Baingan ka Bharta

This is one of my favorite sabjis. It is spicy and really packs a punch. It is simply perfect with rotis and some curd or raita to cut the spice. I even managed to convert Varun from a baingan hater with this recipe!

Ingredients –

• 500g Baingan (Aubergine/eggplant, the round fat ones)
• 2 Onions, sliced
• 2 Tomatoes, diced
• 1 square inch Ginger, minced
• 5 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1tsp red chili powder
• ½ tsp coriander powder
• ½ tsp cumin powder
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 3tbsp oil
• Salt to taste (baingan soaks up quite a bit of salt)

Roast the baingan over the stove till it is nice and blistered.

Allow it to cool slightly, and peel off the burned skin. You don’t need to be very careful about getting all the skin off. A few bits of skin in your sabji will give a lovely smoky flavor. You could also roast the baingan in a tandoor or barbeque. Once you have peeled the baingan, mash it with a fork. It doesn’t need to be completely smooth.

Heat the oil in a pan and add the onions. Once the onions are slightly translucent throw in the ginger and garlic; fry till the onions are browned completely.

Next, put the tomatoes in and add all of the spices (apart from the salt). Continue to fry the masala till a little oil releases from the mixture.

Add the roasted baingan to the masala and cook for a couple of minutes. You can add salt at this point. Serve hot with rotis and some raita.

Peanut Butter

Ever since I can remember I've been in love with peanut butter. As a kid I would sneak into the kitchen when no one was around and gobble up a nice big spoonful and then scurry out, making sure there were no traces left behind.

In fact, my love for peanut butter was so deep that I once got caught red handed by my mother and all she said was,"Go ahead!" I wasn't going to pass up such an opportunity so I dipped the spoon in and had a nice, big, not so yummy mouthful of ginger garlic paste!

This recipe gives only a rough idea of quantities as some people may prefer their peanut butter sweeter than others would. 

Ingredients -

• 300g Peanuts
• 2-3 tbsp Sugar
• 1/2-1 tsp Salt

Roast the peanuts on a medium flame until they turn brownish and let them cool. Place the peanuts in a grinder with the desired amount of sugar and salt and grind till it starts to come together. This may take a while as you will have to keep opening the grinder and scraping down the sides as it tends to get stuck all over the place. Also, check for sugar and add if required.

This recipe does not require any oil as the peanuts release more than enough oil to reach the desired consistency. If you prefer your peanut butter smoother, simply grind it for a while longer!

Bacon Wrapped Chicken

If you're looking to cook a special meal for that special someone, this is the perfect recipe! Although this dish looks amazing and tastes sinfully delicious; it is incredibly easy to make. You can happily pocket all the praise and act as if you were slaving away in the kitchen all day long! And trust me, the look on that special someones face when they bite into this juicy treat is worth the effort!

Ingredients -

• 3 boneless Chicken Breasts
• 100g Cheese OR 1 box of Cheese Spread
• 1 tbsp Butter
• 6 strips Bacon
• 4 cloves Garlic
• Salt and pepper to taste 

Before you start preparing the dish you need to prepare the chicken breasts. Fillet the breasts along the length as you would fillet a fish and beat down with a mallet or rolling pin till they are about half a centimeter thick. You may find it easier to do this by placing the chicken between two sheets of cling film. Slice each breast fillet into half, so that you are left with 6 strips of chicken.

Grate or spread a generous amount of cheese onto the chicken strips and dot with butter. Add some finely chopped garlic and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Starting from one end roll the strip of chicken into a tight cylinder; don't worry if a little cheese falls or oozes out, you can always push it back in.

Lay out a strip of bacon and place the rolled chicken on one end. Holding both the chicken and the end of the bacon strip, roll again and fasten the loose end of bacon with a toothpick. This should give you 6 neatly wrapped, already delicious looking rolls of chicken wrapped in bacon.

Place these in a lightly greased baking dish and bake at 175C for 25 minutes and then at 200C till the outer layer of bacon crisps up slightly.

Cheese Sauce

Cheese sauce is one of the best things that happened to the planet. It can be eaten with practically anything; and can really spruce up a boring dish. This recipe makes around a cup and a half of thick, yummy sauce. 

Ingredients –

·         ½ cup Milk

·         200g Cheese, grated

·         20g butter

·         2 tbsp flour

·         1 green chili, finely chopped

·         2 cloves garlic, minced

·         2 tbsp celery, finely chopped

·         2 tbsp spring onion, finely chopped

·         1 tsp dried oregano

·         Salt and Pepper, to taste

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed pan and add the flour. Fry for a couple of seconds and pour in the milk, whisk quickly to get a thick sauce. Add the grated cheese while continuously stirring till the cheese has melted. Add all the remaining ingredients to the sauce. Serve hot with boiled and fried potatoes.

Note – you can use this sauce as a sandwich spread for the next day.

Grilled Cheesy Potatoes

This recipe has a very funny origin. One fine day I get a call from Regina saying that she dreamt of a recipe and that I had to try it out! So I try it out and this is by far the yummiest take on cheese and potatoes I've ever tasted. Simple and absolutely delicious!

Ingredients –

·         4 fist sized Potatoes

·         100g Cheese

·         6-7 cloves Garlic

·         40g Butter

·         Salt and pepper to taste

Cut the potatoes in half and boil till they are cooked through.
  
Meanwhile, chop the garlic fine and cut the cheese into small cubes. 

Once the potatoes are boiled using a spoon scoop out the halves leaving a little bit adhering the skin so you’re left with little potato cups.

Now mix the scooped out potato with the cheese and garlic and add salt and pepper to taste. Fill the potato, cheese and garlic mix back into the empty potato skins, add a dollop of butter on the tops of each and bake in the oven at 200C for 15-20 minutes.

For those of you with the willpower to wait, you might want to let it cool for 5-10 minutes before digging in as the melted cheese can be piping hot!

Note: Replace grated cheese with cubed cheese wherever you possibly can. It tastes so much better!

Varun's 21st Birthday Cake

As the name suggests, we made this cake for Varun's 21st birthday. Both of us are born in February, the month of strawberries! We went to the Aundh Fruit Market in Pune; and the first thing I saw was a large basket full of juicy, luscious strawberries! In Ahmedabad; I have only ever seen strawberries in tiny little boxes with huge price tags. This was a lovely surprise.

This cake is incredibly chocolaty, but it doesn't feel very heavy because the chocolate is countered by the tang of the strawberries. Chocolate and strawberries have always gone together; this is yet another way to reach that sweet heaven!

Ingredients –

·         200g Sugar

·         5 Eggs

·         300g Flour

·         150g Cocoa

·         2 tsp Baking Powder

·         ½ tsp Baking Soda

·         200g Butter

·         ½ cup Water, recently boiled

·         300g Dark Cooking Chocolate

·         2 tsp Icing Sugar

Beat 150g butter and the sugar in a bowl until it is pale and fluffy (do not melt the butter over the stove). Whisk the eggs in one at a time.

Sieve the flour, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda a couple of times on a piece of newspaper or a bowl. This will help your cake to be light and airy.

Gently fold the flour and cocoa mixture into the eggs mixture. Once it is almost mixed through; add the water and stir to get a smooth batter. Pour the batter into a greased baking dish and bake in an oven pre-heated to 170C for about 40 minutes; or till a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely on a wire rack.

Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Once the chocolate has melted, take the bowl out of the water and allow it to cool slightly.

Beat the remaining 50g of butter until it is light and pale. Pour the melted, cooled chocolate over the butter and vigorously beat until you have a smooth, glossy icing.

Keep a few strawberries aside for garnishing, and chop the remaining into small cubes. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of icing sugar on top.

Slice the cake in two horizontally (the easiest way is to tie a piece of thread around the cake and pull it through). Spread one-third of the chocolate icing all over one part, and cover it with the chopped strawberries. Place the other part of the cake on top and gently push down. Spread the remaining icing all over the top and sides of the cake. You can arrange a few slices of strawberries on top for garnishing. 

Pea Soup

I eat my peas with honey;

I've done it all my life.

It makes the peas taste funny,

But it keeps them on the knife.

 

Source: The Random House Book of Poetry for Children (1983)

Pea soup is my sister Aisha's favorite comfort food. During the winters it is always nice to have warm liquids; they run through your body warming the very 'cockles of your heart'. Also, this is what changed a certain someones mind about soup completely. From hating the very word soup, he went to asking me to make soup!

The soup is creamy and incredibly garlicky. Although I always use fresh peas for it, you could also use the frozen ones if you don't have the patience to sit and shell them!

Ingredients –

·         200g Peas

·         50g Cheese

·         10g Butter

·         ½ tsp Red Chili Powder

·         5 cloves Garlic

·         300ml Water

·         Salt to taste

Put the peas, chili, garlic and water in a saucepan and boil till the peas are soft and cooked through.Let it cool for a couple of minutes and then pour into a blender. Add the butter on top and then the cheese. Blend the mixture until you have a smooth creamy soup. Add salt to taste; serve hot.