Vegetable lasagna

I attempted making this dish somewhere around 1999 when Pastas and  pizza  were not  so popular in india. I was also unaware of it. In one cookbook I saw these recipes. Being an amateur cook and completely ignorant I tried out somehow and as expected failed very badly. Then in 2000 my husband took me to a restaurant in Delhi where I tasted pasta for the first time. After the birth of my daughter it was a regular dish in my menu.

Staying abroad, vegetarian version of  lasagna was not available in the restaurants and I had to be satisfied with my own version of it and I had no idea how the actual lasagna tastes. Only after returning to Bangalore I got to eat lasagna @Eurasia I was very happy that what I was making all these days was quite close to it.

Usually I use store-bought lasagna sheets but lockdown has taught us to make everything from scratch.

 

For the lasagna sheets:

1 cup refined flour (maida
½ tsp salt
1 tsp oil

Method:

1. Knead all the above ingredients using some water and make a tight dough.

2. Cover the dough and rest for ten minutes.

3. Roll out thin rectangular sheets out of the dough using plain flour for dusting. I have made slightly broad sheets but would recommend making little narrow to avoid tearing while boiling.

4. Boil enough water in a large pan.
Add 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tsp oil to it.
The water should be bubbling hot and drop the sheets carefully one at a time.
Immediately remove it and place on a plate. Repeat the process with remaining sheets.

For the white sauce:

2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp maida
1 cup milk
Salt as per taste
1 tsp chilly flakes
½ tsp crushed pepper
1 tsp dried herbs
1 cup finely chopped mixed vegetables (beans, carrot, onions, capsicum)

Method:

1. Heat butter in a thick bottomed pan.

2. Add the veggies and saute for 2-3 minutes.

3. Whisk the flour in the milk until there are no lumps.

4. Add milk mixture to the veggies stirring continuously. Cook until it becomes thick.

5. Add the seasonings and keep aside.

For the Tomato sauce:

4 Tomatoes
6-7 garlic cloves
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 tsp chilly flakes
2 tsp dried herbs (or pasta seasonings)
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt as per taste

Method:

1. Grind the tomatoes and garlic into a chunky puree

2. Heat oil and saute the onions until translucent.

3. Add the puree and cook for about 5 minutes

4. Add the seasonings.

Assembling and baking:

1. Preheat the oven at 180° celcius

2. Take an oven proof shallow dish and pour in a little tomato sauce at the bottom

3. Place 2 lasagna sheets.

4. Spread the white sauce filling over it.

5. Place two more sheets on top

6. Top it with the Tomato sauce

7. Repeat steps 3 to 6 if you have more sheets.

8. Cover generously with grated cheese. And dot with some butter.

9. Bake the lasagna until cheese melts and changes color ( approx 20 min).

Papad ki sabji

This is an instant 5 min sabji. In Rajasthan papad is a must and readily available ingredient. So whenever you are short of green vegetables or the days when we jains do not eat any greens, this sabji comes handy.

For this sabji I recommend using old and slightly thick papads as they retain shape while cooking. Papad becomes soft as soon as it is put into hot masala.

2 papad broken into pieces
2 tbsp oil
1/4 tsp jeera
1/2 tsp haldi
1 tsp chilli pdr
1 tsp corriander pdr
1/2 tsp kachari( optional)
1 tbsp beaten curd
1 cup water
Salt

Heat oil and add jeera. Add the masala along with 1 cup of water. Bring to a good boil and add papad, salt and kachari. Cook for one min.
Switch off and add beaten curd. Mix well and serve with raw onions, kadhi and fulka.

Watch video Papad ki sabji @ https://youtu.be/pUSnY4RpQNM

Bhindi ki Sabji

Okra , Lady finger different names for our dear bhindi in english.

Reminds me of my college days. When-ever I carried bhindi ki sabji and fulka in my tiffin, friends sitting in the last rows used to finish it off stealthily during classes. Recently I met my best friend and she did not forget to mention how tasty my bhabhi used to make it.

Though its a very simple sabji, it requires a few techniques right from the beginning i.e. buying bhindi. Look for green with a smooth textured medium sized bhindi. Snip its tip if it breaks off easily then its tender and if it bends then not worth buying.
Wash the bhindi and pat it dry with a clean dry cloth. We don't want any water droplets on it as it increases its stickiness.
Another very important point is that never cut the bhindi horizontally on a chopping board.
Bhindi can have worms in it. If bhindi is fresh then chances are minimal but better to check individually. I always cut bhindi one by one holding it vertically so that I can see inside it after every slice I cut.

Serves :2

Ingredients:

• 250 gms ladyfingers/okra/bhindi
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1/4 tsp cumin seeds/jeera
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder/haldi
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 2 tsp coriander seeds powder 
• 2 green chili
• salt to taste

Method:

1. Cut off the crown of bhindi , snip its end and then cut the bhindi into small rounds.
2. Make one slit along the length of green chili. We are using whole chili here so that one can easily distinguish between chili and bhindi and can remove chili from the plate, if spice is not desired.
3. Heat oil in a thick bottom pan.
4. Add cumin seeds and allow to crackle.
5. Add cut bhindi along with green chili and cook for 4-5 min turning frequently for even cooking. if not using a non-stick pan then you may have to keep sctratching the bottom of the pan else stickiness from bhindi will stick to the pan and burn. 
6. When the bhindi is cooked add all the remaining ingredients , mix and cook for another 2 min.

Serve with chapatis or dal-chawal.