½ Container (9 oz.) of Coconut whipped topping (defrosted for an hour)
¼ cup coconut cream
¼ cup confectioners sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract or rum extract or rum
1 cup pineapple (fresh or canned (drained)), ¼ inch diced
½ cup sweetened coconut flakes
½ cup toasted sweetened coconut flakes
Directions
In a stand mixture, whip mascarpone cheese on medium speed until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Add heavy cream, coconut cream and whipped topping. Whip them on medium speed until everything is well combined, 3 to 4 minutes. Add confectioners sugar and extract or rum. Whipped mixture for 4 to 5 minutes, initially on low speed and then on high speed until light and fluffy.
Add diced pineapple and sweetened coconut and whip for 30 seconds.
Soak ½ of lady fingers one by one in pineapple juice and arrange in single layer in 8 inch sqaure glass baking dish. Adjust the size of lady fingers to fit into single layer if needed. Layer evenly ½ of cream on top of lady fingers.
Repeat step 3 on top of cream one more time. Sprinkle toasted coconut flakes on top evenly. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate alteast 4 hours before serving.
This mixed vegetables recipe is quintessential Gujarati dish. It is a very famous dish from city of Surat in Gujarat. The variety of green beans called papadi used in this recipe are named after the city. The fresh papadi is available mostly in winter months in India. In US it is mostly available frozen in Indian grocery stores along with other vegetables. Most of the time, undhiyu is cooked on stove top but it is also cooked underground in a clay pot called matalu covered with food fire, known as matala undhiyu.
Ingredients
½ lb. frozen Surati papadi, thawed
½ lb. frozen Surati papadi lilva, thawed
¼ lb. frozen tuver lilva, thawed
¼ lb. frozen ratalu (purple yam), thawed
4 Indian eggplants
4 small yellow or red potatoes
1 sweet potato, 1 inch diced
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ajwain seeds
4 teaspoons green garlic or 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
¼ cup dhana-jeeru (spice blend of ground coriander and cumin)
2 teaspoons salt or to taste
4 teaspoons sugar or to taste
1 teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon garam masala
¼ teaspoon chili powder
¼ cup grated fresh coconut
Directions
Wash eggplants and potatoes, and pat dry. Make an X cut on ⅓ of eggplant on stemless side, keeping the stem. Make an X cut on ⅓ of potato on one side. Repeat the same with rest of eggplants and potatoes.
Combine spice mixture plus 2 tablespoons of cilantro, 1 tablespoon minced chili, 2 teaspoons garlic and 2 tablespoons oil into a medium mixing bowl. Set aside ½ of spice mixture. Gently widen an eggplant and stuff it by gently pushing stuffing down by hand. Try not to break it and not over stuff it. Repeat the same with rest of eggplants and potatoes. If any stuffing remains, add it to set aside spice mixture.
Heat remaining oil on a medium-high heat in a roasting pan or a Dutch oven until shimmering, 2 to 3 minutes. Add ajwain seeds and let them sizzle. Add remaining garlic and green chili. Sauté it for 30 seconds. Lower the heat to low while you arrange vegetables on top.
In a Dutch oven, first arrange stuffed eggplants and potatoes in single layer. On top arrange papadi, papadi lilva, tuver lilva. Spread ½ of spice mixture on top. Next arrange sweet potatoes and ratalu in single layer. Spread remaining spice mixture on top. Or in a roasting pan, arrange first eggplants vertically on one side, next arrange potatoes, and then arrange one by one papadi, papadi lilva, tuver lilva, sweet potatoes and ratalu. Spread spice mixture evenly on vegetables except eggplants and potatoes. Add ½ cup water in Dutch oven or roasting pan. Cover with lid or aluminum foil. You can either cook vegetables on stove top on medium heat or a preheated 375 degrees oven until vegetables are tender, about 30 to 35 minutes. Check on vegetables half way through cooking and stir gently with spice mixture. If vegetables are sticking to bottom, add more water.
Once vegetables are cooked, add muthia and stir to combine everything. Let undhiyu cook for 3 to 4 minutes, uncovered. Garnish with remaining cilantro before serving. Serve warm with puri or other Indian flat bread. Serve cilantro chutney, garlic chutney and thin sev (thin crispy chickpea flour noodles) on side to add to undhiyu to enhance the flavor.
This eggplant curry is from city of Hyderabad, Southern part of India (in a state of Telangana), and it is usually served with Biryani. It is made with small purple egg sized eggplants (known as Indian eggplants).
Ingredients
1 lb. Indian eggplant (8 to 10 baigan)
½ lb. green chilies, spicy or mild or mix of both (8 to 10)
½ cup raw peanuts
¼ cup sesame seeds
¼ cup fresh shredded coconut
15 to 20 Curry leaves
1 shallot, roughly chopped
1 jalapeno or serrano chili, roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
4 inch piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons garam masala
2 teaspoons red chili powder
1 tablespoon tamarind paste, See note.
1 cup canola oil
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro for garnish
Directions
Wash eggplants and pat dry. Make an X cut on ⅓ of eggplant on stemless side, keeping the stem. Repeat the same with rest of eggplants. Wash chilies and pat dry. Keep them whole with steams, cut them in half if long.
Heat a skillet or a cast iron pan. Add peanuts and roast them until very light golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add sesame seeds and roast them for 30 seconds or until they start to pop. Immediately add coconut and roast until light golden brown, about 2 minutes. Let the mixture cool for 10 minutes. Once it’s cooled, combine roasted peanut mixture, shallot, jalapeno or serrano chili, ginger and garlic in food processor bowl and make a thick paste. Add couple of tablespoons or more water to move the contents in food processor. Set it aside.
Dissolve tamarind paste into ¼ cup of water in a small bowl and set it aside.
In a frying pan, heat oil on a medium high heat until shimmering. Add eggplants and sauté them for 3 to 4 minutes until skin is light brown. Remove from oil and let excess oil drain on a wire racked sheet pan or paper towels lined plate. Lower the heat and remove extra oil from pan, leaving about ¼ cup of oil. Reserve extra oil. Sauté green chilies in oil until they start to blister, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove chilies from oil and let excess oil drain on a wire racked sheet pan or paper towels lined plate.
Add more oil to frying pan to make about ¼ cup from reserved oil. Increase heat to medium high again. Once oil shimmers add cumin and mustard seeds and let them sizzle, 30 seconds. Add curry leaves, let them crisp for 40 to 50 seconds. Be careful as they will splatter oil. Add peanut mixture paste, turmeric, garam masala and chili powder. Sauté the paste with spices for 3 to 4 minutes or until you see oil separating. Add tamarind water and stir. If gravy is too thick add some water. Season the gravy with salt. Add eggplants and submerge them in gravy. Cover the pan and let eggplants cook until soft but not mushy, about 5 to 7 minutes. Uncover and add blistered chilies. Stir the contents and let everything cook in gravy for 3 to 4 minutes.
Before serving garnish with cilantro. Serve hot with Nan and/or Biryani.
Notes
Tamarind paste is readily available in Indian stores.
This recipe is a fusion of Indian and Mexican flavors.
Ingredients
3 medium to large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½ inch dice
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 ½ teaspoons chipotle chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 15 oz. can of chickpeas, rinsed
1 large poblano pepper, cut into ¼ inch dice
3 tablespoons coconut oil
2 teaspoons mustard seeds
⅛ teaspoon asafetida
10 to 12 fresh curry leaves
2 to 3 dry red chilies
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon ground coriander
¼ cup grated fresh coconut
⅓ cup chopped cilantro
½ cup yogurt
1 teaspoon lime zest
Juice of half a lime
Salt to taste
18 to 20 small tortillas
1 cup crumbled Cotija or feta cheese
Directions
Pre heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking pan with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick spray. Transfer diced sweet potatoes to baking pan. Drizzle potatoes with canola oil. Season with salt, 1 teaspoon of ground cumin and 1 teaspoon of chipotle chili powder. Toss potatoes to coat with spices and make even layer of potatoes. Roast potatoes until edges are golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.
While potatoes are roasting, heat coconut oil in a large wok or frying pan until shimmering. Add mustard seeds and let then sizzle. Add asafetida, curry leaves, dry red chilies and let curry leaves fry for 30 seconds. Add turmeric and chili powder. Add poblano pepper and sauté it for a minute. Add chickpeas, ½ teaspoon cumin powder, and coriander powder. Season with salt and stir everything to combine with spices. Let chickpeas cook for 5 to 7 minutes. Once sweet potatoes are roasted, combine them with chickpeas. Add coconut, cilantro and stir. Let potatoes and chickpeas cook for 2 to 3 minutes more.
Combine yogurt, lime zest, lime juice, ½ teaspoon cumin powder, and ½ teaspoon chipotle chili powder into a small mixing bowl. Whisk yogurt with spices to make it smooth. Season with salt.
Heat tortilla on stove top or in a microwave. To serve taco, put about ¼ cup chickpeas and sweet potatoes on tortilla. Drizzle with about 1 tablespoon chili-lime yogurt. Sprinkle with cheese. Other toppings can be added to taste.
This is my cousin Sukeshi's recipe of spicy corn (makai) pudding. The way she makes it, it tastes exactly like her mother's (my aunt Ramamasi) famous Makai No Chevado. In summer, we used to have Chevada party with friends and family and my aunt used to make Makai No Chevado.
Heat oil in a wok or a frying pan on medium high heat until shimmering. Add mustard seeds and let them sizzle. Add dry red chilies, asafetida and sesame seeds. Immediately add curry leaves, green chilies and ginger and sauté it for 30 seconds.
Add corn pulp in to this vaghar (tadka). Add dry spices to corn pulp. Stir the mixture to combine everything. Reduce heat to low and sauté the corn pulp until translucent and most of the water is evaporated, about 30 minutes. It will release some oil also. While sautéing if corn sticks on bottom, add more oil.
Increase the heat to medium and add the milk, stirring constantly. Let milk come to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cover the pan and let it simmer for 30 to 40 minutes. Stir the Chevado in between so that it does not stick to the bottom and milk does not boil over.
Once the mixture has reached soft pudding like consistency, add salt, half of coconut and lime juice. Stir properly and let it simmer on the low heat until it starts releasing oil, about 10 minutes. If the Chevado is too dry you can add some water.
Remove from the heat and garnished with remaining coconut and cilantro. Serve warm as a side dish or with Puri. Serve lime quarters on the side.
