Nepali eggplant & red beans

Left side of plate: Eggplant & scallions; right side of plate: red beans.

This will be the first of many Nepali recipes, especially since I am about to spend three weeks in Nepal!

These dishes are very easy to make and the ingredients are super cheap :-)

Nepali red beans
Ingredients:

• Cans of red kidney beans
• Can of tomato paste
• Tomatoes
• Oil (optimal is vegetable/canola oil)
• Onion
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Spice: cinnamon sticks, anise seeds, red chili, bay leaves, turmeric

The amount of each depends on how much you're cooking and how spicy you want it to be. Next time I cook it I'll take pictures of each step and update this to show the amount of ingredients used. Hint: better to use too much garlic, ginger, and spices than too little!

Directions:

1. Heat vegetable oil with some anise seeds and pieces of cinnamon sticks.
2. When the anise seeds start to pop, turn off the heat, add some small pieces of ginger, red chillies and turmeric, and shake with lid on.
3. Add the red kidney beans when the pot is cool, and crushed garlic, tomato paste, water, salt, powdered cumin, coriander, black pepper and cinnamon.
4. Optional: add cubed fresh tomatoes and big bay leaves. Heat to a boil.

Running relevant info on the main ingredients. The serving size (grams given), carbs (grams), dietary fiber (grams), fat (grams), protein (grams), amino acid score, and calcium & iron as percent of daily value.

1. 
   

Nepali eggplant
Ingredients:

• Oil (optimal is vegetable/canola oil)
• Eggplant
• Green onions or leeks
• Crimini mushrooms (optional)
• Spices: turmeric, cumin, coriander, and salt

Directions:

1. Saute chopped mushrooms in oil with turmeric (optional)
2. When oil is hot, add turmeric and place chopped eggplant in pot
3. When eggplant starts browning add chopped leeks.
4. Mix in salt, cumin, and coriander

Running relevant info on the main ingredients. The serving size (grams given), carbs (grams), dietary fiber (grams), fat (grams), protein (grams), amino acid score, and calcium & iron as percent of daily value.

the finished product!