Eggplant & Paneer Curry in a Coconut Gravy

I was mentioning to one of my friends that I made Eggplant with Paneer curry and he was almost shocked. Eggplant with Paneer!!! The combination doesn't sound like any of the paneer curries that we make. But it tastes equally good.

The beauty of eggplant is it can be cooked any which way and it has an inherent taste that makes the dish delicious.I have eaten eggplant in every form, from curries to pickles to Lasagna. However, not this one!This dish has a mild Thai flavor while retaining the Indian flavor from the Ginger garlic paste and the curry powder.

The eggplant with Paneer(substituted for Tofu) is simmered in coconut milk alongside with wilted spinach and tomatoes.I have adapted this recipe from Food Network Magazine.



3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced, into half moons/semicircles
3 cloves garlic
1 3-inch piece ginger, peeled
1 14-ounce can whole plum tomatoes
6-8 green chillies
2 Japanese eggplants, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1 14-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
1 block Paneer, cubed and lightly fried in bitter or oil
3 cups spinach
Salt and pepper

• Place eggplant in a bowl filled with salt water.Set aside.
• Heat a tablespoon of oil in a nonstick vessel
• Add the onions and let them cook until softened.
• In a blender, puree ginger, garlic, green chillies with a little bit of water
• Drain the tomatoes from the can preserving the juice
• Crush the tomatoes with a fork
• Add the remaining 2 tbsps of oil to the pan. Drain the water and add just the eggplant.
• Cook for a couple of min.
• Add the blended ginger garlic chilli paste;Stir in the curry powder
• Let them cook for 2-3 min
• Add the tomatoes and not the juice yet.Let the tomatoes cook for 2-3 min.
• Then add the juice, 1 cup water, coconut milk
• Let them cook for 4-5 min, until eggplant is tender
• Add the spinach and cook until wilted.
• Finally add the lightly fried paneer pieces.
• Serve with hot rice.

Frozen Yogurt with a dash of Honey & Fruits

I am back from my Alaska Trip and back to my routine.The trip was awesome, exciting and exhausting.I could take another vacation to fully recover from this one.
Alaska is beautiful beyond words. Every place will have its distinctive character and beauty, but Alaska is one of those few places with sparkling blue water, towering mountains, shimmering glaciers(literally blue ice) and lush green landscape with wildlife.There is nothing that nature cannot offer in Alaska.

The weather was perfect, not too cool nor too hot. Somewhere in the 50s - 60s.The train rides were relaxing (without having to drive),taking you along the scenic coast while you gaze at the Dall Sheep studded in the rocky mountains or the Whales playing around while preying on the fish or to just lose yourself in the glaciers. I can definitely write a never ending experience of my trip but in one word - I would definitely recommend visiting atleast once.

To me/us, the long journey, the time and the energy especially with a 4 yr old spent on the trip was all well worth it.

To enjoy the summer, I got a new ice cream maker:-) to make some delicious icecreams.My first experiment was the frozen yogurt...Whether it is Pinkberry yogurt or Yogurtland or homemade Yogurt, frozen Yogurt is as close as you can get to a rich, creamy, not so calorie loaded dessert. This recipe is from Food Network Magazine again...from their almost frozen section. I froze it for a longer time as I wanted it to resemble Icecream instead of a fluffy Frozen Yogurt..

2 cups plain whole-milk yogurt (I used Stony field)
2 cups plain nonfat or reduced-fat Greek yogurt
1/2 cup superfine sugar
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
Strawberries, quartered

Please follow the manufacturer's instructions. Typically you will need to freeze the bowl for a good 16 hours. I freeze it for about a day. I learnt this the hard way. The first time I froze for the dish for a few hours and I started churning the yogurt and much to my surprise... nothing happened.*Laughs*

• Combine the Whole Milk Yogurt and the Greek Yogurt together.
• Whisk in the Sugar and corn syrup with the yogurts.
• Pour into the ice cream maker and freeze again following the manufacturer's instructions.
• Drizzle with honey and some fruits.