Roasted Potatoes & Aubergines with Barnyard Millet

A dish well-cooked is a day well spent!!

And so it started with the potatoes and aubergines going into the tandoor till they came out all grilled and charry. This particular smoky, tandoori, roasty flavours were floating in my mind for a while. But I wasn’t very sure of the best seasoning for it. And then while tinkering in the kitchen, it came at a moment of inspiration. So this is how it went…

The first layer of the mashed and roasted potatoes is seasoned with an intense and hot home-made harissa. The flavours that are released from fresh ingredients beats store bought bottled sauces and dips hands down.

Now the heat of the harissa had to be offset with a complementary and subtle seasoning. So, the next layer of roasted aubergines is refreshed with lemon, celery and chives. The mild flavours not only enhance but accentuate the smokiness of aubergines.

Last goes the cilantro flavoured Barnyard millet with a sprinkling of toasted seasame. The millet is cooked separately so as to make it fluffier by discarding the excess starch water. However, cooking in too much water will take away all nutrients and flavours from the cereal, which would be a food crime. The cooked millet is then tossed in a green paste of cilantro, lemon and some green chillies. I gave it a quick saute to infuse the flavours.

Putting some potato crisps on the side adds that perfect crunch to complete this roasted potato dish.

#cookedwithpassion #servedwithlove #soulspice