Vegetable stuffing

Stolen from Kaush N. Bhatia's "Vegetarian Indian Cookbook" p. 114

4 onions - grated
1 medium potato boiled & mashed
2 green chillies - minced
1/2" ginger - minced
2 tsps coriander powder
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp mango powder
1 tbsp mint
1 tbps coriander
pinch asafoetida

Heat some oil & toss the asafoetida.
Add the onion and fry to light brown.
Stir in the mashed potato and everything but the leaves & fry for 2-3 mins.
Add the leaves and stir in.

This a general stuffing and it was pretty spicy and I only added 1/4 tsp of chilli powder !

I ate the last stuffed pepper 8 hours later and it was much nicer.


Things to stuff

The book suggests 300g okra, 300g tomatoes, 300g capsicum, 300g cucumber, 300g white gourds, 300g potatoes, 300g brinjals and bitter gourds (with an extra bit).

I'll fill this in as I do them :

Capsisum :
Take the tops off, empty out, fill with stuffing.
She says fry but I put them in a high oven for half an hour until the skins started to blacken. Best eaten a few hours later, I reckon.

Mughlai Biryani

Stolen from Kaush N. Bhatia's "Vegetarian Indian Cookbook" p. 41

1 cup long-grained rice - then cooked

1/4 cup French beans - cut & boiled
1/2 cup shelled peas
1/4 cup carrots (diced)
1/2 tsp garam masala
2 onions - sliced
2 tsps coriander powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric

a little saffron for colouring the rice
3 tbsps raisins for garnish

Chutney
1 sprig coriander
1/2" ginger
2 green chillies
1/2 cup sour curd / plain soya yoghurt

Gather the cooked rice and cook the French beans and maybe the carrots.
Grind the coriander, ginger and chillies for the chutney, add the curd and blend well. Set aside.
Heat some oil, add garam masala and then the onions, fry them for a bit and then add the vegetables and their seasoning and fry for 5 mins. Set aside.

Divide the rice into three portions and the vegetables into two.
Mix one of the rice portions with the chutney turning it green.
Tint one of the others with saffron.
Large serving dish:
first : white rice
then : vegetables
then : green rice
then : vegetables
top : yellow saffron rice.

Garnish with raisins and hey why not a few pistachios and gold coins.


I didn't have any saffron lying about so I used just white & green and heard no complaints. That was probably the gold coins mind.

Sweet Potato (or Yam) Keema

Stolen from Kaush N. Bhatia's "Vegetarian Indian Cookbook" p. 103

250g sweet potato or yam
2 onions - diced
2 tomatoes - minced
2 green chillies - minced
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1" piece ginger
1/2 cup water
2 tsps coriander powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
salt & chilli powder to taste
coriander leaf garnish

Peel and grate the sweet potato / yam. Parboil & drain
Fry the onions, ginger & green chillies to golden.
Add the sweet potato / yam and fry for 5 mins.
Stir in the rest of the ingredients except garnish.
Cover and cook on low flame until the sweet potato / yam is as cooked as you want it.
Garnish & serve.

This was ok, I didn't chilli it up. It's a good use for a spare sweet potato. Might try it without the onion.