3 easy-to-make recipes for Mother's Day

To make this Mother's Day extra special, Chef Kunal Kapur on behalf of Saffola Oils, has put together a selection of two savoury dishes and a dessert that will surely warm her heart. From the hearty Shakshouka to the colourful Bharwa Capsicum Masala and the sweet and delectable Mango Pudding — each recipe is a heartfelt way to express our love for our mothers.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons of oil

2 teaspoons of chopped garlic

½ inch of chopped ginger

1 cup of diced onion

1 cup of diced capsicum

1 cup of diced tomato

1 no of chopped green chilli

2 cups of fresh tomato puree

1 tablespoon of Kashmiri chilli powder

½ teaspoon of turmeric powder

Salt – to taste

½ teaspoon of sugar

½ cup of grated cheese

4-5 eggs

Handful of black olives

Handful of green olives

Handful of chopped coriander

Accompaniments

Sourdough bread slices

Mint tea

Method

Take a frying pan, heat it and drizzle oil. Once the oil is hot, add in garlic and ginger, and stir them while ensuring they do not turn brown. Add in onions, tomato, capsicum and green chilli, and toss them for a minute on high heat.

Sprinkle chilli powder and turmeric, stir fry it and then pour the tomato puree. Add salt and a pinch of sugar, and cook for 3-4 mins on high flame. In a separate bowl, break an egg.

Lower the heat and part the vegetables to create a circular cavity in the centre of the pan to pour the egg. Repeat the process with the remaining eggs and then sprinkle grated cheese over the entire dish.

Allow the eggs to get cooked by covering the pan with a lid for 4-6 mins on low heat. Ensure that the egg yolk does not get completely cooked and stays a bit runny. Open the lid, and garnish the dish with olives and chopped coriander. It is ready to be served hot with crisp bread and mint tea.

Ingredients

For the stuffing

2 tablespoons of oil

½ teaspoon of black cumin (kalonji)

1 teaspoon of chopped ginger

1 teaspoon of chopped garlic (optional)

½ cup of chopped onion

1 chopped green chilli

½ cup of boiled corn kernels

1 cup of boiled and mashed potato

Salt – to taste

A pinch of powdered black pepper

½ teaspoon of chilli flakes

200 gm of paneer

Handful of chopped coriander

For the masala

2 tablespoons of oil

1 bay leaf (tej patta)

10 nos. of black pepper

1 black cardamom

½ tablespoon of cumin

1 tablespoon of coriander whole

1 cup of chopped onion

1 tablespoon of chopped ginger

1 tablespoon of chopped garlic

2 teaspoons of turmeric powder

1 tablespoon of Kashmiri chilli powder

1½ tablespoons of coriander powder

½ tablespoons of black pepper powder

1 chopped green chilli

2 cups of chopped tomatoes

Salt – to taste

Water – As required

For the masala

3-4 capsicum

2 tablespoons of oil

2 tablespoons of butter

½ teaspoon of chopped ginger

Salt – to taste

A pinch of powdered kasoori methi

Handful of chopped coriander

Method

To prepare the stuffing heat some oil in a pan, add black cumin, chopped ginger, and chopped garlic and sauté them for a minute. Add the chopped onions and green chilli and cook them, till the onions turn translucent. Then add the boiled corn and cook the mix for a few mins.

Next add in the boiled and mashed potatoes, salt, pepper and chilli flakes and stir the mix. Add in mashed paneer and cook it for 1-2 mins, then put in some chopped coriander and turn off the heat.

Transfer the mix onto a plate to cool. Next, for the gravy, heat oil in a pan and add in bay leaves, peppercorns, black cardamom, cumin and whole coriander. Then, put in the chopped onions and cook it for a few seconds.

Add in the chopped ginger and garlic and fry them to bring a roasted feel to the masala. In the meantime, prep the bell peppers by cutting them lengthwise from the centre and emptying the seeds using a spoon. Back to the gravy preparation, check to see the onions turning brown and then add in turmeric and red chilli powder along with cardamom powder, black pepper powder and chopped green chillies.

Stir it and then add in the chopped tomatoes and salt and fry it on high flame for 3-4 mins till the masala acquires a roasted feel. Once the masala looks dry, add in some water to prevent it from burning. Leave the masala to simmer on low heat while you stuff the capsicum.

Take the cooled stuffing and fill it in the cavity of the prepped capsicum. Continue this process for the remaining bell peppers. Turn off the gas when you see the masala thickening and becoming drier.

Remove the whole spices, pour a bit of water to cool it down and then turn it into a purée in a mixer grinder. Next to cook the capsicum, heat a tawa on high flame and add a bit of oil. Gently place the stuffed capsicum on the tawa, with the stuffing side touching the tawa surface.

Cook it on high flame for about a minute and then flip the other side. Cook the capsicum from all sides till it turns into an even colour yet remains crunchy.

Continue this process for the remaining stuffed capsicum. After removing the last fried capsicum, add some butter and chopped ginger. Cook it for around 30 seconds and add in the puréed masala. Stir in the mixture and add in kasoori methi.

Check the thickness of the gravy and sprinkle some chopped coriander on top. Pour the gravy on a plate and place the fried Bharwa capsicums on top of it. It is ready to be served.

Ingredients

2 cups or 400 gms of diced mangoes

½ cup of sugar

1 cup of milk

¼ cup of custard powder (vanilla flavoured)

¼ cup of milk

2 tablespoons of lemon juice

A dash of oil

½ cup of chopped mango (for garnishing)

Handful of mint leaves

Method

Take a metal pudding mould and brush it with oil lightly. Put in the mango, sugar, and milk in a grinder and blend them into a smooth purée. Next cook the purée in a pan, and bring it to a boil. Then, lower the heat, allow it to simmer and turn thick.

Meanwhile, mix custard powder with ¼ cup of milk at room temperature. Mix it well. Turn off the heat, then add the custard mixture to the mango purée and keep stirring the mixture for 2 mins to ensure there are no lumps.

After mixing them properly, switch on the gas and cook the mixture on high heat for approximately 15 mins and becomes thick. Then remove it from heat, add lemon juice and mix it well.

Quickly pour the cooked purée into the greased metal mould and set it to refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Then remove the mould from the fridge and place a platter on top to flip it. Tap the mould carefully to loosen the pudding. Serve it cold with chopped mangoes and mint leaves.