SPRING IN A BOWL

I love the spring.

Spring brings along memories of ropes tied on the huge Neem trees on the slope behind our hill-top home to make swings for us kids, of falling off the swings and tumbling down the hill, of festive lunches out on the huge verandah, of the lovely bajra khichdi that grandmom mixed with ghee(clarified butter) till it turned almost white and creamy, of my grandmom stitching summer clothes for us on those beautiful afternoons and getting the needle of the sewing machine right through her finger almost every other time, with mom trying to teach us how to embroider, and my aunt painting a beautiful piece of artwork on the canvas, while the honeybees worked at making another of their honeycomb nests in the lovely Maalti creeper that was laden with red and white flowers outside my grandfather's study.

It brings along with it not only the natural beauty but also a number of festivals in India, like Holi- the festival of colours, a festival loved by all kids, the only day we kids could get away with drenching all elders with coloured water.
I remember running after the beautiful colourful butterflies, flitting over the lovely phlox flowers that we kids called dog flowers, trying to catch them. The riot of colours in the garden is probably the reason why I am so enamoured with colours on the canvas, in my embroidery threads, in the way I decorate the house and even in my food. I love my dinner table full of colours, in fact I plan my menu based on the nutritive values and the colours in my dishes.



spring in a bowl

This dish is packed with colour and nutrients.

Ingredients:
serves 4

.Baby potatoes...............................10
.French beans.................................10
.Cherry tomatoes............................10
.Red bell pepper............................1 medium sized, diced into 1 inch pieces
.Yellow bell pepper.......................1 medium sized, diced into 1 inch pieces
.Baby eggplant................................8
.Pearl onions...................................10
.Lady fingers...................................10
.Carrot.............................................1 or 1 cup, cut into 1/2 inch thick roundels
.Baby corn.......................................10, cut lengthwise into halves
.Green chili(long and mild).............2
.Red chili(long and mild)................2

for the filling:
.Coriander leaves............................1/4th cup, finely chopped
.Mint leaves.....................................1/4th cup, finely chopped
.Ginger.............................................1 tsp. grated
.Garlic..............................................2 cloves, finely chopped(optional)
.Green chili......................................2, finely chopped
.Cumin seeds....................................2 tsp.
.Fennel seeds....................................2 tsp.
.Asafoetida powder..........................1 pinch
.Red chili powder.............................1 tsp.
.Turmeric powder.............................1/2 tsp.
.Coriander powder............................2 Tbsp.
.Garam masala powder.....................1 tsp.
.Dried raw mango powder(amchur)..2 tsp.
.Salt...................................................to taste
.Oil....................................................2 1/2 tsp.
.Oil....................................................for blanching vegetables

Method:
.Wash and dry all vegetables.
.Boil the baby potatoes.
.Slit the potatoes crosswise, taking care not to cut through.
.Trim the lady fingers, just to remove any unwanted black marks at the top and tail.
.Slit the lady fingers, taking care not to cut through.
.Trim the eggplants, just to remove any black unwanted marks on the stalk. Do not remove the stalk.
.Slit the eggplants crosswise, taking care not to cut through.
.Cut the carrots into 1/2 inch thick roundels.
.Slit the onions crosswise, taking care not to cut through.
.Dice the red and yellow bell peppers.
.Halve the baby corns and cut them lengthwise into half.
.String and cut the french beans into 2 inch pieces.
.Wash and dry the cherry tomatoes.
.Heat oil for frying in a deep pan and oil-blanche all the vegetables.
.Set aside.

for the filling:
.Wash and chop the coriander and mint leaves finely.
.Reserve 1 tsp of coriander leaves for garnishing.
.Heat 2 tsp. oil in a pan and add cumin seeds, fennel seeds and asafoetida powder.
.When fragrant add the green chili, ginger and garlic and saute for 1 minute on low heat.
.Add the coriander powder, red chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, dry raw mango
 powder, and salt and saute for another 30 seconds.
.Add the chopped coriander and mint leaves and saute for another 2 minutes on low heat.
.Remove from heat and cool.
.Fill this mixture into all the vegetables(except the cherry tomato) that have been slit and
 oil-blanched and set aside.
.In the same pan add all the prepared vegetables and toss for 3 to 4 minutes.
.Remove in a serving dish and set aside.
.In the same pan add 1/2 tsp. oil and saute the stuffed red and green chili for1/2 a minute or until
 they start to blister. Use these for garnish.
.Oil blanche the cherry tomatoes for 15 seconds and sprinkle on top. Serve hot.
.Garnish with the remaining 1 tsp. of chopped coriander leaves and the prepared chilies
 and serve hot.
.Alternatively just toss all the oil-blanched vegetables and cherry tomatoes along with the prepared
 filling and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.

note:
.For best results prepare this dish fresh.
.I prefer to keep the tops of the lady fingers but you can top and tail if you like.