THAI EGGPLANT BASIL

INGREDIENTS:
2 Chinese Eggplants ( thin, long purple eggplants)- chopped into thin fingers.
25-30 Basil leaves chopped
8 Lime Leaves( optional- I didn't use it as I couldn't find them)
1 Tbsp Sambal Oelek
4 cloves of Garlic- chopped
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 tsp Brown Sugar
Salt as per taste
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
Lemon rinds of 1 Lemon

METHOD:

Heat olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan and toss in the chopped garlic until softened.
To this add the eggplant, toss and let it cook nicely. Then add salt and Sambal Oelek along with Soy Sauce.
Add basil and keep tossing slowly until all the leaves are nicely wilted.
Now add the lemon rinds.( Be careful when when removing the rinds from lemon. Just grate lightly taking care that you don't grate the white as it then becomes bitter)
Serve steaming hot with white rice.

OKRA SPINACH / BHENDI PALAK

INGREDIENTS:
Okra
Spinach- 1 Bunch washed and chopped
1 Big Onion Sliced
1 tsp Jeera seeds
1 tsp Coriander Powder
1 Tbsp Kitchen King Masala
1 tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Haldi Powder
Salt as per taste

METHOD:

Wash and dry Okra and cut them lengthwise.
In a heavy bottomed pan heat oil and had jeera seeds. When jeera starts sputtering add sliced onions and fry them until brown.
Now add okra and add all the rest of the masala ingredients to it and keep the flame on high and cook okra until they are completely cooked.
Now add chopped spinach into this and adjust the salt and cook untill all the spinach in competely cooked. Note: Don't add any water to this as spinach lets enough water and this should be good to cook the vegetable.
Serve hot and enjoy it with white rice or chapathi.

MODAKA

INGREDIENTS:
For Unde
1 Cup Rice
1 Cup Coconut
Water
Salt - as per taste
For Stuffing
Jaggery
Coconut- Fresh/Frozen
Cardamom powder

METHOD:

Mix grated or powdered jaggery with coconut and add cardamom powder if desired and keep it aside. This mixture will be used as stuffing for Rice balls.

Soak the rice in hot water for about 2 hours
Grind rice along with the water used for soaking to a course paste. Add fresh coconut and salt at the end and churn it for a couple of mins so both coconut and the rice are coarsely ground( like that of idli batter).
Now in a heavy bottom pan add about 4 more cups of water to the above batter and keep stirring constantly mashing small lumps that will be formed during this process. Continue this until the batter becomes thick and forms a single mass.
Slowly make small rice balls out of the above when the mixture is still warm to hot. To do this dip your hands in cold water and immediately carefully form small table tennis ball.
Carefully flatten the ball and stuff a spoon full of jaggery mix inside (just like the way you would do for stuffed parathas) and cover the mix to form a nice ball again.
Steam cook for about 12 to 14 mins.

PLANTAIN DOSA / BALEKAI DOSA

INGREDIENTS:
2 Cups of Rice soaked in warm water for 2 hrs
2 raw(green) Plantains(or 3 cooking bananas) - pealed and sliced
Salt as per your taste

METHOD:
Grind soaked rice along with sliced plantains into a very smooth paste adding enough water and salt.
Now add more water until you get the batter to a free flowing honey consistency.

Heat the thava( preferable cast iron thava) and pour a ladle full of the dosa batter and make a quick thin circle working from center going outwards.

Cover and cook for few secs and then add little oil/ghee and roast it nicely.

Serve hot with your choice of chutney or sambar.

MADDUR VADA

INGREDIENTS:
1 Cup Maida
1 Cup Rice Flour
1 Cup Soji/Bombay Rava
1 cup Grated Coconut- Fresh/Frozen
1 Tbsp Butter
1 Big Onion
6 Green Chillies
4 Strands Curry Leaves
Salt- As per taste

METHOD:

Finely chop Onion + green chili+ curry leaves. Add salt and mix well and keep it aside for a while until the onion leaves water
Now melt about a Tbsp of butter and add all the rest of the ingredients and mix to get a nice thick dough. Note: do not add extra water as the water left from the onions will be sufficient to make a thick dough. Add very little water only if required.
On a greased wax sheet make small balls and press them to as thin vadas as possible and slowly deep fry them in oil. Tip: Always keep the flame in medium to low to properly cook the vadas and to make it extra crisp.

PLANTAIN CHIPS

INGREDIENTS:
4 Green Plantains( firm and unripe)
Oil for deep frying
For Masala:
Chili powder
Pepper Powder
Hing
Salt

METHOD:

Mix all the masala ingredients and keep it aside.
Heat the oil for deep frying.
Peal the plantains and slice them using the chips grater directly into the oil. Keep the flame in medium and keep frying until golden yellow.
Remove from the oil and spread it on paper towel to remove the excess oil.
Immediately sprinkle the hot chips with the above masala mix.

Store in an air-tight container and enjoy!!!

COCONUT PEDA

INGREDIENTS:
1.5 Cup Grated Coconut fresh/frozen
1 Tin Condensed milk
2 Tbsp Milk
Saffron few strands
Dry fruit of your choice for decoration.

METHOD:

Dry grind the grated coconut until it reaches to a powdery consistency.
Soak saffron in about 2 tbsp of milk for about 10 mins.

In a heavy bottomed kadai heat the condensed milk along with the milk and saffron and brig it to boil.

When you see the bubbles add in the powdered coconut and keep stirring it for another few mins until you see the mixture thickening and forming a single mass.

Now cool it for 2 mins and slowly and carefully form circular laddus and slowly press it using your palms to flatten it thus making pedas. Note: the sweet still needs to be hot when you shape it. Be quick when you do it. You need to do it before the sweet cools completely.

Slowly press in a dry fruit in the center as shown in the picture. I used chopped dates here.

Enjoy!!!

GOBI LOLLIPOPS

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 Medium sized Cauliflower cut into big flower heads
3 Tbsp Besan Powder
2 Tbsp Corn Flour
1 Tbsp Rava
1 Tbsp Rice Powder
1 Tbsp Butter - melted
2 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Cumin Powder
1tsp Coriander Powder
.5 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Garam Masala Powder
Red Food Color
Oil for frying

METHOD:

Mix in all the above mentioned powder ingredients with little water to make a nice thick batter. Add in nice and hot melted butter to it.
Now add the food colour.
Dip nice big flower-heads into this batter and deep fry them until nicely browned and cooked.
Serve hot and crisp with Coriander-coconut Chutney and Sweet chutney.