Zucchini Eggplant Kofta in Spicy Beet Sauce

Koftas are fried (or baked) vegetable balls that are usually served in a rich curry. Fusion cuisine being my signature, I love to pair a variety of koftas with non-traditional curries, with flavors borrowed from ingredients around the world - or, at least the ones I can find in my local markets.

Rather than the traditional balls, I went with patties this time, and rather than frying, just baked the 'koftas' before dunking them in a pot of gently simmering beet sauce. The cooked patties (not dunked in sauce) can be saved in the fridge for a couple of days or can be frozen for up to a week.

Zucchini is full of water, as is eggplant, so, I try to squeeze hard to get as much liquid out of grated vegetables before adding in the flours and other ingredients, which gives better control over the dough for shaping.

Any of the other sauces from the kofta collection here would be fine with these, especially the creamy chard sauce. The koftas do tend to get soggy and disintegrate if left for too long in the sauce.


Zucchini Eggplant Koftas

Ingredients
For the Koftas:
½ cup finely grated zucchini, squeezed dry
½ cup finely chopped eggplant
¼ cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

¼ cup chickpea flour
⅓ cup rice flour
1 Tbsp flax meal
1 Tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground smoked paprika
1 tsp salt (less if preferred, adjust to taste)

1 to 2 Tbsp oil for greasing the pan

Preparation

1. Pre-heat oven to 420° F
2. Squeeze out as much of the water from the vegetables as possible, and combine them with the rest of the ingredients to make a reasonably cohesive dough that can be shaped into small 2 inch diameter patties not more than half an inch thick; add a few drops of water at a time if needed
3. Place the patties in a greased roasting pan and drizzle some oil on top
4. Bake in the 420°F oven for about 20-25 minutes till the patties seem firm and done, meanwhile mak the sauce
5. Remove from oven, let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes; slide them into the simmering sauce just before serving

Spicy Beet Sauce
The beet sauce can be mild or spicy - adjust the amount of sambal used. Also, can be made creamy by stirring in some evaporated milk at the end; or even creamier if sour cream is stirred in, off heat, just before serving.

If not using evaporated milk or sour cream (I usually don't), the sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated for a couple of days. Bring to a gentle simmer for the koftas. I've used this sauce to smother the turkey meatballs, or even served it as a dipping sauce for turkey croquettes.


Ingredients:
For the Spicy Beet Sauce:
¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 cups shredded raw beets, peeled
¼ medium yellow onion, finely diced
½ cup tomato sauce
1 Tbsp Sambal Oelek
½ cup vegetable or chicken stock
½ tsp brown sugar

Combine the sauce ingredients in a food processor and blend to a fine sauce consistency. Pour it into a sauce pan and bring it to a gentle simmer, adding water if needed for the desired sauce thickness.

Mushroom and Paneer in Tamarind Curry

Mushrooms and Paneer. Two of my favorites. No one else in the house likes these. So, I don't get to make it often. But, when I do, I relish it and am grateful for each bite.

While I do make Paneer on and off with milk and lemon juice, more often than not I go for the store-bought Paneer blocks, just like Tofu blocks. They are firm and solid and hold up well in cooking.

The curry gravy part is made-up, as usual. Which is the most compelling reason to share it here.

Ingredients
5 or 6 Cremini mushrooms, chopped into chunks
10 to 12 Paneer cubes, pan-fried much like pan-fried tofu
½ cup red, green bell peppers, chopped
¼ large red onion, chopped
1 Tbsp canola oil
salt to taste
½ tsp brown sugar (optional)

For the curry paste:
½ tsp Tamicon® tamarind paste
1 Tbsp grated ginger
2 green chilies. chopped
¼ large red onion, chopped
2 Tbsp minced garlic
¼ cup tomato sauce
¼ cup stewed tomatoes
1 Tbsp coriander powder
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro


Preparation

1. Combine the curry paste ingredients in a food processor and blend to a fine paste
2. Heat the oil in a pan, add the curry paste, chopped onions, and a pinch of salt cook over medium heat till the rawness of onion fades and oil separates, about 5 minutes
3. Add the bell peppers, mushrooms and paneer cubes, water as needed, cover and simmer till vegetables are just cooked, not mushy
4. Stir in the brown sugar, if using, adjust salt to taste and serve warm with fragrant jasmine or basmati rice, or home-made naan or paratha or simple roti.

Stuffed Mini Pepper Bites

I seem unable to resist picking up a bag of colorful mini peppers whenever I see it at the store- especially when it is on sale. There are recipe ideas on the bag, which I adapt to suit my tastes. This recipe here was inspired by a recipe on the bag of mini peppers I bought a while back.

The filling can be anything from a combination of cheeses to Indian style tamarind-and-mint or even potatoes-and-peas.

I went with a combination of goat cheese and feta this time: 3 parts goat cheese to 1 part feta. I made 3 kinds of fillings based on what I added to the goat cheese + feta mixture:
1. Habanero salsa (drain out the liquid) or any favorite salsa
2. Cilantro pesto (make it fairly thick)
3. German-style mustard with home-made sauerkraut (drained)

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F
2. Cut the peppers in half with the stem on, and seed them if preferred
3.  Spoon some filling, place them in a single layer in a roasting pan, drizzle some olive oil
4. Bake in 350°F oven for about 10 minutes

Fresh from the oven, warm and flavorful, a plateful of these stuffed peppers are hard to refuse.

Collard Greens Masiyal/Saag

Keerai Masiyal (mashed cooked spinach) with spices and tempering was one of the staples I grew up with. Creamy mashed cooked spinach in North Indian style, known as Saag, as well as Spinach masiyal can be bland or spicy as they lend themselves well to combining flavors. Most greens can be made into masiyal, not just spinach- Swiss Chard Masiyal is another favorite in my kitchen.

I had a few wonderful leaves of collard greens left over after making some Collard Greens Dolma, much like Swiss Chard Dolma. Collard greens need to be cooked longer in boiling water to get tender enough to be appealing as dolmades.

I love the pressure cooker and use it often for cooking beans and lentils and dals and anything else that needs to be soft and mushy. Collard Greens Masiyal comes out perfectly in a pressure cooker.

Ingredients
2 to 3 green chilies, chopped
3 cups chopped collard greens, washed
½ medium yellow onion, chopped
1 Tbsp chopped ginger (more, if preferred)
⅓ cup cooked green lentils, mashed
½ tsp Tamicon® tamarind paste
1 tsp brown sugar
1 cup sauteed paneer cubes
2 Tbsp freshly grated coconut (or frozen grated coconut)
½ cup evaporated milk (optional)
salt to taste

Preparation

1. Combine the collard greens, onions, chilies, ginger with just enough water in a pressure cooker and cook till collard greens are mushy
2. When ready, open the pressure cooker lid, add the cooked green lentils, tamarind paste, brown sugar and salt to taste and allow to simmer till thickened to a saag/sauce consistency
3. Stir in evaporated milk, if using, for extra creaminess; add the sauteed paneer cubes, garnish with grated coconut and curry leaves and serve warm with rice or naan

Spargel with Cheese Sauce

I had these dreamy white spears for the first time about 6 years ago during a visit to Germany where they enjoy an exalted status. It was boiled in water and served with a simple cheese sauce. It was best when eaten steaming warm and fresh off the stove, tender enough to cut with a fork, and not at all chewy and woody.

Asparagus, a favorite, often just roasted and eaten right away, is usually green when grown above ground thanks to photosynthesis. White asparagus (Spargel) is cultivated underground/covered to prevent the green coloration. They tend to be less woody when mature than their green cousins.

Every once in a while we come across white asparagus here in the local markets and can't resist buying them. This time, I boiled it for a good 20-25 minutes in salted water to get it fork tender. (Gently peel the skin before boiling.) And served it with a quick cheese sauce, sprinkled with parsley and ground black pepper.

For the cheese sauce:  (recipe from BBC)
flour
butter
milk
cheese

I usually don't measure precisely for this type of sauce. Sometimes, I make a roux of sorts by heating butter in the pan and adding the flour and cooking to make a paste; then, slowly add in some milk while stirring constantly. Then, add in grated cheese - like Colby Jack, Cheddar, even a bit of Parmesan mixed in...