BEGUN BHAJA RECIPE – BENGALI STYLE

As I mentioned in my Chaler payesh post, here comes the second Bengali recipe for this week, begun bhaja which I made for lunch thali. Begun bhaja means (shallow) fried eggplants(aubergine). Bengalis serve this as an accompaniment for rice, rotis or just as a snack. They make varieties of bhaja with potato, bitter gourd etc & there should be at least one bhaja in their  authentic lunch menu for sure.

 Usually bengali bhaja is made in a very simple way by slicing and marinating bigger sized brinjal with turmeric powder, salt and a pinch of sugar & shallow fried in oil. But being a south Indian girl, I wanted it to be little spicier. So I just tweaked the actual recipe according to my taste bud.

When i googled, I saw many variations for this bhaja recipe like adding garam masala,dusting the begun in poppy seeds, rice flour, wheat flour or maida before frying to avoid oil consumption and to get a beautiful brown layer on top. But I did not want to deviate much from the original bengali style and so I followed this simple one. I referred many websites and Sanjeev kapoor’s video for this recipe.

As I am a big fan of brinjal, I loved this bhaja very much and I started making this bhaja for our South Indian sambar & Rasam rice too. Its so easy to make and you can prepare it within 10-15 minutes including marination time. I strongly recommend all the brinjal lovers to try this recipe at least once. U will love the simplicity of this recipe and of course the taste. But one thing, you should drain the brinjal in a tissue paper well before you eat else you may have to consume a week’s calorie in one meal. 

Ok , Lets proceed how to make this easy bengali style begun bhaja recipe. 

Begun bhaja recipe

Bengali style begun bhaja recipe – Pan fried aubergine slices

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Sidedish

Serves: 3

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 5 Minutes

Total time: 15 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

Medium sized Begun/Aubergine/brinjal - 1 no (the one we use for baingan bharta) Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp Red chilli powder - 1 tsp (optional) Salt - as needed Water - as reqd Sugar - a pinch Cooking oil - 3-4 tbsp

HOW TO MAKE BEGUN BHAJA - METHOD

Wash and slice the big brinjal into one inch slice. Keep it immersed in salt water till use. ( It helps to remove the bitterness in brinjal if any) Mix turmeric powder, salt, red chilli powder and sugar and set aside. Remove brinjal pieces from water and sprinkle this powder. Make sure the powder coats the brinjal well. Let it marinate for 5 minutes. Heat oil in a pan for shallow frying. Fry the brinjal pieces in batches for 5 minutes in medium flame. Flip it once in the middle. Fry till brinjal is cooked well and soft without losing its shape. It turns golden brown. Drain the brinjal in a tissue paper and remove the oil. Serve with dal ad rice OR with sambar , rasam. Enjoy !

Note

U can make it more flavourful by adding garam masala pwd . Skip red chilli powder if you want to try the authentic bengali version. If you are conscious about oil absorption, dust brinjal slices in rice flour or wheat flour before frying. The thinner u slice the brinjal,it gets cooked quickly but do not slice less than 1 inch else brinjal will become crispy. Use big variety brinjal which has less seeds and more flesh for best results. I used small purple ones here. I think you can it find out from the picture. Soaking brinjals in salt water is optional but it helps to remove the bitterness in brinjal if any. Adjust salt while adding turmeric and red chilli powder. Do not add more. Check the flame and keep turning the brinjals till it gets a nice brown color and it should be cooked till soft. Do not over cook it. Add oil whenever necessary while frying between batches because brinjal absorbs more oil.

Enjoy begun bhaja with roti, dal rice or sambar sadam or rasam! Tastes great with anything & everything. 

Do check out my other related posts for this recipe

• Bengali chaler payesh
• Gujarati thali
• Punjabi thali
• Holi lunch menu
• South indian dal/Paruppu sadam
• Sambar sadam

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ALOO METHI CURRY RECIPE|ALOO METHI SABZI

As i mentioned in my Holi lunch menu post,here is the yummy aloo methi recipe ie,Potato with fenugreek leaves which is a great side dish for roti and rice.I have tried this many times and its my favourite too.No doubt any dish with potato tastes great.Addition of methi leaves makes it more healthy and flavourful.I don’t follow a particular recipe.I make it based on the ingredients i have in my pantry.Sometimes i make the same with kasoori methi  & baby potatoes too.It turns out well.But in this post,i have shared the basic aloo methi curry recipe using fresh methi leaves.Do try this recipe.Its a yummy side dish for dal rice and curd rice.It also goes well with our South Indian Sambar sadam and Rasam .
Do refer my baby potato masal curry if interested .

Aloo methi curry recipe

Aloo methi curry recipe - yummy side dish for rice and roti !

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Sidedishes

Serves: Serves 3

Prep time: 15 Minutes

Cook time: 10 Minutes

Total time: 25 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

Big potatoes - 3 nos Methi leaves - 1 cup Big onion - 1 no Ginger - 1 inch piece Red chilli powder - 1 tsp}     OR Sambar powder – 1 tsp Dhania powder - 3/4 tsp } Garam masala powder - 1/4 tsp Lemon juice - few drops To temper Cooking oil - 2 tbsp Jeera/cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

METHOD

Wash and pressure cook potatoes by slitting into two for two to three whistles.Remove and peel the skin.Cut into cubes. Wash and chop the fresh fenugreek leaves roughly. In a kadai,heat oil and splutter jeera.Add onions and ginger bits.Saute well till onions turns transparent. Add methi leaves and saute till it shrinks in quantity.Add salt,turmeric,red chilli powder, coriander powder & garam masala powder.Mix well.. Add boiled potatoes.Stir well till masala coats it well.Leave in low flame for 4-5 minutes stirring twice in between.Remove and add few drops of lemon juice.Serve hot with roti,rice !

Note

For variations,use sambar powder instead of red chilli and dhania powder. Adding garam masala pwd is optional.Skip if u don’t like. I loved adding lemon juice at the end.It help to balance all the taste.But add less.. U can also use kasoori methi instead of using fresh leaves.In that case,use 2-3 tbsp crushing  in ur hands. U can always use baby potatoes in place of bigger ones.For this recipe,u can add 10-12 small ones.

Serve with hot rice,dal tadka & papad.Tastes great !

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GULAB JAMUN KOFTA CURRY RECIPE-SIDE DISH FOR ROTI

Last week i made Gulab jamun using instant mix and i had some leftover dough lying in my pantry.My MIL had told me once about jamun kofta.So i thought of using the leftover  by making this gravy.I googled and got this recipe from Cook at ease.I followed the same recipe with some changes.It came out very well.Its taste and texture reminded my paneer butter masala recipe.We all enjoyed with chapathi.Raksha ate half of the jamuns before adding to the gravy.She liked it very much.I coudn’t bring round shape to the balls as i made with the leftover wet dough.But i am sure u’ll get nice shape as in the original recipe if u try with mix powder.Do try this for ur kid’s get together or birthday parties.They’ll love it for sure!

Gulab jamun kofta curry recipe

Jamun kofta curry - Blended with mild sweetness,tanginess.Kids would love it.

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Side dish

Serves: Serves 3

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

To make jamun balls Instant gulab jamun mix - 100 gms Big onion - 1 no (finely chopped) Boiled & Mashed potato - 1 no Green chilli - 1 no Red chilli powder - 1 tsp Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp Oil - to deep fry To grind - 1 Tomato -1 no Big onion - 1 no Green chilli - 1 no To grind - 2 Cashews - 10 nos Poppy seeds- 1 tsp To saute in oil Cooking oil+ghee - 2 tbsp+2 tsp Jeera/Cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp Ginger&Garlic paste – 1 tsp Big onion - 1 no Red chilli powder – 1-1.5 tsp Coriander powder - 1 tbsp Garam masala powder - 1 tsp Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp Fresh curd - 1/3 cup Milk - 1 cup (add more if needed) Kasuri methi - 1/2 tsp Salt -as needed

METHOD

Grind all the ingredients given under”To grind-1” to a smooth paste and set aside.Soak poppy seeds and cashews in little water and set aside. In the mean time,add all the items given under “ To make balls” to the jamun mix.Mix well to make the dough.Make balls and deep fry them till golden brown.Remove and set aside. Next,grind the soaked poppy & cashews to a smooth paste adding little water and set aside. In a kadai,heat oil+ghee and splutter the jeera,Saute the onions,g&g paste for a minute.Then add the ground tomato paste.Add all the spice powders & salt.Mix well and saute for few minutes till raw smell emanates completely. Now add the ground cashew paste and curd.Mix well.Add little water if necessary.Allow it to boil for few minutes in medium flame till oil separates. Lastly add milk and boil for another few minutes.Adjust the consistency of gravy as u need.Add more milk if necessary and check for the salt & spices. Add crushed kasuri methi, boil for few seconds and switch off the flame.Garnish with coriander leaves . Add the deep fried jamun balls only 10 minutes before serving because the balls may dissolve as they are very soft.

Note

Adding the cooked & mashed potato acts as binding agent.So do not skip it. No problem if the jamun dough becomes slightly watery.No need to rest the dough.U can deep fry them immediately. The consistency of the gravy can be adjusted by adding more milk.Make the gravy slightly thin as it will thicken after it cools down. Using fresh curd is important else gravy will taste tangy.

Serve with roti/Naan/Chapathi. Tastes yummy  and creamy !

Technorati Tags: Gulab jamun kofta curry recipe,Kofta curry,Side dish for roti,Jamun kofta curry,Side dish for chapathi

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EASY TOMATO THOKKU RECIPE/THAKKALI THOKKU WITHOUT ONION, GARLIC

Tomato thokku is my favourite side dish for idli,dosa. Usually my mom makes thokku with onions.My MIL makes it like tomato pickle adding roasted methi seeds powder.I’ll soon post that version here.But this recipe is very simple one without onion, garlic. Last month, my sister was telling about her sis-in-law’s tomato thokku recipe. She told it tastes very good and it can be used as tomato rice paste ,side dish for idli,dosa and chapati. It is ideal for travel too. So I wanted to try it badly. Immediately I called her SIL Mrs.Thangam and tried it.Yes,as she said it tasted great with everything. I had as an accompaniment for curd rice too. This is a very simple recipe with three major ingredients.I am very thankful to her for teaching me this yummy recipe.To make it easier,u can also grind the tomatoes and proceed as mentioned..

Easy tomato thokku

Easy tomato thokku recipe - Yummy side dish for idli,dosa and chapati.Tastes great when mixed with rice too !!

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Side dish

Serves: 1/2 cup

Prep time: 5 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 25 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

To saute Gingely oil - 3 tbsp Mustard seeds-1/2 tsp Ripe tomatoes - 5 nos(medium) Red chilli powder – 2-3 tsp Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp Salt& water - as needed

METHOD

Wash and chop tomatoes finely. In a kadai,heat 1 tbsp of gingely oil.Splutter mustard seeds.Add tomatoes and salt.Saute till all the water content evaporates. When it becomes thick,add red chilli powder,turmeric powder.Add 2 tbsp of oil again.Saute for few minutes till raw smell leaves it.Check for taste.No problem if spicy taste is more because,it gets balanced the next day. Stir now and then so that it won’t get burnt. Add little water(say 3 tbsp) and allow it to boil for few minutes.After all the moisture is absorbed,it starts to ooze out oil in the sides. After it becomes a shining thick paste,remove from the flame. The total process takes 15-20 mins in medium low flame.  Let it cool and then store in an air tight container.Use a clean spoon every time.It stays good for one month too if refrigerated. NOTE Nalla ennai/Gingely oil is mandatory for this recipe.Please do not replace it. The method i have shared here is the original recipe given by my relative.For variations,u can replace red chilli powder by sambar powder+red chilli powder combination.Also u can add a pinch of jaggery. This recipe gives u mildly spiced thokku.U can add 2 tsp more for super spicy thokku. Stays good for one month when refrigerated.Use a dry,clean spoon always.

Serve with idli,dosa,chapathi,curd rice ! Stays good for a month!

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MASALA DAHI RAITA | MASALA YOGURT RAITA RECIPE

I was really bored of making onion raita for stuffed parathas.When i was telling this to Sen , he immediately suggested me to try this simple masala raita as served in punjabi hotels..I googled some recipes, got an idea & tried it. We loved it a lot..Its a very simple & easy to make recipe..Do try this raita for a change and let me know how u liked it.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 200ml

Fresh curd – 1 cup Roasted jeera powder – 1/4 tsp Red chilli powder – 1/2 tsp Pepper powder – 1/4 tsp (optional) Chat masala – 1/4 tsp Coriander leaves – 1 tbsp Sugar - 1/2 tsp ( optional) Salt –As required

METHOD

In a bowl , take the curd & add the salt. Mix well. Just before serving mix in red chilli powder , chat masala, jeera powder . Garnish with coriander leaves.

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Idiyappam Kurma - Vegetable Kurma For Idiyappam

In Tamilnadu hotels, Idiyappam is served with vegetable kurma and sweet coconut milk. Idiyappam kurma is a popular restaurant combo. As I mentioned in my idiyappam recipe post , usually we make varieties of idiyappam when we have guests. Recently I tasted idiyappam in some restaurants. I loved the way it was served with sweetened coconut milk and mixed vegetable kurma. So I too started making the same way for my guests. WhenI  make idiyappam for breakfast , I make this kurma and coconut milk as accompaniments as it is heavy and takes more time to digest. But If I make idiyappam for dinner , I just prepare some i idiyappam varieties like lemon , puli or paruppu idiyappam which are easily digestible. I got this idiyappam kurma recipe from Mrs.Mallika badrinath’s cookbook. I have tried this several times. It comes out very well. We love this veg kurma a lot. Do try this for idiyappam , you’ll love it for sure. I think it tastes good for rotis as well. But I have not tried it personally.
Here is the link for mixed vegetable kurma I make for roti. Check if interested !

INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 250ml

Mixed vegetables – 2 cups (carrot ,beans , peas ,potato) To saute in oil Cooking oil – 2 tbsp Cinnamon – 1no Cloves – 2 nos Elachi –1 no Big onion – 1 no Tomato – 1 no Green chilli – 1 no Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp Red chilli powder – 1 – 1.5 tsp (use Kashmiri powder,else you won't get this color) Dhania powder /coriander seeds powder – 1 tsp Garam masala powder – 1/2 tsp Kasuri methi – 1/2 tsp Fresh curd – 1/3 cup Boiled Milk - 2 -3 tbsp To grind Grated coconut – 1/4 cup Cashew nuts – 5 nos Poppy seeds – 2 tsp(soak in little hot water before grinding)

METHOD

Chop all the vegetables finely and pressure cook in high flame for one whistle. Set aside. Grind all the ingredients given above to a smooth paste. Keep aside. In a kadai , heat oil and saute the cinnamon , cloves , elachi , big onions , tomato , green chillies . Saute till tomato turns mushy. Then add the turmeric powder , dhania powder , red chilli powder and salt. Saute for few minutes. Now add the cooked vegetables , ground coconut mixture and curd. Mix well and allow it to boil for few minutes. Lastly add the garam masala powder and crushed kasuri methi .Mix well ,leave for a roll boil. Add milk at the end to adjust consistency. Switch off the flame. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve with idiyappam and enjoy ! It tastes divine :)

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Soya Chunks Kurma For Rice, Roti - Meal Maker Gravy - Soya Chunks Recipes

Hi friends, hope you all celebrated Ganesh chaturthi very well. We too had a great celebration with my in-laws :)  and back to routine.

I got this soya chunks kurma recipe ( meal maker gravy) from a magazine. It was mentioned that this gravy can be had with dosa , appam , roti and rice. Basically I love soya chunks/meal maker a lot. My Mom used to add them in biryani & kurma. But my MIL never uses it as my husband is not fond of it.

 

Though I like it very much, I couldn’t make often in my kitchen. Recently a reader in Facebook mailed me to post some soya chunks recipe for rice. As I have not yet posted any soya recipes, I really wanted to post one.. So I started searching for some recipes & finally I got this Tamil nadu style soya chunks kurma recipe from Aval vikatan. I have tried this South Indian meal maker gravy twice so far and I loved it with rice, roti and dosa.

 

Basically I like to mix kuruma kind of gravy with rice. I have already posted cauliflower gravy for rice and tiffin, my mom’s recipe very long back. This is also one such kind. Try this Soya chunks gravy and serve it as a side dish for rice, roti / chapathi and dosa !

Soya chunks kurma / Meal maker gravy for rice and chapathi

Soya chunks kurma / Meal maker gravy for rice and chapathi

 

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Side dish

Serves: 3

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

 

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

Meal maker/soya chunks – 1 cup ( I used big chunks) Big onion – 2 to 3 (use 3 if small in size) Tomato – 3   Green chillies – 2 to 3 (slit) Red chilli powder – 1/2 tsp Dhania powder – 1 tsp Ginger&Garlic paste – 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp Garam masala powder – 1/2 tsp (optional) To grind Grated coconut – 1/4 cup Khus khus/poppy seeds – 1/2 tsp (soak in little hot water) To saute Cooking oil – 2 tbsp Cinnamon – 1 no Cloves – 2 nos Biryani leaf - 1 no Kalpasi / Black stone flower - 1 Coriander leaves – to garnish

HOW TO MAKE SOYA CHUNKS KURMA

1. Wash and soak meal maker / soya chunks in hot water for 20 minutes.
2. Grind coconut mixture to smooth paste. Set aside.
3. Heat oil and add whole spices, onion, gg paste, green chilli and saute well.
4. Saute tomato till mushy. Add spice powders and mix well. 
5. Add water and cook well. Add coconut paste and some water.
6. Squeeze the soya chunks and add to gravy. Boil well till thick.
7. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with rice, roti, dosa !

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

 

Wash and soak meal maker in hot water for 20 minutes. It will double in size.  Squeeze the chunks and drain the excess water. Grind coconut and khus khus to a smooth paste and set aside. In a kadai, heat oil. Saute bayleaf, cinnamon and cloves. Then add g&g paste. Saute till raw smell leaves in low flame. Then add onions and slit green chillies. Saute well. Lastly add tomatoes and saute till mushy. Add turmeric powder, dhania powder,  red chilli powder, garam masala powder and salt. Mix well . Add 1 cup of water and allow the onions and tomatoes to cook. Lastly add the ground coconut paste.  Add some water to bring in gravy consistency. Boil for sometime. Squeeze the soaked soya chunks well without water and add them to the gravy. Boil for sometime. Adjust the consistency by adding water if necessary. Garnish with coriander leaves. Enjoy mixing with rice or as an accompaniment for idli , dosa and roti !

NOTE

If you want to make for chapathi, add 1/2 tsp of garam masala powder for more flavor. Otherwise it is completely optional. Always soak in water and squeeze the meal maker before adding to the gravy for all the taste to incorporate.

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