Roasted Eggplant and Garlicky Dip

This is such an easy and healthy dip that would go well with pretty much everything. It tastes great with dosa, cooked rice, toasted bread, pita chips and crackers. The garlic adds so much flavor, the red onions give it a nice crunch and the chunky eggplants adds a great texture. And last but not least, you will get a guaranteed 'good great job' pat from your spouse just like i did. And here goes the recipe,

Ingredients:

2 medium Eggplants (or 1 large)

10-12 Garlic pods

4 small Green Chilli (finely chopped)

1/4 cup Red onion (finely chopped)

1/4 cup Cilantro (finely chopped)

2 tbsp Olive oil

Salt

 How to:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
• Wash the eggplants, cut the stem off and make 4 slits lengthwise.

• Open the slits gently and stuff the garlic and green chilli.

• Place the eggplant on a foil, sprinkle salt and drizzle olive oil over it.

• Wrap the eggplant tightly and place it in a oven safe dish and bake for an hour.

• Once baked, remove the foil immediately and carefully slide the roasted eggplants into the dish.

• Cut  the eggplants and mash'em along with the skin and check the salt for taste.

• Let it cool completely, add the onions and cilantro, mix well.

• Serve at room temperature or chilled with chips or crackers.

Eggplant rolls

These rolls will make you drool, if you are a goat cheese lover like me. I first tasted goat cheese on my pizza as a topping, though i found'em mostly on salads (not a big salad fan), the salty bite of it is heavenly. When i found this recipe, goat cheese stuffed eggplant, it sounded so yummy that i can't wait to devour'em. I am telling you, you got to taste this. First couple of bites were clean and slow with a fork and knife, later we started gobbling and licking our fingers with goat cheese all over. Truly no exaggeration. And here goes the recipe,

Ingredients:

1 large Eggplant

4oz Goat Cheese (crumbled)

1tbsp dried Onion flakes/1tsp Onion powder

1/2tsp dried thyme / 1/2tbsp fresh Thyme

1/2tsp dried Oregano / 1/2tbsp fresh Oregano

1tsp minced Garlic

1tsp Lemon juice

1tbsp Olive oil + more for drizzling

Salt

Pepper

Optional:

Tooth picks (to hold the rolls)

Orange Zest (to sprinkle on top)

How to:

• Cut the eggplant lengthwise into 1/4" pieces. Lay it over a rack, sprinkle salt all over the eggplant pieces and let it sit and sweat for 20 mins.

• Meanwhile, prepare the goat cheese mixture.
• In a bowl, add the crumbled goat cheese, dried herbs, onion flakes (you can crush the onion flakes to avoid big pieces in your bite), garlic, lemon juice, 1tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.

• Combine everything well with a fork or back of a spoon. If the mixture is a bit dry, drizzle more olive oil to make it wet and keep it aside.

• Now, use a paper towel to gently blot the liquid on top of the eggplant. (This way of sweating and blotting reduces the bitterness of the eggplant)
• Then sprinkle pepper, drizzle olive oil and grill'em at medium heat for a min on each side or until you get nice grill marks. (If you don't have grill pan, you can broil'em at low until they brown on both sides.)

• Transfer the grilled eggplant to a paper towel.

• Start assembling the rolls by laying a grilled eggplant on a sheet pan or chopping board, place 1tbsp of goat cheese filling and spread it all over, just like you butter a toasted bread.

 

•   Then, gently roll the eggplant tight and secure it with tooth picks.

• Roll up the remaining eggplant in a similar manner and sprinkle the orange zest for a refreshing bite.

Serve it warm as an appetizer. 

Brinjal (Indian Eggplant) Kothsu

I had some tender brinjals lying in the fridge for more than 5 days. Thats actually weird in my kitchen, because i cook brinjals the next day i buy it and the reason is, rarely i get good tender brinjals in our Indian store nearby. And this time it was fresh and  i bought a lot to try some different dish other than usual fry and making sambar. 

When i was looking for a recipe in my old note book, i found my MIL's kothsu recipe which i had written in a small paper. I remembered the day (after my marriage) my husband asked me to prepare the dish 'just like his mom' makes. That time i was not much of a brinjal person and i didn't care to try the recipe. But now, i buy brinjals every week and i really liked the taste of kothsu.

Kothsu is kind of a dip or chutney famous in Tamilnadu. It is made with simple ingredients in a quick time. I found other kothsu recipes made with tamarind for sourness, but MIL's recipe says' tomatoes'. Maybe next time i would try it with tamarind. Alright, here goes the recipe,

Ingredients:

15 tender Brinjals (bite-size pieces)

6 red Pearl onions

2 Green chilli (slit)

2 Roma Tomatoes (chopped)

1/2tsp Turmeric powder

1tbsp Sambar powder/Kuzhambu milagai podi

1/2tsp Cumin seeds

1/2tsp Mustard seeds

1/2tsp Urad dal

3 Dry red chilli (broken)

5-6 Curry leaves

2 pinches Asafoetida

1 cup Water

1tbsp Oil

Salt

How to:

• In a cooker add brinjals, pearl onions, green chilli, tomatoes, turmeric powder and salt along with water and pressure cook'em for two whistles.

• Coarsely mash the cooked brinjals with a hand masher and keep aside.

• Heat oil in a skillet, add mustard seeds, urad dal, dry red chillies, curry leaves and asafoetida.

• Then add sambar powder dissolved in some water and cook for 30 secs. (Water is added to prevent the sambar powder from burning.) (Sorry, don't have the pic.)
• Now, transfer the cooked brinjal mixture into the skillet and cook for 6-8 mins at medium flame or until it starts thickening a bit. (Do not overcook the mixture or it will turn into chutney consistency.)

• Switch off and garnish with cilantro.

Serve hot with idli, dosa or steamed rice.

Vangi(Brinjal) Quinoa

The original recipe is from Kamala's Corner 'Vaangi Bath', but I made this dish substituting rice for quinoa. Otherwise, not much of alterations and here goes the recipe.

Ingredients:

For Quinoa:

1 cup Quinoa (pre-washed)

1 1/2 cups Water

1tsp Oil

1 pinch Salt

• Pressure cook the quinoa with water,  oil and salt. Fluff it with a fork and keep aside.

For Vangi masala powder:

4 dry red chilli

1tsp Chana dal

1 Cinnamon stick (1")

3 small Cloves

1tbsp Coriander seeds

1tsp Urad dal

2tsp Oil

• Heat oil in a small pan, add the above ingredients in the same order, fry'em at medium-low heat until brown.

• Let it cool, grind coarsely and keep aside.

For Vangi Quinoa:

8 small Brinjals (Indian Eggplant) 

1/2 medium Yellow onion (finely chopped)

1/4tsp Turmeric powder

1tsp Chana dal

1tsp Urad dal

1/2tsp Cumin seeds

5-6 Curry leaves

1tbsp Oil 

Salt

How to:

• Quarter the brinjals and wash'em in cold water.

• Heat oil in a skillet, add cumin seeds, chana dal and urad dal.

• Then add onions, curry leaves and saute until tender.

• Add turmeric powder, saute for a min, then add brinjals.

• Cook brinjals for 10 mins, with lid closed, in a medium flame along with salt, until tender. (Careful not to black'em.)

• Now add the coarsely ground powder, mix well and cook for a min.

• Add the cooked quinoa, mix gently and check salt for taste. (If required, add salt.)

• Reduce the flame to low, close the lid and let cook for 3-4 mins. (This way the spices get infused with the quinoa.)

• Switch off and garnish with chopped cilantro.

Serve warm with raita and potato chips.