About Samosa

Samosas are perhaps the most popular vegetarian (usually) Indian appetizer, street food, tiffin (light lunch) in not only India but throughout whole Indian subcontinent and its diaspora throughout the world. Quintessentially, it is similar to pastry such as fried empanada (popular in rural area) with spicy boiled potato stuffing inside crispy flour dough served with spicy chutney. A popular non-vegetarian variant of this classic dish would have spicy ground meat (usually lamb) instead or along with potatoes. Some chef in west have been experimenting Somasa with different fillings and dough. How about spicy beet somosa in empanada dough or savory rhubarb stuffed somosa in phyllo dough?

Ingredients

For Pastry:
2 cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoon oil
6 tablespoon water

For Potato Stuffing:
5 medium potatoes
4 tablespoon oil
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 cup green peas
1 tablespoon ginger, grated
1 hot green chili (finely chopped)
3 tablespoon green coriander (cilantro), chopped
1.5 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon ground cumin seeds

Oil for deep frying

Preparation

Dough for Samosa Pastry

1. Mix flour and salt in a bowl.
2. Add 4 tablespoons oil and rub until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Slowly add about 6 tablespoons water and knead the dough for about 10 minutes or until it is smooth.
3. Rub dough with oil. Cover it and set aside for 30 minutes or longer.

Potato stuffing for Samosa

4. Boil, cool and peel the potatoes. Dice it into 1/4 inch size.
5. Heat 4 tablespoons oil in karahi or wok in medium flame.
6. Lower the heat and carefully put the onion. Stir fry until golden brown in medium heat.
7. Add peas, ginger, green chili, and fresh coriander (cilantro). Add diced potatoes, salt and all spices.
8. Mix and cook on low heat for 3-4 minutes. Do not forget to stir while cooking.

Making Samosa

9. Knead the dough again. Divide it into about 10 balls.
10. Roll it into flat round shape with about 5 inch diameter.
11. Cut it into half. Make the half into a cone by sticking seam together with a little water.
12. Fill the cone with about 2.5 tablespoons of the potato mixture.
13. Stick the top of the cone together with a little water. The seam should be about 1/4 inch (5 mm) wide.
14. Repeat this again.

Cooking Samosa

15. Heat about 2 inches of oil for deep frying over a medium-low flame. (You may use a wok, Indian karhai or any other utensil you seem fit)
16. When the oil is hot, carefully put in as many samosas as it fits. Fry slowly, turning the samosas until they are golden brown and crisp.
17. Drain excess oil and serve hot.

Number of Servings:8



Tip for Low Fat
Instead of frying, bake somosa to reduce calories at preheated 375-400°F oven12- 15 min. Make sure to make dough with oil and also coat lightly with oil.

If you know even a little bit of Marathi, the first question you are going to ask me is - "How come your KaLa(black) bhaat is yellow?" :-D I know it. but this is the exact question I have been asking my aunt ever since I tasted it first - which was many years ago. Well, here's the deal. The main flavor associated with this rice is "Goda Masala" which is also known as "KaLa Masala". I have read some debates on the blogs about how goda masala is different than KaLa Masala. and as luck would have it, right now , I have both Goda Masala from Mumbai and KaLa masala from Marathwada region. but the term "Goda" or "KaLa" is used interchangeably in my family, for that Maharashtrian spice mix without onion or garlic. So in my family, Goda masala IS KaLa Masala. So instead of calling "Goda Bhaat" which would indicate sugary rice, we probably got the name "KaLa bhaat". Are you thoroughly confused yet? :-D


KaLa Bhaat
Spicy Rice
Ingredients
1 1/2 cup basmati rice, washed & drained
1/2 cup green peas, (fresh or frozen)
3 cups warm water
salt to taste
1 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp toop/ghee/clarified butter

Tempering
1 tbsp oil
3-4 star anise/baadiya
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp asafoetida
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp Goda Masala

Garnish
2 tbsp chopped cilantro/coriander leaves
2 tbsp fresh coconut

Suggested Accompaniment
Toop/Ghee/Clarified Butter
Maththa/spicy buttermilk
Jilbi/Jalebi

Method
1. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Add the tempering ingredients.
2. Saute for 2 minutes. Add drained rice and peas. Saute for 30 seconds.
3. Add chili powder, warm water and salt. Bring to boil.
4. Switch the gas to low. Partially cover the pan. Let it cook for 15 minutes or till rice is cooked.
5. Drizzle some ghee/clarified butter. Switch off the gas.
6. Keep it covered for 10 minutes.
7. Serve hot with maththa (spicy buttermilk) and jilbi/jalebi.

Note -
1. If you like you can add more vegetables like potatoes, cauliflower etc.
2. Use good quality/fresh goda masala for the best results as the flavor is directly dependent on this masala.

Many years ago, there was this quaint shop at Dadar TT/Khodadad Circle/Dadar (East) called "Ketkars' Masalay". It was located in a small lane behind D.Damodars or Agarwal classes. They used to sell the best goda masala - at least the one which got my grandmother's approval which is by the way, the most crucial rating. She loved the flavor so much that she stopped making her own goda masala and started getting it from Ketkars. The tradition continued as my mom and aunts followed the trend. But unfortunately sometime in 80s or so, Ketkars' was shut down. It was a big blow to my mom's generation. Ever since that we get our goda masala from Sarvodaya stores. This is, undoubtedly, the most crucial spice-mix in my spice box (masalyacha daba).

I have all the ingredients to make goda masala from scratch. As soon as I get some free time on hand, I am going to try to make it all by myself. Till then, we are happy with Sarvodaya's goda masala.

From Summer 2009

Mom selects nice and firm baby bell peppers for making this bhaaji. We don't get baby bell peppers here. Even the regular bell peppers are so huge that probably the stuffing below is needed for one bell pepper! :-D I tried chopping those humongous bell pepper in wedges or even halves, but baat kucch jami nahi.

So last summer, I planted my own bell peppers to get the baby bell peppers.


Bharli Mirchi
Stuffed Baby Bell Peppers
Ingredients
8 baby bell peppers/capsicum

For the stuffing
1 onion, chopped finely, about 1/2 cup
2 tbsp fresh coconut
1 tbsp goda masala
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 cup besan/chickpea flour, roasted
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp sugar
salt to taste
2 tsp oil


Tempering
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp asafoetida
1/2 tsp turmeric powder

Garnish
1 tbsp oil (Optional)
1 tbsp chopped cilantro/coriander leaves

Method
1. Rinse the baby bell peppers. Pat them dry. Make a slit around the stem and remove the stem and inside seeds. Now the bell peppers are ready for stuffing.
2. Roast the besan/chickpea flour for 2-3 minutes without adding oil. Mix all the ingredients for the stuffing except oil. Now add oil to bind the stuffing.
3. Stuff it inside the bell peppers. After stuffing all the bell peppers, more stuffing should remain.
4. Heat oil in a wide saucepan or kadai. Add mustard seeds, asafoetida and turmeric powder.
5. As they sizzle, place stuffed bell peppers in a single layer. Sprinkle the remaining stuffing around them.
6. Let it cooked on a low flame by keep a lid on the pan. Keep some water on top of the lid. Do not add water inside the pan. Check from time to time to make sure it's not burning.
7. Let it cook for about 20 minutes or till the bell peppers appear soft but they should not totally collapse. Add another spoonful of oil if using.
8. Switch off the gas. Keep covered for 5 minutes.
9. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with lemon wedges on side.


Note -
1. This subzi tastes even better if you add lots of oil. But I have tried to minimize the oil content.

In spite of my obsession with collecting family recipes, I sometimes shy away from recipes which appear too complicated. So whenever my MIL sent a container of these delicious "puris", I always assumed this is one complicated recipe and never asked her the recipe. She always told me to try it as it's very straightforward and simple. Recently, I got a chance to see how she makes it and really, how foolish I was assuming that it's a complicated recipe. So I not only noted down the recipe but baked it myself. I can't believe I ignored it for so long. This is one of the world's simplest cookie recipe for sure. MIL says that we can also make peanuts puris substituting peanuts for cashews. I think, almonds may work too?

These Kaju ni Puris are wrapped in yellow gelatin paper in a cylinder shape and sold in the dry fruit stores around Diwali time in Mumbai. Do give it a try and you will be surprised to see how easy they are to make.


Kaju ni Puri - (18 count)
Butterless, Flourless Cashew Cookies
Ingredients
2 cups raw, unsalted cashews, powdered
1 cup powdered sugar
5 cardamoms, peeled & powdered
1/4 tsp saffron threads
3 tbsp milk (use as needed)

Method
0. Preheat oven 350 F
1. Powder the cashews without turning them into butter.
2. Take the cashew powder in a paraat or big plate. Add sugar, cardamom powder, saffron threads. Using milk as needed - just a spoonful at a time, knead to a dough.
3. Make 18 or so balls. Flatten them with your hand like small puries as shown below

4. Bake on a cookie sheet for 15 minutes.
5. Let the cookies cool down. Store in an airtight container.

Note -
1. My MIL also makes peanut cookies using roasted, unsalted peanuts. I think, almonds or other nuts may work too, but I haven't tried them with other nuts as yet.
2. Since cashews or all nuts have oil, it helps to bind the dough. So use milk very carefully.
3. I used fat-free milk.
4. I used Reynolds' nonstick aluminum foil for baking.
5. Depending on the size of the puris, the count will vary. I got 18 puris or cookies from this recipe. Remember to make small puris as they expand after baking.
6. If you like a bite of cardamom seeds, you can crush them coarsely instead of powdering.

CHICKEN SEEKH KABAB
Ground spiced chicken mince molded onto skewers and cooked over live charcoal.
Preparation Time : 10-15 minutes
Cooking Time : 10-15 minutes
Servings : 4

INGREDIENTS

Chicken mince : 500 grams
Ginger paste : 1/2 tablespoon
Garlic paste : 1/2 tablespoon
Green chilli paste : 1 teaspoon
Cashewnut paste : 2 tablespoons
Chaat masala : 1 teaspoon
Garam masala powder : 1 teaspoon
White pepper powder : 1 teaspoon
Fresh coriander leaves : 2 tablespoons
Lemon juice : 1 tablespoon
Salt : to taste
Butter : 2 tablespoons


METHOD

Take chicken keema in a bowl. Add ginger-garlic-green chilli paste, cashewnut paste, chaat masala, garam masala powder, white pepper powder, coriander leaves, lemon juice and salt. Mix well with hands.Heat a tawa and drizzle some oil on it. Dampen your hands, take a little chicken mixture and spread it around a satay stick. Press firmly and place the seekh kababs on the tawa. Cook turning from time to time so that they get cooked evenly all around. Baste with butter or oil at regular intervals. Serve hot.

Credits

Sanjeevkapoor

*Wendy Gaynor’s ‘Perfect’ Chocolate Chunk Cookies

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 cups semisweet chunks (preferably imported).

1. Place the butter in a large bowl and cream at high speed until fluffy. Add the sugars and beat until light and fluffy, about 4
minutes, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until completely mixed.

2. In a separate bowl, mix flour, salt and baking soda. Add to the butter mixture at low speed until just combined and add vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed, scraping bowl down, until blended. Do not overmix.

3. Add chocolate chunks and mix till thoroughly combined. Refrigerate batter until cold, preferably overnight.

4. Preheat a conventional oven to 350 degrees or a convection oven to 300 degrees, and line several baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop heaping spoonfuls of batter 2 inches apart on the lined baking sheets and bake, turning tray once, until golden brown around edges and soft (but not bubbly), about 9 minutes in a convection oven or 12 in a conventional one. Cool on a wire rack.

Yield: 36 to 72 cookies, depending on size.

*This recipe appeared in The New York Times on October 27, 2002

This is a memorable recipe that my sister, Lorna picked up at one of these local TV cooking shows. I tried it out and I love its simplicity. I think this dish may even be called “Chop Suey”. Of course, I have now eliminated the monosodium glutamate (MSG) or ajinomoto.

Remember, it’s the sesame oil that gives this dish a piquant flavor. Let’s make sure our children eat their veggies!

1/3 cup lean pork, sliced into strips
1/2 cup carrot strips (julienne or matchstick-sized)
1/2 cup ubod, juilienne strips (substitute with canned heart of palm, a.k.a. palm heart, palmito, chonta or swamp cabbage)
1/3 cup green peas
2 pieces of mushrooms (tenga ng daga or crimini, soaked to soften; then cut into strips; drain water)
1/3 cup cashew nuts (or use walnuts, pili nuts; it’s your choice)
1/4 cup green onions or spring onions, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
cooking oil (I use extra-virgin olive oil)

The seasoning: Mix until well-blended.

1/4 tsp. rock salt
1/4 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. cornstarch
2 tsps. soy sauce
1 tsp. oil
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. cold water

The sauce:

1/4 tsp. fine salt (iodized salt is good)
1/4 tsp. sugar
2 tsps. cornstarch
2 tsps. soy sauce
dash of pepper
1/4 tsp. sesame oil
1/3 cup water (cold water)
1/2 tsp. MSG (optional)

1. Marinate the pork slices with the blended seasoning mix.

2. Blanch the carrots, green peas, and ubod for around two to three minutes, adding a little salt for flavor. Drain the contents in a strainer or colander.

3. In oil, saute the seasoned pork until 3/4’s done. Add the nuts and mushrooms.

4. Add the rest of the vegetables and the sauce mixture. Cook until the sauce thickens and attains a glossy sheen. Cook for one more minute. Serve hot.

'Puttu-Kadala' is a Famous Keralaite Breakfast item... Puttu is layered coconut rice mixture steamed in a special mould called 'Puttu Mould' and Kadala is Malayalam for Chana-Black one or Kabooli one. The traditional Kadala curry is made out of black chana which is very tasty and nutritious too!

I prepared it from Kabooli / Choley chana as black ones were over...hubby and kids love this Kabooli chana so much so that the moment it is out of pressure cooker all the three have a bowl ready in their hands to eat the plain salted ones!!

I learnt to make this from my mother-in-law who cooks any dish fabulously!

Ingredients for Kadala Curry :
2 cups chickpeas/ chana (Black/Kabooli)
1 small tomato
3/4th cup coconut
5 tsp coriander powder
2 tsp red chilli powder
Salt
Tadka Ingredients:
1 tbspn Coconut oil
1 tsp rai/mustard seeds
7-8 pearl onions/cheriulli
2 sprig curry leaves

Method for Kadala curry :

Soak the chana in warm water overnight in large vessel as they swell up a lot. Boil upto 8 whistles in a pressure cooker, using sufficient water in the cooker and double water in the vessel with a tsp of salt. Cooked one doubles up in size as you see in the pic.




Next step is to grind the coconut with half measure water with the coriander and red chilli powder into a fine paste. Add this coconut paste to the boiled chana, add chopped tomato and bring to one boil. Finely chop the cheriulli. In a seasoning pan, heat the coconut oil, pop the mustard seeds, add the curry leaves and lastly add the onions and fry till brown. Add to the boiling curry, adjust salt. Cover the lid for flavours to mingle.



This delicious Kadala curry is ready to be served alongside Puttu.






Ingredients for Puttu :
2 1/2 cups rice flour
1 big coconut scraped
300 ml Lukewarm water
Salt

Method to make Puttu:



Take rice flour in a big vessel or a large plate, add around 1 1/2 tsp salt (or as per your taste) mix well. Add water little by little, using hands, mix it into the flour it should resemble bread crumbs and ensure that all the powder has been uniformly sprinkled with water. Use more water if needed.Keep aside.


(left-right Pic : Rice powder ready, coconut kept ready, puttu maker with the water boiling attachment)


Take the puttu maker, layer the coconut first around 1/2 to 1 cm thick, then 3 cms of rice mixture, then again 1 cm coconut, repeat rice mixture, last layer finish off with coconut upto the brim.

Keep the boiling attachment on gas with 3/4th water till it boils, lower the flame, keep this puttu maker and cover the lid. In ten minutes steam arises from the lid. Allow two minutes and put off the gas. Invert it slowly over a plate and using the long spatula handle slowly push out the puttu on a plate. Repeat the process for next puttu. This measure gives an yield of 6 puttu.










Have your fill with a cuppa !!







Recipe Source - fantasycook

1/2 cup leftover hummus - had to be used up before the big trip. What better way than sneaking it in the good, old thalipeeth?

Hummus Thalipeeth

Hummus Flat bread

Ingredients

1/2 cup garlic hummus (ready made)

1/2 cup buckwheat flour

2 tbsp besan/chickpea flour

2 tbsp flax powder

2 tbsp blue corn flour

2 tbsp rice flour

salt to taste

1 tbsp cilantro/coriander leaves, minced

2 tbsp spring onions, minced

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 or 2 green chilies, minced or 1/2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp goda masala

Oil for frying

Water only if needed

Method

1. Mix garlic hummus, herbs, salt, spices.

2. Add all the flours. Knead to make a dough. You may need to add more or less flours so the dough is formed easily. You may or may not need water as hummus has enough moisture to bind the dough. If you do need water, add just few drops at a time.

3. Heat a pan. Make 5 balls of the dough. Using wet hands, spread the dough ball directly on the pan. Keep patting to make the flatbread. Alternatively, you can place the dough ball in between saran wrap. Pat it to make a flatbread. Take off the saran wrap and transfer it to the hot pan.

4. Using the back of a wooden spoon, make 4-5 holes on the flatbread. Drizzle some oil in the holes. Let it cook. Flip and cook on the other side till the thalipeeth gets crispy.

5. Serve hot with ketchup or hummus!

Note -

1. I just eyeball the amount of flours so as to get the dough. You can even use the ready made thalipeeth bhajNi.

2. You can even use the hummus to make equally delicious paratha. I will blog about it some other time.

3. Hummus already has salt but you still need more salt since you are adding flour. So adjust salt content accordingly.

I had 1 cup leftover marinara sauce and about 1/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese. Since we were about to go on a vacation to India, I wanted to make sure I make use of all the leftovers. and then my fresh herbs from container garden were inviting me to try them. and thus my version of Italian rice - which probably may not even be made in the Italian kitchens - was born.

Similarly. salsa rice can also be made with a ready made salsa.

Italian Rice

Ingredients

1 cup basmati rice, drained

1 cup tomato-basil marinara pasta sauce

1 1/2 cup frozen veggies like corn, carrots, green beans etc

2 cup water

salt to taste

A pinch of sugar

Tempering

2 tsp olive oil

1-2 bay leaves

1 tbsp garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp onion, sliced

1 tbsp fresh Italian parsley, minced

Garnish

1/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese

fresh basil

Method

1. Heat oil in a saucepan. Add bay leaves, onion, garlic and Italian parsley.

2. Add veggies and rice. Saute for 2 minutes.

3. Now add pasta sauce. stir fry for 3-4 minutes.

4. Add water, salt, sugar. Bring to boil

5. Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes till rice is cooked.

6. Just before serving, spoon rice in the individual bowls/plates. Spread spoonful of cheese or per your taste. Microwave for 30 sec to 1 minute till cheese is melted.

7. Garnish with fresh basil.

Note -

1. I add a pinch of sugar to balance the tartness of the marinara sauce.

2. If you like, you can add some whole garam masala/khada masala like cloves, peppercorns etc in the tempering.

3. I always use a crazy proportion of rice:vegetables. I go overboard by adding 1 1/2 or even double amount of veggies compared to rice. Adjust your proportion according to your own taste.

There are many versions of batatyacha rassa (potato curry) in my mom's kitchen so each curry gets a prefix to differentiate. Today's recipe is "Aaji's" Batatyacha Rassa.

Aaji's Batatyacha Rassa
Whole Potato Curry
Ingredients
1 lb baby potatoes, pricked, boiled, peeled

salt to taste
1 tsp chili powder
2 - 3 kokums, rinsed
1 tbsp jaggery (or to taste)

Tempering
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp asafoetida
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp goda masala
1 - 2 sprigs curry leaves, torn

Garnish
1 tbsp fresh coconut
1 tbsp chopped cilantro

Method
1. Wash and prick baby potatoes with a fork. Pressure cook, peel and keep them whole. Take 3-4 potatoes and mash them coarsely and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a saucepan. Add mustard seeds, asafoetida, turmeric powder and curry leaves. As curry leaves start to sizzle, add goda masala. Saute for 1 minute. Add 2 tbsp water.
3. Place whole potatoes gently. Add 1 1/2 cup water, chili powder, kokums, salt, jaggery. Bring to boil.
4. Add mashed potatoes. Switch the gas to low. Let it simmer for 2-3 minutes.
5. Stir in coconut and cilantro.
6. Serve hot with chapatis or rice

Note -
1. Those 3 -4 potatoes are mashed to give the thickness to this simple curry.
2. Goda masala is a must for this recipe.
3. Because of the goda masala, kokum and jaggery, this curry tastes spicy-sweet-sour. Adjust jaggery-kokum proportion per your taste.

"Khichu" is to Gujarat what "Ukad" is to Maharashtra. The way, Khichu is made at my home has sesame seeds and it's spread like dhokla and served. The same khichu is rolled thin into papads and dried under sun during summer time to make khicha papad.

Khichu

Rice Flour Porridge

Ingredients

1/2 cup rice flour

1 cup + 2 tbsp water

salt to taste

1/8 tsp baking soda

Tempering

2 tsp oil

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp asafoetida

1 tbsp sesame seeds

Garnish

1 tbsp finely chopped cilantro (optional)

Method

1. Heat oil in a saucepan. Add cumin seeds, asafoetida ans sesame seeds.

2. As the seeds splutter, add water. Add salt and baking soda. Bring to boil.

3. As water boils, switch the gas to low. Add rice flour. Using a fork, whisk the flour to make a homogeneous mass without any lumps.

4. Switch off the gas. Cover with a lid. Set aside for 5 minutes.

5. Spread evenly on a greased plate/thali. Cut into diamonds or squares.

6. Garnish with cilantro if using.

Note -

1. Same khichu dough without cilantro is rolled thin into papads and dried under sun in summer to make khicha papad.

2. This recipe can be easily halved or doubled by adding little more than double water for the amount of rice flour you take.

Bhogi falls a day before Makar Sankrant. Bhogichi Bhaaji and tilwali bhakri is the favorite combo to be consumed on this day. I had made this bhaaji long time back and had decided to blog about it on the Bhogi day. But I just couldn't find the picture anywhere. Anyways, now I have picture but still can't find tilwali bhakri picture...Oh well, till then, let's savor bhogichi bhaaji at least. I think, I still have my jet lag! :-D

Kolhapuri Bhogichi Bhaaji

Mixed Vegetable Curry

Ingredients

4-5 small eggplants, cut into 8 pieces

4-5 small potatoes, cut into 8 pieces

1/2 cup green lima beans/paavte

4-5 pieces of drumsticks

1/3 cup fresh toor beans/tuver lilva

Grind to paste

2 tbsp sesame seeds, roasted

1 tbsp poppy seeds, roasted

10-12 cashews

1 small onion, roasted in few drops of oil

3-4 garlic cloves, roasted in few drops of oil

1" ginger

1 tbsp kolhapuri masala

Tempering

1 tbsp oil

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp asafoetida

1/8 tsp fenugreek seeds

1 tbsp sesame seeds

1 sprig curry leaves, torn

Suggested Accompaniment

Tilwali Bhakri

Method

1. Heat oil in a saucepan. Add all the ingredients for tempering.

2. As the seeds start sizzling, add all the vegetables. Stir fry for 2 minutes.

3. Now, add 1/4 cup water. Keep a lid on top with water. Let it cook on a medium flame for 15 minutes.

4. Add ground masala and more water - as needed, salt. Let it cook for another 10 minutes.

5. Switch the gas to low. Let it simmer for 5 minutes.

Note -

1. You can substitute green peas for the fresh toor/tuver lilva.

2. If the eggplant and potatoes are really tiny, make 4 pieces instead of 8.

3. I have substantially reduced the amount of oil