Click - Yellow for hope

' The Yolk'

This is my entry to this months 'Click' event.This months Click Yellow event is dedicated to Bri who has been putting up a brave fight towards cancer. For more details click here.

Moroccan Fried Eggplants - AWED

My love for mediteranean cuisine started when we went to a small authentic middle eastern restaurant in Denver few years back.It was for a friends birthday party and we were a huge gang.Since nobody had any idea about the food, the chef decided to bring out his favorites right from appetizers to desserts.We started off with a fried eggplant appetizer,which was so delicious that it disappeared from the plate as soon as it was brought to the table.The food was so memorable that whenever I think about mediteranean food this dish comes to my mind.

At last after all these years Sri's AWED event made me search for this recipe and try it out.

When I started my search I stumbled upon lots of 'Fried Eggplant' recipes like 'Salatat Bathinjan', 'Badhinjan Miqli' named according to the region with very little variations.But none of them suited the dish I had in mind. Finally I saw this 'Moroccon Fried eggplants' which was exactly what I was looking for.However I made slight variations in these too, instead of egg for dipping I used 'flour mixed in 1/4 cup of water' and instead of flour for dredging I used bread crumbs .

Here's how we do it.

Ingredients
1 large Eggplant

1/2 tsp chilli powder

1/4 tsp roasted cumin powder

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tbls chopped garlic

1 table spoon flour

2 cups bread crumbs.

Method.
Remove the stem and slice the Eggplant into thick slices.

Sprinkle some salt over the slices and leave it for about 15 - 30 mins.

Pat the slices dry using a kitchen towelAdd the chilli powder, garlic and lemon juice to the slices and mix well to coat.Allow to rest for 30 mins.

Mix the flour in a bowl with 1/4 cup water to form a light batter.(You can also use one beaten egg instead of flour batter). Spread the Breadcrumbs in a plate.

I cooked them in two batches, one batch using the skillet and another batch using the oven. Both turned out great with a unique taste.

For the skillet:

Add enough Olive oil to a skillet to fully cover the bottom, and heat the oil over medium heat. Dip the eggplant slice in the flour mixture and the toss it on the bread crumbs to coat evenly and place it in the hot oil.Fry the eggplant in batches, turning several times, until deep golden brown. Remove the eggplant to paper towels or a rack to drain.

For the Oven:

Preheat the Oven to 200 Deg C. Dip the eggplant slice in the flour mixture and then toss it on the bread crumbs to coat evenly.Place the eggplant slices on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Sprinkle some olive oil over them and bake till crispy for about 20 mins.

Serve warm with any sauce of your choice.

Whether served as a vegetable side dish, or as part of the main course, these slices of breaded eggplant are a tasty addition to any meal.

Note:To make it even more richer you can add 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese to the bread crumbs.

Crunchy Cauliflower Roast.

Back home Cauliflower used to be one of my favorite veggies during my schooldays.When they are in season around March -May, we used to have this vegetable every other day, either as a simple fry for sambhar or as kurma. Sometime we used to have cauliflower bhaji's during those sudden mango showers in the moth of May.But in US whenever I try any recipe with cauliflower in it the dish would taste absolutely bland.

Few days back, when I was making cauliflower fry, I realised that I ran out of tomatoes.First thought of making it without tomatoes, but then decided to add some tomato paste. Finally it ended up in a roasted cauliflower with a delicate taste.I was surprised to see that couple of tablespoons of tomato paste could make such a big difference.But remember to sprinkle just enough water for the florets to cook, more water will make the vegetable soggy

Since Cauliflower is one of the fiber vegetables Iam sending this to Eat healthy - Fibre rich foods event hosted by Sangeeth


Here is the recipe

Ingredients:
1 medium sizedd cauliflower cut into florets
1 medium onion finely chopped
1 tsp ginger garlic paste.
1 tsp chilli pwd
2 tablespoons tomato paste
a tsp of lemon/lime juice
salt to taste


Method:
Wash the florets thoroughly with water.
Heat the oil in a non stick pan ,add chopped onions when hot.Fry the onion till translucent.
Add ginger garlic paste and fry well.
Now add the florets stir to combine with the onions.
Add the chilli powder , salt and tomato paste.
Stir well to coat , sprinle some water and cover with a lid for 3 mins.
Remove the lid, reduce the flame and and allow it to cook till roasted for approximatly 10 mins.Switch off the stove add the lemon juice and mix well.Garnish with chopped coraider leaves or spring onions.



Check out other recipe with veggies rich in fiber

Broccoli Kootu

Cluster beans/kothavarangai paruppu usili

Cabbage poriyal

Turnip fry

Stuffed Mushrooms

This is a very interesting receipe as it does not require much effort as it looks.It was almost 5 years back, when I first had this appetizer dish in Olive gardens it was so creamy and bubbling with cheese that I absolutely fell in love with the mushrooms.As soon as I came home I started looking for the receipe in the internet and got so many versions of this receipe.I got very confused and decided to stick to the simplest version.Then as usual I mixed and matched the recipe and came up with my own version with a little bit of Indian touch.From that day onwards this is my special appetizer for any party or a potluck and it has always been well received and appreciated.

Ingredients:
1 Packet large white Button Mushrooms(about 12)
8 cloves of garlic finely chopped

1 medium sized onions fineled minced
2tbl sp Butter
1 cup chopped coriander leaves
1 cup of shredded mozarella cheese

1 cup of shredded parmesan cheese(optional)
2 cups bread crumbs
Method:

Preheat the Oven to 350C.Wipe the Mushrooms with a damp towel and scoop out the center of the mushrooms, and make it like a hollow cup(like in the picture).Chop the scooped out mushroom stems.Add the butter in a heated pan, add the garlic and the onion saute well.Add the chopped musroom stems and saute well.Add some salt and pepper.Now add the bread crumbs and mix well for 2 mins and allow it to cool.

Stuff the hollow mushrooms with this mixture and arrange it on baking tray.

Sprinkle the cheeses over the stuffed mushrooms .I have used sliced mozerralla, but shredded mozeralla is the ideal one for this dish.It gives more better results.

Place it in the oven and bake it for 20 mins, or until the cheese is bubbling and turns golden.Serve it hot.

Note: I have gone easy on the cheese as you see in the pictures, but beleive me ,more the cheese more is the taste . So go ahead sprinkle more cheese, and have fun for a day.

Enjoy with hot cup of tea!!!

Click here for my latest post on Stuffed mushrooms

Sprouted Moong Beans for CLICK

"Sprout Swarm" for Click

Clicked some pictures of my sprouted moong beans for this month's "Click - Beans and Lentils" event.I liked couple of those, however Iam sending in the above picture named "Sprout Swarm"

The following picture is the next preferred one named "Sprout couple"