Vangi Bath | Brinjal Rice

I didn't knew there is anything call Vangi Bath until I saw it in blogosphere once I started blogging and that made me curious to know what exactly is this dish that hails from Karnataka, after Bisi Bela Bath this one is next on my favorite list now.  Initially I thought it's one of the complicated dish after all to cook rice, make masala powder, cook brinjal with spices that some work.  But then when I tried it I knew how wrong I was!

Though you might think the procedure is long but it's actually quite easy and different from all those variety rice, I made this few times and not to mention DH doesn't crib to eating this so I don't have to worry much, few of my friends were asking me to blog this recipe for long time which I am at last able to do it today :).  This is made with fresh rice but you can also use leftover rice and that's makes this more quicker and wonderful way to use the leftovers :D ..I do that most of the time. 

Serves - 2

Ingredients:

Cooked Rice - 2 cups

Eggplant/Brinjal - 5-6 small one or 2 long ones (medium size)

Asafoetida /Hing - 1/8 tsp

Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Channa Dal - 1 tsp

Urad Dal - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Green Chilies - 4

Cashewnut - 10-15

Tamarind Pulp - 2 tbsp

Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp

Oil - 2 tbsp

Grated Coconut - 2 tbsp

Salt - to taste

For Vangi Bath Masala Powder

Channa Dal - 2 tbsp

Urad Dal - 2 tbsp

Coriander Seeds - 2 tbsp

Dry Red Chilies -4

Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp

Fenugreek Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Cinnamon - 1" Stick

Cloves - 3

Green Cardamom - 2

Dry Coconut - 2 tbsp [ I don't use dry coconut for making powder]

Method:

1. Roast all the ingredients for the masala powder each separately until golden brown and grind to fine powder. 

~ I generally don't use coconut in making powder so I can store these for later use. 

2. Wash and cut brinjal into 1" inch length, if using small ones cut into 6 or 8 long pieces and immerse in water, slit the chilies.   

3. In a pan heat oil, add hing, mustard seeds and allow to crack. Add urad, channa dals, curry leaves, green chilies and cashews roast until light golden brown. 

4. Add brinjal pieces, turmeric powder and cook until it changes color and become soft.  

~ I forgot to add turmeric powder !!

5. Add 2 tbsp of ground masala, mix well and roast for a minutes.  Add tamarind pulp, salt and simmer for 5 minutes or until brinjal gets cooked but not mashed.

6. Add coconut and rice and mix gently.  Adjust salt if required.  

Serve with any raitha of your choice and/or chips.  We had it with plain curd and tomato, onion chutney. 

Have a nice day ~~

Mango Tutti Frutti Cake

Tutti Frutti Cake is DH one of the favorite cake he likes to munch on these,  and tutti frutti is one of the cake that I bake most as these makes good tea cake and never really posted the recipe.  This time I made a twist and added mango to use the last mango I had,  which made the cake more delicious and added wonderful flavor, you must try this if you like mango.

Ingredients:

*All the ingredients to be in room temperature

Plain Flour - 1 Cup + 1tbsp

Baking Powder - 1 tsp

Egg Large - 1

Granular Sugar - 3/4 Cup

Butter - 1/4 Cup

Milk - 1/4 Cup

Mango Chunks - 1/2 Cup (I used  one Alponso mango )

Tutti Frutti - 1/2 cup

Vanilla Essence - 1 tsp

Method:

1. Sieve baking powder and flour 2-3 times and keep side.  Mix tutti frutti with 1 tbsp of flour and keep side.

2. In a bowl beat egg and sugar until light and fluffy takes around 3-4 minutes.

~ If you are using hand beater then use castor sugar or powder the granular sugar, it will save your time and energy, this is coming from my brownie experience.

3. Add butter and beat for a minute again to mix everything well.  Fold the flour in batches and mix well.

4. Add milk and beat light to mix everything together. Pre-heat oven to 180C or 356F

5. Now fold in vanilla essence, mango pieces, tutti frutti, do not beat just mix gently.  Grease a pan or loaf tin and pour the mixture into it, tap 2-3 times to remove any air bubble.

 

6. Bake for 30-40 minutes for until a toothpick inserted in center comes clean.  For me it took 35 minutes.

7.  Cool on a wire rack and then cut in slices.

Enjoy delicious and simple cake, exclude the mango and make it as only tutti frutti cake if you wish.

And sending this to Only Bake Event by Tamalapaku and a event started by Food delicious.

 Enjoy your day ~~

Kadai Mirch Paneer

I know you are wondering what is this? This is a twist to the classic recipe,  I had long green chillies giving up hope on me so I decide to use it and make kadai paneer,  along the way the  recipe totally got change :) I did the changes as I liked and here comes the kadai mirch paneer for you, it's different from usual kadai paneer and that's what makes this recipe interesting.   If you want to try something different then this is for you. 

Ingredients:

Paneer Cubes - 1& 1/2 Cup

Long Green Chilies - 4

Capsicum - 1

Onion - 1 large

Tomato - 1 large

Garlic Cloves - 2 large

Kasuri Methi - 1 tsp

Red Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp

Coriander Powder - 1 tsp

Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp

Oil - 2 tbsp

Salt - to taste

Water - 1 Cup or as required

To Grind

Coriander Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Dry Red Chilies - 2

Cinnamon - 1" piece

Green Cardamom - 2

Cloves - 2

Nutmeg Powder - 1/2 tsp

Method:

1. Roast all 'to grind' ingredients and grind to powder, keep aside. 

2. Chop capsicum and chilies in 1" pieces

~ I didn't remove seeds from chillies as they were not very hot, if you think you chilli is very spicy do de-seed them and wear gloves if required while removing the seeds.

3. In a kadai/wok heat 1tsp of oil and saute chilies and capsium until cooked but crunchy with 1 tsp of grinded masala and keep aside.

4. In a same wok add 1/2 tsp of oil and saute paneer for a mintue until light brown,  And soak the paneer pieces in warm water until we required it later.

5. Chop onion, tomato, garlic and saute it with 1 tsp of oil until tomato gets mash.  Allow it to cool and grind to fine paste with little water.

6. In a pan/wok add remaining oil, add grounded onion tomato paste and cook in medium heat for 2 minutes. Add red chili, tumeric, coriander and 1tsp of our grinded masala, mix well and cook in low flame until oil starts to separate, add chili and capsicum.

7. Add 1 cup water, simmer until capsicum n chili gets cooked.  Add crushed kasuri methi and paneer pieces. 

 8. Cook in medium flame for 2-3 minutes or until gravy become thick.

Serve with roti/paratha or any pulav.

Have a nice weekend ~~

Bagara Baingan | Stuffed Eggplant Recipe

There are few things I like when it's made by others and this bagara baingan is one such thing.  I totally love this if made by my sister for BIL, there was a time I was anti-eggplant person and now it has become a regular veggie at home thanks to this bagara baingan.  

Like most of the recipes one can find multiple version of bagara baingan and this one is the most simple and easy recipe and made by my BIL and my sister way of making this is different ..sigh! I did my work by clicking the pictures asked BIL recipe for my reference as this is my favorite.

 Serves ~ 5-6
Ingredients:

Baingan/ Baby Eggplant -15-18 pieces
Oil - 2 tbsp
Cilantro - 2 tbsp Chopped
Water- 1 Cup

For Grind:
Onion  -3 Large
Ginger-Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp
Sesame - 1  tbsp
Red Chili Powder - 2 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
Garam Masala - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste  

Method:

1. Wash and cut eggplant making a 'X' or '+' mark and keeping the stem intact, immerse in water all the pieces until ready to use.

2. Grind all the ingredients listed under 'for grind' into smooth paste, add little (1tbsp) water only if required. 

3. Heat 2 tsp of oil in a pan or wok and fry eggplant pieces until it changes colour, keep aside.

4. In a same pan heat remaining oil and fry the grounded paste until it starts to leave oil around for 5-7 minutes in medium heat, stir in regular intervals.

5. Add eggplant pieces and stir gently and cook for 3-4 minutes.  Add 1 cup of water, cover and cook in slow flame for 5 minutes, add salt if required.

6. By now the masala and eggplant will be cooked, oil starts to float on top and the gravy will be thick.  Off the flame.  If eggplant is not cooked then simmer for 2-3 more minutes. Garnish with chopped cilantro. 

Enjoy the delicious bagara baingan with roti/paratha, plain rice or pulav.  It's just taste yummy with anything.

Have a nice day ~~

Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

My nephew loves chocolate, let it be in any form so when we were visiting my sister I baked this chocolate chip cookies for him.  Since my sister in-laws are here I had to do it eggless, I looked around for eggless recipe but couldn't find any thing interesting and to find a egg replacement for cookie is not that easy indeed.  So I just one thing, eliminated the egg part from the recipe and followed the rest, the result was just so awesome.  

I received wonderful feedback and everyone loved this cookies including my colleague with whom I shared these and that's makes me a happy person :) so if you are looking for egg less recipe then this is for you with no difference in taste or texture, try this and you will love these too.  

Makes 2 dozen cookies.

Ingredients:

Recipe Source: Joyofbaking

Butter - 1/2 Cup at room  temperature

White Granulated Sugar - 1/3 Cup

Brown Sugar - 1/3 Cup packed [ I used dark brown sugar]

Vanilla Essence - 1 tsp

Plain Flour - 1 Cup

Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp

Salt - a pinch

Chocolate Chip - 1/2 Cup

Chopped Walnut - 1/4 Cup [optional]

Method:

1. Sieve flour, salt and baking soda,  keep aside.  Preheat oven to 375F/190C. 

2. In a bowl beat butter until smooth and creamy, add white and brown sugar.

~ Use the butter in room temperature it's gets the things done fast.  I normally keep my butter outside overnight.

.

3. Beat until fluffy or sugar dissolve about 2-3 minutes.  Add vanilla essence and mix well. 

4. Fold in flour in 2 batches and mix/beat until it combines.   Add chocolate chip and nuts (if using) and mix well. 

~ If the dough is very soft, cover and refrigerate dough for 30 minutes to 2 hours to make it firm.

5.  Scoop 1 tbsp of dough on a ungreased baking/cookie sheet leaving enough space between each piece and bake for 10-12 minutes or until cookies get golden brown on edges.  Cool on a wire rack and remove the cookies from sheet it's come out very easily, if not use a spatula to remove the cookies and store in airtight container. 

~ For large cookie scoop 2 tbsp of dough and bake for 12-14 minutes,  if you are baking the cookies in batches then keep the dough in fridge until you are ready to scoop it again.  My cookies were done in 10 minutes so keep a eye.   

My cookies are little on darker side cause I used dark brown sugar, if you use light brown sugar I guess the cookie color will be light brown. 

Enjoy your day ~~

Spring Onion and Peas Soup

DH got 2 fresh bunches of spring onion and I am not a big fan of spring onion other than garnishing I don't use it much, specially I don't like spring onion and potato curry !!  So I always try to come up with new recipes using spring onion and this time I tried few. 

I just thought of making soup with spring onion and decide use peas along with it.  The outcome? Better than I expected, the soup was thick with good texture and spring onion adds this wonderful spicy touch with peas sweet taste that I helped myself with 2nd serving.  If you are looking for a interesting yet easy soup then it's for you and not to mention the beautiful color it has, I simply loved it.

Serves 4
Ingredients:

Spring Onion/Scallions - 1 bunch
Peas - 2 Cup
Onion - 1 Medium
Garlic - 1 Pod or 1 tsp chopped
Olive Oil - 2 tsp [I use extra virgin oil]
Vegetable Stock/Water - 3-4 Cups [I used one vegetable stock cube]
Salt & Pepper - To taste

Method:

1. Thaw peas (if using frozen), shell peas if using fresh.  Wash and chop spring onion, separate white and green parts, keep aside little spring onion for garnishing. Chop garlic and onion.

2. Heat oil in a pan add garlic and saute for 30 seconds, add onion and toss it.  Now add spring onion white part, saute until transparent.  Add peas and saute for a minute.

3.  Now add 1-2 cups of stock or water, spring onion green parts, salt, little freshly crushed pepper and vegetable stock cube(if using).

4. Bring it to boil on high flame and then reduce the flame to low and simmer for about 3 mintues or until peas gets tender.
~ If using fresh peas you need to simmer for 5-7 minutes.

5. Let the mixture gets cool and then puree in a blender or mixer.  Transfer the puree back to pan, add 2-3 cups of water or stock and bring it good boil.  Adjust salt and pepper if required.

Our soup is ready, serve as it is or do a garnish of little spring onion/cilantro or with finely chopped carrot it's your choice.
 ~If using spring onion for garnishing then add 1/2 tsp or you might find the soup very spicy due to it.

Serve hot/warm with any bread you prefer.  I had it with italian pepper biscuit, oh ya it's wonderful combo and serve as bread sticks :)

Have a nice day ~~