Achari Baingan Recipe | Spicy Brinjal with Pickle spices

Achari Baingan recipe with step by step photos.Brinjal is one of my favorite vegetables and I love to eat it mostly in the form of stuffed varieties.I have already posted many stuffed Brinjal curries like Stuffed Brinjals with fresh Coconut,Stuffed Brinjal with Onion and Bagara Baingan.Today I am posting a quick and easy Achari baingan recipe where brinjal is cooked in the pickle spices and mustard oil which imparts a nice achari flavor to the curry.I have tried various versions like the gravy kind, with and without onion and I liked this version the best.It is very simple and quick which does not include any grinding or chopping apart from the brinjals.

I highly recommend to use Indian baby brinjals or Indian long brinjals for this recipe but not chinese eggplants or aurbergines(bharta wala brinjal.Also try not to skip any of the spices or mustard oil in the recipe as that gives the typical achari flavor to the curry,I have even added carom seeds but it is entirely optional.You can even coarsely grind the spices and add to the oil instead of the whole spices.

Check out other brinjal recipes in my blog:

• Bagara Baingan
• Begun Bhaja | Bengali style Brinjal fry
• Brinjal-Soya Chunks Curry
• Brinjal Stir fry-with Curry powder
• Kalchina Vankaya Pacchadi | Roasted Brinjal Chutney
• Rava Vangibath
• Vangi Poha | Eggplant Poha
• Vangibath/Eggplant Rice-Karnataka Style
• Vankaya Kobbari Karam | Stuffed Brinjals with fresh Coconut
• Vankaya Kothimeera Karam | Aromatic Brinjal Curry with Coriander
• Vankaya Ullipaya Karam/Stuffed Brinjal with Onion

Here is how to make achari baingan recipe with step by step photos.

Achari Baingan Recipe:

Serves 2 | Recipe source:here

Prep time: 10 mins | Cooking time: 20 mins | Total time: 30 mins

Cuisine: North Indian | Category: Side dish

Ingredients:

6-8 small round Brinjals or 2 long Brinjals

a sprig of Curry leaves

2 tbsp Coriander leaves,chopped

1.5 tsp grated Ginger

2 tsp Coriander powder

1 tsp Amchur powder

1 tsp Red chili powder

1/2 tsp Garam masala

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

a pinch of Asafoetida

1/4 tsp Sugar

Salt,to taste

to temper:

2-3 tbsp Mustard oil or any other vegetable oil

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

1/2 tsp Fennel seeds

1/4 tsp Fenugreek seeds

1/2 tsp Nigella seeds(Kalonji)

1/2 tsp Carom seeds(Ajwain),optional

Method:

• Wash and trim the brinjals into 8 long slices and put them in water to avoid discoloring.

• Heat mustard oil in a thick bottomed pan until it is smoking hot and switch off  the flame and leave it aside for a while.Again heat the oil and crackle mustard seeds,cumin seeds,fennel seeds,fenugreek seeds, nigella seeds and carom seeds.
• Add asafoetida,curry leaves and grated ginger and fry for half a minute.

• Reduce the flame and add turmeric powder,coriander powder and red chili powder and quickly saute and add drained brinjal pieces and mix it nicely until all the pieces are coated well with the spices.

• Fry the brinjal pieces for 2-3 mins and cover it and cook for 8-10 mins until done.You can sprinkle some water on the brinjals if you feel that the masalas are burning at the bottom.

• Add salt,garam masala, sugar and amchur powder and mix well and cook it without lid for another 3-4 mins.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve it hot with rotis/parathas/naans/kulchas.

Notes:

1. Mustard oil is highly recommended for this recipe as it adds a nice flavor,but if you do not like it you can either use sesame oil or any other regular oil.
2. Indian baby brinjals or Indian long brinjals work best for this recipe.Do not use either chinese brinjals or aubergines(bharta wala baingan) for the recipe.
3. You can even coarsely grind all the spices(mentioned under to temper) and add along with the other powdered spices(like coriander powder),but I prefer this way.
4. I did few changes like the addition of carom seeds which was not there in the original recipe.

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Achari Gobi Recipe | Cauliflower Recipes

Achari Gobi recipe with step by step photos.It is always quite a task for me to plan a menu on everyday basis.It is easy for me to plan the lunch menu as I usually end up making the vegetables like carrot,beetroot,pumpkin, bottle gourd, ridge gourd which TH does not prefer to eat but surprisingly the little one loves to eat all these vegetables regularly and his new found favorite vegetables are pumpkin,carrot and beetroot.So the remaining vegetables make their way for dinner and it is quite boring to cook the vegetables in a same manner every time.Hence I always look for vegetable recipes so that it does not make our dinner boring.

Cauliflower is one of the favorite vegetables at home and I love to try various new recipes with it and I have tried this achari gobi recipe from Sanjeev kapoor's book and it is quite simple to make and it turned out quite delicious too.

Check out other cauliflower curry recipes in my blog:

• Ajwaini Aloo Gobi with Mustard flavour
• Aloo Gobi-Dry Curry
• Aloo Gobi Matar - Dry Curry 
• Cauliflower Aromatic stir fry
• Cauliflower(Gobi) Curry
• Cauliflower Kurma in Green gravy
• Gobi Kasuri
• Gobi Matar/Cauliflower-Peas Curry

Here is how to prepare achari gobi with step by step photos:

Achari Gobi Recipe:

Serves 2-3 | Author: Prathibha

Prep time: 10 mins | Cooking time: 20 mins | Total time: 30 mins

Cuisine: North Indian | Category: Side dish

Ingredients:

1 medium Cauliflower,separated into big florets

1 Onion,roughly chopped

1.5 tsp freshly grated Ginger

1 tsp freshly grated Garlic

2 Green chilies,chopped

2 tbsp chopped Coriander leaves

3/4 cup curd

3/4 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tsp Red chili powder

1.5 tsp Coriander powder

1/2 tsp Garam masala

1 tsp Amchur powder

Salt, to taste

1.5 tbsp Mustard oil

to temper:

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

1/2 tsp Fennel seeds

1/2 tsp Nigella seeds(Kalonji)

1/4 tsp Fenugreek seeds(methi)

1/4 tsp Asafoetida

Method:

• Wash and cut the cauliflower into big pieces and check carefully for the insects.Heat water in a big pot and add salt to it and add cut cauliflower pieces in it and boil for 3-4 mins until they are half cooked.Strain them and keep aside.
• In a kadai heat mustard oil until it is smoking hot and switch off the flame and let it cool for a while,
• Heat the mustard oil again and crackle mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, nigella seeds, fenugreek seeds and then add asafoetida to it and fry for half a minute.

• Now add grated ginger, garlic and chopped green chilies and fry them for a minute. Then add chopped onions and fry nicely until they start to turn brown.

• Add blanched and strained cauliflower pieces to it and give a good stir and fry for 2-3 mins.
• In a cup whisk the curd with turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chili powder, salt, garam masala and amchur powder and keep it ready.

• Remove the pan from the stove or reduce the flame completely and then add whisked curd mixture to it and mix nicely and cover it and cook for 8-10 mins until the cauliflower pieces are cooked and the yogurt mixture is dry and has been absorbed completely.

• Add coriander leaves to it and mix well.

Serve it hot with rotis/parathas/rice.

Notes:

1. Mustard oil adds a nice flavor to the achari flavored curries and hence do not skip it. If you do not have it use the regular vegetable oil or sesame oil.
2. Mustard oil has high smoking point and hence you need to heat the oil until it is smoking hot.But you need to cool it and heat it again otherwise the spices will burn in the extremely hot oil.
3. You can even add potatoes along with gobi and make achari aloo gobi.
4. Cauliflower can be substituted with brinjal pieces to make Achari Baingan or with Paneer piecs to make Achari Paneer or with Potato pieces to make achari aloo.
5. You can even add 1 small chopped tomato or 2-3 tbsp tomato puree after you fry the onions and proceed with the same recipe.
6. Keep the cauliflower florets big else they get mushy at the end.

Technorati Tags: achari gobi recipe,gobi curry,cauliflower curry,north indian side dishes,side dish for rotis,side dish for rice,easy side dishes,curries and sabzis

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Baingan Bharta Recipe | Punjabi stlye Baingan Bharta

Baingan Bharta is a classic Punjabi dish where the eggplant is cooked by roasting it on open fire which gives the smoky flavor and then  it is mashed and spiced up with various spices and onion.Baingan Bharta tastes best with minimal spices and I really like to eat it bit spicy.I add a handful of green peas sometimes just to give the volume to the curry, so it is entirely optional and can avoid it.This curry is more popular curry in dhabas because of the smokyness of the dish which is done by dhungar method,I have mentioned about it in my notes section in case if you are keen to try it and have access to the charcoal.On the contrary few do not like the smoky flavor, for ex- my dad, he does not like the smoky flavor in anything and also does not eat this sabzi when it is made.

In Andhra, we prepare 'Kalchina Vankaya Pacchadi' where the brinjal is roasted on open flame and is combined with various ingredients to prepare pacchadi(chutney) which goes with rice.There is another version of Bharta known as 'Choka' where we add raw and fresh ingredients and spices to the  mashed up roasted eggplant pulp which tastes good in its own way.

Whenever I pick up large eggplants I always pick atleast two of them so that I can prepare this Bainga Bharta and Bengali Begun Bhaja, both are favorite at my place.I have blogged already various brinjal recipes in my blog.

Check out other tasty preparations with Eggplants:

• Eggplant Pakora with Chili Garlic Stuffing
• Rava Vangibath, Vangi Poha, Vangibath
• Brinjal-Soya Chunks Curry, Brinjal Stir fry-with Curry powder
• Bagara Baingan, Bharli Vangi, Kashmiri Dahi Baingan
• Vankaya Kobbari Karam, Vankaya Kothimeera Karam, Vankaya Ullipaya Karam
• Brinjal Sambar, Raw Mango-Brinjal Dal
• Eggplant Pasta

Baingan Bharta Recipe:

Serves 2 | Author: Prathibha

Prep time: 10 mins | Cooking time: 30 mins | Total time: 40 mins

Cuisine: Punjabi | Category: Side Dish(Curry)

Ingredients:

1 large Eggplant/Aubergine(Bharta wala Baingan)

1 Onion, finely chopped

1 large Tomato, finely chopped

a handful of fresh/frozen Green Peas, optional

2 Green chilies, finely chopped

2 tbsp chopped Coriander leaves

2 tsp Ginger-Garlic paste

3/4 tsp Red chili powder

1/4 tsp Garam masala

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tsp Cumin seeds

Salt to taste

2 tbsp Oil

Method:

• Wash and wipe the large eggplant and apply oil all over the skin and poke it with a fork and place it on a open flame over medium heat. You can make a big slit and include a couple of garlic cloves, it gives a nice flavor to the bharta later. Keep rotating it in between in all directions until the whole eggplant is evenly roasted. Check it for doneness by inserting a knife, if it slides easily which indicates that it is done.Also the eggplant would have become soggy. Put it in a bowl of water immediately and leave it for 10 mins.

• Peel out the charred skin of the eggplant and also the stalk and mash it roughly with a masher. You can even chop it finely or run it in mixie in a whipper mode once.

• Heat oil in a kadai and crackle cumin seeds and add finely chopped green chilies and onions and fry nicely until they turn pink.
• Add ginger-garlic paste to it and fry nicely until the onions become brown.If you are adding green peas add at this stage and fry nicely.

• Add chopped tomatoes to it and fry until the tomatoes become mushy and the whole mixture leaves the oil at the edges.
• Add the spices - red chili powder, garam masala, turmeric powder, salt and fry for another couple of minutes.

• Lastly add the mashed baingan pulp and mix it nicely and cook for 5-6 mins until it is well cooked and the flavors incorporate in the bharta. Switch off the flame.

Add coriander leaves and mix.

Serve it hot with Rotis/Phulkas/Parathas/Naans.

Notes:

1. You can also give Dhungar(smoke technique) to the baingan bharta. For that heat a charcoal on open flame until it is red and hot and place it in a small plate and add few drops of oil and place this plate on the prepared bharta and cover it immediately with a tight lid and leave it for a minute or two. This gives a nice smoky flavor to the bharta like how we get it in the dhabas.
2. Add minimal spices to the baingan bharta, it tastes best. Also you need to fry the masala nicely which gives a nice taste to the bharta.
3. I usually add green peas when a baingan is small just to get more quantity.You can completely avoid it.
4. Instead of Ginger-Garlic paste you can just add finely chopped garlic which is good too.

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Paneer Butter Masala Recipe - Restaurant style

Paneer Butter Masala is my most favorite gravy and we always order this whenever we visit any North Indian restaurant. Well I know that I have mentioned this for several North Indian veggies but if I am asked to choose only one then it would be Paneer Butter Masala.I love it a lot and usually  order kulchas with it. Kulcha or Butter Naan and paneer butter masala is a hit combo, in my view.

Butter Chicken is the most popular gravy in and outside India and while it's a treat for non vegetarians, this  Paneer Butter Masala is prepared on similar lines and is definitely the king of dishes for the vegetarians.I am sure most of us love paneer based recipes  and we are no exception.DH is a big fan of paneer and hence it is mandatory to prepare at least one paneer recipe in any form.Paneer is also a good source of proteins for vegetarians.

In my earlier post on Paneer Makhani, I have highlighted a few differences between Paneer Makhani and Paneer Butter Masala.While the ingredients that are used in both the gravies are almost similar,the cooking procedure and the quantity of ingredients varies and this is what makes them taste different. This is an ideal recipe for parties, so dont miss preparing this restaurant style paneer butter masala at home.This recipe has a bit of fat and may not be ideal for calorie conscious one's but one can reduce the fatty content by replacing cream with milk and also the butter quantity. One would have to compromise on the taste though.

In case you are interested check out  Paneer recipes both dry sabzi and gravy varieties in my blog - Kadai Paneer, Palak Paneer, Paneer Jalfrezi , Paneer Bhurji, Matar Paneer, simple Paneer Sabzi, Paneer Makhani and Grilled Corn-Palak Paneer.

If you like sweets try this easy Paneer Modak Peda recipe. Its simple and yumm!!

Paneer Butter Masala Recipe - Restaurant style:

Serves 3-4

Preparation time:10 mins | Cooking time:30 mins | Total time:40 mins

Cuisine:Punjabi-India | Category:Side dish - Main Course

Ingredients:

200 gms Homemade Paneer (Cottage cheese) (or store bought)

2 medium Onions

3 large Tomatoes

1 tbsp Ginger Garlic paste

6-8 Cashew nuts

1/3 cup Milk or 1/4 cup Cream

1 tsp Coriander powder

1 tsp Red chili powder

1/2 tsp roasted Cumin powder

1/4 tsp Home made Garam masala(or 1/2 tsp store bought)

a tiny pinch of Turmeric powder

2 tsp Kasuri Methi

1/4-1/2 tsp Sugar

1 small Green chilli,thinly slit

1 tbsp Coriander leaves,to garnish

Salt to taste

2 tbsp Oil

2 tbsp Butter

Method:

• Cut paneer into triangle pieces of 1/2" depth.Immerse them in warm water until its usage.

• Soak cashew nuts in warm milk for some time.Grind it to a smooth paste along with the milk.If you want to use cream,grind the cashew nuts with a couple of table spoons of milk.

• Make a cross on tomatoes and blanch them in hot water for 3-4 mins.Remove them and let them slightly cool.Peel the skin and remove the eyes of tomato and chop into pieces and grind it to a smooth puree.

• Grind chopped onions with ginger garlic paste to a slightly coarse or smooth paste.
• Heat oil and 1 tbsp butter and add slit green chilli,onion-ginger garlic paste mixture and fry well until it turns slight brown and the raw smell goes away.

• Add pureed tomato and fry constantly for 6-8 mins over medium heat until the mixture becomes really thick and oil separates.This step is important to get a deep red color to the gravy and also it enhances the taste of it.So fry the tomato mixture until it leaves the pan and take care that you would not burn the masala in any stage.

• Add roasted cumin powder,sugar,coriander powder,red chili powder and turmeric powder fry well again for 2-3 mins.
• Add 1 cup of water and boil it for 6-8 mins till the oil separates and the gravy dries up to a thick masala gravy.

• Remove the kadai from flame and add the ground cashewnut- milk mixture(if you are using cream,add it now).Add kasuri methi,salt and garam masala and give a stir.
• Return the kadai back on to the burner and keep mixing on low flame and let it come to a boil for 2 mins.

• Add butter and paneer slices (dipped in warm water) and cook for 2-3 mins stirring continuously.

Serve hot with flat breads like Naan/Roti/Kulcha or Jeera rice/Bagara Rice.

Notes:

1. You can add a tiny pinch of  red food color to the gravy along with the masalas.I don't like to use food colors and hence I did not add it.
2. The addition of sugar and milk(cream) helps in neutralizing the sourness from tomatoes.So do not miss it.
3. You can toss few onion rings and capsicum rings in butter and add along with paneer slices at the end.
4. You can even toss paneer slices in butter for few minutes,do not fry for long otherwise they will become tough.As I like to use soft malai paneer I do not like to toss them as I feel they will loose their texture.
5. For a vegan version,replace paneer with tofu.Avoid cream,milk and butter.Increase the quantity of cashew nuts in the recipe and follow the same process.

Technorati Tags: how to prepare restaurant style paneer butter masala, paneer recipes, side dishes for roti, easy paneer recipes, paneer butter masala recipe, paneer sabzi varieties, north indian paneer recipes

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