Recipe - Spicy Stuffed Baingan (Aubergine) Masala

Also known as 'bharleli vaangi' in my native tongue Marathi, this is one of my favorite dishes (read vegetarian dishes)
Don't go by the gooey 'swimming-in-oil' picture that I've depicted - you can also cook it for heart patients with less oil....but then, don't take the trouble...give them something bland, less oily and less delicious instead :p

Cooking steps:
1) Finely chop onions, and grate coconut--> fry this till brown
2) Allow it to cool
3) Put the browned onoins and coconut into the mixer, and grind along with ginger, garlic, garam masala (roasted dry Indian spices), red chilli powder, turmeric powder,salt to taste and coriander (cilantro) leaves.
4) Slit the brinjal into 4 and stuff it with the prepared masala, leave for 15 mins
5) In the cooker,  heat oil, add the brinjal, chopped tomatoes and all the remaining masala
6) Add a lil water, and let it cook (2 whistles in the pressure cooker)

Recipe - Sabudana Khichdi

Growing up, I was previliged to having this sinful 'fasting' food item on certain days of the week. Why? Duh...fasting days, remember?! :p

When I was living alone in Bangalore and learning to cook, this was one of the first dishes I tried my hand at - for both nostalgia and gluttony!

Here's the recipe for it:
1) Soak Sabudana (Tapioca) overnight. Use same water quantity as you would use for rice
2) Roast a handful of peanuts on a flat tawa. You may choose to make it more granulated by grinding in a mixer.
3) Finely chop 2 green chilis
4) Chop one potato
5) Heat a deep pan and use 2 table spoons of vegetable oil (dalda vanaspati). If not available you may also use ghee. It is the best option, but either oils will do. Fry the potato pieces.
6) When potatoes are brown, add the sabudana to the pan. Mix well.
7) Then add the peanuts and green chilis. Add salt to taste. Mix well again.