Pan-Fried Potato &Eggplant

                                                (click on the Picture for a larger Image)

This dish is so simply made yet has so many flavors in it, the juices of the Vegetable in it make it so divine and a very special one!!! May people don’t like egg plants  my hubby is one of them : ) But he likes to eat it in this form and fried as Pakoraas  always : )

Just take care not to overcook it coz then it becomes mushy and looks like a paste and that’s what many don’t like!!!

 

 

I love to make my vegetables in my broad Wok, they fry so well, I have a good place to keep them moving around, they don’t get mushy and they look beautiful in it : )

 

This time I mixed in some hot spicy pickle in it which gave it an ultra yummy taste

It was as if you are eating Achaari Gosht!! (Pickle flavored meat)

You can take any, I took the mixed Pickle from Ahmed with mangoes, carrots, green chillies, lemon and lots of spices yummmz :)

 

Do not cut the egg plant ahead as it will change darker due to a high amount of iron!
Wash and keep and when the potatoes are half done then cut them fast and add in the wok

You actually need like 20 minutes to prepare this, the only tip is to cut potato in slices but thin, so they cook faster. The egg plant doesn’t need so much time and we don’t hae to cook it dead :)

So here’s how I made it:

 

4-5 baby eggplants

 3 medium potatoes

 2 medium onions (sliced)

2 tomatoes (incubes)

 3-4 green chills (with slits)

 1tblsp crushed fresh garlic

 1 level tsp Negella Seeds (Kalongi)

1level tsp brown mustard seed (the very fine tiny ones)

 1-2 tblsp lemon juice

 ¾ tsp red chili flakes

 1level tsp salt or to taste

1 tbs mixed Pickle (Acchaar)

¾ tsp crushed coriander seeds (dardarra kutta howa)

 pinch of turmeric (haldi)

 6-8 tbsl oil

-heat oil in a frying pan

-first let the  Kalongi fry and sizzle then the brown mustard seeds to splutter

-add in the garlic, roast light pink

-now fry the onions till glassy (transparent)

-all in the potatoes and fry a bit and then cover lid to cook

-when potatoes are ¾ done, add in the eggplants and mix all well

-sprinkle the salt, pepper,corriande,haldi and crushed chili flakes ,mix softly

-spread the diced tomatoes and green chilies and cover to cook

-be careful don’t overcook them soggy, they should be a bit crunchy!!

- you will see that it cooks really fast,as I said thin slices of potato and egg plant and your meal is ready inno time.

-garnish with fresh chopped coriander and lemon juice and serve with khushka or chapatti

I love sabzi(vegetable) with rice so I enjoyed mines with it :)

 

*To get the unique taste of vegetable it is recommended to use less hot spices! This here is a more of dry-fried veg which tastes really divine! I used no garam masala, zeera(cumin) intentionally but it’s up to ur choice!!!

~~Strawberry Custard Cake~~

 

A divine dream i would say :) Just melt in mouth delish pieces….Ummmmmm

 

We have such lovely strawberries this season, firm yet so sweet and juicy. I have tried out strawberry cakes quite a time and this time my daughter came up with the recipe which they made in her Kindergarten. The recipe is from a German site.

Like always once again I have done some changes in the amount of ingredients and made custard instead of pudding as in original.

 

I think our custard is far tastier, thicker, creamy and simply yummy :)

The recipe did not call for gelatin, but I wanted to fix it to give it an even shiny look.

I use Agar Agar, it is neutral in taste, sugar-free, it is pure organic plant gelatin and that’s fantastic! 

I make the Bird’s Custard Powder as I like its thick creamy taste and the lovely fresh color.

You can make pudding or even buy a readymade pudding tub for the top; it’s your choice :)

 

 

Best is to prepare all the things ahead and then start to bake as the cake is ready in no time.

You can use the half of all ingredients if you like to bake a small one, I took a rectangular baking tray 16x10” (30x20cm)

Take care while you buying the strawberries that they are not too soft or raw.

Wash and dry and cut in slices and keep aside

Make the custard when the cake is half done and don’t cook it too thick, as it will become hard  once it cools down, so best it to keep it stirring so it stays creamy and lumps-free so you can spread it evenly

Cook the Agar Agar in the end and keep stirring it or else it will dry up in a jelly shape

 

I mention the organic ingredients when I use them, as I try to use them more and more in my cooking and baking. Of course I am have not converted all to 100% yet but I do try my best to buy these whenever I can.

 

 

So this is how I made my cake:

200°C Preheated oven

20-25 minutes baking time

 Ingredients:

200 gram Organic Butter

200 gram sugar

200 gram organic white flour

100 gram corn flour

1 tbs Vanilla sugar powder

2 eggs

2 tsp baking powder

100 ml fresh milk

2 tbs Agar agar powder

600 gram organic strawberries

For the Custard:
3tbs Bird’s Custard Powder

3 ½ tbs sugar

2 ½ cups of milk (a bit more if you feel the cream turning too thick)

 

 

 

 

-take a deep bowl and beat the soft butter, sugar and the vanilla sugar till flaky and creamy

-add the eggs and beat them till all mixes well into more creamy structure

-sift the flour and add to the bowl and mix gently

-pour a little milk and beat slightly

-now add the corn flour, some more milk and beat all into a smooth cream

-add the baking powder in the end and beat to mix but don’t over beat

-grease the baking tray and spread the batter evenly till the corners

-pat the tray so all sits well and place in the middle rack of the preheated oven

-the cake needs around 20-25 minutes to bake

-take out and let it cool down

-on the other side cook the custard, remove form stove and keep stirring so it remains silky and cools down slowly.

 

-do not spread the hot or warm custard on the cake, it will sit flat immediately!

-you can place your palms on the cake surface to check if it is total cold

-now spread the custard evenly and gently

-place the sliced strawberries as you wish, I made rows

-now make the agar agar according to the packet instruction

-first dissolve the powder in cold water, then bring to a boil and keep stirring till it starts getting thicker.

-let it cool down but keep mixing and stirring, then pour onto the strawberries, with the help of a spoon row by row….

-let it set for a while; it will dry up sooner than we can even think :)

The cake was so soft, so spongy and so moist.

The custard makes it so creamy and really delicious.

A lovely fresh treat of summer indeed :)

I kept it in the room temperature so it was really soft

The next day as I took out of the fridge it was a bit firm, of course due to the quantity of butter in it.

Have fun baking it and let me know your experience :)