Baingan Bharta-Vangyache Bharit-Eggplant Mush

Hello hello hello!!! I am back from a small vacation to the beach. After many years of running away and finding excuses to not get in the water, I finally had to give in. We are a bunch of super excited friends, who make such plans like renting condos on the beach or camping in truly American style, Although I am not so sure of how I do qualify in the excited group, as I get tired watching other person run, jog or even throw a pitch. I am a set of laziest bones I have come across. I mean why stress with packing unpacking cleaning the sand off the clothes and toys, when you can just relax by couching in the nice cold A/C living room. But no longer, I guess the laziness is shedding and I am getting to enjoy the rush of the waves and floating in salty water just as much as them.

I am blessed with a few but very nice friends, who not only care for me, but also correct me without hesitation. I do not have to tell them if I had a bad day or bad week. If Mr. Ash is traveling and am a single parent, I automatically get food dropped off at my home. No Gift is better than food gift on  a tiring day. This dish is one of such gift that I received from my friend K. She made this bharta or eggplant mush, not by roasting but cooking the eggplant in  a pressure cooker. This technique was obviously new for me, that I had to get the exact recipe from her. Mr. Ash loves eggplant mush, but the mess roasting the eggplant makes on the gas range pushes me off from making it. I tried broiling it covered in foil, roasting it in the oven, but the taste is never there. Ultimately I stopped making this. Until, K introduced me to this way of making the mush. When I ate it the first time, the eggplant was so soft and it almost melted in my mouth; I sincerely doubted if it was eggplant that she used or something else. So if that someone who dislikes eggplant is listening, do make this once for me.


You will need;
1 Medium eggplant - get the fatter and slightly bigger eggplant from the market; not the small ones or long thin ones.
1 small tomato diced
1 small onion finely chopped
1 tspn each ginger and garlic paste or chopped very fine
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp cayenne pepper powder
1 tsp mix of cumin and coriander powder
salt to taste
1/2 tspn Sugar optional

Tempering
1 tbspn oil
1/2 mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric/haldi
pinch of hing/ aesofodita

In a cooker vessel, peel and chop the eggplant into dices and pressure cook for 3-4 whistles. cool and mush around. In a wok, heat the oil, add the tempering ingredients one after the other, once the seeds sizzle, add the onions and fry for a couple of minutes till they sweat, then add the tomatoes, ginger and garlic and let the mix cook, till oil starts separating from the sides. Then add in the eggplant mush, Garam masala, Cayenne pepper powder and salt and sugar if needed. Let the mix cook till the mush and the masala gets incorporated, cover with lid and cook for 2-3 minutes. Garnish with onions and cilantro. I like to add a dash of lemon juice while eating, but again it's completely up to you. We have had this as  a dip with some pita chips like a Babaganoush, or even as a filing in a wrap. Personally, I love this with simple varan bhat tup mith and limbu( Translated as rice, dal, ghee, salt and lime)

Sprouted Beans Biryani- Blend of 12 Bean Sprouts Biryani.

Hello my Sweetpeas!!!! hope you all are doing fine, taking out time for your family and kids and showing your loved ones that you indeed appreciate them and care for them. Love from family is so easily taken for granted that at times we forget to appreciate the things our parents, siblings ever did or do for us. I never liked my mom sneaking veggies in my food, making me that horrible glass of milk every morning, or my brother watching me like a hawk while growing up, making me do my own things like keeping my shelf's clean, arranging my school work the night before or even ironing my own clothes. But they made me do this from a very early age so that I need not depend on anyone. This small routines build a kind of discipline in me that even now when packing for any trip, I kind of pack a couple of days ahead that in case I forget anything,. I still have a day on hand to pack that. Having a mental checklist of things to do is always helpful, when you have a demanding full time job and young boys to tend to. "No surprises at closing" is a very apt term for me. I dislike surprises, so no surprise birthdays ever worked for me, I mean why hide, when we can better prepare them to enjoy their special event. Most birthdays I went to where such Surprise was offered the birthday boy or girl said had they known they would at least have dressed appropriately. Most boys said at least they would shaved today!!!!! Ahhhh..boys will be boys..age no bar...

But one thing I absolutely love is when old and new friends drop by for a surprise visit. There is so much fun in the hassle that comes  with such guests. You have nothing to do and nowhere to go and suddenly someone calls, I am in your area, I am coming for Tea, if you are at home....The joy such calls bring know no bound and can never be measured. We live in a plastic world we created for ourselves, best friends need appointments to visit and catch up, calls have been pushed back by texts...I never had a Sunday morning as a kid, when we did not have our neighbors for Tea and breakfast....it was either we visiting them unannounced or they coming over. no need to dress up as it was the next door.. the wedding in anyone's home was  an apartment affair, even we were gifted new clothes and bangles like family by the hosts. Now you might be thinking what is the context of such surprises story and bean biryani...Coming to your questions and doubts, we  had a surprise BBQ in a park a couple of weeks back. Nothing planned, just few calls of what are you doing today and answer being nothing much, this picnic was decided. Since it was undecided and everyone got one item from the menu, I was allotted a rice item. Now that I am a Mom who takes her role pretty seriously I also sneak stuff/veggies in my food that my kids would otherwise not eat. They like rice and sprouts separately but if I had told them that I am asking sprout rice, I would have got negative response. So I made this bean biryani, which is packed with protein and a hit with all ages.

You will need;
2 Cups rice washed and drained.
1 Cup mixed sprouts-- I have a  12 bean mix packet. I always have sprouts ready for my use.

Making Sprouts;
In a big bowl take one cup beans, soak them in water for 8-10 hours and then drain the water, tie them up in a cotton cloth and keep them to sprout in a warm place for another 5-6 hours. Alternatively use the sprout maker.

1 finely onion chopped
 2 small tomatoes
1 Tsp Ginger/ Garlic paste
1 Tsp Biryani Masala
1 Tbspn Green chutney
4 cups boiling water
Salt and Sugar as needed

Tempering;

2 tbspn oil
1/2 tsp ghee/clarified butter
1 tspn paach phoran-( Blend of Mustard seeds, fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds,  black onion seeds and Cumin seeds.)
5-6 Peppercorns
3 cloves
1 Cardamom
1 inch stick cinnamon
 
In a pan over medium heat, heat oil, add the tempering ingredients, heat for a minute, do not allow the pepper and cloves to burn, add the onions, little salt, tomatoes and  ginger garlic paste, and fry till the masala gets cooked, and oil starts separating from the onion tomato mixture. Add in the biryani masala and let cook for a minute, then  add salt and sugar, mix well and lastly add rice and sprouts and the green chutney and fry till the rice and sprouts gets coated with the masala. Add the boiling water, cover with a lid or cook in a rice cooker til rice gets done. garnish with Cilantrio or Spring Onion, add a dash of lime if needed. Since I was taking this along I did not add in anything. Enjoii this healthy rice with some yogurt or as is.

Linking this to Gayathri's WTML event Guest hosted by Sizzling tastebuds