Of Amrapali and Baked Vegetables

Tucked away in between a small flower shop and some houses, but right off the ever popular F.C. Road in Pune, is a punjabi restaurant - Amrapali. I've such fond memories of eating at this place. Just thinking about it makes me smile.

Vaishali (for the uninitiated - again a restaurant on F.C. Road ) being the favorite joint of students and the locals alike, is just a few steps away. A post on Vaishali some other day.

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All the years that I went to Amrapali with my family, I never once deterred from my two favorites out there - Baked Vegetable & Palak Paneer. Yes, as is customary with almost everyone, I tried to duplicate that taste at home time and again. Never did it reach the zenith that I had tasted in the Baked Veg out there and my attempts continue......

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The white sauce gravy was just the right consistency, not too thick nor too runny, it had a slight sweetish tinge and was BLISS! One bite into it was enough to melt away your blues (well at that time not being given a rose by someone you secretly admired on the college rose-day was one of the biggest "tension's" of life!!!). Food was always served with small onions in sirka(vinegar), ooh gives me the goose bumps. The naan, fresh out of the tandoor was light and flaky.

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If anyone out there knows the exact recipe of this dish please send it to me and I'll forever be indebted to you :-)

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Now to my recipe-

1 carrot, 1 potato, 10 beans, 2 cauliflower florets - chopped

1/4 cup peas

1 onion sliced

1 tbsp chopped green bell pepper

salt & pepper as per taste

1 tbsp all purpose flour

1 cup milk

2tbsp butter

3 tbsp grated cheese

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Steam potato, carrot, beans and cauliflower till done, but not mushy.

Heat butter, add onion & saute a minute. Add bell pepper and saute till cooked but still has a crunch. Add all purpose flour & cook till raw smell disappears. Reduce flame and add milk, stir and cook till thick on medium flame. Add cooked vegetables, salt & pepper. I add some sugar for a little sweetish taste. I know of some friends who add finely chopped green chilly to the butter, that's entirely up to you. Bake it in a 350C oven till cheese is bubbly.

Enjoy Baked Vegetables with garlic bread!

The picture does not do justice to this dish, but nonetheless, it was quite good.

I've not been to Amrapali in quite a few years now, but hope to visit it on my next trip home and hope that they still have that magic in their Baked Veg!!!