Baingan Bharta (Vangyache Bharit)

They say that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. In our household, this certainly holds true. Luckily, my husband is non fussy and pretty easy to please when it comes to food. There are some dishes though, that win me more affection and quite a lot of appreciation! Baingan bharta, or vangyache bharit as we call it in Marathi, is of those dishes. The key to a good bharta is the smoky flavor that comes from roasting the eggplant directly on the flame or even better, on coal. For people who are not blessed with a gas stove, you may use the electric stove, oven, or steam the eggplant. Unfortunately, the flavor will suffer a little. If you are cooking for someone special, you may also be able to get their help with cleaning the stove, for these eggplants sure are messy!

Making a bharta starts with choosing the right kind of eggplant. The bigger the better? Absolutely not. The larger ones tend to have more seeds and are harder to cook. You want to go with the ones that are medium sized and a little soft to touch. These are the ones that will have the most juices and impart a beautiful flavor to the dish. These are, unfortunately, also the ones who will make you use your elbow grease for cleaning after cooking on the flame, as a lot of juice will also run out as you cook!

I add my mom-in-law's touch to this dish and use Spring Onions in the recipe. I think it works really well.

This recipe serves 4.

Ingredients
Eggplants (Medium sized) - 2
Olive Oil - 1 tablespoon and 3 tablespoons (divided)
Spring Onions - 4 bulbs with leaves
Hing/Asafoetida - a pinch
Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Jeera (Cumin seeds) - 1/2 teaspoon
Tomato Puree - 3 tablespoons
Salt - 1.5 teaspoon or to taste
Green Chillies - 4 (or to taste)
Garlic - 3-4 cloves
Ginger - 1 small bulb (about a tablespoon when minced)
Dhania Jeera Powder - 1 teaspoon
Red Chilli powder - 2 teaspoons (or to taste)
Haldi powder (Turmeric) - 1 teaspooon

Procedure
1) Wash the eggplant and wipe them dry. Apply about half a tablespoon olive oil (or any oil that you use) evenly on the eggplants.
2) Place the eggplants directly on the flame (one of each stove) and let it roast evenly on all sides. You may want to roast about 5-7 minutes on each side until it is cooked through and the skin looks charred. Be very careful when dealing with the eggplants directly on the flame!
3) When the eggplants are roasted, place them on to a large plate and set them aside to let them cool down.
4) While the eggplants are cooling, chop the green onion.
5) Prepare a paste of ginger, garlic and chillies. Ever since I've discovered how easy it is to make this paste at home and how much of an difference it makes to the overall flavor of the dish, I have stopped using readymade pastes. I use a small Oster mixer attachment that my parents brought me from India that does an amazing job grinding and making pastes!
Throw the chillies, ginger, and garlic into the grinder..

and two seconds later..voila! It probably costs much lesser too.

6) Place the paste aside and peel the eggplants.

7) Mash 'em up with a potato masher or back of a spoon. Try not to lose any of the precious juice!

8) Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a pan and add jeera and mustard seeds. Let them crackle and then add a pinch of hing.
9) Add chopped spring onions and a pinch of salt. Let them cook till they are slightly wilted.

10) Add the chilly-ginger-garlic paste and cook until the raw smell disappears, a minute or two.
11) Add tomato puree and let it cook for another minute or two, until bubbles appear around the edges.
12) Add the spices - haldi (turmeric), red chilly powder, dhania jeera powder and give it a good mix.

13) Add the mashed eggplant mixture and salt and mix to combine.
14) Cook on a low flame for 10 minutes. If your eggplants were juicy enough you won't need any water. If they were dry then you can add a tablespoon or two.

I served my bharta with jowar bhakri, thecha (red chilly paste, not for the meek!), and sliced onions sprinkled with lemon juice. I also had salted buttermilk on the side to bring down the spiciness a little :)

Hope you enjoy the dish!

"Frozen" Hot Chocolate

If you love chocolate and are craving for hot chocolate in summer, this drink is for you. If you don't love chocolate (or pretend not to), this recipe will make you fall in love.

It is super easy to prepare and everyone you serve it to will love you even more. I Promise.

This recipe serves two.

Ingredients
Milk - 2 cups
Hot cocoa mix packets (I used Nestle's) - 2
Semisweet Chocolate Chips - 2 tablespoons
Whipped cream on top (optional)
Chocolate sauce for garnish (optional)

Procedure
1) Boil milk in a saucepan on medium heat just until bubbles appear on the surface. Once they do, turn the heat off.
2) Pour the hot cocoa mix and stir with a whisk for 30 seconds.
3) Pour in the chocolate chips and whisk again until well incorporated.
4) Try not to drink all the hot chocolate. If you have a sweet-er tooth, add some more sugar at this step. Note that the hot cocoa mix already has some sugar.
5) Let the milk come down to room temperature.
6) After the milk has cooled, pour it in the serving glass.
7) Put the glass in the freezer for about 30 minutes.
8) After 30 minutes, remove from the freezer, add some whipped cream and garnish with chocolate shavings or chocolate sauce.

Note: The above recipe just cools the milk but does not set it. If you like a daiquiri type consistency, then you can pour the cocoa-milk mixture in ice tray, cover with plastic wrap, and let it cool a little longer. When set, throw them in the blender and serve chilled. To make life easier, you could also make a bulk of hot chocolate and store it in the ice trays covered with plastic wrap for up to one week.

Strawberry Lassi to Beat the Heat

On our regular days, when my husband and I get home from work, we are super hungry and grab anything edible that's in sight. Most of the time, that happens to be a bag of chips, which is not very healthy. The aim is to be full just for an hour or two, until dinner is ready. One day, I made Strawberry Lassi and we got hooked to it. It is cooling, refreshing, low fat and much healthier than potato chips. Also in scorching temperatures during summers like the current one, it helps keep the body cool and hydrated. The ingredients are very simple and you can tweak the recipe to your preference. Also you can use other fruits such as mango or pineapple to make variations of lassi.

This recipe serves two.

Ingredients
Skim Milk - 1 and 1/3 cup
Plain Yogurt - 2/3 cup
Strawberries - 8-10
Cardamom Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Ice Cubes - 3-4
Honey - 1 tablespoon, or to taste (you can also use sugar, agave nectar, or sugar substitute)

Procedure
1) Blend all the ingredients together for about 10-15 seconds. That's it!

Easy Foccacia Recipe

Foccacia is very easy as compared to other breads, does not need much hard work with kneading or shaping and goes great with most soups and stews. It is also a great appetizer by itself with some herb olive oil! My recipe is adapted from Showmethecurry. I love their recipes!

Ingredients
All Purpose Flour - 2 cups
Warm Water - 1 cup
Yeast (preferably rapid rise) - 1 tsp
Sugar - 1 tsp
Olive Oil - 2 tablespoons
Sea Salt - 1 tsp
Rosemary - 1 tsp
Thyme - 1 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp

Procedure
1) In a small cup or bowl, add half a cup of warm water, yeast and sugar. Let it sit for about 10 minutes till the yeast blooms.
2) In a mixing bowl, mix in the all purpose flour and salt.
3) After the yeast has bloomed, add the water to the flour and start kneading. Gradually add more water and knead for 5-6 minutes till you get a soft and pliable dough. It should not be too sticky or dry.
4) Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and knead again for a minute or two.
5) Line a baking pan with parchment paper or if not using, grease the surface of the pan with olive oil. Place the dough in the baking dish and spread it so it has uniform thickness. Cover it with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let it rest for 1.5-2 hours. 
6) Preheat oven to 400F.
7) Mix a tablespoon of olive oil with sea salt, rosemary, and thyme and gently brush the oil mixture over the dough.
8) Let the bread bake in the over for 15-20 minutes. It should be golden-brown on the top.
9) Slice into pieces and save a large one for yourself!

Note: In the picture you see the tomatoes which I have not included in the recipe, because I felt that the tomatoes prevented the bread underneath from getting fully baked and so it would be best to skip them.

Hearty Italian Veggie Soup

There are some days when all you want is a nice and warm bowl of soup. This Italian Veggie Soup is perfect for one of those days, and feels especially satisfying on cold winter nights. It is like a carnival of flavors and is really and canvas, that you can play with endlessly to match your preferences. This soup goes really well with Garlic Pull-Apart Rolls or freshly baked dinner rolls.

Ingredients
Olive Oil - 2 tablespoons
Garlic - 3-4 cloves
Onion - 1 small
Diced Green Bell Pepper - 1 cup
Carrot - 1
Canned Crushed Tomatoes - 1 cup
Frozen Corn - 1/4 cup
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes - about a teaspoon, or to taste
Salt - 2-3 teaspoons or to taste
Dried Rosemary - 1 teaspoon
Dried Thyme - 1 teaspoon
Chicken broth - 1 cup
Water - 0.5 cup
Italian Seasoning - 1 teaspoon or to taste

Procedure
1) Get all your ingredients ready - mince the garlic, dice the onion (does not have to be too fine), peel and dice the carrot and the bell pepper.
2) In a soup pot or a pan, start heating the olive oil on medium heat. You can substitute for vegetable or canola if you don't have olive oil on hand.
3) One the oil is heated enough, throw in the minced garlic and diced onion and saute for two minutes, until the onion and garlic start browning on the edges.
3) Add in the carrot and bell pepper and saute for two more minutes. You can also add other veggies that you like at this step (artichokes, boiled potatoes, zucchini) or omit some that you don't.
4) Add the crushed tomatoes and cook until bubbles appear on the surface and around the edges.
5) Add the chicken broth and half a cup water and mix well.
6) Add in the seasonings - crushed red bell pepper, salt, thyme, rosemary.
If I ever met the person who discovered thyme and rosemary, I would hug them for 10 minutes. Maybe more.
7) Let the soup cook for about 7-8 minutes on medium heat. Add the corn and let it cook for a minute more. Do a taste-test and adjust the seasonings until you love the balance of the flavors. Add water if the soup appears too thick.

Sprinkle some more Italian seasoning while serving the soup. A spoonful of pesto mixed just before serving also gives a very interesting dimension to this soup!

Serve warm with pull apart rolls, dinner rolls, or a Foccacia and enjoy your supper!

Blueberry Cobbler

There's really nothing much to say about this dish. It's sweet, tart, rich, and very summery. Combine it with vanilla ice cream to make a dessert which reminds you why you are blessed to be alive and taste something so delicious. My recipe is an inspired/modifed version of this one.

Ingredients

Fresh Blueberries - 2 cups
Sugar - 1/3 cup and 2 tablespoons (divided)

Orange, Mango, or Pineapple Juice - 2 tablespoons
All Purpose Flour - 2/3 cups
Baking Powder - 1 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Milk - 3 tablespoons
Egg (preferably at room temperature) - 1
Butter (regular, unsalted and at room temperature) - 1/4 cup
Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp 

Procedure

1) Preheat the oven to 375 F.
2) Line a cake pan with parchment paper (or grease it with butter and a little flour). I used a regular circular cake pan and it worked great with this recipe.
3) In the baking dish, mix the berries, orange/mango/pineapple juice and add 1.5 tablespoons sugar. Give it a good mix and let it rest while you finish the next steps.
4) In another bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt. If using self rising flour, skip the baking powder. If using salted butter, skip the salt.
5) Take another bowl (I'm making you use a lot of bowls but I assure you it will be worth it) and cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until its nice and silky. Sometimes the egg curdles when you add it to the butter-sugar mixture. This can be avoided by using eggs at room temperature.
6) Now add 1/4 of the flour mixture to the egg-butter mixture and mix lightly, just until incorporated. Then add a tablespoon of milk. Mix well and continue adding flour and milk alternately.
7) Pour the batter over the berry mixture and mix lightly. Let the orange juice get mixed with the batter.
8) Bake in the over for about 35 minutes. After 20-25 minutes, sprinkle the cobbler with about half a tablespoon sugar and let it bake for another 10 minutes.
9) Remove from oven when the surface is golden brown and let it cool if you have the patience. If not, dig right in!

This goes great with a dollop of Vanilla Ice Cream. Go ahead and have a second serving, you deserve it!

Easy Carrot-Cucumber Paratha

I love Carrot-Cucumber parathas as they are easy to make, pack a lot of punch (Read : whole wheat, carrots, cucumbers, low fat), and they can be served just by themselves! Parathas, in general, are very versatile. There are so many varieties of parathas like Gobi (Cauliflower), Aloo (Potato), Mooli (Radish) and there is always an opportunity to mix and match the ingredients. I make my parathas without much oil or fat. But according to the original recipe, they are to be dunked in butter (ghee) or oil. It just depends on your preference. Either way, these are scrumptious.

Ingredients

Whole Wheat Flour or Atta - 2 cups

Seedless Cucumber (preferred, or with seeds would also work) - 1 large

Carrot - 1

Salt - 3 tsp (divided)

Ajwain or Carom Seeds - 0.5 tsp (Optional)

Red Chilly Powder - 1 tsp

Haldi or Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp

Oil - 1 tbsp

Procedure

1) Remove the skin of the cucumber. Grate it and add 1 tsp salt. Let it sit in a for about 10 mins so that all the water has oozed out. If your cucumber was not seedless, pick and toss out all the seeds.

2) In the meanwhile, de-skin and grate the carrot. There should not be much water to get rid of, so you can leave it as it is.

3) To get your dough going, mix together the flour, 2 tsp salt, tumeric powder, ajwain, and red chilly powder.

4) Using your hands, squeeze out as much water as possible out of the grated cucumber and reserve the water.

5) Add grated carrot and cucumber to the flour mixture and start kneading.

Add very little reserved cucumber juice at a time to make a soft pliable dough. It is important to add water very little at a time as the cucumber has tendency to give out water and dough becomes very sticky if not careful. If it does, just add some more flour but avoid adding too much as it will throw off the balance of the ingredients.

6) Add oil and continue kneading for a minute or two.

7) Cover the dough with a kitchen cloth and let it rest for 10 minutes.

8) Heat a griddle and make golf size balls of the dough. Roll the parathas taking care that they are not too thin. Use some flour to prevent the paratha from sticking to the rolling surf.ace.

9) Put the paratha on the griddle and let it cook until small bubbles appear on the surface. Flip it and let it cook until it has brown spots all over the surface. Flip it again and let it cook similarly on the other side. At this point you may choose to apply some oil or butter (ghee) on either or both sides of the paratha.

10) Continue the process for other parathas.

These parathas are great served just with yogurt and pickle, or can be served with the curry of your choice. I love tomato curry prepared in Gujrati style to go with these parathas. This is a great wholesome option when you want to have a quick dinner and have limited ingredients at hand! You could also skip the cucumber and increase the quantity of carrots to make just carrot parathas, but the flavor that cucumber imparts to this parathas is refreshing to the palate. Give it a try!