Brinjal Salad / Batinjan Bil Laban (Aubergine With Yoghurt)

This is an arabic salad that I make very often. Try it out, it is nice and healthy and very easy to make and I am sure you will love it.

Ingridents:

Brinjal-1 medium cut into thin circles

Garlic-1 colve, crushed

Salt-1 tea spoon

Fat FreeYoghurt-200ml (1 cup)

Vegetable oil-2table spoon, for frying

Parsley or Dill leaves-3table spoon

Method:

1-Place yoghurt in a medium bowl, add salt, garlic, 2 table spoon parsley or dill leaves and mix well and keep aside.

2-Slice Brinjal into thin circles.

3-Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large non stick frying pan and fry brinjal slices on medium heat until slightly brown and crisp.

4-Tansfer fried brinjal slices on an absorbent paper to soak any oil. Lay the brinjal slices in a serving dish and top with yoghurt mixture. Garnish with left over parsley or dill leaves and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

5- Serve Chilled decorated with fried Kuboos.

This goes to Pooja's "Vegetable Of the Week - Brinjal".

Kerala Fish Curry

Ingredients:

Fish- 1/4kg, cut in to pieces

Kudampuli (Fish Tamarind) – 4pieces
Small onion-3tbsp sliced
Garlic- 4 cloves
Ginger 2"pieces-1nos
Red chilly powder – 3tbsp
Turmeric powder- 1/4tsp
Fenugreek powder-3/4tsp
Coconut oil – 2tbsp
Mustard seeds-1tsp
Curry leaves- few

Method:

1. Cut Kudampuli (fish tamarind)into small pieces. Wash well and soak in 1/2 cup of water.
2. Clean and wash the fish well and squeeze off the water.
3. Grind ginger and garlic together.
4. Heat a meen chatti (an earthen pot) on low flame. Add coconut oil and add mustard seeds. When it start crackling add 3tbsps sliced small onion and fry till golden brown. In to this add ground ginger-garlic paste and fry till light brown.
5. Then add red chilly powder, turmeric powder, fenugreek powder and curry leaves and fry for a minute. Now add 2 cups of water and soaked kudampuli with its water and add salt to taste and bring to boil.
6. Add fish pieces in to the boiling mixture. Continue cooking for half an hour on low flame and remove from fire when the gravy is thick. Garnish with curry leaves and serve hot with boiled rice or Kappa Vevichathu/Tapioca Curry.

Kappa Vevichathu/ Tapioca Curry

Ingredients:

Kappa (Tapioca) -1kg
Grated Coconut -1cup
Garlic-4 big cloves
Green chilly – 5nos
Cumin seeds- 1tsp spoon
Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
Coconut oil-1tbsp
Mustard seeds- 1tsp
Small onion -2tbsp sliced
Dry Red chillies – 3(cut in to 2)
Curry leaves- few

Method:

1.Discard the outer brown and inner pink layer skin of Tapioca and cut in to small chunks. Wash well and boil the tapioca in a big vessel with lot of water till tender. Add salt to taste and boil 3more minutes and drain water from tapioca.
2. Grind coarsely grated coconut, cumin seeds, garlic, green chillies, and turmeric powder. Add the ground paste with 1/2 cup water to the cooked and drained tapioca, cover with a lid and cook till there is no raw flavor (about 10-15mints). Mash tapioca with the back of a wooden spoon and remove from flame.
3. Heat 1tbsp coconut oil in a frying pan and add mustard seeds. When it start crackling add sliced small onion and fry till golden brown. Then add dry red chillies and curry leaves and fry and add this seasoning to the cooked tapioca and mix well.
4. Serve hot with Kerala fish curry.

Meat Cutlets / Beef Cutlets

Chocolate Soufflé

Chocolate Soufflé
Ingredients:
Milk - 300 ml
Eggs - 3 nos
Sugar - 6-7 tbsp
Cocoa powder -2 ½ tbsp
Gelatin - 1 ¼ tbsp
Cream - 1 small tin (200 ml)

Method:

• First boil the milk and allow to cool at room temperature. Mix the cocoa powder with a little milk and then add sugar, egg yolk and the remaining milk. Heat the mixture on a slow fire, stirring it continuously till it thickens. Allow the soufflé mix to cool at room temperature. Melt gelatin in ½ cup hot water. Add gelatin and cream and mix well.
• Beat the egg whites till it becomes stiff and add 1 tbsp vanilla essence. Fold the egg whites gently in to the soufflé mix. Pour this in to a Pyrex dish and refrigerate until the Soufflé is set. Decorate with whipped cream and cherries.

Coriander Leaves Thoran/ Stir Fried Cilantro with Coconut

Ingredients:

Coriander leaves (Cilantro)- 1 bunch
Onion - 1 medium
Green chilies - 3-4 nos.
Freshly grated coconut - 4tblsp
Curry leaves - few
Salt -to taste
Mustard seeds - 1/2tsp
Small onion - 3nos.
Oil -2tblsp

Method:

Wash and chop coriander leaves, onion and green chilly. Mix together coriander leaves, onion, green chilly, grated coconut and salt and keep aside. Heat oil in a pan put mustard seeds, then add sliced small onions and curry leaves. When the onions become light brown add the above coriander - coconut mixture and mix well. Reduce the heat and cover the mixture with a lid and cook for 3-4 minutes. Serve hot as a side dish with boiled rice.

This is my entry to JFI - Cilantro hosted by Cilantro