V is for Varan Bhaat and Vangi Kaap

Darn the camera!! As it is I am a lousy photographer.. to add on.. the lousy camera!!

OK, I'm done with my display of despair... thank u for bearing with me!

This is 'The' simplest meal and also one of the most comforting foods of all time is the down-to-earth 'Varan Bhaat' that is made in every Maharashtrian home. This simple meal can be made without any fuss and more importantly, without oil!

The simplicity of making it is something that will make u clap your hands in glee and get down to making it and one morsel of this 'varan-bhaat' will have you hooked!! Varan- bhaat is served with with a wedge of lemon and a dollop of 'shudh ghee'. The best part is this pure food (for want of better way of putting it) lies in the fact that there are no 'masalas' in it. A delight for the young and old and a must have for every occasion, weddings, pooja's, festival time and also when recuperating from an illness!!!

How to make this Varan?

1/2 cup Toor daal

2 pinches Asafetida

1/4 tsp. Turmeric

Salt to taste

Jaggery - small lump (Optional)

1 1/2 cup Water

Wash the Toor Daal in 3-4 changes of water. Add water, asafetida, salt, turmeric and jaggery. Set it in the pressure cooker and cook for up to 3 whistles or as long as it takes the cooker to cook daal to a mush.

Once the daal is cooked,remove from the cooker, with a spoon mash and mix evenly. If it is too thick, add little of water, keeping in mind that it has to be thick. That's it!!!

The ghee melted by the time I captured the picture :(

As an accompaniment to the Varan bhaat, I made Vangi Kaap.. for M

I believe every cuisine from every region in India has their own version of making this accompaniment! Here is my Maharashtrian Version

You need:
1 Large Brinjal (eggplant /vangi/ baingan) , sliced into med-thick slices
1/4 tsp. EACH, turmeric, Red Chilly pwd., Cumin pwd., Corriander pwd., Amchur pwd.
1/2 tsp, Rice Flour
1/2 tsp Sooji / rava/ Farina (this was my inclusion)
Salt to taste
Oil to shallow fry

Mix all the dry ingredients. Spray the brinjal slices with a bit of oil, sprinkle the masala on it (on both sides). Heat a skillet. Drizzle the oil on the skillet and then place the seasoned brinjal slices . Cook on a medium heat on both sides. Serve with lunch/ dinner. As an option, to keep it very simple, you can also exclude the cumin-corriander powder and use the basics to make vangi kaap.

This will go to Nupur as my contribution for V of the A-Z of Indian Vegs. ...

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R is for Ringan Curry and Radish Sambar

The first time I heard 'Ringan' ... I absolutely did not connect it to the eggplant.. and had it not been mentioned in a blog (Trupti's!!) , I would never have known!! Well, well... so here we are, yet another eggplant recipe! For someone like me, who would not eat eggplant to save her life... I keep buying it for my significant other half.... and this time googling for recipes I came across this recipe, which was easy and different. Having come across recipes where the eggplant was subjected to roasting, stuffing, baking, this was the first, when I saw this vegetable cooked with methi / fenugreek leaves, and so I decided to make an attempt at cooking it

Ingredients:
500 g Fresh ringan / eggplant
200 g Finely chopped tomatoes
10 Pcs finely chopped green chilies (+/-)
½ Bunch finely chopped fresh methi bhaji
1 Tsp haldi
Salt to taste
2 Tsp dhana-jeera

Vaghar ( Tempering ) :
¼ Cup Oil
¼ Tsp Rai
¼ Tsp Methi
¼ Tsp Jeera
Pinch of Hing

Garnish:
¼ Bunch finely chopped fresh dhania.

Method:
Wash and cut the ringan into cubes of about 1 inch. (cut ringan when you are about ready to cook. Rub the pieces into about half a teaspoon of salt to stop them turning into black color.)

Vaghar (Tempering) :
Heat oil in a saucepan and add all the other ingredients for tempering
Add fresh methi and cook for few minutes, steering from time to time. Add pieces of ringan, mix well and cook for about five minutes
Add salt, chilies, haldi and cook further ten to fifteen minutes till ringan are fully cooked
Add dhania-jeera powder and cook for further two to three minutes on a very low heat.

I have no idea how this tasted.. However M was of the opinion that it was 'ok' .. 'ummm'..'hum, good', so I leave it to you guys to try and test and taste!

I also made Radish Sambar. For this recipe I peeked into Mahanandi and had wonderful results!! I am not too fond of radish.. too strong for me and so far have never eaten a radish salad, or vegetable... but I do like Mooli ka Parantha... that is the only exception. I was not too sure of how well this would taste in sambar... I mean would it affect the taste with the tartness? Thankfully no, the taste of sambar is as good as it can get!!! Thank U Indira!!!

Excellent accompaniment with Rice, Dosa, Idli.. Yenjoy!!!

This is going in as my entry for 'R' of Nupur's A-Z of Indian Veges

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O is for Oven Baked Eggplant

Hah!! I made it this time for Nupur's A-Z of Vegetables ....
It's been so long.. or at least feels so long since I had a post for this event! I made Oven baked Eggplant...
There is no love lost between me and the eggplant... however it's the exact opposite with M! His eyes glaze over, a benevolent smile wreathes his face and he rubs his hands in anticipation. That is the Only reason why the 'Baingan Raja' ever finds its way into my kitchen.

Now this little sucker with it's siblings, was lying in the dark regions of the fridge, untouched for a week now... I would look at it...ponder over the possibilities (which, I know are numerous).. shake my head and pick up another vegetable, talk about being prejudiced! So finally, last evening, casting aside my feelings, I pulled up the eggplant and decided to make this appetizer... a treat for M... he had a gruelling day at work and deserved something that would bring back that 'smile'!!
Now ,I have no clue where I got this recipe from, in one of my moods I had taken out sheets and sheets of recipe printouts, so safe to say that the source is Google.


Making it is also no big deal! So simple and quick too!

1 med. size Eggplant
5 tbsp Mayonnaise
Parmesan cheese (I did an approx. on this)
Salt
1/4 tsp. Pepper powder
Breadcrumbs

Preheat the oven to 350 d. F
Place foil on the oven tray (spray with oil if u want), I used Olive oil spray
Mix the mayo, cheese, salt and pepper and mix to make a nice paste
Spread the breadcrumbs on a plate
Slice the eggplant into discs
Dip the eggplant discs into the mixture
Pat on both sides on the breadcrumb plate
Place on the tray and bake for 10 minutes on each side
Done!!

Variations : Using a dash of Italian seasoning

Using the Large Eggplant (one that is commonly used in making 'bharta')

Substituting any other cheese instead of Parmesan

Verdict: Very NICE!! (the 'smile' is back in it's place!) I could put in a better way... as Jeeves (not his own, of course! It's Browning!!) would say...The lark's on the wing;The snail's on the thorn; God's in his Heaven --All's right with the world!

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