Baba Ghanouj with red peppers

I love baba ghanouj, that creamy and smoky eggplant (aubergine for you Euro-types) dip served in most Mediterranean restaurants. But it had always seemed a little too ambitious for me to try and make it myself - until recently, when we were grilling some other veggies and I had two fat glossy eggplants in the fridge and some sweet red peppers from a local farmer.... as always, I took creative license with the recipe I had. And it turned out wonderfully! I don't think I'll ever buy pre-made baba ghanouj again!

I poked the eggplants with a fork a few times to vent, then rubbed the eggplants with good-quality olive oil. I roasted them on the grill, turning occassionally, until the skins were charred and the eggplant was soft - this took about 25 - 30 minutes. I rubbed the red peppers with olive oil and roasted them about 15 minutes. I also roasted a whole head of garlic with the skins on. When the veggies were cool enough to handle, I rubbed and peeled the skin off using my fingers.

Then:

• Chop the eggplant flesh coarsely and put in a big bowl. Mash the flesh with a fork until desired consistency. (You can also puree in food processor but I was too lazy to get mine out! Plus I liked the chunky texture of hand-mashed baba ghanouj)
• Add 1/3 cup tahini, juice from one lemon, about 1/2 teasp salt, and lots of fresh ground black pepper.
• Chop the red pepper finely; add it and 2 cloves of roasted garlic to the mixture and stir.
• Drizzle some olive oil on top before serving.

Here's my yummy Mediterranean platter that I had for dinner with some grilled pita bread. Clockwise from top: Baba ghanouj with roasted red pepper, kalamata olives, sauteed spinach, feta cheese, and chopped tomatoes.

Not for the faint of palate - bitter melon

I've posted about my experiment in growing bitter melon in our backyard veggie garden, and about how much I love the bitter tart flavor - definitely not for everyone! You either love or hate bitter melon, and boy do I love it. Here is a popular South Indian way to prepare this vegetable. You can find it at Indian or Oriental grocery stores, and if you are lucky and live in the Southern US, sometimes you can find locally grown bitter melon at your farmer's market.

This is a traditional recipe from my dad's side of the family - my Auntie Santha makes a fabulous version. I've modified it to simplify somewhat while keeping the flavor.

Paavakkai Pittla

2-3 good sized bitter melons

1 tbsp tamarind paste concentrate (I use Tamicon brand, available at Indian grocery)

1 tsp Indian mustard seeds

1/4 tsp asafoetida powder

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tbsp dark brown sugar

1 tsp cayenne powder or more to taste

salt and pepper to taste

canola or vegetable oil for popping mustard seeds

• In a small bowl, dissolve the tamarind paste in 1/2 cup hot water, stirring until the lumps disappear. Set aside.
• Slice the bitter melons lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and the white pith, then slice crosswise into thin slices.
• In a nonstick saucepan, heat about 2 tbsp canola or vegetable oil. Add mustard seeds - they will pop. When they start popping, add the asafoetida powder, turmeric powder, stir, and add the bitter melon.
• Saute for about 2 mins, then add the tamarind water and cayenne.
• Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until bitter melon is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. This will take about 10 - 20 mins depending on how thin you sliced them.
• Add the brown sugar and salt to taste.
• Serve as a side dish, with plain yogurt to cut the bitterness.

Enjoy! Do let me know if you try this, and what you think of it.

Tangy tomato chutney

The Terrific Tomato Adventure continues! We had some friends over for dinner (more on that in another post), and to go with my traditional Indian dinner I made tangy tomato chutney. Even if you don't have freshly picked and cooked tomatoes on hand, you can easily replicate this recipe using canned whole tomatoes. It goes well with rice, flatbreads, or even as a sandwich spread for hearty breads that won't get soggy. It would probaby go well with fish, I'm guessing.
Tangy Tomato Chutney

• 2-3 cups (or 1 15 oz can) tomatoes in their juices
  
• 1 sprig curry leaves (if you can't find this, use Thai basil for a slightly different but interesting flavor
  
• 2 teaspoons tamarind concentrate dissolved in 1/4 to 1/3 cup of hot water
  
• 1 tsp Indian black mustard seeds
  
• 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
  
• a one-inch piece fresh ginger, very finely chopped
  
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
  
• cayenne pepper to taste - 1 to 2 teaspoons
  
• salt to taste
  
• 1 tablespoon or so canola or vegetable oil to pop mustard seeds

In a saucepan or small wok, heat the vegetable oil then put in the mustard seeds and fenugreek. Working quickly, as soon as the mustard seeds start to pop lower heat to medium high, then add in the curry leaves and chopped ginger. If you are using basil leaves, don't add it now, add it at the end. Stir fry for about 2 minutes until fragrant.

Add the tamarind water, turmeric, and tomatoes. Lower heat to medium-low and let it simmer uncovered, stirring occassionally, until it cooks down to about half the original amount and thickens to almost a ketchup consistency. This takes about 15-20 mins depending on the size of your pan, heat of your stove, etc.

Serve it warm or cold. It will keep in the fridge for at least a week. Enjoy! Please comment if you try this dish, and share what you have accompanied this chutney with.

Aloo-baingan-bhindi masala

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I am blessed with such an abundance of okra from the garden! My grandmother always told us okra will make you good at math - sadly, that reasoning has not worked with my two children, who refuse to eat it. Even though the way I prepare it, it's not slimy. Hubby will politely eat it but only if he has to. No matter, more for me to eat! Some day they may realize the wondrous vegetable that is okra. Here's a delicious dry curry that I made with some local eggplant and tender potatoes, some of my forty two tomatoes, and fresh okra from our garden. I ate it with rice, plain yogurt, and a simple salad of cucumbers, chickpeas, banana peppers with a squeeze of lime.

2 small potatoes, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 slender Asian eggplant, sliced lengthwise then into 1" thick strips cross-wise
about a dozen okra, washed, gently patted dry, then sliced cross-wise
1 large tomato, seeded and chopped
1 teasp each ground cumin and coriander
1/2 teasp turmeric powder
1/2 teasp cayenne powder or more if you can handle more heat
vegetable oil for sauteeing - about 2 tablespoons
salt to taste
1 sprig curry leaves (you can substitute fresh thai basil or cilantro if you can't find curry leaves - it won't have the same flavour but will still be delicious)

• Heat the vegetable oil in a large nonstick saucepan, and fry the garlic and curry leaves till fragrant. (if using basil or cilantro, don't add it now, add it at the end)


• Add the potatoes and eggplant along with the cumin, coriander, tumeric, and cayenne, lowe heat to medium and stir-fry for about 5 minutes until they begin to soften.


• Add the tomatoes and about 1/4 cup water, and let the potatoes and eggplant cook until softened. Stir occassionally. It's okay if it sticks a bit to the bottom of the pan. This may take 10 - 15 minutes.


• When the tomatoes and water have been absorbed into the eggplant and potatoes, add the sliced okra.


• Gently stir-fry until the okra is just tender. It doesn't need to be over-cooked; that's when it gets slimy.


• add salt to taste and serve!

My Paati's (grandma's) okra

With our hundred-degree summer days my ladies finger (okra) plants are so happy in the garden. If you live in the Southeastern US, they grow almost like weeds - all they need is sun and water. I am picking a few every day and squirrelling them away in the fridge until I have enough to make sauteed okra, Indian-style.

If you want the full recipe, my dear old friend Yvonne over at My Halal Kitchen wrote up a touching tribute to the recipe that has been handed down over the generations in my family. When I was a student in Ohio (no Indian grocery store in Athens, horrors!), I adapted the recipe to use ingredients I could find while preserving the authenticity of taste. Tender, fresh okra works best. For minimum sliminess, make sure the okra isn't bruised and brown looking, and make sure to pat dry before sauteeing.

You can read Yvonne's very sweet post with my grandma's recipe, here http://www.myhalalkitchen.com/2010/09/30/okra-south-indian-style/