Bagara Baingan

This one is synonymous to Hyderabadi biryani which is a favourite with all those who have tasted it. The biryani can also be made with vegetables and bagara baingan is served with it. Bagara means thadka (tempering).

Ingredients:

500g small round brinjals, 2 onions finely chopped. 2tbsp khus khus(poppy seeds), 2tbsp ground nuts, 6 cloves garlic, 3 green chiilis, 3 red chillis, 1 small piece ginger, 1 small piece dalchini(cinnamon), 5 cloves, 3 green elaichi(cardamom), one black elaichi and salt to taste.


For tempering:

 4 tbsp oil, ½ tsp jeera, tej patta(bay leaf).

Preparation:

1. Soak khus khus in a little water along with other spices except jeera and tej patta and keep aside. 
2. Roast the ground nuts and grind along with other soaked spices. 
3. Wash and slit the brinjals without fully separating.
4. Heat oil in a pan, put tej patta, jeera and chopped onion and fry till golden brown. 
5. To this add the ground spices, salt and add one cup water and leave it to simmer. 
6. After frying for 5-7 minutes, drop the baingans slowly in to the gravy and cook for a while, checking in between for it not to get burnt at the bottom. 
7. Cook till it is soft.

Serve hot with biryani or plain rice or roti.

Stuffed Baingan

Any stuffed vegetable is always welcome with all of us and more so with baingan. These can be purple ones or the variegated. The lighter in weight  are the tender lot and taste better.  When buying the brinjals check if there are any holes which are an indication for worms inside and can be avoided. Also they should be of same size so that they are uniformly cooked.

Ingredients:

500g brinjals, 2tbsp ground nuts, 2tbsp chana dal (Bengal gram) 2tsp urad dal (black gram), 1tsp coriander seeds, ¼ tsp methi (fenugreek seeds), ½ tsp jeera, ¼ tsp mustard seeds, 5 red chillis, 4 tsp oil and salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. In a pan put 1 tsp oil and add all the dry ingredients leaving salt and brinjals. 
2. Fry till golden brown and let it cool. 
3. Wash the brinjals, cut off green part and slit each one into four without fully separating the pieces. 
4. Now grind the dry masala into a coarse powder and stuff the same into the slit brinjals. 
5. Heat the remaining oil in a pan and place all the stuffed brinjals. 
6. Under medium flame keep tossing and checking so that all of them are evenly fried and soft.

Serve hot with rice or roti.

Spicy Onion Stuffed Baingan

This is another variety of stuffing for brinjals which can only enhance the taste of brinjals. For this also we can take round even sized brinjals.

Ingredients:

500g brinjals, 4 medium size onions, 2 tsp chana dal (Bengal gram), 1 tsp jeera, 1 small piece of ginger finely chopped (optional), ¼ tsp haldi(turmeric powder), 1tsp red chilli powder, 2 tbsp tamarind pulp, 2 tbsp oil and salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Chop the onions finely and add chana dal, jeera, ginger, haldi, salt, chilli powder and mix well. Wash and slit each baingan into four without fully disintegrating. 
2. Heat oil in a pan, stuff the spicy onion into each brinjal and leave them into the oil. 
3. After ten minutes of cooking add the tamarind pulp let it simmer for ten more minutes or till it is soft.

Serve hot with rice or roti.

Pulihora

This is predominantly a south Indian delicacy. Puli in tamil means tamarind, hence it is also called tamarind rice. This is one of the prasadam varieties made at Tirupati Balaji Temple. It has a typical taste of its ingredients and is generally made during special occasions like festivals and marriages.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups raw rice (small grain),125g seedless tamarind, 100g oil, 2tsp Bengal gram dal, 2tsp black gram dal, 2 tbsp ground nuts/ cashew nuts 1 tsp mustard seeds, 5 red chillis, 5 green chillis, 2 twigs kadi patta(curry leaves) ¼ tsp hing(asafoetida),1/2 tsp haldi (turmeric powder) and salt to taste.

Preparation:

Soak tamarind in a cup of water to get pulp out of it.
Boil the rice with enough water so that rice grains remain separate and non-sticky and allow it to cool.
Heat oil in a pan, add the pulses, nuts, red chillis, mustard seeds and hing (asafoetida).
Keep stirring and once mustard starts spluttering add green chillis, kadi patta, tamarind pulp, haldi and salt.
Cook this on slow flame and the indication for it is done is when the gravy leaves oil and also it should not get burnt at the bottom hence it needs stirring in between.
Once the gravy is ready mix it well with a ladle into the rice.

This can be served plain or with curds and kurkure bhindi.

Spicy Baingan

Aubergine plant gives the best vegetable in the first lot of the season. The taste goes wild if the same plant is used for the second season. Baingan (brinjal) is always put in water after cutting, otherwise it goes black like apple which indicates the presence of iron content. It is the quickest possible vegetable to get cooked. Also it takes very little oil and salt whichever way it is made. Brinjal comes in purple, light green and also variegated green colour. Any variety of baingan can be made tasty using masala variations.

Ingredients:

500g slightly fat variety of baingan, 2 onions, 2 tbsp of oil,100g tomato puree, 1tsp garlic paste, 1 tsp ginger paste, 1 tsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves), 1 tsp jeera,1 tsp red chilli powder, ¼ tsp haldi (turmeric powder) ½ tsp garam masala powder, salt to taste and hara dhania (fresh coriander) chopped for dressing.

Preparation:

Finely chop onions and keep aside.Heat oil in a pan, put jeera, kasuri methi and fry a little. To this add chopped onions and keep stirring. Once onions are a little brown add ginger paste, garlic paste, tomato puree and continue to stir adding a little water. Also add chilli powder, haldi powder garam masala powder and salt. Cut baingan into thin round slices and apply a little salt and garam masala powder and keep it ready. After a while when the masala starts leaving the oil put the baingan slices and toss it well, cover the lid and cook on slow fire till baigan gets soft.

Decorate with chopped hara dhania and serve the baingan hot with rice or roti.

Hakka fried noodles

Chinese cooking has always been popular across the world. It is healthy since it takes very little oil with an exception of deep fried stuff. Some people are allergic to ajinomoto used in the dishes and also it is not safe for children below 12 years. So one can safely avoid it and the taste will not be affected.

Ingredients:

2 packets of hakka noodles, 2tbsp oil, 2tsp, green chilli sauce,1tsp pepper powder, 1/2tsp soya sauce, 1tsp vinegar and salt to taste.

Vegetables for seasoning:

1/4kg Cabbage, 1/4kg spring onions, or normal onions, 1/4kg red, yellow and green peppers, 1 small carrot, 1tsp garlic paste. All vegetables have to uniformly sliced for even cooking.

Preparation:

Boil water in a big vessel, add salt, a tsp of oil and the noodles and put off the gas. After standing time of two minutes put the noodles into a strainer and run through cold water and leave it aside.

Heat oil in a pan, add garlic paste, spring onions, cabbage, all three peppers and carrots. Keep stirring the vegetables and to these add the sauces, vinegar, pepper powder and salt. As the vegetables get little soft add the noodles, mix well and put off fire.

This can be had plain or with add on sauces.

Dhappadam

A variety of fresh vegetables can be put into this to give a fine taste to the dish. This is similar to stew and gives the taste as per the vegetables used and goes well with hot rice on a rainy day. It is a sumptuous dish with a whole lot of nutritive value.

Ingredients:

Fresh vegetables:

500g yellow pumpkin, a small bottle gourd, two small carrots, two onions, handful of string beans, three small brinjals(optional).

50g seedless tamarind soaked in little water, 50g jaggery, 2tsp cornflour.

1/2tsp chilli powder, 1/4tsp haldi powder 1/2tsp jeera( cumin) powder, 1tsp dhaniya (coriander)powder,1/4tsp methi (fenugreek)powder,1tsp salt to taste. For fresher aroma, methi, dhaniya, jeera and 2/3 red chillis can be fried in a little bit of oil and powdered fine in the mixer and then be used in this dish.

For seasoning:

1tbsp oil,1/2tsp mustard seeds, 1/2tsp jeera seeds, 2 pinches of hing(asafoetida) and 1 twig of kadipatta.

Preparation:

Cut the vegetables into medium sized cubes and put that much water to cover all the vegetables and cook on medium flame. Once the vegetables are soft add the dry masalas and stir well. Take the pulp out of the tamarind, add little water to corn flour and mix it with jaggery and add this to the vegetables along with tamarind pulp. Cook for a while, take a small pan, put oil, mustard seeds, jeera, hing and kadi patta and as the seeds start spluttering add the seasoning to the dish before taking it off the flame.

This can be stored in the refrigerator. The taste in fact improves upon storing.