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Carrot Halwa (Gajar Ka Halwa)

In the season when sweet red carrots are available this dessert is a natural choice. Though you can make it with orange carrots too the taste isn’t quite like the one you get with the red ones.

Ingredients :

• 2 cups grated red carrot
• 1/2 cup sugar (as per your taste)
• 1/2 cup khoya
• 1/2 cup ghee
• Pinch of elaichi powder
• Dry fruits (almonds, cashew nuts, raisins)

Procedure :

1. Steam carrot till its soft.
2. Heat ghee. Fry dry fruits and take them out.
3. To the remaining ghee add grated carrot and fry till water dries up.
4. Add roasted khoya and continue to cook for 5 more minutes.
5. Finally add sugar, fried dry fruits and elaichi powder.
6. Continue to cook till the halwa comes together.

Variation

If you dont have Khoya you can use milk cream instead. You can freeze the cream that settles on top of the milk for a month or so and make this dessert. Only difference is that it will take a little longer to make than khoya and will be heavier too.

Mashed Brinjal (Baigan Ka Bharta)

This is an age old favorite which has seen changes in its recipe over a period of time. Presenting to you the contemporary method as well as the original recipe of the famous Baigan ka bharta.

Ingredients :

• 1 large dark purple brinjal
• 6 garlic pods
• 1 onion
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 green chilly
• A small piece of ginger
• 2 teaspoons Dhania powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Mirchi powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Haldi powder
• 1/2 teaspoon jeera powder
• 1/2 teaspoon jeera seeds

Procedure :

1. Stuff garlic pods into the Brinjal. Place it directly over the flame and burn.
2. Turn the brinjal till its cooked from all sides. Once done, turn off the heat and allow the brinjal to cool.
3. Peel the skin and mash the inner pulp.
4. Heat oil. Add Jeera, green chillies, onions and fry for a minute.
5. Add grated ginger and fry for a few more minutes.
6. Add chopped tomatoes and continue to fry till the mixture leaves fat from the sides.
7. Add dhania powder, mirchi powder, haldi powder and jeera powder. Mix well.
8. Mix in the mashed brinjal and cook till the mixture comes together.
9. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rotis.

Variation

1. You can add 1/2 teaspoon of garam masala also but please be careful as the dish already contains green chillies and should not become too spicy.
2. You can burn a small piece of coal over the flame, keep few cloves on it and pour a tablespoon of ghee on it. Place this fuming coal in the middle of the bharta and cover the lid. This will lend an enchanting coal flavor to the bharta. You just have to try this one!

Original Bharta recipe

For some reason the Original Baigan ka Bharta recipe got tampered with, over time. The influence of methods used to cook other vegetables was probably the reason for this. In olden days the brinjal was burnt over coal, seasoned without any further cooking and consumed.

Procedure :

1. Follow first 3 steps in the procedure mentioned previously. This will give you the burnt brinjal pulp.
2. Roast jeera seeds and powder them with the help of a mortar-pestle.
3. Take a few teaspoons of mustard oil. Add finely chopped green chillies, onions and roasted jeera powder to it.
4. Mix in the burnt brinjal mash and some salt.

Please NOTE :

In the original recipe the mustard oil used is not heated. Yes, we are actually mixing in chillies and onions raw! Well, so much for the original recipe.