Smoked Eggplant Curry

 

This is the easiest method to smoke something. I learned this method from Sanjeev Kapoor’s new book, How to Cook Indian (scroll to the bottom of this post for a chance to win a signed copy of the book!).

I was intrigued by Sanjeev Kapoor’s koyla (charcoal) chicken recipe in the book. He makes a chicken curry and then smokes it by placing a bowl with a smoking hot piece of charcoal in the curry. The smoke gets into the curry, making it all smoky and wonderful. I’ve adapted Sanjeev Kapoor’s smoked chicken curry by using eggplant and creating a great vegetarian smoked eggplant curry recipe.

How to smoke the eggplant curry

Heat charcoal till its red. Then put it in a small bowl, and place it over the curry.

Pour a little oil over the hot coal. The coal will now give out smoke, that will flavor the curry.

Cover the skillet to trap the smoke. Let it sit for a few minutes so that the smoke infuses the eggplant curry.

When choosing charcoal, make sure you buy all natural charcoal. Don’t buy anything that has chemicals or petroleum added to it or is ‘self igniting’.

Watch Sanjeev Kapoor making his smoked koyla chicken curry. His method of smoking and my adapted recipe will work well for zucchini curry, mushroom curry, or use paneer or mock meat in this recipe.

Smoked Eggplant Curry Recipe

 

vegetarianized from Sanjeev Kapoor’s Koyla Chicken recipe from his book, How to Cook Indian

Serves 2

3 medium tomatoes
6 whole cashewnuts
1 tablespoon butter, ghee or vegetable oil
½ lb American or Indian eggplant
1/2 teaspoon ginger paste
1/2 teaspoon garlic paste
1/4 teaspoon garam masala
¼ teaspoon or to taste, chili powder
1 teaspoon lemon juice, you may need more or less depending on how tart the tomatoes are.

For smoking the curry
1 lump of charcoal, about the size of a large lemon
1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Boil a medium pot of water, and drop the tomatoes in whole. When the tomato skins start to blister, drain them and let them cool a bit. Then peel the tomato skins and discard. Core the tomato. Place the skinned, cored tomatoes in a blender along with the cashew nuts and puree. Set this aside.

Cut the eggplant into 1 inch cubes. I peeled the skin first, but that’s optional.

 Heat butter, ghee or oil in a medium skillet. Add the eggplants, and let them brown a little on medium-high heat, about 4 minutes. Then add ginger and garlic. Stir on medium heat for about 2 minutes. Add the garam masala and chili powder and cook another 30 seconds.

Pour in the tomato puree and salt. Boil for 7 minutes or till the eggplant is cooked and the sauce has thickened a little. If the sauce gets too thick, sprinkle some water over it.

Turn off heat. Taste the curry and add lemon juice, if using.

Now comes the fun part – smoke the curry!

Hold a piece of charcoal, using tongs, over an open flame. You can do this on an open gas flame, or an outdoor grill. Heat it till it becomes red hot. (Be careful, the hot coal may give out sparks, turn on your ventilator or exhaust). Now you need to work quickly. Place the red hot coal in a small bowl.

Immediately place the bowl inside the skillet with the eggplant curry. Pour the oil over the coal, so that it smokes. Quickly place a lid over the skillet. Let the smoke from the charcoal infuse into the covered curry for about 6 minutes. The longer the charcoal bowl sits in the skillet, the smokier your curry will get.

Remove the bowl from the skillet, and discard the charcoal. Serve the smoked eggplant curry with rice, roti or naan.

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This giveaway has ended, the winner is comment #65, Shil!

Win a signed copy of Sanjeev Kapoor’s new book,

How to Cook Indian!

This book has more than 500 classic Indian recipes for the modern kitchen.

To enter the giveaway:

Leave a comment below and tell me whats an Indian dish you havent tried at home yet, but would love to try and make.

Giveaway ends Friday June 3rd 9pm EST. One random winner will be picked.

I will ship anywhere in the world!

I met Sanjeev Kapoor at a book signing, and had an extra copy signed just for this giveaway. The signature says “Veggie Belly Reader, Happy Cooking! Sanjeev Kapoor :)

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Grilled Eggplant, Halloumi and Pesto Burgers

Here is a vegetarian grilled eggplant, halloumi and pesto burgers recipe that even meat lovers will go crazy for. This is perfect for weekend and holiday grilling.

Halloumi is one of my favorite cheeses. This salty, dense cheese is from Cyprus and is great for grilling. You can substitute halloumi with mozzarella, feta or paneer, but it just wont be the same :(

But if you do use any of the substitutions, remember that you don’t have to grill the mozzarella or feta. If using paneer, sprinkle it with salt after grilling.

The eggplant and halloumi won’t stick if your grill is hot and well-seasoned. If you are doubtful, spray some nonstick spray on the grill grates before starting it up.

Grilled Eggplant, Halloumi and Pesto Burgers Recipe

Makes 4 burgers

1 medium eggplant, weighing about 1 lb.
3/4 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4th teaspoon dry Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper
4 oz halloumi cheese

To assemble the grilled eggplant, halloumi and pesto burgers
4 medium sized burger buns
4 teaspoons pesto
Mayonnaise, according to taste. Optional.
2 leaves of lettuce, cut in half
1 large tomato, cut into 4 slices

Cut the eggplant into ½ inch thick rounds, at its widest part. Save the remaining eggplant for another dish. Place the sliced eggplant in a shallow dish.

Whisk the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Italian seasoning salt and pepper together. When adding salt, keep in mind that the halloumi is an already salty cheese. Pour the whisked ingredients over the eggplant rounds, and toss well to coat.

Slice the halloumi into ½ inch thick slices.

Heat a grill on medium-high heat. You can use an outdoor grill or a cast iron stove top grill like I did.

When the grill is hot, arrange the eggplant slices on the grill, and cook for about 6 minutes on each side or till the eggplant is cooked.

Then grill the halloumi slices on both sides till golden grill marks appear, about 2 minutes per side.

If you don’t have a grill, you can cook the eggplant and halloumi in batches on a large skillet.

You are now ready to assemble the burgers.

Spread some mayonnaise, if using, on 2 halves of a burger bun. Take one half of a bun, and stack the grilled eggplant, halloumi and spread 1 teaspoon of pesto. Top it with tomato and lettuce. Place the other half of the burger bun on top.

Serve with fries or a chilled cucumber salad tossed with a little olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.

These burgers will go great with my blueberry lemonade or jalapeno lemonade.

Methi Dal or Indian Lentil Soup with Fenugreek – A guest post on Herbivoracious

My recipe for this lovely, healthy, homely methi dal comes to you in the form of a guest post on Michael Natkin’s blog, Herbivoracious. I was so honored when Micheal asked me to guest post for him! I’m a huge fan of Herbivoracious, and have been following his amazing vegetarian recipes and techniques for years. I cant wait for Michael’s first book to come out!

Head on over to Herboviracious and read my guest post, a Methi Dal (Indian Lentil Soup with Fenugreek) recipe.

Spinach and Taleggio Cheese Quesadillas. 10 Minutes, 4 Ingredients!

A quesadilla recipe doesnt get simpler than this. Only 10 minutes and 4 ingredients, and I promise you will love this easy cheesy quesadilla!

Taleggio is a soft, Italian cows milk cheese. It has a strong fruity smell, but a wonderful mild flavor. You can substitute taleggio with fontina or brie. Since this recipe is simple, and uses very few ingredients, I like to use a “special” cheese like taleggio, where its flavor and creaminess can shine through.

I also like to use asparagus instead of spinach in this recipe. Asparagus and taleggio cheese were made for each other!

Sea salt is a beautiful thing. It has a coarser grain than table salt, and gives you a pleasant burst of saltiness. Because sea salt is more granular it is perfect for sprinkling over food, or using it in quick recipes, where it doesnt have a chance to dissolve. I used a beautiful bag of salt crystals from the Trapani Saltpans of Italy that I picked up at Eataly in New York.

Easy Spinach and Taleggio Cheese Quesadilla Recipe

makes 1 quesadilla

1 eight inch flour or wheat tortillas
1 oz taleggio cheese (substitute with fontina or brie)
1/2 cup fresh baby spinach leaves loosely packed
1/4  teaspoon olive oil
Sea sat

Lay out a tortilla on a work surface. Trim away the rind of the cheese, and cut into into small pieces. Put the cheese pieces all over one half of the quesadilla. Place spinach leaves on top of the cheese. Fold over the other half to form a half moon shaped quesadilla.

Heat a non stick pan on medium heat, drizzle a little oil. Place the folded quesadillas in the pan, and cook on medium heat for 1 minute or till the tortilla is light brown and cheese is just about to melt. Turn the quesadilla over and lightly brown the other side, about 45 seconds. Dont over cook the tortillas, the cheese will get oily.

Cut into wedges and sprinkle a tiny pinch of sea salt on top. Serve with a lettuce, tomato, cucumber salad and your favorite salad dressing.

Portobello Mushroom and Zucchini Rellenos with Ranchero Sauce and Mexican Yellow Rice

A traditional Mexican chile relleno (stuffed chile) is usually a poblano chile stuffed with meat and cheese, dipped in batter and deep fried. My Portobello mushroom and zucchini relleno recipe is a little different. It is a lighter, simpler, vegetarian, vegan relleno, and it requires no frying. This recipe can get even simpler if you use store bought ranchero or enchilada sauce.

Ground annatto gives the rice its brilliant orange-yellow color. Annattos are the red seeds of the Achiote tree, often called ‘lipstick tree’ because of Annattos coloring properties.

This is a good make ahead recipe. You can make the ranchero sauce and the Mexican yellow rice ahead of time. Simply cook the vegetables the day of, heat up the sauce and rice and assemble everything!

Watch this video to see how to make Portobello rellenos stuffed with peppers and rice. It’s in Spanish, but the method is simple to watch and follow :)

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Portobello and Zucchini Rellenos in Ranchero Sauce with Mexican Yellow Rice

Serves about 4

For the ranchero sauce
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 cloves over garlic, minced
½ jalapeno, or according to taste
½ teaspoon scant, ground cumin
½ teaspoon dry oregano
One 14 can crushed tomatoes OR 2 cups fresh chopped tomatoes
Salt

Heat oil in a medium saucepan and add the onions. Cook on medium heat till they are soft. Add the garlic, and jalapeno and stir 2 minutes. Then add cumin, oregano, tomatoes, and salt. Cook the same on medium heat for about 3 minutes. If you are using fresh tomatoes, they will take longer to cook.

Serve the sauce chunky or puree it in a blender. I pureed it.

You can make this sauce up to 3 days ahead.

For the vegetables
6 small portabello mushrooms (weighing about 8oz total)
1 teaspoon + 1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dry oregano
1 large zucchini, cut into small cubes
½ cup cotija cheese (feta, grated pepper jack or cheddar will also work)*
Salt

* I didn’t use the cheese

Wipe the portabellos with a paper towel. Then using a small spoon, gently scrape out the dark gills. Using a small, sharp knife, remove the stem.

Brush a little oil all over the mushrooms.

Heat a skillet on medium high, and cook the mushrooms, gill side down, in a single layer for 2 minutes. Then flip the mushrooms and cook the other side another minute or till cooked through. While the second side is cooking, sprinkle salt and half the oregano over the mushrooms cavities.

In a same skillet, heat a little more oil, add the zucchini and remaining oregano. Saute on high heat for about 2 minutes or till the zucchini is tender but still a little crunchy, and not mushy. Sprinkle salt, and the cheese.

For the yellow rice
1 large or 2 small vegetable bouillon cubes*
2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon achiote powder, also called ground annatto (substitute with ¾ teaspoon turmeric or saffron)
1 cup long grain rice
Chopped cilantro for garnish

*I used 2 small Herb Ox brand vegetable bouillon cubes; they are tasty and have no MSG. Maggie or Knorr stock cubes will also work.

Dissolve the bouillon cubes in warm water and set aside.

Sauté the onions in butter or olive oil in a medium saucepan. When the onions are soft, add the Achiote powder and rice. Stir on low heat for a minute.

Pour in the bullion water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a low, cover the pan, and let the rice simmer for 10 minutes or till the rice is cooked, but the grains are still separate, and not mushy. Cooking time may vary depending on the rice.

Fluff rice with a fork. Garnish with cilantro.

To assemble and serve
Spread ranchero sauce on a platter. Arrange the mushrooms, gill and stem side up, over the sauce. Spoon a little zucchini and cheese into the mushroom cavities.

Serve the yellow rice on the side, along with sour cream (optional), extra cheese and extra chopped cilantro.

No Bake Royal Chocolate Biscuit Cake

Watching snippets of the royal wedding on TV, and seeing Prince Williams groom’s cake – a chocolate biscuit cake – reminded me of the chocolate biscuit cakes of my childhood. Because my mother grew up in the UK before moving to India, we had a lot of British treats in our home in India. Chocolate biscuit cake was one of them. This recipe is simple to make, and requires no baking (which is why it’s also called a fridge cake).

As kids in India, we used to make this recipe with Indian Marie biscuits. We’d dip them whole into chocolate sauce, and stack them up – towers of chocolate biscuit goodness!

 

If you can find British digestive biscuits, they are the BEST for this recipe. I was thrilled beyond belief to find British McVities digestive biscuits in the International aisle of my local grocery store! I believe you can also find them at world market.

A digestive biscuit is a coarse wheat cookie, flaky, no too sweet and oh-so-delish. I wonder why it is “digestive”; must be because it has a bit more fiber than a regular cookie.

Substitutes for British digestive biscuits

- American graham crackers
– British rich tea biscuits (my second favorite for this recipe)
- Indian Britannia digestive biscuits
- Indian Marie biscuits

If you are using butter cookies or graham crackers, remember that they are sweeter, you might need less. Also taste and adjust the sugar as you go if you are using any of the substitutes.

You can glaze this cake with a chocolate ganache, but I skipped that step because the cake is quite rich as it is.

More yummy chocolate biscuit cake recipes..

Official Buckingham Palace chocolate biscuit cake recipe by Darren McGrady, former personal chef to the royal family
Chocolate biscuit cake recipe on Oprah.com
Chocolate biscuit cake recipe on Daily spud
Royal wedding groom cake recipe by Brown eyed baker
No bake English chocolate biscuit cake recipe on Joy of baking

Royal Chocolate Biscuit Cake Recipe

serves about 8

7 oz. McVities digestive biscuits (about 12 biscuits). See above for substitutions.
6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate (milk chocolate)*
2 oz. dark chocolate (60% cocoa)*
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons milk
4 tablespoons sugar or honey

*You can vary the milk chocolate: dark chocolate ratio if you like. Just make sure the total amount of chocolate (milk&dark) is 8 oz.

Break each biscuit into about 10 pieces. Place the broken biscuits in a bowl.

Melt all the other ingredients together in a double boiler –pour about 1 cup water into a saucepan or pot and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and keep the water on a gentle simmer. Select a bowl that will fit over the saucepan, without touching the water (the steam from the water will melt the chocolate in the bowl).

Add all ingredients except the broken up biscuits, to the bowl over the simmering water. Whisk frequently, till everything is melted and you get a smooth sauce. Be careful not to get any water into the chocolate sauce.

Remove the bowl from the saucepan, and let the chocolate sauce cool for about 15 minutes. Gently fold in the broken up biscuits.

Line a loaf pan or cake tin with a large piece of glad wrap/cling film so that there is an over hang on all sides. Pour the cake mixture over the glad wrap and gently press down using a spatula, and flatten out the top. If your cake mixture is still warm, let it cool completely before proceeding.

Then fold the overhanging glad wrap over the cake. Using your palms, gently press down to compact everything. Refrigerate for 3 hours or till the cake is set.

Remove the glad wrap, cut into slices or cubes and serve.

Store chocolate biscuit cake in the fridge.

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Stonyfield Oikos Super Fruits Giveaway!

You can win all of these goodies!

-        2 free coupons for Oikos Organic Super Fruits Greek Yogurt*
-        Weleda All Natural Pomegranate Firming Day Cream 
-       Weleda Pomegranate Firming Serum
-        2 free coupons for Crofters Organic Fruit Spreads
-        Organic Pomegranate lip balm, made by Eco Lips
-        2 samples of Numi Organic Berry Black Tea (featuring   organic raspberry and raspberry leaf)
-        Simply Be Well Organic Pomegranate Moisturizing Body Bar
-        RW Knudsen Family 32oz.  Organic Just     Pomegranate juice and coupons

To enter

 

- Leave a comment below and tell me what was the best dessert youve ever had.
- For a bonus entry, mention this post & link to it in  your own blog. Then come back here and tell me you did so.

Contest ends Friday, May 6th 2001 9pm EST. US residents only. One random winner be picked. Check this post for winner announcement.

*Oikos sent me coupons to try the yogurt, and it is lovely :)

This giveaway has ended, the winner is comment #36, Usha!

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