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 :)

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

This is delicious ...... there are many versions of this recipe, this one seems to work (for me), the butter quantity has been reduced and replace with pineapple juice (for the caramel) and milk for the sponge. Also, this uses tinned pineapple rings in juice (not syrup)

Caramel pineapple base :

Ingredients:

1/2 cup soft brown sugar

1/4 cup pineapple juice (from the tinned pineapples)

1 tablespoon butter

6-8 pineapple rings

Method:

Bubble the sugar, juice & butter over a medium heat. It'll take about 8-9 mins. Pour this mix into the base of the tin (22 cm round tin) and line the tin with the pineapple rings.

You can add glace or canned cherries or almonds to fill in the blank areas (or nothing at all)

(The images below are quite accurate !!)

The cake (sponge) :

Ingredients:

50 gms soft butter

1/2 cup castor sugar

3/4 tsp baking powder

1 cup flour

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

1/4 cup milk

juice from the tinned pineapples

1 teaspoon oil

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius.

Mix all the dry ingredients (sugar, baking powder, flour), sift 2-3 times or mix with a whisk for about 30 seconds.

Mix all the wet ingredients (butter, vanilla, eggs, milk, oil) except the pineapple juice.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix together, use the pineapple juice to smooth the mixture if its a bit tough (dough-ie) or lumpy.

Spoon the mixture over the caramel pineapple base, level out.

Bake for 30-35 mins or till a skewer comes clean.

Cool for 5 -10 mins before toppling over.

Tandoori Chicken

This is magnificent, the important thing is, use really good quality chicken (organic is best). This recipe is a generous main meal serve for two. Vinit is a pro at marinating tandoori chicken, he has magic fingers when it comes to tandoori chicken !

We enjoy this quite often ....... Enjoy :)

Ingredients:

6 Chicken Drumsticks (organic) - skin off 4 1/2 tablespoons thick yoghurt (3/4 tablespoon for each drumstick) 1 teaspoon Coriander pwdr 1 tablespoon Cumin pwdr 1 teaspoon Garam Masala 1 teaspoon (heaped) Ginger paste 1/2 teaspoon Garlic paste 1 teaspoon crushed/ powdered Kasoori Methi 1 tablespoon oil 1 teaspoon Black Pepper pwdr 1 teaspoon Red chilly pwdr 1-2 pinches Turmeric pwdr 1/2 teaspoon Salt Start up Marinade : 1 tablespoon lime or lemon juice Salt to taste 1 heaped teaspoon red chilly pwdr Method: - Clean and Cut 2 or 3 long slits on each piece of chicken, cut till close to the bone. - Apply the 'start up marinade' (salt ,chilly pwdr and lime juice) all over the chicken and keep aside for 15 minutes. - Make the tandoori chicken marination with coriander powder, cumin powder, red chilly powder, kasoori methi ,turmeric, garam masala, pepper powder, ginger garlic paste. Add 1/2 tsp salt to the paste and mix well with yogurt, to a paste. - Apply it all over the chicken, making sure to apply well between all the slits and inside, finally coat with oil, cover the chicken and refrigerate for 3-4 hours (minimum), overnight is best !! - Preheat your oven to 220 degrees Celcius. - Cook for 20 to 30 minutes till the chicken is tender. - Remove from oven and serve hot, garnished with sliced onions and lime wedges or sides of your choice !!

Tiramisu

Tiramisu is quintessentially Italian, it's smooth, fluffy (like a cloud) and sinful, i'd like to thank Anisha (my sis) for this recipe, it's amazing !!

The recipe below serves six, I've halved the recipe & it works brilliantly. When halved, I layer the tiramisu in large wine glasses instead of a deep serving dish.

Ingredients:

4 eggs, separate yolks & whites

200 gms sugar

250 gms mascarpone cheese

sponge fingers or graham crackers - about 1 packet

1 teaspoon instant coffee powder

1 - 2 tablespoons frangelico (hazelnut liqueur) or kahlua or brandy

3/4 cup warm water

Method:

1. The Coffee mix:

Mix coffee, liqueur & warm water, leave aside.

2. Custard mix:

Whisk egg whites till they have soft peaks (fluffy), leave aside.

Whisk egg yolks with sugar till its mixed then whisk in the mascarpone, gently fold in the whisked egg whites to this mix.

Take a deep serving dish (8 inch square with 2 inch depth is adequate for 2-3 layers)

Layer with sponge fingers and spoon a little of The Coffee mix on these, topped with a layer of the custard mix.

Repeat the process till the custard mix is over & is the top layer.

Sprinkle with cocoa powder or grated dark (70%+) chocolate.

Refrigerate for atleast 4-5 hours.

Serve cold.

Basil Pesto

This is really versatile, over toast with or without an egg, mixed into pasta as a dip for crackers or water thins. Use good quality ingredients, it really makes a hug difference. The basil can be replaced with parsley, works as well as the basil.

Ingredients:

1 large bunch basil, washed & roughly chopped.

1/2 cup roasted pine nuts

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Zest of one lime

1-2 cloves of garlic (more or less, depending on the strength of your garlic and your love of garlic)

1/2 - 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon pepper

salt, to taste

Method:

In a blender mix all the ingredients, except the olive oil, salt & pepper.

When everything comes together roughly, slowly add olive oil till everything blends well.

Store in a sterilized jar.

This will last for about 2 weeks, refrigerated.