Hyderabadiiiii Bagara Baingan March 20, 2008

This is another typical hyderabadi dish which goes quite well with biryani. With a rich gravy made of peanuts, coconut powder and sesame seeds, it gets tastier the day after it is made same like biryani.. I tried different versions of this dish but this is the one i liked the best so far. Its quite important that the stuffed brinjals are fried well and there is no rawness left in the brinjals and taste of the stuffing goes right into the heart of the brinjal!!  Well..here goes the recipe..

Ingredients

2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
3/4 tsp chilli powder
1/2 cup thick tamarind pulp
1 large onion
4 green chillies

For stuffing
1/2 cup coconut
1/4 cup peanuts
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp cummin seeds
Salt to taste

Method

• Wash and clean each brinjal. Make two slits(plus sign) in each brinjal from base towards stalk end without separating quarters. Don’t remove the stalk.  Soak the brinjals in salted water for 10 minutes.
• In the meantime, roast coconut, peanuts,sesame seeds, coriandar seeds and cumin seeds. Cool and grind it into a coarse powder. Add little salt and mix well.
• Now take each brinjal and stuff the powder into the slits and keep them aside.
• Grind chopped onion and green chili into a smooth paste.
• Heat oil, drop the stuffed brinjals into hot oil, shake the pan from time to time and lift out brinjals when they change colour. This process will take at least 15-20 minutes on medium high heat. Make sure that brinjal pieces are not torn off. Better use a tong to rotate the brinjals.
• Take another pan and add oil and cumin and curry leaves. Once they splutter, add ginger garlic paste and fry.
• Add  ground onion and green chilli paste and fry till oil seperates and the paste becomes light brown in color.
• Add the remaining stuffing and mix it well.  After few minutes, slowly add the brinjals, then add salt, tamarind pulp and sufficient water to cook the brinjals till tender but firm.  It will take at least 15 minutes on medium high.

Serve hot with mutter pulav or plain rice!

Vankai Chutney February 10, 2008

Today’s special recipe is brinjal or vankai pacchadi. I remember whenever my mom used to make this chutney in the kitchen..i could recognize the smell from the distance..and i used to just pick a plate..put some rice and thats it..wait wait till the chutney is complete. :) Best thing about this chutney is the lemon flavour and that tantilising taste of roasted brinjal. Well…here is the recipe and try it out for yourself.

Ingredients:

Big oval shaped brinjal [2 small ones or 1 medium to big size]
3 green chillies
3 dry red chillies
1/2 tsp urad dal
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp jeera or fennel seeds
2-3 methi seeds or fenugreek seeds
3 pinches of inguva (hing)
A Pinch of turmeric
Juice of 1 full lemon

Equipments needed for this recipe

1. Small pan

2. Grinder

Preparation time: 30 mins

Cook time: 5 mins

Method :

Roasted brinjal

The chutnery..is ready!!

 

Brinjal Chutney

1. Apply 2 drops of oil and spread it evenly on the entire surface of vankai. It should be shiny once you are done  applying the oil.

2. Place the brinjal on the smallest burner / ring on your stove top, keep the heat level to medium. This is the roasting process . Although one can roast the brinjal in oven too..but this seems more simple and easy. If the brinjal is tender then it should take about 20 mins to roast. You might want to turn the brinjal to different sides [like we do when we grill] so all the skin is roasted. You can tell that brinjal is roasted when you can see the skin falling off and the brinjal is reduced to 1/3 of its size.

3. Shut the stove and put the brinjals on a plate so they can cool. Once they cool, remove the skin and separate out the flesh of brinjal. This is what will be used in chutney.  While the brinjals are roasting, you can do the popu/tadka part.

4. In a pan , take about 1.5 tbsp of vegetable oil, add mustard seeds, urad dal, jeera, 2-3 menthulu, 3 dried red chillies, 3 green chillies , 3 pinches of inguva , curry leaves. Once they start spluttering and seeds are turning brown, remove from heat and add a pinch of turmeric. Let it cool,

5. The final step is to mix the roasted flesh of brinjal to the popu , squeeze juice of one lemon on it and give a rough grind so you can still see the popu seeds and thats it..vankai pacchadi is done!!!

Note : You can also roast brinjal in a preheated oven (350 degrees). for 1 hour. 

This is a great recipe , goes well with rice, parathas, chapattis, fulkas or even bread.

Brinjal Tomato Curry December 12, 2007

This  is another typical andhra recipe.  

Brinjal /Eggplant Tomato curry
 
Ingredients

8-10 small eggplants chopped into uniform pieces
1 medium /large size tomato
1 onion chopped
5-6 green chillies
1/2 tsp chopped ginger
10 curry leaves
4 red chillies
optional garlic clove
 
1/4 tsp  mustard
1/2 tsp urad dal
1/2 tsp chana dal
1/2 tsp jeera
 pinch of turmeric
2 tbs oil

Method 

• In a pan add 2 tsp oil, when oil is sufficiently hot, add mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal, and jeera. when dal begins to turn brown, add red chillies and curry leaves. add ginger /garlic and stir. 
• Add chopped onions and green chillies. once onions begin to turn brown, add eggplant slices and mix well . Add turmeric and salt and keep mixing and cover with lid.
• Once the eggplant pieces are all tender, add diced tomato pieces. add more salt if needed and some chilli powder.
• Add chopped coriander and serve hot with chapatis.

Brinjal Curry October 16, 2007

This is a delicious recipe and highly simple one to make.

Ingredients

8 small brinjals
4 green chillies
1 onion
Curry leaves
1/2 teaspoon of ginger/garlic paste
Putnalu pappu powder – 2 tablespoon
Popu or Tadka

1 teaspoon Mustard seeds
1 teaspoon Urad daal
1 teaspoon chana dal
1 teaspoon jeera
2 red chillies
Red chilli powder
Salt
Turmeric

Method

Wash the brinjals properly and cut them lengthwise. Its better to put the cut pieces in salt water as it will help in getting rid of the bitter taste. Cut onions and green chillies and keep it aside.
Take a deep pan and add some vegetable oil. Add mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add chana dal, urad dal, jeera and red chillies. Keep stirring and after they become a little brownish in color, add onion, green chillies and curry leaves. Add ginger garlic paste. Let the onions cook for a while. Keep stirring it until onions become soft and translucent.

Add the brinjal pieces and stir so that the pieces are covered with oil. Let them cook for a while. After they become a little bit tender, add salt, red chilli powder and a pinch of turmeric. Again for next 10 mintutes, cover it with lid and let it cook.
In the end when the pieces are properly cooked, add the putnalu powder and mix it well. You can add an extra teaspoon of oil because the powder will absorb the oil. Cook for 5 minutes and more and thats it its done! Serve hot with rice or chapati! Enjoy!

Brinjal Chutney (vankai pachadi) October 11, 2007

Today’s special recipe is brinjal or vankai pacchadi. I remember whenever my mom used to make this chutney in the kitchen..i could recognize the smell from the distance..and i used to just pick a plate..put some rice and thats it..wait wait till the chutney is complete. Best thing about this chutney is the lemon flavour and that tantilising taste of roasted brinjal. 

Basic ingredients are big oval shaped brinjal ,green chillies, dry red chillies,urad dal,mustard seeds
jeera, methi seeds,hing powder, a pinch of turmeric

For more detailed recipe, please email at saroja@kitchen-kollections.com