Low Oil and Low Effort Doi Begun

Which reminds me- I HAVE cooked something nice this year.

This is the traditional Doi Begun, but low oil and low effort, so subsequently a little low in taste- but true brinjal lovers not to be fobbed of with small things like that

I got tempted to make this after seeing my friend Mhashi's  FB posts during her trip to Calcutta, Doi Begun was one of the things she had and it did look tempting- the luscious begun fried to a rich velvety brown in generous lashings of oil, caramelised onions complementing the colour, and the creamy contrasting white curd.

I love brinjal and dishes cooked in curd and seeing this posted by a friend visiting Calcutta just got too much for me and something snapped in my head.

I went to Grains for Brains (yes that  is what the grocery store  here is called, not sure if somebody meant to be cheesy or not :P) and picked up all the small aubergine I could find.

Traditionally ALL bengali brinjal dishes are started by deep frying the brinjals. However, whenever I cook, in the interests of time, health (and to be honest I am genuinely afraid of deep frying, oil splashes and therefore a most unpractised hand), I never fry the brinjal- I just cover them in a little more oil and let it roast. Sometimes I cheat even more and let it boil.

I fried some onions till a nice pink turning to brown. Then I stirred in the brinjals, let them roast, got impatient and poured some water and let it boil. Roasted jeera powder, green chillies and salt completed the dish. Once the brinjal is cooked, beat as much curd as you want and pour it over the brinjal. Serve immediately. Chopped coriander and/or rock salt can be added as per taste.

Rogan Josh at Kashmir for you

I did not post throughout 2014 because effectively, I did not cook anything :-)

But I have eaten some very nice dishes indeed

Special mention to this Rogan Josh I had at Kashmir For You in Aroma Hotel, Sector 22 Chandigarh.

This is a little kiosk in a food court. They have the standard Kashmiri fare- Goshtaba, Rishta, Yakhni, Rogan Josh. They also had two things I have not seen on a menu before. Aab Gosht and Dhaniya meat (both in chicken and mutton). I had the Rogan Josh as part of a Thali, but I regret not asking for the Aab Gosht. Would have liked to see what it was about.

The thali included a bowl of rice, some onion with masala, a mutton curry of your choice, a roomali roti and a small bottle of Coke. While that sounds rather little for a thaali, however, the mutton is extremely filling and the pieces were excellent, with good tender chunks of meat (not just bone and fat as is often the case). The gravy was rich, red and extremely tasty, spicy and tangy. I lapped it up, literally.
Rogan Josh, at least the authentic version is made without onion, tomato, garlic, ie the traditional ingredients of Indian mutton curries. The gravy is mainly garam masala, chillies, possibly ginger, with the Rattan jot giving it the wonderful colour. This was indeed very good. The roti was nice and soft and enhanced the taste of the gravy. Unfortunately they don't have a picture


There is a stall next to this one selling Lucknow Biriani - Rs 450 upwards- but humongous servings. Wish I could take Umang here