Moutabal - Roasted eggplant dip

Back from a recent trip to Oman, I would go back there anyday just for the food! I lost count of the number of times that I ate hummus and finally decided to try this dip on the last evening there. Served with absolutely divine Turkish bread, this was as good as hummus- and so easy to make. I read up on a few websites and found that this is different from the Lebanese Baba-ghanoush as that is also made of roasted eggplants but uses chopped onion/tomato etc..


Ingredients (makes 1 medium bowl)


2 medium brinjals/eggplants ( do not take big or overripe ones)
1/2 cup roasted white sesame seeds
3 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon vinegar
Salt to taste
3 tablespoons olive
Chilli/paprika powder (to garnish)
Extra olive oil (optional,to garnish)


1. Soak the sesame seeds in 1/4 cup water for about 2 hours.
2. Lightly grease the eggplants (you need the round fat dark purple ones) and roast over a medium direct gas flame till the skin is charred all over. Roast on one side and then turn to the other side to roast. When roasted from all sides, leave on a plate to cool
3. Grind the sesame and water into a thick smooth paste.
4. Peel the eggplants with your hands. Do NOT run under water to peel, if the skin is tough to remove then wet your hands slightly and peel off the skin
5. Blend the peeled eggplants with all other ingredients in a food processor (if you want a chunky textured dip) or in a grinder for a smoother texture.
6. Serve this dip cold with pita bread/crackers

Papad Crusted Stuffed Paneer

Got this recipe from a friend and served it a recent dinner party. It is interesting as the outer coating is of papad crumbs and not bread crumbs. This starter was a big hit ! It is only slightly tricky to handle as the stuffing tends to spill out while dipping in the cornflour/papad. Trick is to be quick and make sure that the cornflour paste is not too runny. The filling can be flavoured as per your choice, you can add herbs/chopped capers/jalapenos etc..

Ingredients

200 gms paneer block

For the stuffing
3/4 cup grated cheese (regular processed cheese)
1/2 cup finely chopped mint leaves
2 chopped green chillies
1 teaspoon ajwain
Salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic

For the cornflour paste
2 tablespoons cornflour
2 tablespoons maida
3/4 cup water

For the papad layer
4-5 regular papads( I used Lijjat Garlic papad)

1. Cut the paneer into one inch cubes. Slice each cube horizontally into two pieces
2. Mix all the ingredients of the stuffing together
3. Place a little amount of the stuffing between the two halves of each cube and sandwich together.
4. Mix all the ingredients together of the cornflour and maida mixture to get a smooth paste
5. Grind the raw papad in a dry blender to get fine crumbs.
6. Hold each paneer cube (with the filling) with your thumb and forefinger and dip into the cornflour paste to coat from all sides . This needs to be done quickly as the filling tends to slip out (might require some practise)
7. Then roll the paneer in the papad crumbs
8. Keep all the coated paneer ready to fry together on a plate
9. Heat oil in a pan for shallow frying. When hot, add the paneer pieces and fry till all sides are browned and crisp.
10. Serve with mint chutney