Eggplant in Yoghurt (Doi Begun)

Eggplant in sweet gravy of white curd (Bengalis call it Doi Begun) is a lesser known dish cooked using minimal spices. As yoghurt gives the cooling effect, people prefer to have it in the summer. Many people in Bengal make it with a sweet gravy, but mine is light yet tangy.

Doi Begun is very easy to cook. The freshness of the ingredients would take you breath away. You can serve it with hot rice or chapatis. If you wish you can serve it chilled. For that you need to keep the Doi Begun in Refrigerator for 30 minutes. 

Required ingredients:

4 eggplants
200 gram of white curd
1 medium size onion sliced
1 tsp of turmeric powder
2 tsp of cumin seed
2 tsp of salt
1.5 tsp of each powder (coriander powder, chilli powder, garam masala)
Water for making gravy
Oil for cooking

Method followed:

1. Cut each eggplant into two equal size pieces. Spread turmeric powder and salt over those pieces and rub them well. Keep them aside for few minutes. 
2. Heat oil in a deep-bottom frying pan and fry those eggplant pieces properly and set aside. 
3. Now fry sliced onion in the same oil until it gets the color like golden brown. Once done, keep them aside. 
4. Set another pan on the oven and roast cumin seeds. Allow it to cool and them grind it into smooth powder.
5. Take yoghurt in a bowl and add roasted cumin powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and salt to yoghurt and beat finely. Add little water if you want to make it little thinner. Keep it aside for few minutes. 
6. Heat the pan and pour half of the diluted yoghurt. Once it starts boiling, add fried eggplants. Then pour rest of the yoghurt on the top. Turn off the heat. Spread a pinch of  garam masala on the top. 
7. If you want to serve it chilled, keep it in refrigerator for 30 minutes. 

For other eggplant recipes click here

Mango Lassyi

 Ingredients:

2 cup of ripe mangoes (peeled and chopped)

1 cup of white yogurt

½ cup of milk

4 tbsp of sugar (you can add more sugar as per your taste

4 pieces of cardamom

2 mint leaves for 2 glasses (just for garnishing)

Ice cubes as per your need

Method:

1. You are ready with chopped mangoes, right?

2. Now take mango pieces, yogurt, milk and sugar in a blender pot and blend them until they mix well.

In this stage you can add more sugar according to your taste. If the mango is sweet, you may not need to use more sugar. So adding more sugar totally depends upon sweetness of the mango and how much sweetness you want.

3. Dry-roast cardamoms and remove from the heat. Now grind them to make smooth powder.

4. Add ice and cardamom powder to the blended mango-yogurt. Mix it well with a spoon and blend.

5. Add cold water to the mix. Quantity of water should depend on the consistency of the lassy you want. For slush-like lassy you don’t need to add much water.

6. Lassy is ready. Pour it in tall crystal glasses. Put one mint leaf on the top in each glass. 

Papaya curry with grated coconut

Ingredients: 

½ portion of medium size Papaya

½ tsp of Nigella seed

4-5 green chilis (slit)

½ tsp of turmeric powder

½ tsp of red chili powder

½ tsp of garlic (minced)

1 small size onion (chopped)

1.5 cup of grated coconut

Sugar

Oil

Method:
 

1. You are ready with grated papaya, right? If not, grate it finely in a grater. Meanwhile you can grate coconut too as it will be used later.

2. Heat mustard oil in pan. As an option you can use white oil.

3. Add nigella seeds (kalonji) and 2 slit green chilis to the oil. When raw smell of spices comes out, add minced garlic and finely chopped onion and sauté them till onion and garlic become soft.

4. Now it is time to add grated papaya. Add them to oil and sprinkle turmeric powder, red chili powder and salt over the papaya. And mix them well.

5. Now make sure that you are cooking at medium heat. Reduce the heat and add rest of the green chilis and sauté for few minutes. Cover the pan with a lid.

6. After 5-7 minute, uncover the lid and check if the papaya is almost done or not.

Now add little sugar and then grated coconut. Mix well and cook for 2-3 minutes.

7. Papaya curry is done. Serve with hot rice.

Beetroot Sasam

Yesterday I found that few beetroots were lying in the fridge. I usually avoid to use beetroot in any recipe; because when I cut the beetroot, it would mess around my hand (in actual fact all my 10 fingers). :-) ..aaaahhh.
 

But I had to empty old beets. I started searching recipes for my "poor" beetroot, and one recipe really caught my attention...that is "Beetroot Sasam".
 

Like many of you, the term "Sasam" was new to me. I googled it and got to learn that Sasam means Mustard seeds in Konkani language. As the name refers, I could easily catch on what Beetroot Sasam is going to include...

Ingredients:

1 medium size beetroot (finely chopped)

1 cup of think white curd

½ cup of grated coconut

2 tsp of mustard seeds

½ tsp of turmeric powder

2 green chilies

2 dried red chili

2 tbsp of white oil (you can also use mustard oil)

Method: 

1. Hope you are ready with finely chopped beetroot. Take them in a pot and add some water to boil. Cover the pot with a lit and leave it to boil for few minutes. It would take 5-7 minutes.

2. Meanwhile you start with other jobs. Pour oil in a seasoning pan and heat it. Add green chilies to fry slightly.  Did you find white spot on the chilies? If yes, remove them from the heat.

3. Now check if those beetroot pieces become soft or not. If they got soft and tender, remove them from heat and allow them to cool down. Once they would get cool, you have to remove water from it.

4. Take grated coconut, mustard seed, turmeric powder, fried green chilies in mixer grinder and add 2 spoonful of water. Now make it to a fine paste.

5. Is your paste ready? Now take curd in bowl and add this paste to curd. Mix it very well.

6. Take your pan in the oven. Heat oil and add mustard seeds. Wait for few moments to let the mustard seeds splutter. Add red chili to it.

7. Pour all the beetroot pieces to the curd-coconut mixture. Mix it well. Now allow it to boil and keep stirring occasionally. And remove Beetroot from the heat after 5-7 minutes.

8. Serve it with rice. And for a suggestion include some amount of lentil when you are serving to your loved ones. 



For other beetroot recipes click here