baked vegetables – The Culinary Journey

I’ve started making baked dishes since last year and I’m slowly growing an affinity towards it. You may ask why? Well for the obvious reasons… it is a healthier option as it requires less oil compared to cooking (for many recipes), saves time (I can keep the ingredients for baking and watch my tv show or do other chores) and gives the dish a very unique taste – be it fish, meat or vegetable 🙂

Talking about vegetables, let me tell you I have always been a chicken and meat lover. I can literally count days when there was no chicken or meat in my meals. Even on days I didn’t have company, I remember going to my favorite restaurants alone to enjoy the dishes I like the most 😀

However, with time I’ve realized that having vegetables is important for one’s diet and nowadays I try to balance it out by cooking vegetables as well at home! For this dish, I baked cabbage along with potato, corn and some sauces and herbs. I also had some eggplant in the fridge and so I cooked them separately with tomato sauce and a few other ingredients. After cooking for the last few years, I’ve realized that vegetarian food could also be very tasty if prepared with the right ingredients and in the right way 🙂

Have a great weekend and hope it’s accompanied with good food 🙂

Preparation Time: 30 minutes (all inclusive)

Cooking Time:

Baked Cabbage Kofta – 40 minutes (including baking time)

Eggplant in Tomato sauce – 15 minutes

Serves:

Baked Cabbage Kofta – Around 4 to 5

Eggplant in Tomato sauce – 2

Ingredients:

For the Baked Cabbage Kofta

Olive oil – 1/4 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons (for brushing)

Cabbage – 1 medium, chopped

Corn – 1/4 to 1/2 cup

Ginger and garlic paste – 2 to 3 teaspoons

Cumin powder – 1 teaspoon

Dried Parsley leaves – 1 teaspoon

Chili Lime powder – 1 teaspoon

Potato – 4 medium, boiled, skin peeled and mashed

Salsa – 1 tablespoon

Salt – to taste

For the Eggplant in Tomato Sauce:

Olive Oil – 1 tablespoon

Eggplant – 4 small, cut into discs

Tomato sauce or puree – 2 tablespoons

Sesame seeds – 2 teaspoons

Onion – 1 medium, sliced

Lemon juice – 2 teaspoons or as per preference

Coriander leaves – 1 tablespoon, chopped

Water – 1/2 cup

Salt – to taste

Baked cabbage:

Step 1: Heat olive oil in a pan. Add the ginger garlic paste followed by the chopped cabbage. Cook for around 3-4 minutes.

Step 2: Add the cumin powder, dried parsley leaves and chili lime powder. Follow by adding the corn, mashed potatoes and salsa. Add some salt for taste. Mix well and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a big bowl and let it cool for some time. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 180 degrees C for 10 minutes.

Step 3: Make small balls or squares (shape it as per your preference) from the above mixture. Brush each of them lightly with some olive oil. Place them on an oven tray covered with aluminium foil. Bake for around 20-30 minutes at 180-200 degrees C until you get a nice golden brown kofta.

Eggplant in Tomato Sauce:

Step 4: While the koftas are being baked, heat another tablespoon of olive oil in a pan. Add the onions and eggplant. Cook for 3 minutes or so until the it is soft and starts changing its color.

Step 5: Add the tomato sauce or puree and mix well for another minute. Add the sesame seeds and coriander leaves. Add 1/2 cup of water after few seconds. Cook for another 5 minutes or so until you have the desired consistency. Transfer to a serving bowl.

Check your koftas now. Once they are done, transfer to a serving dish.

Step 6: Serve both koftas and eggplant hot with fresh bread of your choice.

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