Egg Plant Salad

Ingredients (Grocery catalogue / translation with images)

Egg plant (brinjal - big) - 250g
chopped onions - 4 (medium)
chopped tomatoes - 3
green chillies - 3
curry leaves - few
coriander leaves - few
salt to taste






Clean and wipe the eggplant with a clean cloth, apply oil in its surface. Burn the egg plant skin under direct flame. Allow to cool, peel the skin, flesh will be soft and place it in a bowl and mash the flesh with the fingers.

Add the chopped onions, tomatoes, slitted green chillies, curry leaves, coriander leaves and salt to taste and mix it.

Serve as a side dish for rice, roti, etc..

Note : In microwave oven, place it over the metal rack and burn under high power for 5min.

Tapioca Dish

Ingredients (Grocery catalogue / translation with images)

Tapioca - 250g
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp

Seasoning:
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Black Gram (urad dal) - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida Powder - 1/4 tsp
Chopped Onions - 2
Curry Leaves - Few

Dry Ground Masala:
Grated Coconut - 1 cup
Dry Red Chili - 2 to 3 numbers
Garlic - 4 pods
Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp


Peel the tapioca skin. If necessary cut it into two, horizontally. Add salt, turmeric powder and enough water, boil to cook the tapioca until it is soft. Drain the water and leave to cool and cut into small pieces.

Add oil to a hot pan, add the seasonings and dry ground masala, add salt to taste. Saute it for a minute and add tapioca, continue stirring for another 3-4 minutes. Garnish and serve as such.

It also goes very well with Fish Gravy (Meen Kuzhambu) or any pickle. It can be taken as breakfast or supper too.

Yogurt Brinjal

Ingredients (Grocery catalogue / translation with images)

Small Purple Brinjal (eggplant / aubergine) - 250gms
Chili Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Yogurt (curd) - 2 cups
Cumin Powder (dry roasted) - 1/4 teaspoon
Sugar - 3/4 teaspoon
salt - 1/4 tsp
Olive Oil - 1 tsp
Oil to Shallow fry
Coriander Leaves for garnish



Cut the brinjal in circle shapes. To this add salt, turmeric powder and chili powder mix and keep aside for 3min. Place a pan over high flame, put oil to shallow fry the brinjals and keep aside.

In another pan, add one teaspoon of olive oil and keep the flame low. Add yogurt (curd), salt, sugar, roasted cumin powder and saute for a minute or two. Do not allow the mixture to boil. Switch off the flame and add the fried brinjals and coriander leaves. Serve as a side dish.

It can be served almost any main course.

Palak Prawn Curry

Ingredients (Grocery catalogue / translation with images)

Prawns - 500g
Palak (English: spinach / tamil: pasalai) - one bunddle
Small onion - 150g
Tomatoes - 3
Ginger - chopped 1tbsp
Garlic - 6
Cloves - 2
Cinnamon - small piece
Cardamom - 2
Green Chillies - 2
Chilli powder - 1tsp
Coriander Powder - 3/4tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4tsp
Pepper powder - 1/2tsp
Curry leaves - few
Salt - to taste
Oil
Coriander leaves - garnish



Clean and devein the prawns, clean and chop the palak leaves separately.

In a pan add oil, ground ginger, garlic,cloves, cardamom and cinnamon, saute. Add chopped onions, curry leaves, green chillies, saute add chopped tomatoes, saute well, now add the palak, chili powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder, saute well.

Add the cleaned prawns and salt to taste, saute for 3min, if necessary sprinkle some water say 1/4 cup. Close the pan with a lid and cook for 5min and add pepper powder.

Finally garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

Paneer Butter Masala

Main Ingredients (Grocery catalogue / translation with images)

Paneer (cottage cheese) - 200 grams
Butter - 1 tablespoon
Onion - 2
Tomato - 3
Ani Seed - half teaspoon
Poppy Seed - half teaspoon
Chopped Ginger - one teaspoon
Garlic - 4
Clove - 1
Cinnamon - small piece
Cardamom - 1
Mustard - 1/4 teaspoon
Small Onion - 6 (lengthly sliced)
Red Chili powder - One teaspoon
Coriander Powder - 3/4 teaspoon
Turmeric Power - 1/4 teaspoon
Fresh Milk Cream - 4 teaspoon
Curry Leaves - few
Coriander Leaves - few
Salt - to taste
Oil - One tablespoon

Cut the paneer to small cubes. In a bowl (microwave safe) add sliced paneer and the butter, then place it in microwave oven for 2 minutes at High. Keep the ovened paneer aside.

To a dry, medium heated pan add cumin seed, ani seed, poppy seed and saute. Now add ginger and garlic and continue sauting for a minute and add clove, cinnamon and cardamom. Then add curry leaves, onion and tomatoes. Saute all these well for 4 to 5 minutes. Cool the ingredients and grid it to a fine paste.

In a pan add little oil, as it heats up add mustard seeds, small onion and saute for 2 minutes. Then add the paste to it and saute for 5 minutes at low flame. To this add red chili powder, coriander powder and salt, leave it for another 5 minutes. Take those fried paneer and add to the ingredients in the pan and saute for a minute. If necessary add a little water.

Take the fresh milk cream and beat it for 3 minutes till it looks creamy. Add this to the above ingredients and mix. Close the pan with a lid and leave the dish at low flame until oil separates.

Garnish with coriander leaves and can be served for four.