The word "khana" in Indian Khana Made Easy means food. So come on, let's explore and cook some easy Indian food together including gluten-free and vegan dishes.

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May 16, 2016

Cool Down with Eggplant Raita (Yogurt Dip)

GOT EGGPLANT?? My mom stopped by the farmers market the other day and bought this large and round eggplant. She couldn't help it; it was so beautiful. It called out to her, "bring me home and cook me". So she did. 

Eggplant is such a versatile ingredient. You can make anything with it: dips, curries, stew, or just throw it on a grill. I especially love eating eggplant with my grilled cheese sandwiches


Tonight, my mom decided to cook it another way to help us stay cool in this weather. She made eggplant raita (yogurt dip) to eat with rice and roti. Eggplant raita closely reminds of Baba Ganoush, a popular Middle Eastern dish. 

Eggplant raita dish has two of my favorite ingredients: eggplant and yogurt. Let's get cooking:

Ingredients
- 1 lb large and round size eggplant, peeled and chopped into small pieces
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp urad dal
- 1 tsp whole mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds
- A pinch of turmeric powder
- 2 green chilies, finely chopped
- 3/4 cup Whole milk plain yogurt
- 1/2 tsp Salt (adjust to your taste)
- A few sprigs of fresh coriander, chopped finely (optional)

Procedure
In a medium saucepan, heat oil on low-medium temperature. Once you feel the warmth on palm, add urad dal, mustard and cumin seeds. Then add green chilies and turmeric powder. Once the mustard cumin seeds start to splutter, add the chopped eggplant. Stir the mixture together and cover and cook under lid for 8 to 10 minutes. Lift the lid after that time and check to see if the eggplant is cooked. 
(Hint: take a flat wooden or silicon spatula and try to cut or split the eggplant to see if it's cooked. If it cuts easily, then it's cooked. If it doesn't then, cover with the lid and cook for a few more minutes.) Once the eggplant is cooked, add salt and transfer the mixture into a serving dish and let it cool. Once it cools, add the whole milk plain yogurt and mix thoroughly, Garnish it with coriander and voila!


Quick Tip
- If using 2% or 1% milk plain yogurt, please add 1/4 cup of sour cream to the dish to make it thicker. 


April 8, 2016

A Special Surprise, Just in Time for Ugadi!

It's always a delight when relatives come to visit, especially during the holidays. My grandma arrived a few days ago and just in time for Ugadi.  She makes the journey every year even though she's aged quite a bit. It's always a delight to see her nonetheless. 

I don't mean to sound childish but I always get excited when my grandma unpacks her things. She always comes bearing gifts...they are usually sweets and savories of all kinds. 

I collected all the sweets together to show you guys. Most of the Indian sweets are made from rice and lentil flour. 

The top plate shows all the sweets I grew up eating. Pootarekulu (also known as paper sweets) is a popular sweet from East Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh. Powdered white sugar or brown sugar is stuffed in between the thin sheets made from rice flour. 

Next to Pootarekulu is Pheni, which is shredded, flaky rice flour roasted in ghee. It is usually eaten with sugar and hot milk. We eat this from time to time for breakfast. We put a handful in a bowl, mix in sugar and pour hot milk on top. It is really yummy. 

Next to pheni is cashew nut brittle made with cashews and jaggery (Indian brown sugar). Last but not least is Arisalu, which is behind the brittle. These thin, round patties are popular in Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Odisha and are made from rice flour, brown sugar, and ghee. Arisalu are one of my sister's favorite Indian sweets. 


The bottom plate has an assortment of sweets made from lentil flour, rice flour, nuts and dates. Some of these sweets are Kaju Kattli, Milk peda, Mysore Pak, Bandar Laddu, Kajja, and Balushahi. Milk or doodh peda has become one of my favorite sweets. They pedas are heavenly and I can easily eat all of them in minutes. 

The first thing we do on Ugadi is pray and eat Ugadi pachadi. I did just that before leaving for work.  After work, I came straight home and indulged in more Ugadi specials like Halwa poori (a popular sweet from Telangana), and Green Mango Pulihora that my mom made. 




Wishing you Happy Ugadi from our family to ours!!