Baked Stuffed Eggplant with Chicken, Cheese and Veggies..

This dish is super delicious... 

Any vegetables like mushroom, zucchini, capsicum, tomato etc can be added... instead of chicken... prawns, sausage, bacon etc can be added... or make it only with vegetables... this dish can be eaten with bread or to make it a complete meal, cooked pasta can be added with the vegetables.. 

Ingredients 

1 big size Eggplant cut into half and scooped out the flesh from the center

4 Garlic cloves  finely chopped 

1/2 cup chopped Mix coloured Capsicum 

1 small Tomato chopped 

Scooped  Brinjal flesh

Some Olive slices  

1/2 cup small Chicken pieces 

Salt to taste 

1/2 tsp  Pepper powder

1/2 cup  Arrabbiata sauce or Béchamel Sauce

1/4 cup Amul Cheddar Cheese cut into small cubes 

Some Amul Mozzarella Cheese pieces 

1 tsp Olive Oil

Method 

Once the flesh of the brinjal is scooped out, immediately apply olive oil and salt on the brinjal. Take the scooped  brinjal  and place them on a baking tray. Take a bowl, add garlic, capsicum, tomato,  olives, scooped brinjal flesh, chicken, cheese, salt, pepper and sauce of your choice. Mix all the ingredients together. Add this into the brinjal cavities. Add mozzarella cheese from top and bake the brinjals at 180 degrees celsius for 20 minutes in a preheated oven. Serve this with bread.

Maqluba

Maqluba 

It is a traditional dish of Jordan and Palestine. The dish includes meat, rice, and fried vegetables placed in a pot, which is then flipped upside down when served, hence the name maqluba, which translates literally as "upside-down".When the casserole is inverted, the top is bright red colour from the tomatoes  and rest covered with other vegetables. It is usually served with either Yogurt or simple Arabic salad...

Net Source
 
Today I have made Veg Maqluba..and have adapted the recipe as per the availability of the ingredients in my kitchen...
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups Basmati Rice washed and soaked for 30 minutes
2 big size Potatoes peeled and cut into thick rounds
2 Eggplants cut into thick round
1 Cauliflower cut into medium florets
3 Tomatoes cut into thick rounds
1 Onion chopped
2 Garlic Clove chopped
1 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tsp Cumin powder
1 1/2 tbsp Baharat powder
1/2 tsp Pepper powder
1/2 tsp Allspice powder
Or
***1/2 tsp Cloves powder
     1/2 tsp Cinnamon powder
     1/4 tsp Nutmeg powder***
2 Bay Leaves
Salt to taste
4 1/2 cups of Vegetable stock or water
2 tbsp Oil
Oil to fry the Vegetables
1 tbsp Butter, melted
1 tbsp Almond and Pistachio flakes
Few Raisins and dry Berries  for garnishing

Method
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pot, add bay leaves, onions and garlic, stir for 2 minutes.  Add salt, pepper, turmeric powder, cumin powder, allspices powder and baharat powder. Add 4 1/2 cups vegetable stock and let simmer for 10 minutes. Keep it aside.
Take another pan, heat the oil for frying. Add the  eggplant slices and fry it from both sides until golden brown. Take it out and on an absorbent paper, keep it aside. Fry the cauliflower florets and keep it aside. Fry the potatoes and keep it aside.
Take a heavy bottom pot. Grease it with butter. Arrange the tomato, eggplant, potatoes and cauliflower in layers. Pour 1/2 the stock, add the rice and then pour the remaining stock. Cover it and cook it on a low flame. Till the rice is cooked. Let it cool a bit, then carefully flip it up-side down on a serving platter. Garnish it with raisins, berries, almond and pistachio flakes. Serve hot with fresh yogurt or Arabic salad.

Baharat Spice powder
Ingredients
1 tbsp Coriander seeds
2 tbsp Cumin seeds
2 tbsp Pepper Corns
1 tbsp Cloves
2 to 3 sticks of Cinnamon
4 Cardomom
2 tbsp paprika / chill powder
1 small Nutmeg

Method
Blend all the above spices in a blender. Store it in a dry glass container.

   

Indonesian style Eggplant Sambal / Sambal Terong

Indonesian style Eggplant Sambal / Sambal Terong

 It has a tangy, sweet and spicy taste and is very delicious. It is very easy to make and it can be had with steamed rice. 

Ingredients

2 medium long  Eggplants cut into cubes 

10 Fresh Red Chillies chopped

6 Shallots chopped 

4 Garlic cloves 

1 tbsp Shrimp paste (Optional) 

1 tbsp  Palm Jaggery  grated 

Salt to taste

2 tbsp Tamarind paste 

1/4 cup Oil 

Method

Take a bowl and soak the tamarind paste in 2 cups of water. Keep it aside. Grind chillies, shallots, salt, shrimp paste, palm jaggery and garlic in a mortar and pestle or grind it in a grinder. Heat oil for frying in a wok, stir-fry the eggplant till light pink in colour. Remove from the wok and drain it on a paper towel. Add the paste.  Stir fry for 2 minutes, on medium heat.  Add tamarind water.  Let boil, for  10 minutes. Add the eggplants. Mix well and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and serve it with steamed rice.

Baked Doi Begun (Brinjal)

Baked Doi Begun (Brinjal)
I wanted to give Doi Begun a twist...
Ingredients
3 Medium size Bharta Brinjals cut into cubes
2 cups Fresh cream
1 cup Hung Curd
1/2 tsp Red Chilli powder
1/2 tsp Bhaja Masala (Roasted Cumin Seeds and  1 Red Chilli made into powder)
Salt to taste
2 tbsp Mustard Oil

Method
Take a baking dish, add the brinjals, rub in salt, beat the hung curd and cream. Pour the beaten cream and hung curd and 1 tbsp of mustard oil and mix it with the brinjals. Sprinkle the Bhaja masala and chilli powder.. Bake at 200 degrees Celcius for 45 minutes  or more till the brinjals are  cooked, in between drizzle remaining mustard oil on the brinjals...  Serve hot.... Garnish with coriander leaves....

Aloo Begun diye Ilish Marcher Jhol Hilsa with Brinjal and Potatoes

Aloo Begun diye Ilish Marcher Jhol
Hilsa with Brinjal and Potatoes
Ingredients
6 pieces of Hilsa
2 Potatoes cut into thick strips
2 Brinjal cut into strips
1 Tomato cut into strips
4 Green Chillies slit
1 small pieces Ginger
1 tbsp Mustard paste
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Cumin powder
1/2 tsp Chilli powder
1/2 tsp Panch Phoren
1 Bay Leaf
Mustard Oil for fry
Coriander leaves for garnishing
Method
Marinate the  fish with salt and turmeric powder, let it rest for 15 minutes. Heat the oil. Fry the fish in mustard oil till brown on both the sides. Keep it aside. Remove the excess oil from the wok. Add Panch Phoren, bay leaf and green chillies, let the Panch phoren crackle. Add the vegetables, sauté it for 2 minutes. Add mustard paste, salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder, and cumin powder. Stir and cook for 2 minutes more. Add 2 to 3 cups of water as per the gravy required. Cover and boil till the vegetables are tender. Add the fish and cook for 2 minutes. Add coriander leaves for garnishing. Serve hot with rice.

Beguni (Eggplant Fritters)

Beguni is a traditional Bengali dish. This is served as a side dish with an afternoon meal – Dal and steaming hot Rice or with Khichuri. But it is a perfect rainy day snack too and eatten with Puffed rice. It is a very popular street food of Kolkatta... Comes under "Tele Bhaja"..

Beguni (Eggplant Fritters)

Ingredients

1 1/2 kg long Eggplant cut lengthwise and pieces should be of medium thickness.

1/2 cup Chickpea flour / Besan 

OR

1/4 cup All purpose flour / Maida + 1/4 cup Chickpea flour / Besan

A pinch of soda bicarbonate

1 Finely chopped Green chilli

Salt to taste

1/4 tsp Nigella seeds / Kalonji (Optional)

Oil for frying

Chat Masala for sprinkling

Method

Mix all the above ingredients with water except egg plant, oil and chat masala, whisk the rest of the ingredients well until fluffy. The consistency should not be too thick... Keep it aside. Take the eggplant and rub some salt on the eggplant. Take a fry pan. Heat the oil on medium low flame. Dip the eggplant into the batter and deep fry them until brown. Serve it hot sprinkling with some chat masala on top....

Stuffed Eggplant with Herbs and Prawns (Optional)

Stuffed Eggplant with Herbs and Prawns (Optional) 

For the stuffed Eggplants
8 small size Eggplants
1/2 cup Rice washed, soaked and half boiled

1/4 cup small Prawns chopped (Optional)
1 Garlic cloves chopped
1 tbsp Coriander leaves chopped
1 tbsp Chives chopped
1 tbsp Dill chopped

1 tbsp Dried Parsley

1/2 tbsp Olive Oil 

Salt to taste
1/4 tsp of each  (cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin, chilli flakes and pepper powder)
1 cup Hot water 

Method 

Slice off the tops of the eggplant and scoop the flesh out of the eggplants, leaving at least 1/2  cm Wall of the eggplant intact. Keep aside the scooped  flesh of the eggplant. Take garlic, all the chopped herbs, salt, olive oil, rice and  prawns. Mix the stuffing. Arrange the eggplants in a baking dish, hollow end facing up. Spoon the filling into the hollowed eggplants. Pour hot water into each eggplant, up to the top. Pour another 2 cm of hot water into the bottom of the dish. Cover the tray with foil and put into the oven to bake. Bake at 200 degrees celcius for 60 minutes, till the eggplants are cooked and the rice looks fluffy..

For the Sauce:

Scooped flesh of the Eggplants
1/2 cup Yogurt 

 Mixed chopped Herbs ( 1/4 cup Coriander leaves, 2 tbsp Chives, 2 tbsp Dill, 1 tbsp dried Parsley)

1/2  tbsp Olive oil
Salt to taste

Method

Take a pan. Add oil. Heat the oil. Add the eggplant flesh into a frying pan and stir fry. Once it starts to stick, pour some water into the pan and cover. Cook the eggplant flesh until soft.  Dry of the water from the eggplant and stir till brown. Mix the cooked eggplant with yogurt , chopped herbs  and salt to taste.  Serve the sauce alongside the eggplants.