Ennai kathrikay (fried aubergine in peanut gravy)

Fried aubergine in peanut gravy /Ennai kathrikay is a delicious and simple dish which I love to make.

Ennai Kathrikay 

Ingredients 

10 stripped brinjals/baingan /aubergine 

1/2 tsp turmeric 

Salt as required 

For the gravy

1 tsp coriander whole 

1 tsp jeera whole 

3 tablespoon peanuts

2 tablespoon grated coconut 

A pinch of heeng 

1 tsp Broken black urad dal

2 tsp chana dal

2 green chillies 

4 dry red chillies  

A small gooseberry sized tamarind 

A few Curry leaves 

1/2 tsp Black til(ellu) 

1 tsp peanut oil for roasting the above ingredients. 

Method 

*The striped brinjals are slit into four and shallow fried in peanut oil.

*For the masala


*In a preheated kadai dry roast the masalas and grind to a coarse paste by adding sufficient water.

*Pour into the same kadai add a cup of boiled water, bring to boil add fried brinjals one by one and coat each of them with the gravy, adjust salt, garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with phulkas or rice.

Pahadi paneer tikka (Paneer and potato skewers)

Thinking about evening snack for Aru is a bit exciting. She enjoys a variety of Asian and Indian cuisine. Playing with colours, different textures and techniques in cooking is something she loves. So I get to experiment with food.

I was really interested to try a dish posted by Sid at chefatlarge.

So here is the outcome of my version of the dish which is wholesome, delicious and soulful.

Pahadi paneer tikka

200 grams paneer
1 green bell pepper
1 large tomato
2 medium sized potatoes (boiled and peeled)
1 tsp jeera powder
1 tsp dhaniya powder
1/2 kashmiri chilli powder
1/2 tsp crushed pepper
1 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tablespoon maida
1 tsp chat masala
1/4 tsp garam masala
A pinch of heeng
2 tablespoon curd/yogurt
1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves

Method

*Wash and cut bell pepper and tomato into 8 pieces

*Paneer, cut into 16 cubes.

* Boiled and peeled potatoes each cut into 8 pieces, shallow fry in oil until golden brown and keep aside.

* In a clean bowl add all the vegetables, paneer except potatoes. Add all the dry masalas, maida, curd and mix well. Be gentle while mixing, we want our paneer and vegetables to be well coated with all the masalas.

* Leave it for marination. I left it for about 2 hours.

*In a preheated tawa or kadai pour peanut Oil or ghee, add marinated vegetables and paneer, allow it to cook in medium to low flame for about 5 minutes.

*Towards the end add roasted potatoes and gently mix in. Off stove, let it reach bearable temperature.

*Place about 4 to 5 skewers and arrange vegetables and paneer in an order, tomato, bell pepper, potato and paneer, repeat the same order in all the skewers.

*Just before serving light the stove, in open fire carefully char the skewers for about a minute. I am sure you will love this technique and it's gives that delicate taste to paneer tikka. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with green chillies and chutney. Its great as a starter. Yum!

*Do try, comment and share.

Rice paper rolls (Vietnamese cuisine)

We as a family love Vietnamese cuisine, living in Vietnam for over a decade, we have developed a liking for their cuisine and flavours. 

Aru is very fond of Vietnamese spring rolls or in simple terms rice paper rolls. This version needs less oil, as we shallow fry the well folded rice paper rolls. 

Here is the recipe :

Rice paper rolls (Vietnamese)

10 rice paper  (wet in cold water for 15 seconds each)

For the filling

2 eggs

1 grated carrot

1 medium sized onion finely chopped

1/2 inch ginger grated

5 to 6 pods of garlic crushed

2 table spoon of raw papaya sabzi ( left over from today's lunch)

1/2 tsp of black pepper hand crushed

1/4 tsp salt

2 tablespoon basil roughly chopped

1 tsp sesame oil

Method

* Make the filling ready.

* Wash, peel and thinly slice onion, garlic and ginger.

*Wash, peel and grate carrot

*Wash and roughly chop basil

*Break the eggs and beat it and keep aside.

*In a preheated kadai pour oil, add chopped garlic, onion and ginger, cook for a while or until onion caramelise.

* Now add grated carrot, basil and beaten eggs.

* Reduce the flame, let the eggs blend well with other vegetables, add raw papaya subzi, now add pepper powder, adjust salt. Off stove.

* Wash hands and place a large bowl filled with cold water, carefully place rice paper, dip it for about 15 seconds. Remove and place it on a wooden cutting board.

* Almost in the edges fill a tablespoon of filling, start rolling the rice paper. One fold, and then fold sides, keep rolling, finally finish it by folding the extra paper in the sides.

* Repeat the process, wet rice paper, fill a teaspoon until all the filling is carefully rolled.

* Make sure you don't allow them to touch each other, they may get stuck to each other like siamese twins!!

* In a flat pan pour sesame oil 2 tablespoon, carefully place each rice paper rolls, remember without touching each other!

* Let them turn into a crispy rice roll, flip both sides using chopsticks, if you are not familiar using a chopstick use a flat spatula and carefully flip. But be gentle, we don't want our rice paper rolls to break, don't we?

* Arrange them on a serving plate, serve with hot and sour chilli sauce.

*I am sure you are going to love this simple rice paper rolls.

* I have served it with charred corn and ice tea. Aru just loved it. 

Tips

*You can fill and substitute the ingredients according to your choice, tofu, paneer and those who wish to fill meat use minced meat.

* Enjoy your rice paper rolls with friends and family, This is a starter which can be enjoyed with your choice of beer or wine. 

Cholar dal

Dinner we enjoyed yesterday.

Cholar dal

Chana dal, Bengali dish, it has a little jaggery, red chilli powder, heeng, turmeric, tadka masala and my favourite garlic!

The recipe is very simple, you can make this delicious dish for luchi/puri/phulkas /rice.

Cook chana dal with a 1/2 tsp turmeric, red chilli powder, heeng, salt, jeera powder foe two whistles in pressure cooker. Once done, open lid add a small piece of jaggery, let it melt.

Adjust salt.

Do a quick tadka of desi ghee, jeera, dry red chillies broken, and few garlic chopped, few curry leaves and pour it on top of the chana dal. It's yum, you will end up dipping your phulkas and puri straight from the pan!

Do try, share, comment and enjoy with your friends and family. Happy Sunday!

#chanadal
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