Ajwaini Bhindi (Okra With Carom Seeds)

As a kid I used to hate okras, the mere sight of this slimy veggie was enough to make me loose my appetite, but my mom never lost her hopes of seeing her stubborn daughter finish her okra meal. She used all the tricks under her hat to convince me to eat it. Mom used to say that if I eat okras then my brain will become sharp and I will excel in my mathematics, but I used to dash her hopes by neither eating okras nor scoring centum in my maths. Slowly over the years I acquired taste for okras, and now I love it in any form. Finally my mom's dream have come true but still that mathematics issue remains.........

Carom seeds or Ajwain are known to have many medicinal qualities, the seeds have thymol in them which aids in digestion. Carom seeds also help to control asthama and is effective in treatment of cold and flu symptoms. 

Ingredients:

Okra- 1/2 Kg

Oil- 2 Tbsp

Mustard Seeds- 1/2 Tsp

Cumin Seeds- 1/2 Tsp

Carom Seeds- 1 Tsp

Potato- 1 Medium Sized Cut into pieces

Onion- 1 Large Sliced Finely

Turmeric Powder- 1/4 Tsp

Salt, Chilli Powder- To Taste

Coriander Powder- 2 Tsp

Dry Mango Powder- 1/2 Tsp

Procedure:

Wash the okras and completely dry them with a kitchen towel, if the okras are wet they will be very slimy. Now chop off and remove the crown of the okras and make slit from top to bottom vertically and horizontally, so that each okra is divided into four long stripes. If the stripes are too long then cut them in half.

Now take a deep frying pan and add oil in it, keep on gas. When the oil heats add in mustard, when the mustard starts crackling add in cumin and carom seeds. Now add in finely sliced onions and fry them, till they turn translucent. Add in potatoes and okras along with turmeric powder, mix everything well. Cover the pan with a lid and cook till the potatoes and okras are well done. Now add in salt, chilli powder, coriander powder and mango powder and gently mix everything together. Cook for another two to three minutes and then remove the pan from the gas. 

Serve hot with plain rotis, or parathas.

Baingan Ka Bharta ( Smoked And Mashed Eggplant)

For me eggplant is synonymous to bharta, I like my eggplant smoked and mashed with lots of garlic and spices. Smoking of the eggplant on fire imparts a wonderful flavour to the dish. Long back in India we had a neighbour, who made this bharta with mustard oil and served with baati. I am not used to eating food cooked in mustard oil but enjoyed that rare treat by our wonderful neighbour, still that taste of bharta with baati soaked in ghee lingers on my tongue. And this bharta tastes wonderful with any Indian bread like naan and parathas.

The most important thing to remember is to buy a good quality of eggplant without any holes and to char the skin completely, so that the inside are cooked thoroughly and the eggplant gets tender and juicy. 

When I was removing the charred skin of eggplant, my daughter who just entered the kitchen stood on the door for a while and watched me curiously. After I had cut open the smoked eggplant, she seemed to be horrified and asked me..."mumma have we started eating non vegetarian food, is this some kind of fish? " . But when I explained her that this is eggplant she was relieved but still refused to eat the final dish...so I made some potato fry for her. I hope that when she grows up she will start liking this dish.

Ingredients:

Eggplant- 1 Large

Onions- 2 Medium (finely chopped)

Ginger- 1 Inch Piece

Garlic- 4 Cloves

Green Chillies-2 ( chopped) 

Tomatoes- 2 Medium (finely chopped)

Green Peas- 1/4 Cup

Mustard Seeds- 1/2 tsp

Cumin Seeds- 1/2 tsp

Turmeric Powder- 1/4 tsp

Red Chilli Powder- 1/4 tsp

Coriander Powder- 1 tsp

Salt- To Taste

Oil- 1 tsp + 3 tbsp

Coriander Leaves- To Garnish

Fried Garlic slices- To garnish

Procedure:

• Wash the eggplant and pat dry. Now rub 1 tsp of oil on the skin. Switch on the gas in medium flame and keep the eggplant directly on the fire. Let the skin char, keep turning the eggplant from all sides so that whole skin is charred and the eggplant is cooked from inside.
• Once the eggplant is charred keep it aside on a plate to cool down for about 10 minutes. Then peel of  the skin and remove its crown. Cut the eggplant and mash it thoroughly with help of a fork.
• Pound ginger and garlic together in a mortar and keep aside.
• Heat the 3 tbsp of oil in a pan. Once the oil is hot add in mustard and cumin seeds. When the seeds start crackling add in green chillies, chopped onions and pounded ginger and garlic.
• Once the onions turn brown add in chopped tomatoes, green peas along with turmeric, red chillies, salt and coriander powder. Let the mixture cook on a medium flame till the spices are cooked and the mixture starts leaving oil from the sides.
• Now at this stage add in the mashed eggplant and mix everything together. Keep on cooking the mixture till a nice aroma comes say for about 7-8 minutes.
• Now switch off the gas and garnish with chopped coriander leaves and some fried garlic slices.
• Serve super hot.

Linking this to Dish it out- Brinjal and Garlic Event started by Vardhini and hosted by Sangee.

Also linking this to Hot & Spicy Treats event at Amy's space Foodssrilanka.

Sending this black and white picture to Susan's Black And White Wednesday.