Kathrikai(Brinjal/Egg plant) Gothsu

I was on the look out for a good recipe that I could prepare with Brinjal and my husband suggested that I prepare gothsu. I tried to search for some easy one and finally prepared my own version of the gothsu. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

• Brinjal /Egg plant - 1 cup (diced)
• Onion - 1 cup (chopped)
• Tomoto - 1/2 cup (chopped)
• Tamarind - 1 small lemon sized 
• Salt to taste
• Turmeric - 1 tsp
• Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp

• For the curry powder:
• Channa dhal - 2 tsp
• Coriander seeds(Dhania) - 2 tsp
• Dry Red Chilli - 3-4 nos
• For seasoning:
• Oil - 2 tsp & 1 tsp
• Mustard - 1/2 tsp
• Channa Dhal - 1/2 tsp
• Curry Leaves - a few

 Preparation:

• In a small cup, soak the tamarind in hot water and allow it to cool for about 10 mins to extract juice from it later.
• Heat oil in a pan and add the ingredients mentioned under the curry powder section
• Dry roast it until dhal becomes golden brown and remove from flame and allow the mixture to cool.
• In the same pan, add some more oil and add mustard. Once the mustard splutters, add channa dhal and the chopped onions.
• Saute the onions until the raw smell goes off. Now add the chopped tomatoes and sauté for some more time until the tomatoes become mushy.
• Add the turmeric and the diced egg plant and give it a nice stir.
• Next,, add the tamarind juice, salt and asafoetida to the mixture and let the egg plant boil in tamarind juice.
• In the mean time, grind the dry roasted ingredients and add 1 tsp of the ground powder to the boiling mixture.
• Once the egg plant is cooked, remove from flame and serve it hot.

It can be had along with pongal, idly, oothapam...
 

Lachcha Paratha (Layered whole wheat flat bread)

On those days when we are tired, my DH and I opt for frozen food. We use the readymade frozen parathas that are available in the market. It has made life so easy. But, I always wondered if I could make these at home with the outcome being the same soft parathas. I did try one day and it came out so well that I have decided to do it more often than relying on the frozen stuff. Here is the recipe.

 
Ingredients: 

• Wheat flour - 1 & cup & 1tsp
• Water - As needed
• Yogurt - 1/4 cup
• Salt - to taste
• Ghee - 1 1/2 tsp
• Oil  - 1 tsp

 Preparation:

• Add flour , salt and yogurt in a large bowl . Add enough water and mix well to form a soft dough. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for about 10 minutes until the dough is smooth. Keep it aside for about 30 minutes
•  In the meantime, prepare a mixture of ghee and 1 tsp of wheat flour for spreading on the rolled over  
• Shape the dough into some round balls. 
• Pick each round ball and flatten it on floured surface using a rolling pin to form a circle shaped one.

•  Spread the ghee and wheat flour mixture on the flattened dough.(It acts like a glue to stick the twists)
• Now, twist the dough and roll it carefully without applying too much pressure. 

• Heat a tawa and cook on both sides. Once done, give a small press on the edges of the paratha like a small squeeze for the layers to be visible.

 Lachcha Paratha is ready to be served hot.

Cous Cous Salad

I was in no mood to cook yesterday and wanted to keep the dinner simple. Suddenly, I was reminded of a dish I came across the Ask ChitVish application. This salad can be prepared within no time and is delicious and healthy too.

Ingredients :

• Cous Cous - 1 cup
• Red onions (chopped) - 1 cup
• Green Bell Pepper(chopped) - 1/2 cup
• Red Bell Pepper(chopped) - 1/2 cup
• Lime juice - 2 tsp
• Salt - to taste
• Olive oil - 1 tsp
• Luke warm water - 1/2  cup

Preparation:

• In a bowl, soak the cous cous in luke warm water for about 15 minutes and it will be done
• Later, add the chopped onions, green and red bell peppers, salt and olive oil to the cous cous and give it a nice mix.
• Sprinkle some lime juice at the end to give it a tangy taste.

Cous Cous  salad is ready to be served !