Egg Methi Bhurji

Easy to make, healthy to eat

Ingredients
Onion - 1
Eggs - 4
Methi (Fenugreek) - 1 bunch
Salt
Red Chilli Powder
Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
Green chillies - 1-2
Milk - 2 tbsp

Method
1. Heat oil and add fry finely chopped onion till they turn golden brown.
2. Add the chopped green chillies and ginger garlic paste. Fry.
3. Add chopped methi leaves and fry for 5 mins
4. Break the eggs in a bowl and add 2 tbsp milk, salt & red chilli powder. Beat the mixture.
5. Add the egg mix in the pan.
6. Stir and let it cook for a couple of minutes.

Serve with rotis or parathas or bread.

Baigan ka bharta (Mashed eggplant)

Ingredients
Eggplant (Round big ones, not the small ones) - 1-2 (depending on the size)
Onions - 1
Tomato puree - 2 tbsp
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
Green chillies - 3
Dhaniya powder - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds
Green Peas
Salt
Garam Masala - 1 pinch
Oil

Method
1. Pre heat the oven at 350C.
2. Put the eggplant in the oven and let it bake till it becomes soft and the skin becomes wrinkled. It will probably take 25-30 minutes.
3. When its done, take it out, peel the egg plant and mash it. Keep aside.
3. Heat oil in the pan.
4. Put the cumin seeds and let it roast.
5. Add chopped onions and green chillies.
6. When onions turn light brown, add ginger garlic paste.
PS - It's always better to put fresh ginger and garlic, if you have it at home.
7. Add tomatoes, dhaniya powder. Toss the peas in.
8. Cook for a couple of minutes till the tomatoes are almost done.
9. Add the mashed eggplant, salt and red chilli powder.
10. Stir and cover the pan with a lid. Let it cook on low flame for a few minutes.
11. Open the lid and jst cook it on high flame for 1 minute. You can garnish it with coriander leaves.
Goes well with parathas, chapatis or rice.

Chicken Do-Pyaza

It is a spicy chicken curry preparation which has chunky onions. Tastes yummy.

Ingredients
For marination -
Chicken
Lemon juice
Ginger garlic paste
Turmeric
Salt
Tandoori Masala (Readymade masala that you get in indian stores)

For curry -
Onions - 2 (finely chopped)
Onion - 1 (peeled)
Tomato puree
cumin seeds (jeera) - 1 tsp
cinnamon stick - 2
badi elaichi - 1
mustard seeds (raii) - 1 tsp
bayleaf - 1-2
green chillies - 3-4
red chilli - 2
black pepper
yogurt - 5 tbs
oil
coriander (dhaniya) powder
garam masala
chicken masala (readymade)
red chilli powder
salt
oil
boiled egg - 1 (optional)
coriander leaves (optional)

Method
1. Marinate the chicken by mixing all the marination ingredients. Leave it for atleast an hour.
NOTE - If you are using tomatoes in your chicken curry, it's always advisable to cook the thighs instead of breast. Thighs will turn out softer and more tender.

2. Heat oil in the pan and add jeera, mustard seeds, bayleaf, green chillies, red chilli, cinnamon and black cardamom.
3. Add 2 tsp of ginger-garlic paste. Fry on medium heat. Add the chopped onions. Wait till the onions become light brown.


4. Add 4 tbsp of tomato puree. Add dhaniya powder, chicken masala, salt, and black pepper. Fry till oil separates from tomatoes.
5. Add the yogurt and some water. Fry some more.

6. Take a peeled onion. Cut it from 4 sides but not all the way down. Put the cuts only half way through so that it doesn't separate into pieces.
7. Add this onion in the gravy.

8. Add 1 cup of water, enough so that atleast 3/4th of the onion is dipped in the gravy.
9. Let it cook on slow heat for 15 minutes. The onion is gonna get soft and the pieces will get separate.
10. Add the marinated chicken pieces. Let it cook on low flame for 30-45 minutes.


11. Add 1 tsp of garam masala and heat it some more so that the gravy thickens.

12. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and boiled egg.Serve hot with rice, naan or chapati.

Kashmiri baingan (Eggplant with yoghurt)

My mom's best friend happens to be from Kashmir and she learnt this recipe from her. I tried to reproduce the same over the weekend. This is an easy recipe which doesn't need onions, tomatoes, dhaniya powder or garam masala! It has a tangy flavor.

Ingredients
Yoghurt
Fennel powder (saunf) - 2 tsp
cinnamon - 1 stick
elaichi seeds or powder - 1/2 tsp
eggplant
salt
turmeric
red chili powder
oil
onion (for garnishing - optional)
garam masala - 1 pinch (optional)

Method
1. Marinate the eggplant with turmeric and salt and put it aside.



2. Beat the yoghurt and add crushed cinnamon, cardamom and fennel powder.


3. Put a tbsp of oil in the pan and fry the eggplant pieces. You can also add potatoes if you want. When the eggplant and potatoes are soft enough, take them out.




4. Heat a tsp of oil in the pan and add the youghurt mix prepared.
5. Heat it till it reduces to half the amount.
6. Add the fried eggplant and the potatoes. Add salt.
7. Put some water, cover it with a lid and let it cook on low flame.
8. Open the lid in a few minutes. Make sure the eggplant is well cooked. Add red chilli powder. Cook on high flame for a couple of minutes to evaporate extra water, if any.
9. You can sprinkle a pinch of garam masala and fry chopped onions and pour over the dish before serving (optional).

French Toast with a Twist - Masala Maar ke

Well I am a big fan of french toast with maple syrup dripping on the sides (yummmy!!).
But last night I wasn't in a mood to eat something sweet. I had read this recipe online somewhere a few months ago so I thought I'll give it a try - Spicy Egg Toast. They turned out pretty good :)

Ingredients:
1 egg
Milk - 3 Tbsp
Bread slices (Brown/white) - 3
1/4th onion
1/4th tomato
1 green chilli
salt
black pepper - 1/2 tsp
dhaniya powder - 1 tsp
red chilli pepper - 1/2 tsp
butter

Method
1. Wash the tomato, onion and green chilli and chop them into fine pieces



2. Break the egg and mix milk in it. Beat it well.

3. Mix the cut onions, tomatoes, green chillies in it. Add salt, red chilli pwder, dhaniya powder and black pepper. Again beat it well.



4. Heat the pan with some butter. You can also use the cooking spray.

5. Dip a slice of bread in the egg mixture so that its coated well on both the sides. Dont keep it dipped for too long otherwise it become soggy.


6. Fry the bread on the pan from both sides.


7. And here it is!



I ate it with tomato ketchup (well I can practically eat ketchup with anything) :)

Long Beans/Lobiya/Boda Sookhi Sabzi

Here comes another hari sabzi. I think I am gonna start the blog the healthy way and then move to redder pastures (read red meat) :D.
I dont like the beans that you get in American stores, its too bland. Long beans taste much better and needless to say, its very healthy. In western UP and Delhi, its known as Lobiya (black eye kidney beans also go with the same name - but I guess this one is called hari or sookhi lobiya). The same thing is called "Boda" in eastern UP, Bihar, etc.
Ingredients:
1 bunch of long beans (you get these at Indian stores)
Tomato puree - 2-3 Tbsp
Jeera
Methi seeds
Salt
Red chilli powder
Dhania (coriander) powder
oil

Method:
1. Wash the beans well


2. Cut them into 1-2 inches pieces


3. Heat oil in a pan. Put jeera, methi seeds in it.

4. When jeera is lightly roasted, put dhaniya powder, tomatoes and the cut long beans. Add salt.



5. Add a splash of water, cover it with a lid and let it cook on low flame.

6. When the beans have cooked (they should become soft), remove the lid and sprinkle red chilli powder. Now cook on high flame till the water gets evaporated and the beans are not soggy. And its ready to eat. Goes well with chapati, dal-chawal and parathas.




** You can always add potatoes in it. The method remains the same. Potatoes should be added along with beans.

Alu Methi Sabzi

Alu Methi goes well with chapati or parathas. I had a friend back in high school, Diuli who always used to get alu-methi sabzi and parathas in tiffin. We always used to eat her tiffin in Physics or Chemistry periods :). I never used to eat methi at home though (I have no idea why). Its a very simple recipe. Methi or fenugreek is really healthy and very nutritious.
Ingredients:
3 medium sized Potatoes
Fresh Methi (you can also use frozen methi sold in Indian stores) - 1 bunch
Cumin seeds (jeera)
Mustard seeds (Rai)
Methi seeds - 5-6
Turmeric (Haldi)
Salt
Red chilli powder
Dhaniya Powder (Coriander) - 1 tsp
Garam Masala - a pinch
oil - 2 tsp

Method:

1. Wash the methi leaves. Cut off the roots. And then chop the leaves.

**Some people put methi leaves in salt water for 15 minutes and then dry it off to get rid of the bitterness. But if you do that, it loses all the nutrients. Your choice. I prefer it with all its nutrients.



2. Cut the potatoes into small cubes



3. Heat oil in pan and put aside cumin seeds, methi seeds, turmeric powder and mustard seeds



4. When oil is heated enough, put them in the pan and fry.



4. When the jeera begins to splutter, put the potatoes in it



5. Add salt and cover it with a lid. Heat it on low flame.
6. In the meantime take the dhaniya powder, garam masala and put a few drops of water so that it forms a paste. My mom says that when you are making a dry vegetable (sookhi sabzi), adding the masalas like this always gives more flavor.



7. Add this paste in the potatoes and let them cook for few more minutes till they become little soft.

8. When the potatoes have become soft, remove the lid. Put the methi leaves in it. Now cook for sometime till methi gets cooked (kinda wilted).






9. I like to have it little crispy. So add the red chilli powder and put it on high flame for a few minutes. Keep stirring so that it doesnt get burnt.



10. Ready :)