Stewed Bok Choy and Potatoes with Caramelised Red Onions

This quick and easy side dish pairs the sweetness of caramelised red onions with pungent hing (asafoetida), to flavour mild and tender baby bok choy and potatoes. It is a great accompaniment to steamed or grilled fish, and equally delicious as a cold, day-old salad.

Ingredients
2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
4 whole Dried Red Chillis
1 tsp Hing (Asafoetida)
1 small Red Onion, thinly sliced
1 lb [700gms] Potatoes, washed and cut lengthwise, skin-on, into 8 pieces each
Salt (to taste)
½ cup Water
1 lb [700 gms] Bok Choy, washed and with the ends of the stalks trimmed off

1. Heat oil in a large skillet or frying pan over high heat until smoking. Add dried red chillis and stir briskly for about a minute until the chillis start to blacken. 
2. Lower heat to medium, add hing, and sputter for about a minute. Add red onion and fry for 3–4 mins till well caramelised.
3. Add potatoes and stir fry for 2–3 mins until lightly golden. Add salt and water, and continue cooking, covered, for another 5 mins, until the potatoes are fork tender. Add bok choy and stir briskly till the leaves are wilted. Turn off heat and let sit for 5 mins before serving.

Tangy Arhar Daal with Tomato and Black Mustard

I’ve been obsessed with Arhar (Toor) daal of late. Its characteristically nutty flavour stands up to a lot of strong spices like black mustard and hing (asafoetida), and is lovely when balanced with a slight sweet-and-sour note. I experimented with sugar, tamarind, aamchur, and kokum in various permutations, and found that a combination of tomatoes and brown sugar, when used sparingly, does just the trick.

Ingredients 

2 cups Arhar (Toor) daal
2½ quarts (10 cups) Water
Salt (to taste)
1 tbsp Turmeric
2½ tbsp ground Coriander
1 tsp ground Cumin
1 tsp Chilli powder
2 tsp Brown Sugar
2–inch piece fresh Ginger (peeled and ground to a paste)
2 small Tomatoes (chopped)
1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
2 tsp Black Mustard seeds
1 tsp whole Fenugreek
1 tsp Hing (Asafoetida)
4–6 fresh Green Chillis

1. Wash daal thoroughly and let soak in a bowl, covered in water, for 30 mins. Drain water and set daal aside. 
2. Bring 2½ quarts of water to a rolling boil in a large stockpot. Add daal and salt, and cook, covered, over medium-high heat, occasionally skimming the foam and scum that gathers on the top. When the daal is soft and the grains start to fall apart, about 30-35 mins, add turmeric, coriander, cumin, chilli powder, brown sugar, ginger and tomatoes. Continue simmering for another 25–30 mins, until the daal is cooked through. Turn heat to low and let daal simmer, covered, as the finishing spices are prepared. 
3. Heat oil in a small frying pan or skillet over high heat. When the oil is smoking, add black mustard and allow to sputter until they start to pop, a matter of seconds. Add fenugreek, hing, and green chillies and fry for 1–2 mins, until lightly golden. Remove from heat. 
4. Add fried spice mixture to cooked daal and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Serve hot with rice or naan.

Potatoes and Caramelised Leeks with Paanch Phoron and Hing

Paanch Phoron and Hing are a classical combination of spices that show-up in numerous vegetable dishes from eastern India. I’ve recently started pairing them with more western vegetables to startlingly good results. This recipe transgresses further from orthodox Bengali vegetarian dishes, which are cooked without onions or garlic (the traditional base for most meat and poultry curries), by introducing leeks—a mild and delicate member of the onion family— to the mix. The caramelised strands of leek wrap around the potatoes and impart a sweet counterpoint to the pungent note of paanch phoron and hing.

Ingredients 

3 tbsp Vegetable Oil
6–8 whole Dried Red Chillis
6 oz [170 gms] Leeks, peeled, trimmed and cut into ¼-inch-thick round slices
1 tbsp Paanch Phoron
½ tsp Hing (Asafoetida)
1½ lbs [700 gms] Potatoes, peeled and cut lengthwise into eight pieces each
Salt (to taste)
¼ cup boiling Water

1. Heat 1½ tbsp oil in a large skillet or frying pan over high heat. When the oil is smoking, add chillis and sauté briskly for 1 min until they are blackened. Remove chillis to a platter with a slotted spoon. 
2. In the same pan, add the leeks and cook for 7–8 mins over high heat, until golden brown and well caramelized. Remove leeks from pan and set aside on the platter with the chillis. 
3. Add remaining 1½ tbsp oil to pan and heat till smoking. Add paanch phoron and hing and let sputter for 30 secs. Add potatoes and stir briskly for 2–3 minutes, until the edges take on colour. Add caramelised leeks, blackened chillis, and salt, sprinkle water 2 tbsps at a time, and stir well. Turn heat to low, put a lid on the pan, and cook for 5–7 mins, until the potatoes are fork tender.

Hot and Sour Okra

This recipe is dedicated to all my siblings who salivate at the thought of “sour goodies.” In fact, if any of you were around this afternoon, there wouldn’t have been any leftovers to photograph—it’s that irresistible! I used two different astringent ingredients—aamchoor (dried mango powder) and lemon juice—to give depth and sharpness to the sour note. My recommended measurements for both are keeping in mind more conservative palates. Just how much of each you use really depends on your taste buds and the potency of the ingredients. It’s better to start with less and to amplify the tartness based on your tolerance.

Ingredients

2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
2 tsp whole Black Mustard seeds
1 tsp whole Cumin
¼ tsp Hing (Asafoetida)
2 Shallots, thinly sliced
8–10 Green Chillies, minced
2 tsp freshly ground Ginger
1½ lbs [700 gms] Okra, with the stalks and ends trimmed, and cut into 1-inch–long pieces
1 tbsp ground Coriander
½ tsp Turmeric powder
Salt (to taste)
1½ tsp Aamchoor (dried mango powder)
Juice of ½ Lemon

1. Heat oil in a large skillet or frying pan over high heat. Add black mustard seeds, cumin, and hing, and let sputter for a few seconds until the mustard starts to pop. Add shallots, green chillies, and ginger, and stir briskly for 2–3 minutes, until the shallots start take on colour at the edges. 
2. Add okra and cook for about 3 mins until lightly golden. Add coriander, turmeric, and salt and stir well. If the pan gets too dry, sprinkle 2–3 tbsp water. Turn heat to low, put a lid on the pan, and let steam for about 5 mins.
3. Turn off heat, add aamchoor and lemon juice, and stir well. Let sit for 10 mins before serving.

Spice-Roasted Eggplant

As summer winds down and the cooler evenings of fall approach, I start turning on my oven more frequently. This also signals the beginning of my roasting season, especially no-hassle roasted vegetables of all kinds. This eggplant dish is my de-facto “cheating” recipe; one which I always turn to in a pinch—it’s super easy and unfailingly results in a luscious pile of caramelized eggplant goodness.

Ingredients
4 lbs [2kg] Eggplant (cut laterally into ½”-thick slices)
6 tbsp ground Coriander
2 tbsp ground Cumin
3-4 tsp Chilli powder (to taste)
2 tsp Black pepper
2 tsp Asafoetida powder
Salt (to taste)
½ cup Mustard Oil, or Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1. Pre-heat oven to 425ºF/220ºC. 
2. Mix spices and salt in a bowl. Sprinkle spice mixture over eggplant and, using your hands, toss well to mix. Drizzle oil over eggplant and toss again. 
3. Lay eggplant in one layer on a large baking pan or tray, making sure that the pieces do not overlap. If they do not all fit in one pan, then use a second pan and cook in batches. 
4. Roast eggplant in the oven for 40 mins, or until golden brown and well caramelised. Halfway through the roasting process, flip the eggplant pieces so both sides are evenly browned. Serve warm.