Tomato Chutney

Tomatoes are kind of vegetables that commonly used on all type of cuisines and people of all ages like to have it in their intake. A good thing about it is that they are widely available throughout season fresh. Because of their great flavor and texture it can be used on wide range of food stuffs. If fresh, it can be used on daily cooking stuff or can also be stored for long by means of Ketch-up or Pickles. In a short they are very delicious fruits and being loved all over the Globe.

Unlike, Tomatoes are  part & partial of most of the delicacy in India. One of such popular type is called Tomato Chutney, which is basically a side dish that sits well with all kind of dishes. In terms of preparation this could be one of the easiest receipe to think.

Health Benefits

Tomatoes are kind of vegetables which offer enormous health benefits. They are low in calories and with huge amount of Vitamins, Fibers and Mineral that essential for maintaining a good health. Tomatoes also contain dietary lycopene contents, a kind of powerful antioxidant that helps in fight against cancer. According to the studies of American Medical Association, daily consumption of tomatoes decreases the oxidative stress in type 2 diabetes.

Ingredients:

·         Tomatoes (Chopped) – 5 (Medium)

·         Garlic (Chopped) -  2 (Large)

·         Green Chili (Slit Lengthwise) – 2

·         Curry Leaves – Few

·         Mustard Seeds – ½ tsp

·         Cumin Seeds – ½ tsp

·         Turmeric Powder – ½ tsp

·         Salt as per taste

·         Sugar – 1 Pinch

·         Cooking Oil – 2 tsp

·         Coriander Leaves (Chopped) –1/2 tbsp (Optional)

Preparation Method:

Ø  Heat Oil in a Pan; add Mustard Seeds, Cumin Seeds, when they crackle.

Ø  Add Slit Green Chili, Chopped Garlic, Curry Leaves and sauté for a minute.

Ø  Then add chopped Tomatoes, Salt, Sugar and Turmeric Powder; mix well.

Ø  Cover and cook till the tomatoes are tender & gravy gets thicken. The consistency of the gravy should be as per your own choice.

Ø  Finally add Chopped Coriander Leaves and mix well.

Ø  Now the “Tomato Chutney” is ready.

Tomato Chutney is well served with Rice, Pulao, Paratha and Puri, Plain Dosa.

Chandramukhi Baingan

Hi Guys!! As mentioned earlier, I always love to keep on experimenting different recipes since I realized the magical taste of spices. Out of my innovation, I would like to unveiled one of my favorite vegetarian dish called “Chandramukhi Baingan”. You may be wondering about the name but the fact is that it took me lot of time to name this dish. For the first time when I prepared this dish, I found that the Brinjals / Egg Plants were looked like moon shape, as if the small moons were appeared on my plate and I finally decided to name it “Chandramukhi Baingan. One thing is pretty sure that as name suggests this dish not only looks good but very delicious as well. Whenever, I serve this dish to my Guests, there is always a positive response. The cooking procedure of this dish is very easy. Here is the recipe in case you would like to try…

Ingredients:

·         Long Brinjal/ Egg Plant (Purple/ Green) – 2

·         Onion (Chopped) – 3 (Medium)

·         Tomato (Chopped) – 3 (Medium)

·         Ginger (Chopped) – 1/4 inch Piece

·         Garlic Cloves (Chopped) - 2

·         Turmeric Powder – ½ tsp

·         Red Chilly Powder – 1 tsp

·         Cumin Powder – ½ tsp

·         Sambhar Powder – ½ tsp

·         Garam Masala – ¼ tsp

·         Salt as per taste

·         Cooking Oil – 5 tbsp

Preparation Method:

Ø  Cut Egg Plants / Brinjals in Round shape and keep aside.

Ø  Heat Oil in the Pan and deep fry cut Egg Plants till they turn golden brown.

Ø  Drain out excess Oil and put them in an Oil shocking paper / Tissue paper.

Ø  Heat the rest 1 tbsp of Oil in the same Pan; add Chopped Onion and sauté for 3 mins.

Ø  Then add Chopped Ginger & Garlic and sauté for 3-4 mins on medium flame.

Ø  Add Chopped Tomatoes and cook for 5 mins in medium flame.

Ø  Add Turmeric Powder; Red Chilly Powder; Cumin Powder; Sambhar Powder; Garam Masala; Salt and cook for 2 mins.

Ø  Finally add the Fried Egg Plants in the mixture and cook for 5-7 mins by covering the lid on medium flame too.

Ø  Now the “Chandramukhi Baingan” is ready. Before serving you may take out the excess oil from the dish.

Chandramukhi Baingan is well served with Steamed Rice and Roti.

Puri Chole

Hi Guys!! In addition to our North Indian Food category, I am going to talk about the recipe of “Puri Chole”, which is combination of Puri (a fried, Puffed Flat Indian bread) with Chole (Curry of Chickpea). Chole is one of the most popular dish of Punjab, Haryana & Delhi & it is well served either with Puri or Bhature (Fried Bread). Before talking about the recipe, let me brief some health benefit of Chickpea… Chickpeas are extremely low in fat and rich in dietary fiber with high mineral contents. I prefer to eat Puri with Chole. Here is the recipe in case you would like to try…

Ingredients (For Puri):

·         Wheat Flour – 3 Cups

·         Carrom Seeds (Ajwain) – ½ tsp

·         Salt as per taste

·         Water – 1 Cup/ As per Requirement

·         Cooking Oil -  2 cup (For Frying Puri)

Ingredients (For Chole):

·         Chole (Chickpea) – 2 Cup

·         Onion – 2 (Medium)

·         Ginger Paste – 1 tbsp

·         Garlic Paste – 1 tbsp

·         Green Chilly – 1

·         Tomato  Puree– 3-4 (Medium)

·         Bay Leaf (Tejpatta) – 1

·         Cinnamon Stick (Dalchini) – 1

·         Roasted Cumin Powder – ½ tsp

·         Red Chili Powder – 1 tsp

·         Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp

·         Chole Masala – 1 ½  tsp

·         Salt as per taste

·         Cooking Oil – 2-3 tbsp

·         Ginger  and Green Chilly Juliens – For Garnishing

Tips:

After boiling Chole, don’t throw the water.

Preparing Method (For Chole):

Ø  Soak Chole for overnight with sufficient water.

Ø  Boil Chole in a Pressure Cooker till 4-5 whistles.

Ø  Cut Onion in diced shape.

Ø  Grind Onion and Green chilly to make a fine paste.

Ø  Heat Oil in a Pan; add Bay Leaf; Cinnamon Stick and sauté for 5 sec in medium flame.

Ø  Add Onion-Green Chili Paste and fry till it turns light brown.

Ø  Add Garlic Paste; Ginger Paste and cook till its raw smell goes off.

Ø  Add Tomato Puree and cook till the mixture gets separated from Oil.

Ø  Now add Cumin Powder; Red Chili Powder; Chole Masala; Salt and sauté for 5 mins.

Ø  Add boiled Chole and sauté for 5-7 mins by covering the lid.

Ø  Add boiled water of Chole and cook for 10 mins till the gravy gets thicker.

Ø  Now the dish is ready. Finally, Garnish “Chole” with Ginger and Green Chilly Juliens.

Preparation Method (For Puri):

Ø  Take a bowl and add Wheat flour; Ajwain; Salt and mix well.

Ø  Prepare dough by adding water and make small balls out of the dough and keep aside.

Ø  Take a Rolling Pin and roll it like small Roti. Ensure that the Puri should not be thin like Roti.

Ø  Heat 2 Cups of Oil in a frying Pan and fry all the Puri’s till golden brown.

Ø  Now the “Puri” is ready. Serve it hot.

Chole is well served with Puri, Bhature and Steamed Rice.

Stuffed Brinjal Fry

Hi Guys!! Today I’m going to give some tips to cook a dish out of Brinjal, which is commonly known as Egg Plant, one of easily available and affordable vegetables. The dish is called “Stuffed Brinjal Fry”, basically a traditional and delicious dish from eastern part of India. Before sharing the recipe, let me give some health benefits of this vegetable. Brinjals are very good source of potassium and contains a high content of water and fiber. Since they are rich in fiber and low in soluble carbohydrates, those who are suffering from diabetes could also benefit from it by adopting an eggplant-based diet. It controls the glucose absorption of the body and it also helps reduce hypertension. Here is the recipe in case you would like to try at your kitchen…

Ingredients:

·         Green Baby Brinjal / Egg Plants – 7-8 nos.

·         Ginger – 1” inch Piece

·         Garlic – 4 Cloves

·         Red Chilly Powder – 1 tsp

·         Turmeric Powder – ½ tsp

·         Cumin Powder – ¼ tsp

·         Sambhar Powder (Optional) – ¼ tsp

·         Salt as per taste

·         Lemon Juice – ½ tsp

·         Cooking Oil – 2 tbsp

Preparation Method:

Mixture (Masala) for Stuffing:

First of all, grind Ginger and Garlic to make a fine paste. Take a bowl and add Ginger - Garlic Paste; Red Chilly Powder; Turmeric Powder; Cumin Powder; Sambhar Powder; Salt and mix well. Keep aside for a while.

Next step:

Ø  Slit the Brinjal / Egg Plants in plus mark with the stem.

Ø  Stuff the above mixture in the Brinjal.

Ø  Take a Frying Pan and heat the Oil.

Ø  Add the Stuffed Brinjals and fry them by covering the Pan.

Ø  Ensure that the stuffed Brinjals are cooked well on both sides but mixture should not stick on the Pan.

Ø  Now the Stuffed Brinjal Fry is ready.

Ø  Before serving the dish, don’t forget to add the Lemon Juice in it.

“Stuffed Brinjal Fry” is well served with Plain Rice.

Palak Matar Bhaji

Hi Guys!!! Since last couple of days, I’ve been talking about the recipes either made of Vegetables or Meat or Egg. But today I’m going to tell about a recipe made of Green Leaves, i.e., "Palak Matar Bhaji". Palak in english called Spinach, which is available throughout the season. In different region, it’s cooked differently. As far as I’m concerned, I always try to explore the health benefits before trying a new dish. Let me tell you something about Spinach. Spinach is one of the top Green Vegetable, rich in Vitamin, Calcium and Iron with other nutrients too. A regular consumption of Spinach can help to strengthen the bones of our body. This particular dish is very delicious and hardly takes 15 minutes to cook. Here is the Recipe in case you like to try.

Ingredients:-

·         Palak (Spinach) – 200 Grams

·         Frozen Matar (Green Peas) – ½ Cup

·         Onion (Sliced) – 1 (Large)

·         Green Chilly (Cut Lengthwise) – 3

·         Cumin seeds –  ½ tsp

·         Mustard seeds – ½ tsp

·         Cooking Oil – 2 tbsp

·         Salt as per taste

Preparation Method:-

Ø  Chop Spinach; Wash and drain them .

Ø  Heat Oil in a Pan; add Mustard Seeds; Cumin Seeds, when they crackle, add Green Chili; Sliced Onion and sauté for 2 min.

Ø  Then, add Green Peas, Chopped Spinach, Salt and cook for 5 minutes by covering the Pan.

Ø  Finally, uncover the Pan and cook for another 4 minutes so that the water can evaporate.

Ø  Now the “Palak Matar Bhaji”  is ready. Serve hot.

Palak Matar Bhaji is well served with Steamed Rice, Roti, Paratha and Puri also.