Dish #418 - Methi Thepla - A Gujrati Breakfast delicacy - #sundaybreakfast

Here is a Gujarati delicacy often made by me using Fenugreek leaves also called Methi in Hindi!

Known as "thepla" is Gujrati, its easy to make and delicious.

Ingredients
Whole wheat flour - 150 gms
Bengal gram flour (Besan) - 100 gms
Fresh fenugreek leaves (methi leaves) - 1 cup chopped
Red chilly powder - 1 tsp
Curds (yoghurt/dahi) - 3/4 cup
Oil - 3 tsp
salt to taste
oil/ghee for cooking

Method
Sieve the wheat flour and gram flour separately.
Combine the wheat flour, gram flour and the remaining ingredients in a bowl, mix well and knead into a soft dough.
Cover and keep aside for 20 minutes.
Divide the dough into 8 equal portions and roll out each portion into a circle of 5" diameter.
Heat a tava/flat pan and cook using little oil or ghee till golden brown spots appear on both the sides.
Serve hot with chhunda (sweet mango pickle) or with curds and any mango pickle.

We normally eat it with my favorite Punjabi Mango pickle.

Dish #417 - Lamb & Prawn Cajun Jambalaya - #perfectweekendmeal

Jambalaya is rice dish, very similar to the Indian Biryani, but Jambalaya is a dish with Spanish and French influence. Though I don't have all the details except that it tastes really good...

I have had Jambalaya in some restaurants in Bangalore as well as abroad, and tried making this at home.
The first time I made it I used a recipe from a food channe, but due to my Indian taste buds I found it pretty bland, from then I started using Cajun spice to give it a small Mexican twist and make it as delicious as my Cajun prawns.

After cooking it realized that its very simple to make, but equally delicious to our biryani with less time in the kitchen.

Though I cook this on Sundays, its pretty easy to cook it on weekdays also as its quick and a complete meal.

Ingredients:
olive oil - 1 tbsp
Lamb cubes - 200 gms
Prawns - 200 gms
Onion - 1 - diced
Red pepper - 1- thinly sliced
Garlic cloves -2 - crushed
Cajun  - 1 tbsp 
long grain rice - 250g
plum tomatoes - 400g can
lamb stock or Water - 350ml
Parsley or Coriander - for garnishing

Method: Heat the oil in a large frying pan with a lid and brown the lamb for 5-8 mins until golden.
Remove and set aside. Tip in the onion and cook for 3-4 mins until soft.
Then add the pepper, garlic, prawn and Cajun seasoning, and cook for 5 mins more.
Stir the lamb back in with the rice, add the tomatoes and stock.
Cover and simmer for 20-25 mins until the rice is done.
Serve hot garnished with parsley or coriander leaves.

Dish #416 - Mediterranean Style Grilled Lamb Chops

Grilled lamb chops is one of my favorite evening starter...
Made these couple of days back in Mediterranean style and my family absolutely loved it and I am sure you will too..!!

Ingredients :

Lamb chops - 500 gms
Yellow bell pepper - 1 - sliced
Cherry tomatoes - 6-8
Garlic - 1 head
Thyme leaves - Fresh or dry - 2 tbsp
Rosemary leaves - Fresh or dry - 1 tbsp
Bay leaves - Fresh or dry - 4
Salt to taste
Black peppercorns - cracked - 2 tsp
Olive oil - 150 ml

For Garnishing
Feta cheese - crumbled - 1 handful
Mint leaves 

Method :
Peel the garlic cloves and grind in a mixer or food processor with the thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, salt, peppercorns and oil.  Alternatively grind dry ingredients using a pestle and mortar then blend in the oil.

Mix the lamb chops, yellow peppers, cherry tomatoes and marinade together and marinate for a couple of hours before barbecuing/grilling.

Grill on charcoal grill or oven grill until done.

Serve hot garnished with Feta cheese and mint leaves.

Dish #415 - Thai Green Veg Curry

Another simple Thai curry is the "Thai Green Curry", made the vegetarian version today and absolutely loved it...

Recipe for the Green Curry Paste (makes Approx. 1 Cup)
lemon grass stem - finely chopped - 2 tbsp 
coriander - chopped- 1 cup 
Onions - roughly chopped onions - 1/4 cup 
garlic - chopped - 1 tbsp
green chillies - roughly chopped - 10 
coriander powder - 1 tbsp 
cumin seeds powder - 2 tbsp 
black peppercorns - 1/2 tsp - freshly ground 
ginger - 1 inch piece
salt to taste
lemon juice - 1/2 tsp 
grated lemon rind - 1/4 tsp 
Combine all the ingredients and blend in a mixer to a fine paste, using enough water (approx. ½ cup). Keep aside.
Ingredients for The Curry

Green curry paste -3/4 cup - use the one available in most super markets are use my recipe below
coconut milk - 1 1/2 cups
oil - 1 tbsp
Green Capsicum - cubed - 1/2 cup
Red Capsicum - cubed - 1/2 cup
Baby corn - slices - 1/2 cup
Red pepper - cubed - 1/2 cup
Mushrooms - thickly sliced - 1/2 cup
a pinch of sugar
salt to taste

Method for the curry :
Heat the oil in a broad non-stick pan, add the green curry paste and sauté on a medium flame for 1 minute. Add all the vegetables, mix well and sauté on a medium flame for 1 minute.
Add the coconut milk, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 2 minutes.
Add the sugar and salt, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 1 more minute.
Serve hot with steaming white rice.

Dish #414 - "Ringna no Hollo" - Kathiyawadi Brinjal Speciality

A Kathiyawadi speciality of roasted brinjals, skinned and made into a simple but exotic preparation. This dish is very similar to the Punjabi "Baingan Bhartha" , but dish is more rustic in nature and has no major Indian spices...
I love this more than the Punjabi version....

Ingredients:
Brinjals – 1 kg
Oil - 3 tablespoons
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Onions - 3 medium size, chopped
Ginger - 2 inch pieces
Green Chilles - 2, chopped
Red Chilli powder - 2 teaspoons
Salt - to taste
Tomatoes - 4 large, chopped
Fresh coriander leaves - 1 ½ tablespoons, chopped

Method:
Wash, pat dry and prick the brinjal. Roast them over open flame until the skin scorches and starts peeling off and brinjal start to shrink. Let them cool. Remove skin and mash the pulp completely. Heat oil in a kadai. Add cumin seeds. Cook for half a minute and add onions and sauté until translucent. Add ginger and green chillies and cook for a minute. Add red chilli powder and mashed roasted brinjals. Cook for seven to eight minutes over medium heat, stirring continuously. Add salt to taste. Add tomatoes and cook on medium heat for seven to eight minutes or till oil separates. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and amul butter.

Serve hot with Phulkas or Bajra Rotla.

Dish #413 - Chilly Crabs

Ingredients:

Crabs - 1 kg - cleaned

Brown onions - 2 - roughly chopped

small red chillies - 8 choppe

Vegetable oil - 125 ml

Shrimp paste (belacan) - 3 tsp ( Optional but to get Singapore chilly carb authentic taste this has to be used)

Tomato puree - 250 ml

Light soy sauce - 1/4 cup or 60 ml

White sugar - 1 tbsp

Tomato paste - 1 tbsp

White vinegar - 2 tsp

Salt - 1/2 tsp

coriander leaves - for garnishing

Method:

Clean and cut the crab into quarters. Crack the claws to allow the flavors to penetrate. Set aside.

Place the onion and chilly in a food processor and process to a puree.  

Heat the oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Add the onion and chilly puree and the shrimp paste, and fry for 6-7 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated and the paste begins to change color. Add the tomato puree, soy sauce, sugar, tomato sauce, tomato paste, vinegar and salt, and mix through. 

Add the crab pieces and cook, covered, over a medium heat for 8-10 minutes, turning occasionally, until the shells turn red and the crab is cooked through. Garnish with coriander.

In the original Singapore version an egg is stirred thru and tossed lightly to coat. 

Dish #412 - Bharwa Karela or Stuffed Bittergourd

Bitter gourd (balsam pear/ bitter melon) is a young, tender, edible fruit-pod, though its bitter taste might turn some people away from it, in-fact, it really can sweeten your health through virtue of its disease preventing and health promoting phyto chemical compounds. Fresh bitter melon is an excellent source of vitamin-C which is one of the powerful natural antioxidants which helps scavenge deleterious free radicals from the human body.
Due to its hypoglycemic action, bitter gourd makes an excellent remedy for diabetes. The insulin-like components in bitter gourd help to lower blood and urine sugar levels without increasing blood insulin levels.
For those who love bitter gourd, I have some lovely bitter gourd recipes, mainly in our 'very easy to make' Konkani cuisine, my favorite being "Karathe Phodi" or Bittergourd fritters.
I also make a sweetish curry with bitter gourd called "Karathe Go'd thalasani" which is probably the oldest dish in our konkani community.
For the pickle lovers I have the "Bittergourd pickle" and for those who like salads there is
"Karathe Kosambari".
But the biggest delicacy of them all is the "Chilly garlic Bitter gourd and eggplant" or "Karathe ani Gulla thalasani" since its made from the traditional and patented "Gulla" or brinjal from Udupi.
Here is a simple yet delicious dish made using bitter gourd, this is a north Indian cuisine inspired dish.

Serves 2
Ingredients:
Bittergourd or Karela - small ones - 10-12 nos
Onion - 1 - finely chopped
Green chilly - 1 - finely chopped
Garlic - 2 cloves - finely chopped
Ginger - 1 inch - finely chopped
Oil - 1-2 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Red chilly powder - 1 tsp (or more as per taste buds)
Chat masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Amchur/Dry mango powder - 1/2 tsp
Black salt - 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves to garnish

Method:
Peel the bitter gourds using a peeler, now wash and slit then on one side lengthwise and remove the inside seeds.
Soak in salt water for 15-30 mins so that the bitterness gets reduced. You can also use them directly.
Meanwhile, take a large pan, keep on medium heat, add oil, once hot add the onions, green chilly, ginger and garlic and fry till onions turn translucent.
Now add all the masalas and salt as required, and stir fry for about 2-3 minutes.
Switch of heat the allow to cool.
Now remove the bitter gourd from the salt water, pat dry and stuff them with the cooled mixture.



Once they are stuffed well, tie each one using a thread if you feel that the masala will slip out.

Take a shallow pan, and fry the karela on low heat and using minimal oil - 1-2 tsp.

Once done remove the tied thread.
Serve hot garnished with fresh coriander leaves.

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