Bagara Baingan

Ingredients:

Indian eggplant/ brinjal: 5-6
Onion: 2 (finely chopped)
Tomatoes: 2 (finely chopped)
Peanuts: 1 cup
Dhaniya seeds: 1/2 cup
Garam masala: 1 table spoon
Cinnamon: 1 piece
Cardamom: 2-3
Bay leaves: 2
Cloves: 4-5
Ginder: 1 table spoon (grated)
Garlic: 1/2 clove
Asafoetida: 1 tinge
Tamarind: Lemon size
Turmeric powder: 1/2 tea spoon
Red chilli powder: 1 tea spoon
Gingelly oil: 1 cup
Salt to taste and curry leaves.

Method:

Step1: Take a large pan add heat 3 table spoons of gingelly oil. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves and let the mustard seeds splutter.
Step2: Add ginger garlic paste, cinnamon sticks, cardomom, crushed bay leaves, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and finely chopped onions. Now addd salt so that it absorbs all the moisture from onion.
Step3: Once the onion turns transparent, add tomatoes and mix well. Close the pan and let the tomatoes turn mushy.
Step4: In another pan dry roast peanuts, red chillis, chana dhal, dhaniya seeds. Let it cool down and grind them into a coarse/fine powder.
Step5: Heat 4 table spoons of oil in the same pan. Slit brinjals (longitude wise) into 4 with edges still attached. Fry them in oil and set it aside.
Step6: Add the mixture to the tomato onion paste and mix well. Let the raw smell of the masala fade. Add garam msala and mix well. Soak tamarind in lukewarm water for 15 minutes. Filter and add tamarind juice to the mixture.
Step7: Now add fried brinjal to this mixture and let it boil for 15-20 minutes until the masala is well absorbed by the brinjals.
Serve hot. Goes well with plain rice :)

Paal Khova/Milk Khova

Ingredients:

Milk: 5 glasses (2% or whole milk)
Sugar: 2 - 21/2 cups
Cardamom: 1 tinge
Cashews to garnish

Method:

Step1: Take a large pan and add quarter cup of water.
Step2: Add milk and turn the stove to low flame.
Step3: Stir it every 10 minutes to make sure that the milk does not stick to the bottom.
Step4: The milk slowly starts to reduce in volume and turns into sandalwood color.
Step5: Keep stirring continuously and add 3-5 table spoons of ghee.
Garnish with cashews.

Aloo masala

Ingredients:

Aloo: 3 boiled and mashed)
Onion: 1 (finely chopped)
Green peas: 1 cup
Coriander powder: 1 table spoon
Ginger/garlic paste: 1 tea spoon
Cumin powder: 1 tea spoon
Garam masala: 1 tea spoon
Turmeric and chilli powder: 1/2 tea spoon
Cilantro for garnishing and salt to taste

Method:

Step1: Fry onion until transparent and add all the spices.
Step2: Mix aloo and add 2-3 table spoons of oil.
Step3: Add tadka in the end and garnish with cilantro (this step is optional).

Uppu appam

Ingredients:

Idli/Dosa batter: 1 cup
Onion: 1 (finely chopped)
Green chillies; 3-4 (finely chopped)
Ginger: 1 small piece (finely chopped)
Garlic: 1 clove (finely chopped)
Cumin seeds: 1 tea spoon
Pepper powder: 1/2 tea spoon
cilantro for garnishing
Salt to taste

Method:

Step1: Mix all the above ingredients together.
Step2: Fry them in kuzhi paniyaram pan (aebleskiver pan) and serve hot.


Step1: Mix

Red Pepper lentil soup

I adopted this recipe from my friend who made this during our cook out :)

Ingredients:

Red pepper: 1 large
Onion: 1/2 (chopped)
Carrot: 1 (chopped)
Green pepper/capsicum: 1/2 (choppped)
Red lentil/Masoor dhal: 1 cup
Oregano: 1 tea spoon
Green chillies: 3-4 (chopped)
Ginger: 1 tea spoon

Method:

Step1: Fry the red pepper in oil for 5-10 minutes and peel the outer skin.
Step2: Boil all the above ingredients together for 5 whistles.
Step3: Blend them into a fine paste and add heavy cream to it.

Pipping hot red pepper lentil soup is ready :)