Brinjal Tomato Capsicum Bartha

Brinjal Tomato bartha is a gravy side dish. We in Udupi (Karnataka State) prepare bartha very often with brinjal/egg plant and tomatoes. It is done in different ways. It is spicy, tangy with little sweet and goes well with almost all the main dish.

Brinjal Tomato bartha goes well with Rice and Chapatis and Rotis too. Bartha means its cooked and smashed spicy dish.
I have used brinjal, capsicum and tomatoes with little spices. It is a spicy dish.
No  onions or garlic is used in the curry.

Ingredients :

To Cook :
Brinjal : 1 ( Medium Size )
Tomato : 2 ( Small size)
Capsicum : 1
To Add 
Pepper pods : 3 to 4
Green chillies : 2
Ginger : a small piece
Coriander Leaves : 2 sticks
Salt : to taste
Rasam Powder : 2 Teaspoons
Jaggary (Option ) : 1 Table spoon
Water : 1/2 cup
Turmeric Powder : a pinch
To Season : 
Oil : 1 Tea spoon
Mustard Seeds : 1/2 Tea spoon
Urd Daal : 1/2 Tea spoon
Curry Leaves : 5 to 6
Ingh : a pinch

Method :

1. Wash and cut capsicum, tomatoes, coriander leaves, green chilly. Crush pepper pods and keep it aside. Wash and remove the outer layer of ginger. Wash it again and grate it.
2. Wash and cook brinjal in a pressure cooker for 5 to 6 minutes and leave it for cooling.
3. Remove the outer layer of brinjal once it is cool, smash the pulp and keep it aside.

3. Keep a pan on the fire and heat. Add mustard seeds and urid dal. Let it splutter.
4. Add curry leaves, green chilly and ingh. Add cut capsicum. Fry nicely till it is soft.

5. Add tomatoes and fry for 2 minutes. Add smashed pulp and mix it well. Add jaggery. Add crushed pepper. Add grated ginger.

6. Add rasam powder, salt and little turmeric powder. Mix it nicely.

7. Add water if required (1/2 cup ). Let it cook nicely for 2 to 3 minutes.
8. Add coriander leaves and put off the fire. Shift the ready curry to a serving dish.

9. Brinjal Tomato Bartha is ready to serve.  Serve with a piece of onion.  (serving onion is optional)

Note :
You can cook brinjal as you like it.
1. Wash it, cut it into small pieces and cook in little water. Smash the whole thing nicely.
2. Wash the whole brinjal and pressure cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the outer skin once it is cooled. Smash the pulp and then use the pulp.
3. Wash and cook straight on gas burner. Apply little oil on the outer layer before keeping the brinjal on the burner. Remove the outer layer and use the pulp.
Use of spice according to your taste. You can add cut onions and garlic (optional). Use of jaggery is also optional. More/less. No need to add tamarind or lemon extract.
Any brand of rasam powder can be used. Use a round brinjal to prepare bartha.
Time : 15 minutes
Serves : 3 to 4.

VEG - KOFTA CURRY

Veg Kofta curry is an side dish and goes well with chapatis, rotis, dosas, poori and even plain rice.
It goes well with bread also.

I have used carrots, beans, potatoes and some spices, channa flour, rice flour to prepare this kofta (Filled fritters). For the curry onions, tomatoes and ginger is used here.
Lets see the recipe Now :

For Kofta

Besan/Channa flour : 1/2 cup
Rice flour : 2 Tablespoons
Jeera or Cummin Seeds : 1/2 teaspoon
Chilly Powder : 1/ Teaspoon
Carrots : 2
Boiled potatoes : 3
Coriander leaves : 2 to 3 Tablespoons
Grated Ginger : 1 Teaspoon
Salt : to taste
Oil : To Fry : 1 Cup

Method:

Kofta preparation :
1. Wash and remove the outer layer of carrots and grate it. Wash and remove the outer layer of ginger, wash it again and grate it. Wash and cut coriander leaves.
2. Boil potatoes and remove the outer layer once it is cooled.
3. Now take a big bowl and put grated carrots, grated ginger, coriander leaves.

4, Add chilly powder, cumin seeds and salt. Mix it well.
5. Divide the mixed vegetables and make small size balls.

6. Take a bowl, put rice flour, channa flour/besan and chilly powder. Add little salt.
7. Mix with required water and prepare thick dough.

8. Keep a frying pan on the fire and add oil. Let it be hot.
9. Take a small size of the dough, dip in channa flour dough and put it in the hot oil.
10. Fry nicely till it turns golden brown. Remove from the pan and put it on a kitchen tissue.

11. Repeat the same and prepare koftas and keep it aside.
12. Fry the koftas on medium and low flame.

For Curry :

Things Needed :
For the Curry :
Tomatoes : 2 to 3 (Medium size)
Onion : 2
Garam Masaala : 1/2 Teaspoon
Red chilly powder : 1/2 Teaspoon
Jeera Powder : 1/2 Teaspoon
Rasam powder : 1/2 Teaspoon
Salt : to taste.
Cashew nuts : 6 to 8
Ginger : 1 Teaspoon
Coriander leaves : 2 to 3 Tablespoons
Salt : To taste
Milk Cream/Butter : 1 Tablespoon (I used fresh milk cream)

Method : 

1. Wash and boil tomatoes with little water for 2 to 3 minutes. Let it cool.
2. Remove the outer layer of onions, wash and cut into small pieces.
3. Wash and remove the outer skin of ginger and wash it again. Grate it.
4. Remove the outer layer of boiled tomatoes, cut into small and keep it aside.
5. Grind cashew nuts into thin paste with little water and keep it aside.

6. Grind grated ginger, cut tomatoes. Let it be paste consistency.

7. Keep a pan on the fire and heat. Add a tablespoon of oil and heat.
8. Add jeera/cumin seeds and fry. Add cut onions and fry till they turn soft and slightly brown.

9. Add ground tomatoes and fry nicely till it cooks well (2 to 3 minutes). Add required salt.

10. Add garam masala, turmeric powder, chilly powder, rasam powder and little jeera powder.
11. Add a cup of water and let it boil for 2 minutes.

12. Add cashew paste and mix it well. Let it boil for a minute.

13. Mix it nicely and add ready koftas to the curry and mix it slowly. Let it cook for a minute. Put off the fire.

14. Leave it for 2 minutes and shift the curry to a serving dish. Add fresh cream/Butter on the top. (I have added fresh boiled milk cream).

15. Serve with the main dish that you have prepared.
16. We had it with chaatis.

Note :

Use of garlic is optional. Koftas can be prepared with grated bottle gourd instead of vegetables.
Use of cashew nuts are optional. Cashews are aromatic and helps to add the taste. You can  use roasted channa (Hurikadale) instead of cashews).Adding any spice of your choice is optional.
You can use cashew pieces in koftas too. (optional).
Time : 40 minutes  (Total time ).
Serves : 4 to 5

Simple Dum Aloo

Dum Aloo is one of the rich dish . Potatoes are cooked in gravy with dum means covered with layer of dough. The heat does stay inside the pan since the dough is covered between the pan and the covered plate. But I have prepared it with an easy step by cooking aloo in a pressure cooker.
I have used baby potatoes, handful of cashews. curd, tomatoes and some spice which is already at home.

Dum Aloo is a side dish and it can be eaten with roti, chapati, poori, dosa or idli and all type of Naan.
It goes well with simple friend rice, peas rice etc.
Lets see the recipe now
Ingredients :
Small Potatoes : 8 to 10
Curd : 1/4 cup
Garam Masala : 1/2 Teaspoon
Green chilly : 1
Cashew Nuts : 2 to 4
Coriander Leaves : 6 to 8 sticks
Tomato : 2 ( Medium sized )
Jeera Powder : 1/2 Teaspoon
Ginger : a small piece
Salt : to taste
Water : 1 Cup
Oil : 1 Table spoon
Butter : 1 Tablespoon

Method :
1.Boil potatoes in a pressure cooker for 5 to 6 minutes ( with weight ) and remove the skin when it is cool and keep aside. Just poke/prick with a knife edge around the potato carefully.

2. Wash tomatoes, green chilly,jeera powder, ginger, coriander leaves and garam masala powder. Grind it with little water and remove from the mixi jar.
Remove from the mixi jar to a bowl.

3. Grind cashews separately and keep it aside.

4. Keep a pan on the fire and heat. Put oil, Put 1/2 Teaspoon of jeera and let it turn brown.
5. Add ground tomato mixture and let it boil for 1 to 2 minutes. Add  little jeera powder and salts and mix it well.

6. Add boiled and pricked potatoes to the mixture. Add salt and little water.
7. Add ground cashews and mix it well.

8. Add  2 tablespoons of curd (just beat it with a spoon just before adding to the curry.
9. Cover the lid and cook on low flame for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the cover and add butter. Mix it well and put the curry to a serving bowl.

10. Simple Dum Aloo is ready to serve.

Note :
You can use the normal potatoes instead of small potatoes. Boil the potato and cut it according to your wish and fry. Even you can fry potatoes instead of boiling . ( Taste excellent when you fry potatoes. Not only it takes some oil and it is not good for the body.). Adding more spice taste spicy and good. Eating too much of spice is not god for health. Adding more butter is optional.
Total Time : 30  minutes
Serves : 2 to 3.