Indian Style Veggie Lasagna

This is a multi step process at the least for me, if there is an easier way to get the same results then I don't know how, and would love to find out. unfortunately, this works every single time and lately i do not find myself adventurous enough to try out new methods, so I stick to the one that works.

Important: These steps are not in chronological order, I am just stating them here, you decide what makes more sense for you to do when, you will just need all these things ready when you start assembling your lasagna. usually I will start them all together so that they are done together too.

Step 1:

Boil the lasagna sheets and keep aside.


Step 2:
Grill the vegetables : Zucchini, Red, Green, Orange Bell peppers,
onions if you like, and pretty much anything else you want. Dice them and keep aside.

Step 3: Grate or cut lots of fresh Mozzarella Cheese. The pics here will show cut rounds but I think i was just being lazy, grate it :)



Step 4: The tomato sauce:

• Heat oil, add Cumin, whole black peppercorns, cinnamon, bay leaf, grated ginger and fry for a bit.
• Add diced red onions and cook till translucent.
• Add lots of diced tomatoes and cook till the oil separates.
• Now add your favourite Indian masala(s) I like to use my ready made Shahi paneer masala, along with some garam masala, kasuri methi, deghi mirchi powder, coriander powder, salt etc and cook a little more.
  
• Add enough milk and cook to make a smooth consistency for the sauce. Keep aside

Step 4: The Spinach Filling:

• Heat some oil in a pan, add cumin, ginger, garlic and saute for a couple of minutes.
  
• I now use this alu masala that I get from Delhi but in lieu of that you could use some turmeric, coriander powder, red pepper powder, garam masala, black sesame seeds, saunf etc.
• Immediately add washed and cut spinach, you don't want the masalas to burn too much.
• Now add a whole tub of good ricotta cheese to the mixture and keep aside.

Assembly:

• Put some tomato sauce at the bottom of your oven proof dish.
• 
• 
  
• Add a layer of the boiled lasagna sheets
• 
  
• A layer of your tomato sauce

• A layer of the diced grilled veggies
• 

• A layer of fresh mozzarella cheese - the kind with high
• 
• 
  
• humidity levels.

• Another layer of the boiled lasagna sheets

• A layer of the spinach ricotta mixture
• Another layer of lasagna sheets and the tomato sauce.

• A final layer of regular mozzarella cheese (grated is better than cut up) and some butter pieces.
• Bake till the cheese melts, or a little longer, but since all the individual components are already cooked you do not have to worry about the baking part too much, unless you made the whole thing up earlier, kept it in the fridge and are now getting it ready to serve, in which case bake till it is heated through.
• Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves and serve hot I guess. Gosh that is such a cliche to write. argh! Besides I need to learn how to take better pictures of food. I guess there is a reason why they show it in those amazing containers and paraphernalia in the books. hmm... next project.