The underrated eggplant, Fall macarons and my upcoming Diwali ebook...
It has been 2 weeks since I posted my last post on Substack. It has been a crazy 2 weeks. I have been working incessantly on my Diwali ebook - that I plan to release this week - yayay!
A little bit about my Diwali ebook:
I have itching creatively and have had an idea to incorporate the beautiful California Produce with Diwali - the Indian Festival of Lights, and the biggest festival of India. Diwali celebrates the victory of good over evil, light over darkness and the harbinger of good health, wealth and happiness to all.
This ebook will focus on a vegetarian modern twist on Indian recipes - bringing in a flair to Indian food that will NEVER be found in Indian restaurants. The ebook is ABSOLUTELY STUNNING, beautiful and shares recipes from Appetizers to Mains, Dessert and Drinks. I share 15 recipes that can be put together by the with a complete Timeline sharing what to prepare when so that the host or hostess are not stressed out on the day of.
The ebook will be shared as a password protected pdf on my website, and I will charge a small amount - 30% of the proceeds will go to charitable cause in India ( I have yet to decide on a charitable organization). If you have any suggestions - please let me know!
Eggplant - the underrated vegetable. I showcase 3 ways to prepare it and they are vegan too!
Did you know eggplant is a berry? Eggplants, which come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors, are in abundance everywhere right now.
Eggplants are native to India, Africa and South Asia, but they are widely used in various cooking traditions across the globe: stir fried, stewed, roasted, braised, in curries, steamed or fried. The most common variety has the very pretty darkish purple skin, a white flesh with loads of seeds inside and a green stem that is a bit prickly.
My mother used to prepare eggplant (brinjal -- as it is called in India), quite often. In fact, it was her favorite. I grew up not liking eggplant -- the very sight used to give me jitters. As I grew older, I started enjoying the way my mom prepared the eggplant. A dish that she used to make often was called bharela ringan nu shaak (or spice stuffed eggplant). This dish became MY favorite. It was prepared by making slits in small eggplants, keeping them still intact on the top, and stuffing them with a mixture of ground peanuts, chickpea flour, spices, and then tempering the stuffed eggplants in cumin seeds, mustard seeds, and the leftover stuffing. I have shared this recipe in my cookbook, “Mumbai Modern”. It has been made by several folks and loved by all.
My mother’s next best eggplant dish was baingan bharta (or spiced roasted eggplant). The whole eggplant is roasted on an open flame, occasionally turning the eggplant to char it on all sides. That gives baingan bharta its signature smoky flavor. Once charred and cooled, the skin is removed, revealing all that delicious, soft, smoky flesh. The flesh is cooked in a mixture of onions, tomatoes, aromatics and spices, filling the kitchen with the heavenly spice aroma. We sopped it up with rotli,Indian flatbread. She would especially prepare it for special occasions such as Diwali.
I have given this iconic, restaurant-famous, baingan bharta a modern twist by layering it on top of a lemony, garlicky, herby yogurt dip, served with baked naan chips. Make this as an appetizer or dip for Diwali or for your next party, and it will be a hit with your family or friends.
The recipe can be found on my blog and is linked here.
A third way of preparing the eggplant that was my mother’s favorite is the Garlicky Eggplant and Potato Curry or Ringan bateta nu Shaak as it is called in my language. The recipe was published last week on S.F.Chronicle online and in the Sunday newspaper! The recipe is linked here.
The dish starts off with sauteing or shallow-frying small cubes of eggplant and potatoes in oil to make them soft while also giving them a nice char on the outside. I also shallow-fry garlic pieces in oil to soften them.
The next step is to make the sauce, or the curry part of the dish. I add cumin and mustard seeds until they start to splatter. Then ginger and green chiles are added to the mix. End-of-the-season tomatoes give necessary tang and color. All the essential dry Indian spices come next. Water is added to thin it out and form a delicious curry.
The cooked vegetables go in next, along with ground peanuts to thicken the curry nicely and add more flavor. I always balance out all Indian curries with brown sugar — it’s the same concept as adding a little salt in sweet baked goods! Finally, all good curries end with a generous sprinkling of cilantro. The herby freshness is required to balance out the explosion of flavors.
Garlicky Eggplant and Potato Curry is best served with white rice or flatbread like naan. My personal favorite way to eat it is with homemade rotis, dolloped with ghee, and a side of garlic pickle or red garlic chutney.
Hope you enjoyed all the different ways that I prepare eggplant and now is a vegetable that I love as well. My mother would be proud.
Fall Macarons - a class with Civic Kitchen - a San Francisco based cooking school
I love making macarons. It is my therapy. It gives me calm in a stormy situation. I can whip it up in my sleep. They are finicky to make and it took years of practice to get where I am today.
I taught a class in the summer for teaching macarons at the Civic Kitchen - a San Francisco based cooking school. I am teaching a Fall Macaron class on 28th October 2023 (it is a Saturday) from 1 to 5pm. There are 3 spots left! So HURRY and register fast if you want to learn how to make macarons with me! Linked here!
The flavors are:
Chai Apple Pie Macarons
Chocolate Hazelnut Praline Macarons
Chocolate Pumpkin Macarons
Here is a preview of the macarons that will be showcased in the class.
This is it for today’s substack post. Hope you all have a wonderful week ahead! Stay tuned for the DIWALI EBOOK - that I am SO excited to debut in a few days!
Love and spices
Amisha