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Veggies From The Tandoor

DECCAN CHRONICLE

 

 

While most of Punjabi-food lovers around the world are gung-ho about tandoori food, vegetarians invariably feel a bit left out when their carnivore counterparts sink their teeth into a juicy tandoori chicken leg.

Though the tandoor-style of cooking is best suited for meats, one mustn't overlook the fact that most Punjabi meals are vegetarian with the non-veg stuff kept for special occasions. Thus, there are a lot of interesting but little known vegetarian options that can be cooked in the tandoor (or in the oven but in tandoori style)

Tandoori Aloo

(Potatoes stuffed with spicy dry fruits)

While potatoes have been baked in tandoors for generations, it is actually a recent trend to stuff them. The combination of dry fruits and oven-baked potatoes is a bit non-conformist but tastes divine.

Ingredients
1 kg potatoes
1 tsp red chilli powder
A pinch of garam masala
1 tsp lemon juice
8-10 broken cashew-nuts
8-10 raisins
2 tsp ghee
2 tbsp grated cheese
1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
½ tsp chaat masala
2 tsp oil for frying
2 tsp salt

Method
Wash, peel and cut each potato by half breadth-wise. Scoop out the centre of the potatoes leaving the side walls intact. Heat a couple of tbsps of oil and shallow fry the scooped out portion and the potato shells till they are golden. Once the scooped potatoes have cooled, mash them and add salt, chilli powder, garam masala, lemon juice, cashewnuts, raisins and ghee. Stuff the mixture in the potato shells and fix four pieces of potatoes each on a skewer and sprinkle cheese on top. Grill for around 15 minutes till golden brown in colour. Sprinkle with chopped coriander leaves and chaat masala and serve hot.

 

Baingan ka Bhartha

(Roasted eggplant with chillies and onions)

In rural Punjab where most households have tandoors, making baingan ka bhartha is child's play. While it takes a little longer for us city folks, this is still one of the easiest and most delectable vegetarian dishes that instantly reminds one of cold winter evenings.

Ingredients
1 big eggplant
3 cloves garlic, chopped in half
1 medium onion, chopped
2 green chillies, finely chopped
1 tbsp mustard oil
2 tsp salt to taste

Method
Roast the eggplant on a low flame on the gas burner, slowly turning it by holding the stalk. As the skin starts burning, rotate the eggplant so it roasts evenly. Insert the cloves of garlic in the skin of the eggplant pushing them in. Once the eggplant has roasted through, take it off the flame and leave to cool. Peel off the burnt skin and mix the rest of the ingredients, mashing them with your fingers. Serve hot with rotis.

 

December 8, 2010

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