very little water to combine, be careful !!)

Mix well till the mix comes together like a slightly stiff dough

Coat with a little oil and divide the dough into 6-8 equal portions and then roll out in a cylindrical shape (try keeping it about 1 cm in thickness/diameter)

place the gatte rolls in 1 litre of cold water (tap cold, not refrigerator cold)

bring to a boil ..... and let the water simmer / boil until the gatte rolls float on top and form small blisters.

then take the gatte rolls out, don't drain the water, the flour infused water makes the curry thick and luscious ......

cut the gatte rolls into 1/2 inch pieces and the gatte are ready to be curried !!

The Curry:

Option 1.

There are many ways of making the curry base for gatte ki sabzi, over time i will add more options so this is option 1.

Ingredients:

1 fat clove of garlic or about 3/4 teaspoon garlic paste

1 green chilly chopped into 3 big pieces or split

1/4 cup yoghurt

2.5 teaspoons oil

fresh coriander to garnish

salt to taste

Mix :

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon chilly powder

2.5 teaspoons coriander powder

1/8 teaspoon garam masala

add 2-3 tablespoons of the water left over from boiling the gatte and mix these to a paste.

Method :

- to a slightly deep pot on medium heat add oil

- then add garlic & chilly, stir around for 15-20 seconds

- and add the spice paste

- let the oil split, while leave a thick paste formed by the garlic & spices

- add the chopped gatte, lower the heat and fry for 3-4 minutes stirring occasionally

- add 1/2 the water left over from boiling the gatte, add less or more depending on the consistency you desire

- bring this to a boil and simmer for 10-12 minutes

- add the yoghurt and salt to taste (remember that you're only salting the curry, the gatte are salted, so be careful), stir and simmer for 4-5 minutes

garnish with fresh coriander and/or mint

serve hot with rice or chappati's

:)

Food for Cure .... edition 1.

We eat when we're hungry, we eat to celebrate, we eat to drown our sorrows ...... but, food can be accredited with healing powers. Depending on one's level of well being there are foods that can reduce the pain or aggravate it !

I'm going to try,(to the best of my abilities and knowledge) and share the power of certain foods :

1.Migrane sufferer !!?

Avoid : eating cheese and stir clear of Vanilla fragrances.

Helpful : before popping a pill try subsiding the pain by inhaling steam infused with peppermint or eating an/a few jalapeno peppers.

2. Arthritis (Rheumatoid/Osteo)

Avoid :

-milk and milk products, if you must then the safest is hard cheese. Yoghurt is a complete NO NO !

- heavy (gassy) lentils : red kidney beans, chick peas.

- red meat.

- refined flour, it's bad for you anyway, so it's a good reason to stop.

Helpful foods:

- fish 2-3 times a week or try fish oil or fish oil tablets, its often difficult to find a fish oil tablet that agrees with you.

- egg's .... 1 per day

- add cayenne pepper to main meals while cooked, they are known to be attributed with anti-inflammatory qualities. 1/16 th of a teaspoon is good to start with if you're not fond of chillies and move it up to 1/8th of a teaspoon over time.

3. Persistent stomach troubles:

re-occurring stomach troubles are annoying & restrictive but more importantly can be dangerous to your health.

Avoid:

- stomach troubles are more than often related to intolerances, gluten & milk being the most common. discontinue all gluten & milk products for 3 weeks and re-introduce then one at a time to effectively judge your body's reaction to these.

- eating heavy (high carb) dinner & eating within 2 hours of sleeping at night

- fried foods

Helpful foods:

- Pro-biotic tablets, they're good to ease regurgitation & bloating

- Fresh leafy green vegetables

- Fruit (not to be eaten alongside a main meal) - snack on fruits or isolate them as a small meal to be eaten between meals.

Look out for the next edition ....... be kind to yourself :)