Sweet Potato Masala Roast

A perfect roast as a side for sambar rice. Sweet potatoes are very healthy and if you don't like to eat just boiled like back at home, prepare this roast for weekday lunches and you will be hooked for sure. With our variety of spices, you never have to eat anything bland. These days sweet potatoes are a staple at my home. And here goes the recipe,

Ingredients:

2 medium Sweet Potatoes

1 medium Red Onion (finely chopped)

6-8 Green Chili (slit)

3 Garlic pods

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

1 tbsp Urad dal

3 dry red chili

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

2 tsp Chili powder/Sambar powder

Cilantro chopped

Salt

1 tbsp Oil

How to:

• Boil the sweet potatoes and chop'em to bite size pieces with or without skin. Crush the garlic and cumin seeds.

• Heat oil in a skillet, add mustard seeds, dry red chili and urad dal.

• Add the onions and green chili, saute for a min and now add the crushed garlic-cumin seeds.

• Add the turmeric powder and sambar powder, mix well.

• Add the sweet potatoes along with salt and cook for 5 mins in a medium heat. (Don't salt'em as you would for white/red potatoes, use sparingly.)

• Switch off and garnish with cilantro.

Spicy Potato Roast 2

Ingredients:

2 White Potato (Boiled & Cubed)

1 long green chilli (cut lengthwise)

1tsp Ginger (minced)

1/2tsp Cumin seeds

1/2tsp Fennel seeds

1tsp Coriander seeds

1 pinch Fenugreek seeds

4-5 Curry leaves

1/2tsp ground Black pepper 

Salt

Oil

How to:

• Coarsely ground the fennel seeds and coriander seeds.

• Heat oil in a skillet, add cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds and the ground fennel-coriander seeds.

• Then add ginger and saute for a min.

• Now add the potatoes, mix well and saute for 5 mins.

• When it starts browning, add salt followed by green chilli and curry leaves and saute for 4 mins.

• Add ground pepper and check salt for taste and roast for another min.

Switch off and serve hot with sambar/dal rice.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

1 Sweet Potato

1/2tbsp Coriander seeds

1/2tsp Fennel seeds

1/2tsp Oregano leaves (dried)

1/2tsp Black pepper (whole)

1/2tsp Sea salt

2 Garlic pods

1tbsp Olive oil

How to:

• Preheat the oven at 425 degrees F.
• Wash and cut the potatoes into small wedges and keep aside.

• Coarse grind the coriander seeds, fennel seeds, oregano, black pepper and salt.

• Wrap the baking sheet with aluminum foil and drizzle the olive oil.
• Now toss the potato wedges and garlic, sprinkle 1/2 of the ground spices (keep the remaining for later) and mix well to coat.

• Bake for 20 mins or until the edges turn golden brown.

Serve hot as a side with any meat dish.

Eggplant roast

Ingredients:

1 Eggplant

3tbsp Chilli powder

3/4tsp Turmeric powder

1 1/2tsp Rice flour

1tsp Salt

Oil

How to:

• Slice the eggplant into 1/2 inch circular or semi-circular pieces.
• Mix the chilli powder, turmeric powder, rice flour and salt and prepare a dry masala.

• Now coat the dry masala on both the sides of eggplant and marinate for 5-10 mins.

• In a skillet, drizzle oil to coat the pan, when the oil is hot, place the marinated eggplant and roast it in a medium flame.

• Cook for 4 mins, then, flip it over and cook for another 4 mins, until the sides starts to blacken.

Remove from pan and serve hot with dal rice.

Sending this dish to Akheela's Torview for the event Food Palette Series ORANGE.

Roasted Asparagus

Ingredients:

1/4lb Asparagus (thinner spears)

2-3 Garlic pods (minced)

1/2tbsp Olive oil

Black pepper (freshly ground)

Salt

How to:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Wash and trim the tough ends of asparagus and discard.

• In a baking sheet with aluminum foil, drizzle olive oil and roll the asparagus spears to coat the oil well.
• Sprinkle the minced garlic over the asparagus along with salt and pepper.

• Roast the asparagus for 10 mins or until tender when pricked with a fork.
• Remove the sheet from oven and serve warm.

A healthy snack or an appetizer or a side, you name it.

Seppankizhangu/Colacasia Roast

Ingredients:

5 Seppankizhangu

1/2tsp Mustard seeds

1/2tsp Urad dal

1/4tsp Turmeric powder

1tbsp Chilli powder

Salt

Oil

How to:

• Boil the seppankizhangu, peel the skin and cut into round slices.

• In a skillet, heat oil, add mustard seeds, when they sputter, add urad dal.
• Then add turmeric powder and chilli powder and saute.

• Now toss the seppankizhangu slices, mix well and roast in a low flame along with salt.

• Roast until it starts browning and crispy.

Serve with sambar rice or dal rice.

Okra roast / Lady's finger roast

Ingredients:

12.8 oz Okra (0.8lb) (sliced)

1/4 Yellow onion (thinly sliced)

3 garlic pods (sliced)

3 dry red chilli

6 curry leaves

1tsp Cumin seeds

1/2tsp mustard seeds

1/2tsp Urad dal

1/4tsp turmeric powder

1tbsp Chilli powder

1 1/2 Coriander powder

Salt

Oil

How to:

• In a skillet, heat oil, add mustard seeds, when it splutters, add urad dal, cumin seeds and dry red chilli.
• Add onions along with salt and saute well.

• Then add curry leaves and garlic saute till you get nice aroma.

• When onions are golden brown, add the okra, mix well and cook.

• When okra turns tender, add salt, turmeric powder, coriander powder and chili powder,mix well and slow roast it.

• Roast till its crispy enough.

• You can switch off the flame and serve or roast further more.(below pic)

Serve hot and crispy as an appetizer or with rice.