Stuffed Baingan Curry (Brinjal/Eggplant)

STUFFED BRINJAL CURRY

There are various versions of stuffed brinjal recipes. This is one of the easiest and yummiest recipe you can find anywhere which is based out of Maharashtra. I grew up eating stuffed brinjal cooked in coconut base curry, but that recipe some other time. I simply love this sabjiyon ka raja (king of vegetables) Baingan/Brinjal/Eggplant in any form, be it fried, baked, fire roasted, grilled, in lasagna, rice or in curry. This spicy preparation will send you drooling, guaranteed!

Ingredients:

• 8 medium sized brinjals
• 1 big onion chopped
• 1 tbsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 2 pod garlic chopped (optional)
• 1 inch ginger chopped (optional)
• 1/2 cup peanuts roasted and powdered
• 1/2 tsp jaggery (or brown sugar)
• salt as per taste
• 1/2 tsp tamarind pulp
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 10 curry leaves (optional)
• 2-3 tbsp oil
• cilantro for garnish
• 2 cups water (or more)

Preparation:

• Slit the brinjals in 4 parts keeping the stalk intact. Soak it in salt and tamarind water for 30 minutes.
• In the meantime make a mixture of chopped onions, peanut powder, chilly powder, garam masala, ginger garlic, salt.
• Drain the water from brinjals and stuff it with this onion mixture. Keep the remaining onion mixture aside.
• In a wide non-stick pan, heat oil, add mustard seeds, once it splutters add curry leaves and the remaining onion mixture and saute it for few minutes. 
• Now slowly add the stuffed brinjal and let it slightly roast on all sides, for a couple of minutes on each side. 
• Now add 1 cup water and close the lid, let it cook for 8-10 minutes on low-med heat. Add jaggery and tamarind pulp. Now very gently turn brinjals over and let it cook till done. Last few minutes cook uncovered. Curry thickens, adjust water and spices accordingly. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with bhakri, roti or paratha. It's finger licking good!

njoY!! happY cookinG!!



Health Benefits: King of vegetables, better provide some royal benefits :) It helps in iron production in our body, keeps chronic diseases at bay, helps quit smoking(who knew?), has good amount of vitamin C and is effective as antiviral and antibacterial source, helps to have healthy strong hair, keeps the skin soft and supple, prevents skin cancer etc. Research on eggplant has focused on an anthocyanin phytonutrient found in eggplant skin called nasunin. Nasunin is a potent antioxidant that has been shown to protect cell membranes from damage.

Tofu, Vegetables Rice Bowl with Mongolian Sauce

Valentine's Day is here and every year I try to cook something neat, fancy and different from what my kitchen usually witnesses. Again I try to keep it as simple as I can. For the past few years I have been cooking at home instead of going out to an over crowded restaurants. We do a candle light dinner at home and it has become a ritual which all of us enjoy as a family :)

Mongolian food bowls are simple, filling, eye pleasing and yummy in my tummy kinda comfort food. I love their stews, rice bowls, noodle soups and stir fries. I came across this recipe which Sonal had posted. She is a fantastic cook and owns a blog known as simplyvegetarain777!  I had immediately bookmarked it :) Finally I got a chance to make it and it tastes simply awesome.

This dish brings back memories from my office lunch break days when I used to go hog at Mongolian Grill place. Also have fond memories of Genghis Grill where my friends and families have enjoyed fun meals but after witnessing an incident I wouldn't recommend that place :( [hygiene issues].

This Tofu rice bowl with Mongolian sauce is a very simple preparation, you need to chop few veggies, ginger garlic and cook rice, make sauce and put everything together! It is a bowl of slurpicious goodness full of flavors and comfort feeling! Try it and enjoy with your family!

Let us take a look at this Tofu Vegetables Rice Bowl with Mongolian Sauce:

Ingredients: 
for Mongolian Sauce

• 1/2 tbsp Ginger finely chopped
• 1/2 tbsp Garlic finely chopped
• 3- tbsp Soy sauce (low sodium)
• 2 tbsp  Brown sugar 
• 2 tsp veg oil 
• 1 tbsp dissolved in 2 tbsp water - Corn starch/flour 
• 1 cup Water 
• 1 tsp or to taste  Red Chili flakes 

for Stir Fry

• 1 tbsp Oil
• 1 - 2 Red Chili whole dry or fresh
• 4 cups  assorted Vegetables (julienned or roundels carrots, celery, spring onion, broccoli, bell peppers, green beans)
• 1/2 tsp- 1 tsp black pepper powder
• 14 oz / 400 gms (extra firm) Tofu
• Grilled with little salt pepper till slightly golden

about 2 1/2 cups Rice cooked

for Garnish

• Sesame seeds and scallion green

Mongolian Sauce

Tofu

All veggies

Preparation:

Mongolian Sauce

• Dissolve cornstarch (cornflour) in 2 tbsp cold water and set aside.
• Take a heavy bottom sauce pan and heat 2 tsp oil in it. 
• Add ginger and garlic to it and saute on medium heat for few seconds. Now add soy sauce, red chili flakes, brown sugar and water to the pan. 
• Add cornstarch (flour) mixture to it slowly while you keep stirring the sauce.
• Bring it to a boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Take it off the gas stove and set aside. Check the salt and adjust. 

Preparing the Vegetable Stir Fry

• Heat 1 tbsp oil in heavy bottom saute pan. Add whole red chili and white part of spring onion to the hot oil. 
• Saute for few seconds and then add all the other vegetables to the pan. Saute them on high heat for about 2-3 minutes, while stirring continuously. Set aside.

Preparing the Tofu

• You can either use the extra firm tofu as is, or buy the baked version from the market. 
• Slice the tofu into rectangular shaped blocks and pan grill it lightly as you sprinkle little salt and pepper over it. Use little oil while frying. Keep aside.

Now put this delicious dish together:

• Take a bowl. Add rice. Add stir fried vegetables and tofu in the bowl.
• Pour Mongolian Sauce over the vegetables and tofu, as desired. Garnish with sesame seeds and the greens of spring onions.
• Serve warm.
• You may adjust the salt and heat of the dish, as desired.

njoY!! happY cookinG!!

You may also like:

Indo- Chinese Fried Rice
Burmese Curry Noodle Soup - Khou Suey
Tofu pan fry

Health Benefits: 

Tofu is a good source of protein and contains all eight essential amino acids. It is also an excellent source of iron and calcium and the minerals manganese, selenium and phosphorous. In addition, tofu is a good source of magnesium, copper, zinc and vitamin B1. Tofu is an excellent food from a nutritional and health perspective. It is thought to provide the same sort of protection against cancer and heart disease as soya beans. Soya protein (from which tofu is derived) is believed to help lower levels of bad cholesterol (LDL). Also take a note of this--> Tofu and all soya products contain large amounts of oxalate. Individuals with a history of oxalate containing kidney stones should avoid over consuming soya products. Women who have or have had oestrogen-sensitive breast tumours should restrict their soya intake to no more than four servings per week.
other than tofu, Stir Fry vegetables contain loads of minerals and vitamins and provide the much needed carbohydrates that our body deserves. Rice is again a low calorie food, one can substitute it with brown rice or brown noodles too.

Thank you for visiting my post. Your feedback is appreciated.

Soy-Pepper Chicken Wings

Chicken Wings cooked in some tangy spicy sauce can give your taste senses a great deal of joy. Pair it with a pitcher of chill beer and a good company and there! you are on your way of creating some great memories.:) This particular recipe was shared by my good friend Bhavana Kamath (her mom's recipe). Thanks to her, I have already cooked it 4 times as everyone in my house enjoys it. It has become my midweek meal, as it is super easy to make and less time consuming. So that way I can spend more time with my family outdoors :)

In my childhood, my dad used to get whole chicken from the market, there was no concept of getting just thighs, wings or breast meat. So everything was put in a curry or sukka(dry chicken curry) and I remember my sister and I used to fight for the drumsticks hehe... there used to be 4 drumsticks maybe and all of us wanted only that as kids.... Nowadays we have so many recipes at our fingertips. Thankful that different parts of the meat are so well packaged and easily available in the market. (hoping I am eating healthy organic meat as they specify on packets :))

This recipe screams Less is More :)
So here is a winner recipe, let's take a look:

Ingredients:

• 2 onions sliced
• 12-15 chicken wings (small)
• 2-3 green chillies slit
• 1 tsp chilli powder (more if you like spicy)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp pepper powder
• 2+1 tbsp oil
• salt to taste

Preparation:

• In a nonstick pan, heat 2 tbsp oil add sliced onions and chicken wings along with chilli powder and salt and saute by mixing everything quickly. 
• Let it cook till the chicken is almost done. Around 12-14 minutes. You can cook covered and keep stirring in between. 
• Now add green chillies, soy sauce, pepper powder and remaining oil. Mix everything and cook till sauce thickens and wings are all coated with the sauce. 
• Hot spicy chicken wings are ready to be launched in your tummy :) Serve hot with onions, celery sticks, ranch sauce etc etc and don't forget the beer :)

You may also like chicken drumsticks(lollipops), sriracha chicken wings.

njoY!! happY cookinG!!

Health Benefits: Chicken is a very good source of protein and good energy booster, good for brain health, heart health, thyroid health and weight loss program. If you are looking to have good muscles, go for it! :) It also helps to reduce PMS symptoms. Very important source of vitamins and minerals, where vitamin D and B needs a mention as it provides a good eyesight, muscles and helpful in building bones and metabolism. It is said to be helpful in controlling blood pressure issues. Intake of warm chicken soup also provides relief from common cold, including symptoms like a congested nose and a sore throat.

Batata Song (Spicy and Tangy Potato Curry)

BATATA SONG CURRY

Ok, I know, you must be either smiling, rolling your eyes, laughing or mocking looking at the name of the dish :) I don't blame you because I make fun of it myself :) It is a famous Konkani potato curry, and once you will taste it, you are going to make it again :) It's USP is, less is more. Quick, easy, spicy and tangy! Goes well with rotis, pooris and rice.
Let us check out the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 3 medium size potato
• 1 big onion finely chopped
• 3 tsp chilly powder (as per your taste, this is actually spicy dish)
• 3/4 tsp tamarind pulp (adjust this as per your chilly pwd quantity)
• salt to taste
• pinch of turmeric (haldi)
• 1 cup water (or more)
• 2 tbsp oil (or more)

Preparation:

• Cook potatoes and chop roughly. You can cook it in a pressure cooker for 3-4 whistles or cook in microwave for 15 minutes with 5 minutes interval or simply boil in a vessel with water till potatoes are done.
• In a pan, heat oil and add onions, saute till golden brown. Add chilly powder, turmeric, tamarind pulp and saute for a minute. 
• Add water and chopped potatoes along with salt. Mix everything nicely and let it cook for few minutes. Potatoes soak in the water, so add water if you want it thin and adjust spices if need be (you just have to play with chilli pwd and tamarind pulp) :)
• Garnish with cilantro and serve hot!

njoY!! happY cookinG!!

Health Benefits:
The humble potato is vastly underrated in terms of nutritional benefits. Due to the increased interest in foods that are low-carb or low-glycemic index, the potato has unjustly earned a bad reputation. Potatoes consumed in simple roasted, grilled, boiled, steamed manner with little or no oil/butter is very healthy and nutritious for health. It is loaded with calcium, phosphorus, zinc, magnesium, iron that helps in having strong bones. It has vitamin B6 which supports heart health. Choline is a very important and versatile nutrient in potatoes that helps with sleep, muscle movement, learning and memory. So let's not ditch this humble vegetable :)