Lot-waalu Shaak (Stuffed vegetables)

Vegetables stuffed & cooked in a chick-pea flour mix. Serve with naan, yogurt, and a cucumber-tomato-onion salad. This is a versatile dish, wherein a variety of vegetables can be combined.

Any combination of these vegetables:

3 bell peppers, seeded and cut into strips

2 cups radishes, quartered

2 cups okra, slit

5 small eggplants, slit

5 small potatoes, quartered

4 small onions, quartered

The stuffing:

½ cup chana no lot (chickpea flour)

½ teaspoon lilu-marchu (green chili), minced or ½ teaspoon marchu (cayenne pepper)

1 teaspoon mithu (salt)

¼ teaspoon hardar (turmeric)

1 teaspoon dhaanaa-jiru (powdered coriander & cumin seeds)

1 teaspoon saaker (sugar)

4 tablespoon tel (oil)

1 teaspoon limbu (lemon juice) or ¼ teaspoon aamchur (mango powder)

The vaghaar (cooking):

5 tablespoon tel (oil)

½ teaspoon rai (mustard seeds)

½ teaspoon jiru (cumin seeds)

1/8 teaspoon hing (asafetida)

Optional toppings:

some garam masaalaa (optional)

some sesame seeds (optional)

some grated coconut (optional)

1. Mix the chickpea flour, green chili, coriander-cumin, turmeric, salt, sugar, 4 tablespoon of oil and lemon juice.

2. If the vegetables chosen are stuff-able (such as eggplant, okra, onions or potatoes) stuff some of the mix into the slits cut.

3. Heat the 5 tablespoon of oil in a non-stick pan, adding mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and asafetida. Wait for the seeds to start popping.

4. Add the vegetables. Sprinkle the flour-and-spice-mix over the vegetables. Now is also the time to add the optional spices.

5. Cover and cook over low heat for 10-15 minutes. Do not mix.

6. Mix and let cook for 5 minutes.