Easy Roasted Eggplant - Baingan ka Bhurta (hara masala)

This is a simpler version of this dish. It is healthier and requires minimal oil and cooking. The recipe is as follows:

3 medium eggplants

4 scallions, finely chopped

5 sprigs cilantro, finely chopped

2 green chillies, finely chopped

1/2 packet green peas, thawed

1/4 cup olive oil
1 lemon

sea salt to taste

Serves 4

Recipe:                                              

-Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Roast the eggplant till soft; about 35-40 minutes. Remove from oven and singe the skin over an open flame (use a blowtorch if available). Once charred, allow to cool and peel off.

- Squeeze the flesh to drain the juices and slice into equal portions.
- Separately bring water to a boil and blanch the peas.

- Combine scallion, green chillies, lemon juice and eggplant in a blender or food processor till roughly blended. Slowly add the olive oil till the mixture has a smooth, thick consistency. 

- Remove to dish and add peas, chopped cilantro, salt.
- Mix well and serve.  

Skinny Bi*ch of a book

I finally got around to reading it. It had been on my radar for some time and so, when at the airport and faced with a dearth of material, it seemed the perfect companion; easy read, seemingly witty and direct. Also, any reminder of why we should eat healthier is always welcome.

Well, it was all that and more. First thing that took me by surprise was the language; direct, crass  and funny, as in I-can't-believe-she-said-that funny! Of course, I had expected it given the title of the book and did find myself laughing out loud at points yet a bit  perturbed by the aggressiveness of it.

I also felt the book was promoted in a misleading manner. It has a vegan agenda and you become aware of it fairly quickly, say by the 4th chapter. Yet it is not marketed as such. Lulled by reading about the effects of sugar and soda, I suddenly had the dank, brutal insides of a slaughterhouse stuck in my face! It was almost as disturbing as stumbling upon "Faces of Death" in my youth when I thought we were being shown a nature documentary (true story). I agree it is important to know where your food comes from and the virtues of a vegetarian diet but I am really not interested in giving up meat or dairy completely. And I don't want to be pushed towards it by the authors' promise of a hotter body if I did so. Oh yes, there is a promotion of stereotypical body images here. Finally, I felt a number of theories laid out are unsupported, loosely researched or contradictory. The author(s) rely too heavily on a combination of shock tactics and intimidation to make their point.

So, I found it to be overall engaging and informative in bits but would advice that it be read with a grain of salt and the permission to skip over the unsavory parts. At the end of the day, all I need to know is what is on my plate and be thankful for and respectful of the nourishment it provides my body.

Who doesn't love butter?

In Subcontinental gastronomy, ghee (clarified butter) is considered to be a prize ingredients. In Ayurveda, it is revered as an elixir; credited with promoting physical beauty, health, vitality and longevity. It adds a rich flavor and a nutty aroma to food and basically makes any dish a better version of itself, as Julia Child would agree. However, sadly, in our age of information and education, we can't ignore the fact that saturated fats have a strong link to high cholesterol and cardiovascular disease. Luckily, there are a number of delicious alternatives.
My basic choice is olive oil but I also use mustard and grape seed oil. Another favorite is coconut oil. This is again high in saturated fat, however, it has a number of health benefits and a high smoking point so useful for frying. Interestingly, civilizations that eat a diet rich in coconut oil have shown no significant incidence of cardiovascular disease.
All this being said, I still like to keep ghee in my diet as I believe in it's beneficial qualities and, like anything else in life, believe that balance is key. I incorporate it by adding a teaspoon to whatever oil I am using for the baghar/ tempering oil in the recipe.

A word of caution: heated oil should not allowed to smoke for a period of time. It is the point at which degradation of flavor and nutritional value begins. At first sign of this happening, add the ingredients and start cooking. Fumes inhaled from smoking oil are injurious and it is important to cook in a well-ventilated area.

Turnip pickle- Shaljam ka Achaar

This takes me back to lazy, winter afternoons. My grandmother would prepare this delicious pickle as soon as the air turned crisp and the sunshine softened. Winter was heavenly. With the first breath of dry, brisk, slightly smoky air, we would come out of air-conditioned cocoons and delve into a flurry of social activity to make most of the forgiving weather. This pickle would herald in the season for me and be eaten with every meal until about mid-March, at which point the humid heat would rear it's stifling head again and we would burrow back indoors.

4 large turnips

1/4 cup crushed red pepper

1 tbsp. mustard seeds (rai), crushed

1/2 cup nigella seeds (kalongi)

4-5 garlic cloves, crushed

1/4 cup salt

Recipe:

- Slice the turnip into 1/4 inches width
- Add to a full pot of boiling water and parboil

- Remove and allow to cool slightly

- Reserve the liquid and refrigerate
- Spread out on a tray, add all the remaining ingredients and rub well into the slices. 
- Cover with muslin cloth and let marinate overnight

- Next day, transfer all the above to a stoneware pickle jar

- Reheat the reserved liquid and pour into the jar till the turnips are covered
- Check the salt and adjust to taste

- Seal and allow to sit in the sun or a well-lit area for a couple of days till the liquid turns cloudy and opaque (usually 5 days)

- Enjoy with arhar ki daal and plain chawal!

* You can check the liquid again after 3 days and adjust the flavorings according to taste.