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DAWAT-E-BAINGAN



    Eggplants are an often overlooked vegetable, but I just love to eat them in any form. Thought of converting this humble and under appreciated vegetable into something exotic and delicious.


    I created this dish with a combination of flavours from India and Middle East, using ingredients such as chaat masala, coriander, ginger and green chilies, alongside dates and pine nuts.

    It’s such a simple dish to make but it tastes really delectable and regal, hence I named them Dawat-e-Baingan - dawat means royal feast, and baingan means eggplant!


    I hope you enjoy this simply delicious recipe.




    YIELDS: 24

    PREP TIME: 20 minutes

    BAKE TIME: 20 minutes

    ASSEMBLE TIME: 8 hours or overnight



    INGREDIENTS


    • 10-12 baby eggplants

    • 250g dates, chopped

    • 2 tbsp ginger, finely chopped

    • 2-3 green chillies, finely chopped

    • 3-4 tbsp lemon juice

    • 4 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped

    • 3/4 tsp salt or to taste

    • 1 1/2 tsp chat masala

    • 3 tbsp pine nuts, lightly toasted

    • 1/4 cup fresh pomegranate seeds

    • 3-4 tbsp rapeseed oil/vegetable or sunflower oil

    • Freshly ground black pepper for seasoning

    • Salt for seasoning


    For Garnishing:

    • 1 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped

    • 2 tbsp pomegranate seeds

    • 1 tbsp pine nuts, lightly toasted


    METHOD


    1. Wash, pat dry and cut the eggplants in half lengthwise along with stalks.

    2. Grease a large baking dish with the rapeseed oil, place the eggplants facing cut side up. Season them well with salt and pepper. Generously drizzle some more oil on top to coat well.

    3. Bake in preheated oven at 225°C for 20 minutes or until they are tender and cooked. Remove from oven and let it cool.

    4. In a bowl, combine dates, green chillies, ginger, lemon juice, pomegranate, pine nuts, salt, chat masala and coriander. Mix them well to make the stuffing. Check the seasoning, add more if you need any extra.

    5. Take the eggplant half, press the center with the back of a small spoon to make a cavity, put a small amount of stuffing on top. Repeat with rest of the eggplant halves.

    6. Place them on serving tray and garnish with pomegranate seeds, pine nuts and chopped coriander leaves.


    COOK'S NOTES:


    • If you are serving these in a dinner party, eggplants can be baked ahead of time and kept aside to be assembled later.

    • The stuffing can be prepared without adding coriander, pomegranate seeds and pine nuts. Add these at last minutes to savour the crunch and freshness of the herb.


    DAHI KEBABS



      When you think of kebabs your mind is mostly associating it with meats and you would hardly think of their vegetarian cousins.


      Dahi kebabs are the most delicious vegetarian kebabs which are soft, creamy, and delicate in flavor that simply melt in your mouth. The prime ingredient of this kebab is yogurt...Yes, you heard it right it’s made with yogurt.

      Basically the yogurt is hung in muslin cloth to remove the whey, and the cream left is called hung yogurt, which is used for making these kebabs. Crumbled paneer and bread crumbs are added along with some condiments to enhance the flavors of this delicate kebab, shaped in discs and deep fried.


      I like serving these kebabs with tamarind chutney and the green chilli coriander chutney which was made with freshly plucked green chillies growing in my garden.


      It’s a typical North Indian starter perfect to serve in dinner parties as an appetizer. Plan ahead if you want to serve this dish, as it takes time to prepare the hung yogurt.


      And don’t forget to read the cook’s notes for some alternatives!


      YIELDS: 16-18 pieces

      PREP TIME: 30 minutes

      COOKING TIME: 15 minutes

      PASSIVE TIME: 8 hours or overnight



      INGREDIENTS


      • 350g hung yogurt (made from 1kg yogurt)

      • 6-8 slices white bread, fresh

      • 175g fresh paneer, finely grated

      • 2 tbsp coriander, finely chopped

      • 1.5” piece ginger, finely chopped

      • 3-4 green chillies, finely chopped

      • 1 tsp jeera (cumin) powder

      • Salt to taste

      • Oil for frying



      METHOD


      1. To make hung yogurt, in a deep bowl, place a sieve, spread muslin cloth on top and drop 1 kilo yogurt into it. Knot the muslin cloth loosely and keep it in the refrigerator overnight. Squeeze out any more excess whey and remove ready hung yogurt in a separate bowl.

      2. Remove crust from bread slices and save it for later. Blitz the slices in food processor and make fine bread crumbs.

      3. In a bowl of hung yogurt, add 1 cup (50g) bread crumbs, grated paneer, ginger, green chillies, coriander, cumin powder and salt, mix them well together. With the help of two spoons make 16 dollops.

      4. Blitz the reserved bread crusts in a blender and mix it with remaining breadcrumbs. Drop a dollop into crumbs, roll it gently with your fingers to coat well from all sides. Shape it into flat round discs (about 1.5cm thick). Repeat with the rest of the mix. Refrigerate the prepared discs for 30 minutes or until ready to be fried.

      5. Heat oil in a deep pan, drop 3 to 4 kebabs at a time and fry on medium high heat until its golden brown. Remove on absorbent paper and serve with tamarind and coriander chutney.



      COOK'S NOTES:


      • You can also prepare the hung yogurt in muslin cloth (cheese cloth) tied to the sink tap and letting the water drain in your sink.

      • I have added bread crumbs based on the consistency of the hung yogurt, but if you hung it too long and yogurt has become too dry, add less quantity of bread crumbs and paneer. On the contrary, if the yogurt is still bit soft, add more bread crumbs and paneer and adjust the seasoning.

      • Deep fry only at medium high temperature of oil, because on slow heat these will break.

      • Do not fry all kebabs at once as the temperature of oil will drop and your kebabs will break.

      • Kebabs can also be shallow fried or air fried.

      • Do not keep tossing the kebabs in oil as they are delicate and can easily break.

      • If you are in a hurry, you can also use labneh instead of hung yogurt to prepare the kebabs. Labneh is a typical middle eastern condiment which is like a cream cheese made with hung yogurt cream. It is used to eat with lavash, khubz or pita breads or as a spread on any bread with olive oil, za’taar etc.


      FISH AMRITSARI


        Now, this is a dish which belongs to the city where I was born (Amritsar), though I never stayed there, but visited many times because it's my dad's home town and my grandparents lived there. Fish Amritsari is such a popular and delicious dish that your menu won’t be complete without ordering one in your non-veg platter at a restaurant in North India. Try this easy to make recipe at home and impress your friends and family.



        SERVES: 4 servings

        PREP TIME: 30 minutes

        COOKING TIME: 5-10 minutes

        TOTAL TIME: 35-40 minutes



        INGREDIENTS

        • 500 gms fish fillets (White, Sole, Pomfret)

        • 1 tsp ginger paste

        • 1 tsp garlic paste

        • 2 tbsp lemon juice

        • ½ tsp red chilli powder

        • ½ tsp garam masala

        • Salt to taste

        • 1/8 tsp food colouring (optional)

        • 2 tbsp besan/ chickpea flour/ gram flour

        • 1 tsp carom Seeds (ajwain)

        • 1 tbsp yoghurt

        • 1 cup oil for deep frying

        • 1 tsp chaat masala

        • 1 lemon wedges (for garnishing)

        • 1 tbsp egg white


        METHOD

        1. Wash fish fillets, pat dry and cut them into 1 ½ inch medium sized pieces. Add salt and lemon juice and keep aside to marinade for 15-20 minutes.

        2. In a separate bowl, add besan, ginger paste, garlic paste, red chilli powder, garam masala, carom seeds, yoghurt, food colouring, egg white and little salt, combine well to make paste, add marinated fish pieces, mix gently to coat well.

        3. Heat oil in a deep pan and fry fish in small batches and drain on absorbent paper.

        4. Sprinkle chaat masala and serve hot with lemon wedges and mint coriander chutney on the side.


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