Achari Baingan (Eggplant curry with pickle spices)

aingan or eggplant, might not be the favorite of all, but is definitely a favorite of few and in that category comes my dearest hubby... both are thick pals :) He just loves them (I call him eggplantaholic - lol..:)) and can't get enough. He can eat it every single day and in all its forms. Before we got married I didn't detest this vegetable but it was definitely not my favorite. Now, I always try different ways to make eggplant and this was one of the few dishes I made for him after we got married. He was mighty impressed and was hooked big time. Now he ALWAYS makes me buy the baby eggplants from the store and to make this :)
It is basically a tangy and spicy dry curry flavored with traditional indian pickle masalas.  The panch phoran is the secret behind  the unique flavor in this dish as it imparts the awesome achari flavor to the oil when heated and infuses a very distinct aroma and taste to the dish. Panch Phoran is a spice mix used in Eastern Indian cuisine (Bengali cuisine) and is a mix of the five whole spices – nigella seeds, fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds and cumin seeds all in equal quantities. Panch is Five in hindi and Phoran is Spice seasoning, so it literally means five spice seasoning. This spice mix can be used with any kind of vegetable stir fry/roasted vegetables. Just put them in hot oil till the mustard seeds splutter, so as to release the aroma of the spices. Add any vegetables you want, stir fry, serve. It really is as simple as that. I have already posted Achari Aloo and Achari Paneer so here is the eggplant version.

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Achari Paneer (Paneer curry with pickle spices)

 am a big fan of Paneer (read: paneer monster lol:) so I am always looking for new and exciting ways to eat and make them. This is my new favorite. Achari paneer is basically a tangy and spicy dry paneer curry flavored with traditional indian pickle masalas. I love the fennel and achari flavor in this dish. It is also always hit with guests, great for potlucks and picnics too, as it tastes great both hot and cold. Goes with almost anything but we like it best with pooris... mmmm! This is ridiculously easy and super fast to make.

This dish tastes like Indian pickle :) so all the pickle and paneer lovers here's a real treat! Enjoy!!

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Aloo Bhaji/bhunjiya and Ajwain Paratha

After a dash of the exotic, its time to have something that is closer to home and to the heart... and when you talk about close to home you often think of simple things that mom made that you enjoyed growing up.

You may find this a little unusual but the thought of this dish puts me on a train with my family... the train speeding through the country and I find myself sitting on the lower berth (after of course having fought with my brother for the window seat) with my gaze fixed outside staring at the lush green crop fields that race past us and the warm yet cool breeze rushing in as we wait for the train to take us to our destination... then you are suddenly pulled out of the trance by the loud sound of your name... thats mom demanding we get together as it was lunch time... and there it is... she opens her tote bag and pulls out a couple of boxes. Wrapped in tinfoil in those boxes are these wonderful flat breads and the awesome dry potato curry. The already beautiful breeze is now filled with the wonderful aroma of the roasted fennel and carom seeds from the bread and the potatoes.

Mom almost always made these as lunch and as dinner when we traveled. She claimed they stayed nice and fresh even after being packed for several hours... and fresh they were... gone in minutes. Of course I didn't think much of it those days... after all that was mom and this is what she always made, right? ... aah... the things we take for granted...

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Paneer tikka Pan Pizza

I love pizza.. regardless of crust or toppings (of course without meat) - pan, handtossed, deep dish, brooklyn style, thin-crust even the bread and bagel pizza :-) a soft chewy bread loaded with veggies and other toppings loaded generously with cheese! Just can't stop raving about pizzzzzza.. I had my first ever pizza at Pizza Hut a few years ago after I got married and came here.. and boy.. I was completely hooked :-) Ahh good old days.. we used to order delivery, be total couch potatoes and sit in front of the TV for hours watching the 24 hrs special law and order marathon episodes :D
Never tried making them at home (r u kidding, never ever made even a simple daal before getting married) pizza was sooooo out of my comfort zone, but then I started getting comfy in the kitchen trying, tweaking, started baking and all.. and one good day made pizza.. I was jumping all around the house.. it was so good so perfect (now I make different kinds). Today I will talk about pan pizza.. I don't use a cast iron pan but instead use my round non stick baking pan (read about it in some food magazine).. yeah you heard me right, a regular baking pan. It comes out so perfect every time. You have to try it to believe me. Can be made using any kind of topping but my love for paneer and pizza is behind this recipe. In fact Pizza Hut has  a paneer pizza on the menu in India. Also I use whole wheat flour instead of the traditional all purpose flour to reduce the guilt ;)

Here goes.

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Vegetable chop

Vegetable chop or roll is a famous street food that is found almost all over India, with minor differences in ingredients here and there. Whenever I think of them, I go back to my college days and to my college canteen, they served the meanest veg chops.. they were to die for.. yum! Hubby also remembers it as his favorite street food from his home town. An absolute favorite with everyone, they are very versatile too, serve them with some ketchup or chutney as an appetizer or for a change stuff them inside a bun and it converts into a amazing veg burger and a quick fix meal. You can also serve them as chaat with some chhole and chutney and enjoy the compliments. Can be made using different veg.. or whatever you have in your refrigerator (except the beets which I think is a must). Perfect for a rainy day they are addictive. They are best deep fried (and its okay once in a while :-).
I once made this for my hubby's office potluck (over 70 of these) and he tells me they were the first ones to go, he was very proud :-)
Here's how I make it.

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