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In Main Dishes

Bharwa Baingan (Stuffed Eggplant)

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Our fourth-youngest sibling is at the Indian grocery store. She calls me.

“They have those small round eggplants, you want some?”

“Not really.” I respond, she can’t see the broad smile I have on my face.

“You sure?” she asks, again.

I laugh. “Why? Would you like me to fix them?”

She bursts out laughing. “Yes. I’m picking them up.”

I recall stuffed eggplant was one of Mama’s  favorite sabzis.  Years later, when she was in poor health,  I would fix it for her whenever she had a craving to eat it.

Eggplants are also known as Brinjal or Aubergine and are cooked in a variety of ways.

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Bharwa Baingan (Stuffed Eggplant)

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 8 small round eggplants
  • 2 medium onions (finely diced)
  • 2 large tomatoes (diced)
  • 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
  • 4 tbsp cooking oil (to fry the masala mixture)
  • 2 tbsp cooking oil (to cook the eggplants)

Masala Mixture

  • ¼ tsp tumeric powder
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • ½ tsp garam masala
  • ¼ tsp red chili powder (or to taste)
  • 1 tbsp green cilantro (chopped)

Instructions 

Prepare Ahead

  • Wash the eggplants. Leaving a small portion of the stalk intact, make a crisscross cut at the rounded edge, splitting the eggplant into four parts held together by the stalk. Set aside.    

To Cook

  • Heat 2 tbsp oil in Wok or skillet.
  • Add the onions and fry onions till ¾ brown.
  • Add all the masala mixture, and fry for a few more minutes until fragrant.
  • Add the chopped tomatoes and sauté until they start to curl, and the oil starts to surface on the edges of the pan.
  • Pour the masala mixture into a bowl and cool until it is easier to handle.

To Stuff the Eggplant

  • Using a teaspoon, stuff the inside of the eggplants with masala mixture.  
  • Heat another 2 tbsp oil in the same wok or pan.
  • Add the stuffed eggplant.
  • Sprinkle about 3-4 tablespoons of water over the eggplants.
  • Cover and cook on low heat till tender, stirring occasionally, and carefully so that the eggplants don't break apart, until done. Approximately 15 minutes.
  • Garnish with Cilantro.

Notes

Goes well with a dal and rotis or tortillas, or dal and rice. I enjoy it on toast, too.
Variations: 
1. If you're pressed for time, just rub the eggplant with the masala. Sauté the onions and tomatoes, and then toss in the eggplant and follow the recipe.
2. Omit the onions and tomatoes. Add ½ teaspoon of amchur (mango powder, available at any Indian grocery store) to the masala. Then rub the masala and salt on the inside of the eggplants and cook them as per the recipe.
Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: baingan, eggplant

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In Side Dish

Kachumber (Indian Salsa)

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Kachumber is a chopped Indian style salsa that is used in lieu of salads. It is simple, healthy, and quick to prepare. Consisting of chopped fresh tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, and tossed with lemon or lime juice and seasonings, it is the perfect side dish to any Indian, Mediterranean, Mexican, or barbecue meal!

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Kachumber (Indian Salsa)

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 minute
Total Time 17 minutes
Servings 4
Kachumber is a chopped Indian style salsa that is used in lieu of salads.

Ingredients

  • 1 medium red or white onion (finely chopped)
  • 1 medium tomato (finely chopped)
  • 1 medium Serrano chili (chopped fine, optional or red chili powder, to your taste)
  • 1 tbsp fresh cilantro (washed well and finely chopped)
  • salt and pepper (to taste)
  • juice of ½ lemon or lime (optional)

Instructions 

  • Place all the chopped ingredients in a mixing bowl. 
  • Optional, add the Serrano chili and toss into the Kachumber. You can substitute the Serrano chili for red chili powder (to your taste, of course!).
  • Add salt and pepper to taste. 
  • Toss gently together with a fork.
  • Transfer it to a serving bowl.
  • Garnish with chopped green cilantro, chili powder, pepper, or cumin powder.

Notes

Kachumber is a great meal to prepare ahead of time as it gives the dish time to soak in all the flavors.
I enjoy it with dal and rice, or as a side to tandoori chicken or tangy barbecue chicken.
Kachumber Raita
You can also add a cup or more (to your taste) of yogurt to the salad and make it into a raita. Omit lemon or lime juice if you are adding yogurt.
Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans) Kachumber
You can also add cooked chickpeas and serve the kachumber on a bed of lettuce for a filling main-course salad and serve it with rotis. Or roll it into a wrap.
Course: Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: American, Indian, Mediterranean, Mexican
Keyword: cucumber, kachumber, onion, salsa, tomato
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In Main Dishes

Moong Dal

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My youngest sister is visiting. She and her family have just returned from Basel, Switzerland. I am planning the menu with some of her favorites. As a little girl, she used to love Moong dal or Masoor dal mixed with rice, a little curry gravy, and butter until it was mushy. Mama would make the mix into little bite-sized balls to feed her. It was an easy way to get her to eat, and the tradition was continued with the grandkids.

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Moong Dal

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 4
A hearty lentil soup, packed with flavor and tempered with aromatic spices to satisfy the pickiest eater!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup moong dal ( )
  • 5 cups water
  • 1 tbsp tumeric powder
  • 1 oz fresh ginger (grated or finely diced)
  • 4 pods fresh garlic (grated or finely diced)
  • 1 medium Serrano chili (finely chopped)
  • Salt (to taste)

Instructions 

  • Sort lentils and clean of any grit. Rinse at least 3 times. Placed in a large pan, cover with water, and let it soak 30 minutes. This will hasten the cooking process.
  • In a large pot (at least 4-5 quarts as lentils expand when cooked), add the lentils, tumeric powder, fresh ginger, garlic, Serrano chili and salt.
  • Cook on medium-high heat for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until the lentils are well blended but not too mushy. Approximately 30 mins. If the lentil appears too thick, you can add some hot water to bring it to the desired consistency. Dals are like thick soup and not runny.
  • Turn heat down to very low and tadka (temper) using one of the following methods.

Tempering #1

  • 2 tbsp cooking oil or ghee
    ½ medium onion, chopped fine
    1 medium tomato, chopped
    ¼ teaspoon red chili powder (optional)
  • Heat the oil. Add the chopped onions and sauté for 3-4 minutes until the onions are half brown.
  • Add the tomatoes and sauté for another 3-4 minutes until the tomatoes lose their moisture and the oil rises to the surface.
  • Add the chili powder (optional) and stir.
  • Pour the seasonings into the prepared dal. Stir the dal mixture and let it cook again for 3-5 minutes so that the seasoning is absorbed.
  • Garnish with fresh green coriander before serving.

Tempering #2

  • 1 tbsp cooking oil or clarified butter (ghee)
    1 tsp cumin seeds
    ½ tsp cumin powder
    ½ tsp garam masala
    ¼ tsp red chili powder (optional)
  • Heat the oil. Add the cumin seeds and brown lightly for a few seconds.
  • Turn off the heat, and add the cumin powder and garam masala.
  • Pour the tempering over the prepared dal and stir. Cook for another 5 minutes to absorb the spice flavors. 
  • Garnish with fresh chopped coriander before serving.

Notes

You can also add cumin seeds and the cumin powder and garam masala to  Seasoning #1. There are no hard or fast rules. Just a matter of your taste!
Dal is usually served with a sabzi, rice, or roti and condiments like pickles, papads, or raita.
I love this dal with just plain boiled Basmati rice and spicy Indian pickle.
Remember, cooking times may vary depending on your altitude (it affects the boiling point of water as well as cooking time—no kidding!) and, of course, there is the amount of heat from your stove. If you want to cut the cooking time, you can also first boil the dal in a manual pressure cooker or Instapot. Follow the manual's directions for cooking the lentils. I time it less than the manual indicates, that way I can control the consistency of the dal to my liking.
 
Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: dals, lentils
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In Drinks

Raspberry Lassi (Raspberry Yogurt Drink)

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Lassi, a yogurt drink that is common in India, is becoming popular all over the world. It is a refreshing summer drink to combat the heat. I normally just like it plain with no fruit, but once in a while, I will fix it with fruit. It is a great substitute for a light lunch or a mid-day snack. My youngest sister and her daughters love it after a workout at the gym.

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Raspberry Lassi (Raspberry Yogurt Drink)

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 2
Lassi, a refreshing, healthy yogurt drink that is common in India, is now popular all over the world.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup plain yogurt (fat-free, low-fat, your choice)
  • 1 cup fresh raspberries (or berries of your choice)
  • 2-3 tbsp sugar (optional or sugar substitute)
  • 1 cup ice or ice cubes (crushed)

Instructions 

  • Place all the ingredients with a ½ cup of crushed ice in a blender (or hand whisk) and blend until smooth. Taste for sugar. Save the extra ice in case you want the drink colder.
  • Pour into long stemware or regular glasses. Garnish with chopped raspberries or raspberries on a cocktail stick.

Notes

You can substitute 1 cup of fresh raspberries for 1 cup of frozen raspberries.
You can convert this into a milkshake by substituting the yogurt with a cup of milk, almond milk or oat milk. Just make sure both milk and fruit are well chilled, so the milk does not split. Adjust the sugar to your liking. Serve with dollops of ice cream and chopped nuts.       
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American, Indian
Keyword: drinks, lassi, raspberry, yogurt
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In Drinks

Mango Lassi (Mango Yogurt Shake)

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Lassi, a yogurt drink that is common in India, is becoming popular all over the world. It is a refreshing summer drink to combat the heat. I normally just like it plain with no fruit, but once in a while, I will fix it with fruit. It is a great substitute for a light lunch or a mid-day snack. My nieces love it after their band has finished playing at a summer festival.

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Mango Lassi (Mango Yogurt Shake)

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Servings 2
Lassi, a refreshing, healthy yogurt drink that is common in India, is now popular all over the world.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup yogurt (full cream or low fat)
  • 2 mangoes (large, ripe, skin removed and diced)
  • 3 tbsp sugar (less or more to taste)
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 cup crushed ice

Instructions 

  • Place all the ingredients in your blender (or use a hand whisk) and blend until smooth.
  • Pour into long-stem glasses or regular glasses. Garnish with a wedge of mango or a few mint leaves.       

Notes

When I feel lazy, but still crave a mango lassi, I buy a can of Kesar mango pulp from the Indian grocery store and use that instead of fresh mangoes, but I still prefer the taste of fresh mangoes in the lassi!
To substitute: Use 2 cups of canned mangoes for the fresh. Since it is in syrup, the pulp is quite sweet, be sure to adjust the sugar according to your taste.
You can also substitute almond or coconut yogurt for the milk yogurt.
You can convert this into a milkshake by substituting the yogurt with a cup of milk, almond milk or oat milk. Just make sure both milk and fruit are well chilled, so the milk does not split. Adjust the sugar to your liking. Serve with dollops of ice cream and chopped nuts.    
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American, Indian
Keyword: lassi, mango, shake, yogurt
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In Bread

Roti (Indian Flatbread)

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Rotis, phulkas, chapattis—many names of the same delicious Indian flatbread!

I am a soon-to-be bride and my soon-to-be mother-in-law has taken me to visit my husband’s youngest Chachaji (Dad’s brother). It is lunchtime, and Chachiji (his wife) is making the rotis while I stand watching to see if I can help in any way. It is an art to roll the rotis and get them evenly round.

Other than taking some dough from our Cook and trying to roll it out as a kid, I never really had a chance to cook them myself, so when Chachiji hands me the rolling pin, I panic. I am on the spot!

I valiantly attempt to mimic her skills. Her two boys are laughing at my first attempt. Then strangely enough, I do the next one fairly well. By the fourth one, I am on a roll and my soon-to-be-in-laws look fairly pleased. I have saved face! I look triumphantly at my fiancé. He grins. Never mind if I am sweating profusely!!

Rotis are the ultimate comfort food for me, like rice and dal. There is nothing like the smell and taste of a hot roti straight off the tava (griddle). It is as good as a fresh-baked loaf of bread.

To fix the roti you will need a tava. Preferably, a cast-iron one, but a nonstick will do. You will also need a wooden chakla and belan (a rolling board and rolling pin). Some dry wheat flour in a flat bowl to use when rolling out the dough.

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Roti (Indian Flatbread)

Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 6
Rotis, phulkas, chapattis—many names of the same delicious Indian flatbread!

Ingredients

  • 2 cups whole wheat flour (found at Indian grocery or health food stores))
  • 1 cup water
  • ghee or butter (to butter roti)
  • salt (to taste)

Instructions 

To Prepare the Dough

  • In a large bowl or praath (round, flat Indian metal platter with a 2" rim), add 2 cups of flour.
  • Heap the flour in the center and make a little hollow in the middle of it. Slowly pour in the water, gradually mixing the mixture together to form a dough ball.
  • On a flat surface, roll the dough out, and knead the dough for about 8 minutes until you get a smooth and pliable dough.
  • Cover with a damp cloth and let rest it least 10 minutes before you use the dough. 

To Make the Rotis

  • Break off a golf-sized ball of dough and shape them into rounds. You should get 10-12 dough balls for 6-8 " diameter rotis.
    On a rolling board, flatten out the ball of dough with your fingers, palm side down. Dip the flattened dough into some dry flour, put it in the center of the rolling board, and roll it out until it is approximately 6"-8" in diameter. If you put more pressure on one side of the rolling pin it should give you an even roundness. The roti should be ⅛ of an inch (2-3 centimeters).
  • Meanwhile, heat the griddle over medium heat.
  • Pat the raw roti between the palms of your hand in a flipping motion to shake off the excess flour, then carefully lay it on the hot griddle. Within a minute, you will see bubbles appear on the surface. With a spatula, turn the roti over once more. With a napkin or paper towel rolled into a ball, gently press on the edges of the roti while trying to spin the roti around on the tava. It is an art learned with practice. This should puff the roti up. Don't be disheartened if the roti doesn't puff up on your first try.
  • If you have a gas burner, it is easier. Remove the roti with a pair of tongs and put it on the open flame. It should start to puff. Be quick or it can burn.
  • Whichever method you use, the roti is cooked when it has some nice brown spots on it, and the edges should be cooked.
  • Remove the cooked roti and spread it with ghee or butter.
  • Place a napkin in a deep dish and put the roti into this. Fold the edges of the napkin over the roti to keep it warm. Most Indians use an insulated container or a tortilla warmer to keep the rotis warm.
  • Continue making the rest of the rotis the same way.  Sandwich them together with the ghee- or butter side, so they do not smear all over the napkin.
  • Enjoy with dal, sabzi, or a meat dish.

Notes

I use salt only when I am mixing the dough for parathas, but you can add a pinch if you like.
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: chappati, phulka, roti

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