Date and Almond Peda (Indian fudge)

It's Durga Pujo season! And it's also Ameya's first pujo. So as I was getting everything ready to take for the pujo, I decided to make sweets at home rather than buying from the Indian store.

I wanted to make Indian sweets using dates and came across this recipe at Red Chillies. I tweaked it a little bit to make date and almond peda. I had help from my mom as we were trying this recipe.

Here is how I made it:

Ingredients:
20 dates
1/2 cup milk
2 tbspoon ghee
400g condensed milk
2 tbspoon almond powder
chopped almonds for garnish

Method:
Chop dates and cook it with 1/2 cup milk on low heat till it all melts together. Cool it and grind it in a mixer.

Heat a pan and melt the ghee. Then add the date mix and condensed milk. Then add the almond powder and cook it on low heat till the mix comes together and leaves the sides.

Cool it and then make small balls, flatten them and put a almond sliver in the middle. You can cool it for a few hours in the fridge and the serve.

Shubho Bijoya everyone!

Spicy eggplant and potato sabzi (alu beguner tarkari)

Sometimes, we are so comfortable using a vegetable in a particular way that it takes time to think of making different sabzi/bhaji/tarkari with it. Such is the case with eggplant and me.

We enjoy our bharta, begun bhaja/beguni so much that we continue to make it regularly. So when my mom suggested making alu beguner tarkari (eggplant and potato sabzi), I was in two minds. I was excited to try a new combination. On the other hand, I was happy with my eggplant variations.

When the tarkari was done and I took the first bite, my first reaction was a sigh! It was so delicious, and so different from my regular creations that I took multiple helpings till my taste buds were satisfied. And of course, we've made it several times since.

As I write this, my mom adds that it turns out even better if you choose a fresh eggplant. We have been getting some fresh ones from the Farmer's Market and they melt in the tarkari.

Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:
1 medium eggplant - cubed
2-3 medium potatoes- cubed
1 medium onion - chopped
1' ginger - grated
1/2 tspoon garlic
2 green chillies - slit
1 medium tomato - pureed
1/2 tspoon turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1/2 tspoon cumin seeds
1 tbspoon oil
1/4 cup water
chopped cilantro - to garnish

Method:
Heat oil and temper with cumin seeds. Then add the potato cubes and saute for 3-4 minutes. Once they are done on one side, add the onions and turmeric powder and turn to the other side. Then add garlic paste. Stir for a couple of minutes. Then add in the ginger, and green chillies.

Add the eggplant and let it all cook together. Pour in 1/4 cup water, salt and let it cook on medium heat with closed lid. When the tarkari is almost done, add in the pureed tomato and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

Then take it off the heat and add in the cilantro and let it sit for 4-5 minutes.

Stir and serve warm with rotis.