Bhaingan Bhartha

Ingredients

Eggplant/Bhartha Brinjal - 1 large
Onion - 1 medium  finely chopped
Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup chopped
Tomatoes - 2 ,chopped finely
Green chillies - 4,chopped finely
Green peas - 1 cup cooked
Dhania-jeera ( cumin -corainder) powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
Aamchoor(mango powder) - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Sugar - 1 tsp
Cooking oil - 3 tbsp

Procedure

1.Rub 1/2 tsp oil on the eggplant and microwave till the skin shrinks and liquid starts oozing out of the
vegetable. This takes around ten minutes.Alternatively, you could hold it over open fire, over the gas stove, turning it occassionally till the outer layer becomes burnt and can be easily peeled off.
2. Take it out of the oven and peel it.
3. Mash the baigan and add the salt to it.
4. Heat the remaining oil and add the chopped onion.
5. Fry till the onions turns translucent.
6. Add the green chillies and the tomatoes and fry till the mixture becomes gooey.
7. Now add all the spices and the sugar and fry for a minute.
8. Add the baigan and mix well.
9. Now add the peas and fry for a couple of minutes.
10.Add the chopped coriander leaves and some water to get thick consistency.Mix well.

Serve when hot with as a side dish to plain rice.

Alternative version

This I call the lazy vesrion or bachelors'recipe of Baingan bhartha. You need fewer ingredients here and undoubtedly lesser time.

Procedure


1.Rub 1/2 tsp oil on the eggplant and microwave till the skin shrinks and liquid starts oozing out of the
vegetable. This takes around ten minutes.Alternatively, you could hold it over open fire, over the gas stove, turning it occassionally till the outer layer becomes burnt and can be easily peeled off.
2. Take it out of the oven and peel it.
3. Mash the baigan and add the salt to it.
4. Add chopped green chillies, onion, coriander leaves, and mix it well.

Serve as a side dish for rice.

Medu Vada

Ingredients

White urad dal - 1 Cup
Crushed black peppercorn - 1 tsp.
Asafoetida - ¼ tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp.
Curry leaves - 8-10 nos.
Oil for deep frying 
Salt - to taste

Procedure

1. Wash and soak urad dal for 6 hours.
2. Grind into a fine paste.
3. Add salt, asafoetida, curry leaves, cumin seeds and crushed peppercorns
to the batter and mix well.
4. Heat oil in a Kadhai.
5. Wet your palms and take batter into the palms. Shape into a ball and
make a hole with the thumb in the center.
6. Deep fry the vadas in medium hot oil until golden brown and crisp.
7. Serve hot with Sambhar and Coconut chutney.

Tomato Soup(Shorba)

Ingredients

Tomatoes -  600 gms.
Chopped ginger - 1 tbsp.
Chopped garlic - 1 tbsp.
Whole garam masala - 1 tbsp.
Bay leaf - 2 no.
Chopped green coriander - 1 tbsp.
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp.
Sugar (optional) - 1 tbsp.
Oil - 1 tbsp.
Green chili - 2 no.
Salt As per taste

Procedure

1. Wash and cut tomatoes into quarters
2. Cook tomatoes with chopped ginger, garlic, green chilies cut into two and Whole Garam masala. Add 5 cups of water and bayleaf. Bring to a boil.
3. Simmer for twenty minutes on a slow flame until tomatoes are mashed completely.
4. Strain the mixture with a soup strainer.
5. Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds, let them crackle. Add strained tomato liquid and season with salt.
6. Bring it to a boil, add sugar if it is very sour.
7. Serve hot, garnished with chopped green coriander leaves.

Masala Vada

Ingredients

1 cup yellow gram (chana) dal
1/2 cup onion finely chopped
1/2 cup coriander finely chopped
1/2 cup dill leaves finely chopped (Optional)
3-4 green chillies finely chopped
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
oil to deep fry

Procedure

Wash and soak dal for 3-4 hours.

Keep 2 tbsp. dal aside, grind the rest,coarsely.
Mix all other ingredients, including whole dal.
Add 2-3 tbsp. hot oil to the mixture.
Heat oil, make patty shaped rounds with moist palm.
Let carefully into the hot oil.
Fry first one side then the other till golden brown.
Serve hot with green chutney,red chutney, or tomato ketchup