Even though I love food and enjoy cooking, I can’t stress enough how important quick and simple meals are in my home. This means focusing on recipes that are easy to make and don’t involve complicated techniques or too many steps. Peeli Daal and oven-roasted baingan are one such meal that is both incredibly easy and healthy. Once your family tastes this meal, their delighted reactions and enjoyment will surely bring a smile and warmth to your heart. The video is available on my YouTube Channel.
This post has been on my site for almost 13 years that hardly anyone read, but that I really like. I wanted to share some fresh new photos and show just how EASY and flavorful both these recipes are.
Peeli daal is a soup-like lentil dish made from yellow split moong beans. Oven roasted baingan is my way of cooking Indian style baby eggplant in oven rather than in a skillet. Peeli daal is a staple in most Indian homes and is cooked in many ways across geographic regions. It is quick to cook and easy to digest. This is why it is often given to people recovering from illness or when they need something light after a weekend of binge eating. Peeli dal can be prepared as simple or as elaborate as you like.
I’ll say it again, these recipes are ALL about simplicity which means even the most beginner of cooks can prepare a satisfying, flavorful meal with basic ingredients. For this particular Peeli daal (my version), I’ve used a delicious blend of two split lentils (mung/moong and masoor), it tastes great with a very simple onion and tomato masala. We often make this daal along with different dry vegetable preparations. Hence, I made roasted baby eggplants in the oven.
Baby eggplants are small, round vegetables with vibrant purple skin and soft, tender cream-colored flesh. Despite their size, they offer a rich burst of flavor. These delightful gems are readily available in both South Asian and mainstream Canadian grocery stores. Cooking them in the oven is incredibly easy—no peeling or salting required. Simply make two cuts in each eggplant, keeping the stem intact to hold the eggplant together. For this recipe, I opted for a straightforward approach, layering the eggplants with onions and tomatoes. While you can stuff them with ground spices such as in my other recipe, this one focuses on letting the eggplants shine. Everything cooks together in a single pan until the eggplants become tender and flavorful. It comes out as an amazing side dish and can be enjoyed in so many ways.
Serve it warm along with Peeli Daal to accompany rice and/or naan or roti for a wholesome, light lunch. If you try this recipe, please let me know. If you feel the recipe needs a few tweaks, even then, drop me a message. I am on almost all the social media you are in and you can find me, on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. Let’s stay in touch. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup dhuli moong/mung (yellow split mung)
- 1/3 cup split masoor or red lentil
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/4 cup (+) chopped tomato
- 1/4 cup (+) chopped onion
- 1 tsp ground ginger and garlic
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp red chili powder
- 2 green chilies
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- chopped cilantro for garnish
- 1/2 tsp garam masala (optional)
- 14-15 baby egg plants
- 1 tsp of turmeric
- 1 tsp (+) red chili powder and also few green chilies
- 2 tsp ground ginger and garlic
- salt to taste
- 3 tomatoes, diced
- 1 large onion, cut into thick slices
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Wash both the lentils. In a saucepan add water, lentils and salt. Bring it to boil. Reduce the heat and let it simmer uncovered. Skim off the frothy stuff that rises to the top.
- Add more water if the water is drying up.
- Meanwhile in a small skillet heat oil for tadka (tempering). Add cumin seeds when the oil is hot. Let it splutter, then add onions. Cook them until light brown. Add ground ginger and garlic.
- Next, add chopped tomatoes, turmeric and red chili powder. Mash the tomatoes with the back of the spoon while stirring. Add a splash of water, it facilitates the tomatoes to soften faster.
- Add the cooked onion tomato mixture to the peeli daal and allow to simmer till completely done. Make sure it does not get over cooked. It won't taste bad if it becomes mushy, only it does not look appealing to eat.
- Add chopped green chilies and some garam masala and garnish with cilantro.
- Serve as a soup or on top of plain rice, accompanied with oven roasted baingan.
- Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a baking dish with cooking spray.
- Wash the baby eggplants. Cut them lengthwise in fourths without cutting them all the way through and keeping the stalk attached.
- Put the eggplants in a baking dish. Add onions, tomatoes, turmeric, red chili powder, ginger and garlic paste and salt to the baby egg plants. Drizzle olive oil over it. Mix everything and let it bake in the oven uncovered.
- After 15 minutes stir the baby eggplants. If you find lot of juice from tomato then increase the temperature of the oven to 450 degrees. We want our eggplants to be tender but still hold together when fully cooked. Let them bake for another 10 -15 minutes or to the desired satisfaction.
- Serve garnished with cilantro and sliced green chilli.
Bringing Todays’ meal to Angie’s Linky Party @ Fiesta Friday.
angiesrecipes
I love those baby eggplants! This is a terrific meal with some exciting flavours.
Judee
The only place that we find baby eggplant is in an Indian market and we don’t have any near by. I do love the baby eggplants and if I get my hands off some, I’m trying this fabulous looking recipe. We enjoy daal in the Indian restaurant. I’m glad to have an easy authentic recipe for it.
Healthy World Cuisine
We had to stop by and check out this delicious recipe you posted on youtube. Gorgeous spices and so comforting. Have booked marked it for this week’s dinner plan. Thank you dear.