Baked Stuffed Vegetables

Baked Stuffed Vegetables - Bharwa Sabji

This is something i grew up eating. Just like here in US, parents have baking time with kids, back in my childhood days this was "Sunday fun with cooking". My mom used to get the stuffing ready and me and my sister would have fun, stuffing the veggies. This dish is simple, easy and healthy!! 

Prep. Time : 20 mins
Cooking Time : 40-45 mins

Ingredients
Veggies
Small Potatoes, Eggplants, Bell Peppers, Tomatoes, Lady Fingers, Parvar (snake Gourd), onions etc. Be imaginative with the vegetables. You can select vegetables of your choice or make with only one vegetable.

For Stuffing
1 Tbsp Oil
1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
1/4 tsp Asafoetida (hing)
1 Tbsp of crushed roasted peanuts
1 tsp Sesame Seeds
1 tsp Red chili powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp lemon juice / 1/2 tsp citric acid
1 cup Chickpea Flour
Salt to Taste

Wash all the vegetables and dry them with a clean towel.
Heat Oil in a Pan, add mustard seeds, when the seeds start crackling add Asafoetida and Chickpea flour. Saute the flour for around 4 to 5 mins until it starts releasing its fragrance.
Add Roasted Peanuts and all other spices. If you are using lemon juice or tamarind pulp,  add that at the end. Add all other spices, mix them well with the flour and then add the lemon juice.
Remove from Heat and allow the stuffing to cool.
Make slits in the vegetables, remove the seeds from peppers, tomatoes.
Fill in the stuffing and place them in a greased deep baking tray.
Sprinkle all the leftover stuffing.
Preheat Oven at 350F.
With a cooking spray, lightly spray oil on all the vegetables.
Cover the baking try with Aluminium Foil and keep them for baking.
After 20 minutes, flip the vegetables and keep them covered for baking again.
The vegetables would be ready in total between 40-45 minutes. 

Dabeli or Double Roti

Dabeli or Double Roti

Dabeli or Double Roti is a famous street food originally from Kutch region of Gujarat. Its a mouth watering dish and has plenty of flavors in it. All ages of people enjoy having Dabeli. Today i am sharing a total home made simplified yet very tasty dabeli.

Ingredients

Potatoes Boiled & mashed - 3 big

Green Chilli & Coriander Paste - 1 Tbsp

Ginger Paste - 1 tsp

Salt - to taste

Lemon juice - 1 tsp

Sugar - 1 tsp

Red chili powder 

Garam Masala

Dhania jeera Powder - 1 tsp

Amchur Powder - 1 tsp

Oil - 3 tsp

Pav or buns

To Serve 

Onions Chopped

Date & Tamarind Chutney

Chili & Garlic Chutney

Coriander Chutney

Fresh chopped coriander leaves

Butter

Masala Peanuts

Nylon Sev

Pomegranate Pearls

Cheese

Heat oil in a pan. Add chili- ginger paste and saute for a minute. Add mashed potatoes. Add salt, lemon juice, sugar, red chili powder, Garam masala, dhania jeera powder. Mix everything well. Turn off the gas. Now add amchur powder, and 2 tsp each of tamarind and garlic chutney. Add some of the masala peanuts, pomegranate pearls. Give it a good mix. 

Slit the buns horizontally without cutting through. Toast the buns upside down on a hot tava using butter. This makes pavs really soft and tasty. Spread red chilli-garlic chutney, coriander chutney and sweet date and tamarind chutney on both sides of the pav. You can increase the amount of chutney as per your taste. I love coriander and tamarind chutney so i use them more. Then top the mixture with chopped onion, pomegranate pearls, masala peanuts, nylon sev and fresh green coriander leaves. Its optional, but i also love to top it with grated cheese. You can use mozzarella or processed cheese. Close the both sides of the pav. Place the stuffed pavs on a hot tava. Press slightly and toast on both sides, with a little butter if you wish. (If you are calorie conscious you can avoid using butter again. Its optional.) Serve hot.

Following are some tips for dabeli recipe 

For tastier dabeli, you can use fresh dabeli masala in place of Garam Masala. For making dabeli masala dry roast 2 dried red chilies, 1 tsp whole green corriander seeds, 3-4 cloves, 1 tsp jeera,3-4  pepper corns, 1 bay leaf and 1/2 cinnamon stick. Dry roast all the ingredients and make a fine paste.) 

If you don't get masala peanuts,then don't worry. Dry roast the raw peanuts till they are light brown. Allow them to cool. Remove their skin and break into halves. Heat a pan with one tsp of oil. Once the oil is hot add peanuts,1 tsp red chili powder, 1/2 tsp of black pepper powder and 1 tsp of chat masala. mix them well and cook for a minute. Now allow them to cool and set aside for later use. 

Eggplant Curry or Baigan Curry

Eggplant Curry or Baigan Curry

This recipe is for eggplant lovers.

Ingredients
Eggplant - 3 -4 medium sized
Tomato puree - 1 cup
Curd or yogurt - 1/2 cup
Green pepper (shimla mirch)
Oil - as required
Green chili - chopped to taste
Ginger - grated to taste
Mustard seeds  - 1/2 tsp
Ajwain seeds- 1/2 tsp
Dry Red chilli - 2
Red chili powder
Turmeric powder
Garam Masala - 2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Corriander leaves - to garnish

The recipe is very simple yet great taste is guaranteed. Take the eggplants and cut them into half inch pieces. Put them into a bowl. Add salt to taste, 1 tsp red chili powder and 1/2 tsp turmeric powder. Mix them well and set aside for 30 mins.

Meanwhile cut tomatoes and make a puree. Cut green pepper into half inch pieces.

After 30 mins, take oil in a pan and shallow fry the blanched eggplants. Place fried pieces onto an absorbent paper and set aside.

For gravy, take a pan & add two tablespoons of oil. You can use the oil left after shallow frying the eggplants. Add mustard seeds and ajwain seeds.  Once the seeds start crackling add dry red chilli. Add ginger and chopped green chillis and saute for a minute. Then add green pepper and mix well. (Those who eat onions can add chopped onions at this time. Saute them well until they start changing colour.) Add tomato puree and let it cook. Once oil starts separating, add red chilli powder, turmeric powder and half of the garam masala. add salt for the portion of gravy. Mix well. Add fried eggplants and yogurt. Mix well. Add water to get desired thickness of the curry. Add remaining half of the garam masala and allow the curry to cook for 5 mins at medium heat.  Add coriander leaves and serve hot with bread, naan, paratha or rice.

Try it & do let me know how it turns out. :)

Carrot Halwa or Gajar Halwa

Gajar Halwa

The first thing that comes in mind on reading gajar halwa are the hassles of peeling and grating carrots and its long and difficult procedure. But the below recipe is quick and hassle free.

Ingredients
Baby Carrots  - 1 lb
Milk - 2 cups
Sugar - 1/4th cup
Cardamon powder - 1 tsp
Raisins - few
Ghee - 1 tsp
Mixed Almonds & Cashew nuts- to decorate

Using baby carrots will eliminate the need of peeling and grating carrots with hands.

First, wash the baby carrots put them in a food processor and grind them until fine. Heat ghee in a thick bottomed pan, add grated carrots and saute for 5 mins. Add cardamom powder and saute for a minute. Cardamom powder will start giving its smell. After that add milk. Milk should cover the carrot mixture.

Add raisins. Stir and cook for five minutes. Add sugar and mix well. You may also add 1 tablespoon of condensed milk. If you are adding sweetened condensed milk then, taste it before adding sugar. Adding condensed milk gives a nice texture to the halwa. Cook until milk evaporates and carrots are cooked. Stir occasionally just to ensure that carrots do not stick to  the bottom.

You can see in the image above, milk has evaporated. Add chopped almonds and cashew nuts. Mix well. Serve hot or at room temperature. Its all your wish. You can see how well and yummy it turned out to be :) your comments and suggestions are welcome.. :)