Sri Lankan Eggplant salad is a simple yet flavorful mixture of deep-fried eggplant pieces with raw salad veggies and tangy and mildly sweet citrus dressing. Though it is a salad, this Sri-Lankan Eggplant salad is served as a refreshing side dish with rice and curry meals. To make it a healthy and guilt-free affair , I have Air-fried the eggplant pieces. The recipe is vegan and gluten-free.
Sri Lankan Cuisine:
Sri Lankan Cuisine is known for its particular combination of herbs, spices, fish, vegetables, rices and fruits. The central feature of Sri lankan Cuisine is boiled or steamed rice, served with meat or fish along with other curries with lentils, vegetables and fruits. Dishes are accompanied by pickled fruits or vegetables, chutneys and sambols. Curries are mostly made in coconut milk, which lends and creamy texture and flavorful taste like this Sri-Lankan Dhal Curry from my friend Priya's blog.
What goes into this Sri Lankan Eggplant Salad : The Ingredients:
Eggplant: Deep-fried eggplant is the star ingredient of this salad. The interesting part about this salad is that all the other veggies except eggplants are used raw.
Salad vegetables : I have used sliced red onions, sliced tomatoes, slit green chilies, cucumber and yellow bell pepper in this salad. I have roasted the bell peppers also in the Air-fryer.
Salad Dressing: a simple yet refreshing dressing is made my mixing lemon juice, sugar and salt.
Black pepper and chili flakes makes this salad all the more flavorful.
Dietary Notes:
This Sri-Lankan Air-fried Eggplant Salad is
Vegan
Gluten-free
Side dish to rice
Refreshing salad
Healthy and delicious
Kid friendly
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Servings -2
Ingredients:
200 grams eggplants ( try to use the slender purple variety of eggplants)
1 large red onion sliced
1 large tomato, de-seeded and sliced.
1 small cucumber cut into 2 inch pieces
.1 small yellow bell pepper (optional)
1-2 green chilies, slit
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon oil for brushing the eggplant pieces prior to Air-frying
Method:
Wash the eggplants thoroughly, pat them dry and chop them into 2 inch pieces. You may keep the chopped eggplant pices in a bowl of water to prevent discoloration.
Once all the eggplants are chopped to pieces, drain and transfer them to a bowl and coat them with turmeric, salt and oil.
Arrange the eggplant pieces in a preheated Air-fryer basket in a single layer without overcrowding.
Air-fry the eggplant pieces for 5-7 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius or until they turn crisp and golden brown in color.
I air-fried the eggplant pieces in 2 batches and then roasted the sliced yellow bell peppers also in the Air fryer.
In a mixing bowl add sliced onions, slices and de seeded tomatoes, slit green chilies, cucumber pieces, roasted yellow bell pepper and Air-fried eggplant pieces.
Give it a good toss. Now, add sugar to juice of 1 lemon. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Now pour this dressing over the tossed veggies and eggplant pieces.
Lastly add freshly ground black pepper and chili flakes over the salad and enjoy a flavorful treat.
You can serve this salad as a side dish with rice and curry meals.
Recipe Notes:
You may use cherry tomatoes instead of the Roma tomatoes.
Shallots may be used instead of red onions.
Try to use the firm slender eggplant variety with less seeds for this recipe.
Mix the Air-fried eggplants with other veggies just before serving.
Adjust the chilies as per your spice tolerance.
Honey can be used instead of sugar.
Try to chop all the veggies in uniform sizes.
Would
love to hear from you !
I
hope you would love trying out this healthy and delicious Sri Lankan Eggplant Salad. If you
do so, feel free to share your feedback with us in the form of likes and
comments in the section below this post.
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is worth following, do hit the follow button on the top right corner of this
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Chana Chaat is one of the easiest and lip smacking chaat snack made with black chickpeas (kala chana), veggies, herbs and basic Indian spices. This chana chaat is very healthy and guilt-free chaat as it is oil-free, vegan and gluten-free. Basically, this chaat is a tangy, spicy and flavorful chickpea salad. If you have leftover boiled chickpeas, ready at hand making this chana chaat is a breeze. You can serve this chatpata chana chaat at breakfast, as an after school snack or as a mid day munching snack.
What is a Chaat?
A
chaat is a tongue-tickling snack, and a popular Indian street food.
Chaat originated in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, however, it has
gained popularity in the rest of the Indian subcontinent. The word chaat means
to lick in Hindi, so basically, a chaat is a preparation which is
finger-licking good. We Indians can enjoy it any time of the day. The
delicious Dates and Tamarind Chutney and the Spicy green chutney along with some spice powders
contribute to the spicy tangy and sweet flavors of a chaat. I usually keep
these chutneys handy in my refrigerator. If you do not have them in stock, I
would suggest you make them one day before you intend to make the chat to save
time.
What goes into my version of Kala Chana Chaat/ The Key ingredients:
Kala Chana / Black Chickpeas : Boiled black chickpeas are used in this recipe. The chaat can also be made using white chickpeas or kabuli chana. I often have some leftover boiled chickpeas, ready at hand in my refrigerator and making this chaat with it is a breeze. The chickpeas are boiled in a pressure cooker until soft and tender.
Veggies and fruits: I have used boiled potatoes, red onions, tomatoes and green apple in this recipe.
Herbs and spices: I have used both coriander leaves and mint leaves in this chaat which gives it a nice refreshing flavor. I have used basic spice powders like red chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, rock salt, black salt, chaat masala in this recipe.
Related Event: A to Z Recipe Challenge Group Part 2-Alphabet
B
This Kala Chana Chaat recipe is featured in the A to Z recipe
challenge group where we have started a new season or we can say part 2 of our
A to Z series where we have decided to make recipes alphabetically with Hindi
names. For instance, C for Chukunder, Chana, Chole, Chana dal etc. I chose C for Chana as my key ingredient and made this healthy chatpata kala chana chaat for the theme.
Preparation Time: 8 hours (includes soaking time of chana)
Cooking Time: 15 minutes (includes boiling time of chana)
Rinse the black chana and soak it in enough water for 6-8 hours.
Next, drain the soaked chickpeas and add 2 cups fresh water to it and salt to taste. Pressure cook the chickpeas for 3-4 whistles or until it becomes soft and tender but not mushy.
Drain the cooked chickpeas. Reserve the water and use it in soups, dal or curry.
Allow the chickpeas to cool down completely. Now transfer them to a mixing bowl.
Add boiled, peeled and mashed potato to it, followed by addition of finely chopped onions, tomatoes, and chopped green apple if using.
Add the spice powders, (red chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, black salt, rock salt, chaat masala, and dried mint leaves to it.
Next, add finely chopped coriander leaves, tamarind chutney and lemon juice to it.
Give it a good mix. Do a taste test and add more seasonings to it if required.
Serve the chatpata chana chaat immediately and enjoy with your loved ones!
Recipe Notes:
The same recipe can be followed using boiled or canned white chickpeas.
I have added chopped green apple which ads a tangy flavor and a bite to the chaat. This is optional. You may also add raw mango bites, if it is available.
The spice powders can be adjusted as per your spice tolerance.
Skip adding chopped green chilies, if serving the chaat to kids.
Would
love to hear from you !
I
hope you would love trying out this healthy and delicious Kala Chana Chaat If you
do so, feel free to share your feedback with us in the form of likes and
comments in the section below this post.
All
your suggestions are more than welcome. If you like my work, and feel that it
is worth following, do hit the follow button on the top right corner of this
blog. Your appreciation means a lot to me. It gives me the inspiration and
motivation to keep doing my work and give my best each time.
If
you like my work and want to be updated with new recipes, do follow us on
various social media platforms. My social media handles for your kind reference
are as follows.
Ukadiche Modak is a traditional Maharashtrian delicacy and a quintessential Naivedhyam for Ganesh Chaturthi festival. Basically, it is steamed dumpling with an outer covering made up of rice flour dough and a delicious coconut jaggery stuffing. Here, i am sharing the traditional method of pleating and shaping the modak with hands without the use of mould. Beautifully pleated Ukadiche modak served piping hot with a dollop of sajuk tup (ghee) is a delightful treat any day.
Ganesh Chaturthi Festival:
Ganesh Chaturthi also known as Vinayaka chaturthi is one of
the most sacred and major traditional festivals celebrated in India with great
enthusiasm and devotion. The festival marks the birth of lord Ganesha; the lord
of knowledge, wisdom, prosperity and good fortune. The festival is observed in
the Hindu calender month of Bhadrapada , starting on the shukla chaturthi (
fouth day of waxing moon period) and last for 10-12 days ending on Ananth
Chaturdashi (14th day of waxing moon period). People bring home murti (idol) of
Lord Ganesha and celebrate the festival by worshiping the Lord in a special way
for a day and a half , 3 days, 5 days , 7 days or 11 days depending on the
family tradition and commitment of each individual.
To please Lord Ganesha, various kind of food is
offered as Naivedhyam during the Pooja. Modak and Ladoo are
supposed to be Lord Ganesha's favorite sweets. We have Lord Ganesha for 5 days at my place during the
festivity. There is an atmosphere of enthusiasm and excitement days before the
arrival of lord Ganesha. The entire house is cleaned and decorated. A Makhar (
throne) for Ganesha is prepared. The place is decorated with flowers, lighting
and rangoli. And last but not the least is a long list of food items that is
prepared to be offered to Ganesha during this 5 days. Onion garlic free satvik
food is cooked during the entire festival and is offered to lord before
consuming it. From last 2 years, i have been preparing the eco-friendly clay idol of lord Ganesha at home.
Our Bappa during Ganesh Chaturthi Festival 2020
What is Modak ?
Modak is a small dumpling, that is usually stuffed with sweet coconut and dry fruit filling. Modaks can be made in a variety of ways. Traditioanlly, we Maharashtrians make the Ukadiche Modak (steamed rice flour dumplings stuffed with fresh scrapped coconut, jaggery and nuts) and Talniche Modak (deep fried ones with outer covering made up of whole wheat flour). Apart from these 2 traditional modaks, i also make Chhena (Paneer ) modak, Chocolate Modak, and Panch Khadya Modak during the Ganesh Chaturthi Festival.
Video Recipe for Ukadiche Modak
What is Ukadiche Modak?
Ukadiche means steamed in Marathi language, so basically, ukadiche modak are the steamed dumplings with rice flour dough as outer covering and sweet coconut , jaggery and nut filling. Ukadiche modak is different from other modak varieties as it is steamed at 2 stages. First the rice flour dough for the outer covering is made by steaming the rice flour. Once the modaks are stuffed with coconut and jaggery filling and shaped, they are steamed again before serving. Steaming the modaks twice, gives it a soft, moist and melt-in-mouth texture.
Preparation Time: 25 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minute
Serves: 11 Ukadiche modak
Ingredients: Measurements used - 1 cup = 250 ml
For the Outer Covering of Modak
1 cup / 150 grams rice flour
3/4th cup water
3/4th cup milk
1/2 teaspoon ghee
Pinch of salt
For the stuffing / Inner sweet filling of Modak
1/2 cup fresh grated coconut
1/3 cup grated or powdered jaggery
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
2 tbsp chopped nuts of your choice
1/4 tsp cardamom powder
1 teaspoon ghee
Other Ingredients:
Few saffron strands soaked in hot water. (optional)
Method:
To make the inner sweet filling of Modak
Heat 1 teaspoon ghee in a pan over medium flame.
Add poppy seeds to it and fry the seeds for around a minute on low flame.
Next, add the chopped nuts and fry for another 1 minutes.
To this, add the scrapped fresh coconut followed by grated jaggery.
Give a good mix and allow the mixture to cook on low to medium flame for around 4-5 minutes.
The jaggery will melt and make the filling runny but gradually as we cook it further the mixture will become dry but soft as it still holds some moisture.
Do not cook the mixture further as the jaggery will harden and make the filling chewy.
Put off the flame and add cardamom powder to it.
Allow the filling to cool down completely.
Meanwhile, we will make the outer covering.
To make the outer covering of Modak and steaming them
In a sauce pan heat 3/4 cup water. Add 3/4 cup milk, 1/2 teaspoon ghee and a pinch of salt to it.
Once it comes to a rolling boil,add the rice flour gradually while stirring it continuously with a spatula.
The flour will immediately absorb all the moisture and become dry. Cover cook it for 1-2 minutes on low flame and put off the flame.
Allow it to stand covered for another 5 minutes.
Once the flour is cool enough to handle , remove it onto a large plate or bowl and start kneading it.
The dough would be hot, just wet your palms and sprinkle few teaspoons of water and knead the dough really very well. There should be no cracks on the dough if you roll a small portion of it between your palms.
Divide the dough into gooseberry size equal balls. Roll out each dough ball till smooth in your palms.
Now, flatten the dough balls into a disc or a shallow bowl shape.
Fill 1 tablespoon of stuffing in the center of the flattened dough ball.
Now pinch out as many pleats as possible on the dough ball.
Carefully gather the edges and secure them in the center.
Make all the modaks similarly. Refer the video for better understanding.
Make sure you keep the dough balls and the shaped modaks covered with a moist cloth while working to prevent them from drying.
Set the steamer, line the steamer basket with muslin cloth, turmeric leaves or banana leaves.
Arrange the shaped modaks on to it without overcrowding,
Add few drops of saffron water over each modak.
Cover the steamer and steam the modaks for 10 -12 minutes.
Offer the Ukadiche Modak to lord Ganesha and further distribute it as prasad.
Serve the healthy and delicious Ukadiche Modak piping hot topped with sajuk tup (ghee) and enjoy with your loved ones!
Recipe Notes:
Use good quality rice to make "pithi" rice flour for the outer covering of the modak.
To make pithi at home, take 1/2 kg "Ambe Mohar" variety of rice. Wash it thouroughy, drain and then spread it on a clean kitchen towel and allow it to dry in shade. Now, grind it to a fine flour in flour mill.
The quantity of water and milk used to make the dough for outer covering of the modak may vary depending upon the quality of rice flour used.
Ensure you do not add more water or milk while cooking the rice flour. This will make the dough sticky.
Do not overcook the stuffing as jaggery will harden on further cooling.
The same jaggery coconut filling can be used for making karanji or gujiya.
Make sure you keep the dough balls and the shaped modaks covered with a moist cloth while working to prevent them from drying.
If you do not have time and patience to shape the modaks with hands, you may use ready made modak moulds to shape the modaks.
You can dip the shaped modaks in a bowl filled with water and milk just before steaming, to ensure they are not dried out while shaping all the modaks.
There should be no cracks in the dough before shaping the modaks or else the modak will tear. Adding less water will result in dry dough. Also do not add more ghee then the amount mentioned in the recipe, or the dough will get cracks.
Do not flatten the dough ball too thin or too thick. Too thin dough will tear while shaping the pleats and too thick dough will take time in cooking and will taste doughy and unpleasant.
Would
love to hear from you !
I
hope you would love trying out this healthy and delicious Ukadiche Modak at home. If you
do so, feel free to share your feedback with us in the form of likes and
comments in the section below this post.
All
your suggestions are more than welcome. If you like my work, and feel that it
is worth following, do hit the follow button on the top right corner of this
blog. Your appreciation means a lot to me. It gives me the inspiration and
motivation to keep doing my work and give my best each time.
If
you like my work and want to be updated with new recipes, do follow us on
various social media platforms. My social media handles for your kind reference
are as follows.
Falahari Seekh Kebab is a healthy and delicious vegetarian
snack that can serve both as a party starter and as a fasting food (vrat ka
khana). Made from a handful of simple ingredients like raw banana, amaranth
flour, peanuts, and some basic Indian spices, these flavorful vegetarian kebabs
can be made under 30 minutes from scratch with an easy-to-follow recipe. The
kebabs are vegan, gluten-free, and Satvik. Falahari Seekh Kebab can be paired with Falahari Green Apple Mint chutney and some salad and served as a healthy snacks, appetizer or as fasting food.
What is Seekh Kebab?
Seekh Kebab is a type of kebab, popularin south asia, made with spiced minced or ground meat. Usually lamb, beef, chicken, formed into cylinders on skewers and grilled. It is typically cooked in a tandoor or barbecue.
Seekh Kebabs are soft and succulent, seasoned with spices and herbs and served with salad, raita , lemon wedge and green chutney.
What goes into my Falahari version of Seekh Kebab ? The ingredients:
Raw Banana: The key ingredient of these falahari kebabs is fiber rich raw banana or kacha kela.
Amaranth Flour: Rajgira atta or Amarath flour is gluten-free and acts as a binding agent in these kebabs.
Roasted Peanuts:Roasted peanuts add a lovely crunch to the kebabs.
Green Chilies: Finely chopped green chilies are added for the spicy kick. You may skip it if making the kebab for kids.
Black Pepper Powder: Freshly ground black pepper corn adds a lovely flavor to the kebab.
Rock Salt: Sendha Namak or rock salt is usually used in Falahari snacks.
Oil for shallow frying the kebabs.
Coriander : Fresh coriander leaves adds a lovely refreshing flavor to the kebabs
Cumin seeds: Cumin seeds are usually used in Falahari snacks.
Video Recipe for Falahari Seekh Kebab
Related Event: These healthy and delicious Falahari Seekh Kebab are featured in the Kebab theme proposed by our host for the month Sujata. I have bookmarked her Veg Galouti Kebab or the lentil kebab to try out soon. My partner Kalyani gave me set of ingredients as per the theme rules using which i made these Falahari Kebabs. Kalyani made healthy Corn and swiss Chard kebabs in Air fryer. using the set of secret ingredients i gave her.
Dietary Notes: These Falahari Seekh Kebabs are
Satvik (No-Onion- No-Garlic)
Vegetarian
Healthy and delicious fasting food
Gluten-free
Vegan snacks
Party starters/Appetizer
Kid friendly
Diabetic friendly
Health Benefits of Raw Banana: Before we move ahead with the recipe, let us have a look at the health health benefits of including raw banana in our daily diet.
Raw Banana is rich in dietary fiber which is good for our gut health and digestion.
Like the ripe banana, raw banana is also rich in vitamins and potassium.
Raw banana is good for our heart health, diabetes and aids in weight loss.
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4 Seekh Kebab
Ingredients:
3 Raw Banana
1/4 th cup Amaranth flour/ Rajgira atta
2 tbsp roasted peanuts
2 green chilies, finely chopped
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp black pepper powder
1 tbsp lemon juice
Rock salt to taste
1/4 cup fresh coriander, finely chopped
Oil for shallow frying the kebabs
Method:
Rinse the raw bananas under running water.
Pat dry, slice the top and bottom and cut each raw banana into 2 parts.
Steam the raw bananas in a steamer for 10-12 minutes. You can also cook the raw bananas in a pressure cooker.
Peel the raw banana on completetly cooling down. Mash it with a potato masher.
Transfer it to a mixing bowl with finely chopped green chilies, amaranth flour, roasted peanuts, finely chopped coriander, Black pepper corn and rock salt to taste.
Mix all the ingredients well to get a smooth dough without adding any water.
Add lemon juice to the dough and mix well.
Divide the dough into 4 equal parts.
Shape each portion into oval shape and insert a bamboo skewer into it, Bind the dough on the stick using wet palms.
Apply mild pressure so that the dough adheres to the skewer.
Prepare all the seekh kebab similarly.
Heat a skillet over medium flame. Drizzle oil on it and arrange the Seek kebab on the heated skillet.
Shallow fry the kebabs. Keep rotating the kebabs so that it cooks evenly from all sides. Add more oil if required. You may shallow fry the kebabs in ghee or cook in Air fryer or bake in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes for an oil free version.
Once the kebabs turn crisp and golden brown from all sides, turn off the flame.
Drizzle lemon juice and chaat masala over the kebabs.
Serve them immediately with hung curd dip or green chutney.
Recipe Notes:
You can replace amaranth flour with water chestnut flour or any other gluten-free flour or Barnyard millet flour.
If you do not have bamboo skewers or satay sticks, ssimply make round or oval shape kebabs and shallow fry them on a heated skillet.
You can shallow fry the kebabs in ghee / clarified butter also.
For an oil-free version, bake the kebabs in an air fryer or oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes.
Would
love to hear from you !
I
hope you would love trying out this healthy and delicious Falahari Seekh Kebab. If you
do so, feel free to share your feedback with us in the form of likes and
comments in the section below this post.
All
your suggestions are more than welcome. If you like my work, and feel that it
is worth following, do hit the follow button on the top right corner of this
blog. Your appreciation means a lot to me. It gives me the inspiration and
motivation to keep doing my work and give my best each time.
If
you like my work and want to be updated with new recipes, do follow us on
various social media platforms. My social media handles for your kind reference
are as follows.
