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Ingredients:
250 gms red chana (red gram or chickpeas); soaked overnight.
3 large potatoes; boiled and diced,
1 tsp rai (mustard seeds),
1/4 tsp heeng (asafoetida),
2 tbsp red chilli powder,
1 1/2 tsp dhania-jeera (coriander-cumin) powder,
Salt to taste,
1/2 tsp chaat masala,
2 tbsp tamarind paste,
1 small tomato chopped,
1 small onion chopped,
Coriander leaves to garnish,
Oil for frying.

Method:
Boil the chana with little salt till it is soft.
Mix 1 tbsp red chilli powder, asafoetida and salt with water to form a thin paste. Heat oil in a pan, add this red chilli paste and then add boiled potatoes, mix well, cover and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Heat 2-3 tbsp oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and let them splutter. Then add heeng, 1 tbsp red chilli powder, dhania-jeera powder, mix and add onion, tomato, chana. Then add salt, stir well, cover and cook for 3-4 minutes. Then remove from flame. Mix together chana and potatoes, sprinkle chaat masala, tamarind paste and coriander leaves. Mix and serve.

Ingredients:
4 bittergourds or karela; peeled and edges cut,
2 large potatoes; boiled, peeled and coarsly diced,
1 large onion; finely chopped,
2 red chillies; finely sliced,
1 tsp mustard seeds,
15-20 curry leaves,
2 tbsp finely chopped ginger,
1 tbsp finely chopped garlic,
1/4 tsp turmeric powder,
Salt to taste,
Water.

For coating-
2 tbsp maida (all-purpose flour),
2 tbsp cornflour,
Bread crumbs,
Salt to taste,
Water.

Other-
Oil for frying.

Method:
Boil water with salt. Roughly peel bittergourd and cut its edges. Make a vertical slit in each bittergourd. Boil in water for 5-7 minutes. When done, drain and rinse with cold water. Then deseed them and apply some salt to them. Keep them aside till you prepare the stuffing.
Heat 2-3 tbsp oil in a skillet (pan) and add mustard seeds and let them splutter. Then add curry leaves, sliced red chillies, garlic, ginger and onion. Saute onion on low-medium flame till it turns pink. Then add diced potatoes and mix well. Cover and cook for 2 minutes, then add salt and mix well. Now let this cook till it turns light brown in color. Then remove from flame and let it cool.
Mix together maida, cornflour, salt and little water to form a batter of dipping consistency. Spread bread crumbs in a plate.
Pour oil for deep frying in a kadhai (wok) and let it heat. Meanwhile stuff the karelas with the prepared stuffing, then dip into the flour batter, then roll into the bread crumbs and coat them properly. Stuff all the karelas similarly. When oil is hot, reduce the flame to medium and then drop all the karelas into the hot oil. Cook them till they turn crisp and golden brown in color. Drain and transfer to serving dish.

Serving suggestion-
Serve these potato stuffed karelas with parathas and dal tadka.

Ingredients:
4 medium size ripe but firm tomatoes,
100-125gms or approx 3/4 cup crumbled paneer (cottage cheese),
1 small onion,
1/2 cup coriander leaves,
1 green chilli,
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste,
1 tbsp cream (optional),
1 tsp chat masala,
Salt and sugar to taste,
Olive oil for tempering and frying.

Method:
Cut the tomatoes into two halves each horizontally. Core all the pulp from them and strain the pulp, set it aside. Apply a pinch of salt and sugar to each tomato halve, rub inside evenly and place them upside down on a kitchen paper towel. This would reduce the sour taste of the tomatoes, if any. Dice half the onion. Put the other half, chilli, coriander (reserve few leaves to garnish) into a grinder and grind to a paste.

Heat little oil in a pan, add the diced onion and saute till it is soft. Then add the ground coriander paste and cook for few minutes. Then add the ginger-garlic paste, strained tomato pulp, mix well and cover and cook for few minutes. Then add paneer, chat masala and very little salt since chat masala also contains salt. Mix together, cover and cook for a minute and then remove from flame. Spread in a plate and let it cool for 2 minutes. Then add cream if you want, mix well and stuff into the tomatoes.

In the same pan add more olive oil is required. When it is hot place the stuffed tomatoes into it. Cover and cook them on low-medium flame for 3 minutes. Then uncover and turn the tomatoes and again cover and cook. Continue this process till the tomatoes are almost cooked from all sides but are still firm and red in color. You should not over cook them since they would droop and their color should not change. When done garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with Indian bread or parathas.
TIP:
Use fresh paneer in this recipe, it tastes much better than the frozen paneer.

Ingredients:
1/2 kg brinjals,
2-3 cloves of garlic; crushed,
2″ piece ginger; crushed
1/2 tsp rai (mustard seeds),
1/2 tsp jeera (cumin seeds),
1 tsp methi (fenugreek) seeds,
2 tsp turmeric powder,
2 tsp red chilli powder,
1 1/2 cup sugar,
1 1/2 cup refined vegetable oil,
1/2 cup vinegar,
2 tbsp salt.

Method:
Soak together chilli powder, turmeric powder, jeera, mustard seeds, garlic and ginger in vinegar for an hour. Then grind this to a paste. Heat oil in a pan and saute this ground paste on low flame for two minutes. Then add sugar, salt and mix well, add the brinjal and cook on low flame. Do not cover or add water, since this pickle needs to be preserved there should not be any water content. When brinjal has cooked, let it cool and preserve in dry bottle. Add some oil on the top of the pickle if you want to store this for a longer time. You can also serve this pickle as a vegetable, but in that case use less oil.

This is an ideal recipe to prepare when you are tired of making the same ol’ vegetables or when on one fine day you realise there is no vegetable at home and you are in no moods of going to the market. 

Ingredients:
5 medium size udad or moong papad (poppodam),
1 tsp jeera (cumin seeds),
2 tsp ginger-garlic paste,
1/2 tsp turmeric powder,
1 tsp dhania (coriander) powder,
1 tsp red chilli powder,
1 green chilli; finely chopped,
1 cup yogurt; beaten,
Water as per requirement,
Salt to taste,
3 tbsp ghee (butter),
Oil for deep frying,
Chopped coriander leaves to garnish.

Method:
Heat oil for frying papad and fry them. In a wok melt the ghee, add jeera and when they splutter add ginger-garlic paste, green chillies and fry it for 2 minutes. Then add all the spices and cook for 2 minutes. Then pour in beaten curd, mix and add water as per requirement. Add salt, and let the gravy boil. Then break the fried papad into small pieces and cook for 2-3 minutes, garnish with coriander leaves and serve with parathas.