I cannot write enough of my love for eggplants and neither can I get enough of them. Lately, I have been trying to make dishes that are not really a gravy but not too dry either. The advantage is that they can be wrapped in rotis and taken for packed lunch. This is one such dish where if you prefer, you can increase the quantity of tomato and make it a gravy or keep it semi dry. I made this using a Spanish eggplant but you could use any variety you manage to lay your hands on. I decided to give the dish some freshness and for this reason I roasted some coriander seeds and to give it some texture, I coarsely crushed it in the mortar and pestle. If you are using the Spanish eggplant you may be tempted to add a lot of oil but just hold back as adding salt soon after you add the eggplant can do the trick of releasing the juices from it an dletting it cook without burning. Although the list of ingredients seems long the process itself is short and quick. Here is my recipe...
1 eggplant thinly sliced into long pieces
1 onion finely chopped
1 tsp jeera, turmeric
1 teaspoon kasoori methi
Ginger and about 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
2 tomatoes finely chopped
½ tsp tamarind paste
2 tablespoon coriander seeds
4 dry red chillies
2green chillies, finely chopped
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
Coriander leaves, finely chopped to garnish
Turmeric powder
Salt to taste
Cooking oil
Roast coriander seeds and dry red chillies and powder coarsely
Heat some oil in a skillet and add cumin seeds, once it browns add onions, garlic, ginger, green chillies, little salt and cook until onion softens
Add eggplants and tomatoes, tamarind paste and required salt and turmeric powder add little water and let it cook. Cooking covered speeds up the process and also seems to enhance the consistency.
Add kasoori methi and ground coriander-chilly powder and cook for 3-5 minutes
Add coriander leaves, serve
If you want a gravy consistency, increase tomato quantity and also more water after adding kasoori methi and coriander-chilly powder
Slurp, fingerlicking baingan bhaji..
ReplyDeleteNice one ... I made white pumpkin morekozhambu and kathirikkai adachacurry today for lunch. Even I love brinjals crazily and I will try your recipe surely.
ReplyDeleteFor adacha curry - I make a powder of 8 long red chillies, 1 tsp jeera, 1 tsp fenugreek seeds and 1 1/2 tablespoon coriander seeds, 1 1/2 bengal gram dal (all roasted and ground in mixer)- all this for 400 gm of purple, small brinjal. Then I slit the brinjals (making a cross on them after cutting the stem off), stuff them with this powder/mixed with salt, fry them in a kadai with 3 tsp oil, mustard seeds, curry leaves, with some water to soften and cook the brinjals well.
Love the way u use kasoori methi :) I am a big fan of it. Great recipe, Veena :)
ReplyDeleteJust made it. Was wonderful. :)
ReplyDelete