Ingredients:
Onion (medium) – 1
Tomato (medium) – 1
Garlic – 1 pod (optional)
Hing/asafetida – a pinch
Turmeric – a pinch
Chilly powder – 1/2 tsp
Cooking oil – 2 tsps
Salt to taste
Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp (optional)
Grated coconut – 1 tbsp (optional)
Coriander leaves – 1-2 (optional)

Method:
Peel the garlic and onion. Chop garlic, onion, and tomato into small pieces. Pour oil into an iron wok. Crackle mustard seeds. Add chopped garlic. When they turn brown, add chopped onion. Saute for 2 minutes. Add turmeric powder, chilly powder, and hing powder. Add chopped tomato. Saute for 2 more minutes. Add salt and turn off. Add grated coconut and chopped coriander leaves if preferred. Serve with roti.

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Stuffed brinjal is easy to make and makes good accompaniment for rotis or puris. You can go crazy with your imagination and use anything you fancy for the masala of this recipe. Make this one and you will fall in love with brinjal.

Ingredients:
Brinjal (purple small round ones) – 250 gms
Cooking oil (sunflower) – 2 tbsps
Coriander leaves – a bunch
Salt – to taste

For masala:
Onion – 2 (medium sized)
Peanuts – 2 tbsp
Sesame seeds – 1 tbsp
Grated coconut – 2 tbsp
Garlic – 3 pods
Jaggery – 1 tbsp
Turmeric – 1/2 tsp
Chilly powder – 2 tsp
Cooking oil – 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method:

Please make sure that you use the small purple brinjal variety to make this dish. Wash the brinjal and pat them dry using a cloth. Make slits that cross each other while keeping the stem intact. Ensure that there is no dirt/worms. Keep aside.

Peel and cut the onion. In a pan, add one tbsp oil and add the onion, grated coconut, peanuts, sesame seeds, and garlic. Saute well. Add turmeric power, chilly powder, jaggery, and salt. Use your imagination and you can add anything you fancy, like coriander powder, garam masala, or ginger garlic paste instead of garlic. Turn off the flame and let the mixture cool. Grind this to a fine paste in a blender. Add just enough water so that the paste is not too loose. Carefully stuff this paste into the slit brinjal so that the paste of masala coats the insides of the brinjal. If you choose to and have the time and patience, you can keep this aside for half an hour before you start cooking the brinjal. I did not do this and cooked the stuffed brinjal straightaway after stuffing them with the masala.

In a thick bottomed pan, pour 2 tbsp of cooking oil and place the slit brinjal with masala stuffing. Close with a lid. Stir occasionally and cook until the brinjal is tender (about 10-15 minutes on medium fire). If you prefer some gravy for the dish, you can make the masala slightly watery and that will make the dish watery. If you prefer it tangy, you can cook the stuffed brinjal in tomato puree or tamarind water. When the brinjal is tender, remove from fire, and add chopped coriander leaves. Serve with rotis or warm rice. I cooked this dish in an iron kadai and hence the dish looks slightly blackish.

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Ingredients:

Bhindi/okra/lady’s finger – 250 gms
Copra/dried coconut kernel – 150 gms
Peanuts – a fistful
Garlic pod (medium sized) – 1
Chilly powder – 1 tsp
Cooking oil – 1 tbsp
Salt – as needed

Method:
The okra that you choose for this subzi should be of small size. Use only the tender ones. Make sure that you wash them thoroughly and pat dry. Remove both the ends and make a single slit on the okra ensuring that it does not split into two. Okra is a favorite hideout for worms! So make sure that you check for any dirt or worms! Keep aside.

Chop the copra into small, even pieces. In a thick bottomed pan, dry roast the copra pieces until golden brown (for around 5 minutes). Remove from fire. Dry roast the peanuts in medium fire for around 5 minutes. When the peanuts start changing color, remove from fire. Grind the roasted peanuts, copra, garlic pod, and chilly powder in a blender to make a coarsely ground powder.

In a pan, pour one tbsp oil and add the slit okra. Close with a lid and cook for 3 minutes in medium fire. Stir occasionally. When the okra is half cooked, add the the coarsely ground powder. Add the required amount of salt, stir, and close with a lid. Cook for 5 mins in medium fire. Stir occasionally. Stuffed okra is ready. Serve hot with warm rotis.

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Method 1 Ingredients:
Radish – 250 gms
Cooking oil – 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder/haldi – 1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds/jeera – 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
Urad dal – 1/4 tsp
Green chillies – 2
Grated coconut – One small cup
Curry leaves – One stalk
Salt to taste

Method:
Clean, peel, and cut the radishes into small pieces. If the radishes are fresh and come along with the stem and leaves, you can pluck the leaves and chop them and use it for the subzi. I like to retain the crunchy texture of the radish and hence cut them instead of grating them. However, if you prefer it grated, you could do so. Split the green chillies. Pour oil in a thick bottomed iron wok and turn on the heat. Add mustard seeds to the oil. When the mustard seeds start to splutter, add jeera and urad dal. If you add these along with the mustard seeds, they will get burnt. When dal turns pink in color, add curry leaves and split green chillies, and then add radish pieces. Stir and mix well. Add turmeric powder, close with a lid, and cook in medium flame for 5 mins. Stir occasionally. When the radishes become tender, turn off the fire and then add salt. Add grated coconut and mix well.

Method 2 Ingredients:
Radish – 250 gms
Cooking oil – 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder/haldi – 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
Onion – 1 medium sized
Green chillies – 2
Grated coconut – One small cup
Curry leaves – One stalk
Salt to taste

Method:
Clean, peel, and grate the radishes. Clean, peel, and chop the onion finely. Split the green chillies. Pour oil in a thick bottomed iron wok and turn on the heat. Add mustard seeds to the oil. When they splutter, add curry leaves, green chillies, and finely chopped onion. Cook for 2-3 minutes until onion turns pink in color. Add grated radish. Mix well. Close with a lid and cook for 3-4 minutes stirring occasionally. When the radish becomes tender, turn off the fire, add salt, grated coconut and mix well. Serve along with rice or roti.

Ingredients:

Brinjal/Eggplant (Bartha Baingan) – one medium sized
Onion (small) – 1 (you can use a few shallots also)
Red chilly powder – 1 tbsp
Salt – as needed
Oil – 3 tbsp

Method:

Cut brinjal into thin round pieces.

Grind the onion and red chilly powder salt into a fine paste. Coat the brinjal pieces with the ground paste along with salt. Mix well and keep aside for at least half an hour.

Heat oil in a flat thick bottomed vessel. When the oil is sufficiently hot, place the brinjal pieces on the oil one by one. Keep the fire on Low-Medium.

After a minute or two, turn over the brinjal pieces using a flat ladle. When both sides of brinjal is suffiently brown, remove from fire. Place on absorbant paper to remove excess oil. Can be served as a snack or served with rice.

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Ingredients:
Tender jackfruit, diced – 250 gms
Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
Salt to taste
Water – 1 cup

For seasoning:
Grated coconut – 1 cup
Coconut oil – 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Split green chilies – 3
Curry leaves – 2 stalks
Urad dal – ½ tsp

Preparation Time: 30 mins.
Cooking Time: 5 mins.

Method:
Place the diced jackfruit in a pan with a pinch of turmeric. Add a cup of water and cook until tender. Add salt to taste. Drain the water out and let it cool. Lightly pound the jackfruit pieces and shred them coarse.

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and urad dal. When they splutter, add the split green chillies and curry leaves. Add the coarsely shred jackfruit pieces and stir. Add grated coconut and its ready to serve.

List of Accompaniments:
Tastes great with rice.

Trivia:
Idichakka or tender jackfruit is found normally only in the summer season. Cleaning it can be a tricky affair. You need to get rid of the poky outer portion and the sticky middle portion. Make sure you oil your hands before getting to do this or it can get sticky.

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Ingredients:
Boiled potatoes – 1/2 cup
Black dried pepper corns – 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Oil – 2 tbsp

*Alternatives:
Crushed red chillies can be used instead of black pepper corns. You could also use a paste of onion and red chilly powder instead of the crushed peppercorns.

Preparation Time: 10 min.
Cooking Time: 5min.

Method:
Cut boiled potatoes into 1 inch cubes. Crush the black peppercorns and sprinkle on the potatoes along with salt. Heat a pan and pour the oil. When the oil turns hot, add the potato cubes. Cook in medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sides of potato are crisp. Crispy, shallow fried potatoes are ready. Serve hot with rotis or rice.

List of accompaniments:
Rotis, rice.

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Crispy on the outside and soft inside, spicy yam to add flavor to rice.

Ingredients:

Elephant yam (cut into 1 cm cubes) – 250 gm
Curd – 2 tablespoons
Turmeric powder – 1/4 teaspoon
Red chilly powder – 2 teaspoons
Curry leaves – 2 stalks
Oil – 2 tablespoons
Salt – to taste

Cooking Time: 10min.

Method:
Pour one tablespoon oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds splutter, add the yam pieces, curd, turmeric powder, red chilly powder, and then pour water. Close the pan and cook in medium fire. Open the lid and stir every minute or so.

Yam available in certain seasons tends to have a higher cooking time. When the water dries up, lower the heat, and check if the yam is tender and well cooked. If the yam is still hard, add some more water and add salt. After the water dries up, add the remaining oil and the curry leaves and cook till the sides of the yam turns brown. Yummy yam is ready to be served with rice and curry.

List of accompaniments:
Rice and curry. Tastes great with curd rice.

Alerts:
Cleaning yam can be clumsy. Smear oil in your hands before you clean the yam. This will save you the nasty itching that raw yam might cause. Adding curd to the yam while cooking helps to get rid of any itching that it could cause.

Skill Level:
Low

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