Brinjal (Eggplant) Peanut Gravy

I got this recipe from Bairavi (My Sister in Law). If you love Brinjal and are not allergic to peanuts, then you will become a slave for this subji. This is also a great gravy to make when you cannot or should not include garlic and onions, Works well on the menu for Pooja's at home.

To make about 6 servings of this...

You will need
Brinjals- 10
Peanuts - 1 Cup
Red Chili Powder - 1 Teaspoon or more if you want it spicier
Dhania Powder - 1 Teaspoon or more if you like extra flavor
Salt - to taste
Brown Sugar or Grated Jaggery - 2 Teaspoons
Oil- 2 to 3 teaspoons
Mustard seeds - 1/2 Teaspoon
Red Chili - 2 slit
Hing- 1 dash or two
Curry leaves - one to two strands

Method
---> Roast the peanuts in the microwave, by spreading them on a microwavable plate, and keeping it for 4 minutes, a minute at a time. At the end of each minute, open and move the peanuts with a spoon and put back in the microwave.
---> The peanuts are roasted when they get a slightly golden hue on them, let cool.
---> Once the peanuts are cool to touch put them in the food processor and make a corse to fine powder.
---> Add some chili powder, dhania powder and salt to this and mix well.
--->Wash the brinjals and slit the top in 4 so you can stuff this powder in it.
---> Stuff all brinjals and save the extra powder.

---> In a thick bottom pan, add the oil and the msutard leaves and once they sputter add the red chili and then add the hing and the curry leaves,
---> Now add the stuffed brinjals and saute them for 5 to 10 nminutes, add the rest of the powder and water, enough to cover the brinjals well and cover and cook for 20 to 25 minutes
---> At the end add some jaggery or brown sugar to the gravy.

Make sure the vegetables are cooked well. You can insert a fork in to one of the thickest brinjals, it should go in very easily, if they are not cooked add some more water and cook for some more time.

This tastes so good with hot rotis or Rice........... mmmmmmmmmm :)

Brinjal / Eggplant Vethakuzhambu/ Spicy Gravy

This is another version of the vethakuzhambu made with Green Brinjals! Follow the same proceedure as the Onion Vethakuzhambu, execept replace onions with green Brinjals.
Even the purple one can be used to make this.

My mom would say the expression "then il iruntha pala cholai" meaning, the brinjals taste as good as a jackfuit soaked in Honey! whenever she made this.

I have made this in a Kal Chetti. This is a vessel carved out of a single stone.It is made of a stone called soap stone We used to play with this stone, by using it like a chalk. This has to be cured before using. This particular one I made the gravy is my mom's/

Here is my collection of this utensil

You can read more about this or buy some modern versions here.

As you can see, I have to cure the last two, but the three on the left side,are well used.
Food prepared in this stays hot for a long time. Vetha Kuzhambu, Spinach Kootu, Any Kootu tastes exceptional.




I have some storage jars, in which I store some fresh pickles....

Kathrikai Podi Curry (Brinjal Curry)

I was in New Jersey the past week visiting my cousins. Had a nice break and now back to blogging :)


There are so many ways to prepare Brinjal, this is one of my favorites (Who am I kidding, I can eat Brinjal any way it is made :)


This curry is generally made with small Indian Brinjals, but you can make them with other kinds, but you have got to cut them in 1 inch and small pieces. But the indian ones don't have any water in them so it will not become soggy, with other kinds, they have so much water content in them, it is hard to make them crispy.



Items You Need
Brinjals small -- 15 (approximate)
(cut in 4)
Oil -- 4 to 5 tsps
Mustard Seeds -½ Tsp
Salt as needed
For the Powder
¼ Cup Channa Dal
½ Cup Coriander Seeds
Red Chillies-2
Green Chili-1
Salt as needed
Method
-->In a tawa, add ½tsp oil, and add the channa dal and Coriander Seeds and the chillies and fry till the channa dal is golden brown and the coriander seeds starts getting light brown. (You should be able to smell the coriander, and at the same time you should not burn it!)
Carefully put this in your mixture, add some salt to this and make a powder.
-->In, the same Tawa, add the rest of the oil, and add mustard seeds.
--> Once they sputter, add the cut brinjals, and salt, and then fry for about 5 minutes in low fire
--> now add the powder to this and mix well and cover and cook in low fire for 15 to 20 minutes

You may garnish with Curry leaves and coriander, but, I just came back from my trip, so didn't have any, but this tasted delicious!!!!

The Lonely Brinjal----> Brinjal Raita!!

Hmmm, What do you do with one brinjal?
well, this is a japanese brinjal hence the size is a medium.
I roasted it on an open fire this time, (did not want to start the oven for ONE brinjal!)















It is roasted on all sides now. I have peeled the skin on one side, so as to spoon out the insides.















I have started spooning out. You have to be careful so as not to take any of the burnt skin away. Do this when you have a lot of concentration!
















It is all spooned out in a nice looking bowl!
















The next step is add a little salt, and about 3 to 4 tablespoons of curd.
Take some oil and add some mustard seeds, green chillies, red chillies and curry leaves and let it all sputter and pour it over the mixture,
you have your very own, Brinjal raita ready to eat!

Upma Kozhukkattai and Kathrikkai Gothsu

My Entry for Vegetable of the week for creativepooja.blogspot.com

This is one of the recipes I made for my golu dinners.

One of the most easiest and tastiest dish.

This is basically Rice upma, but made in a slightly different way.

Kozhukkattai means "modhak" or "dumplings ". There is no stuffing inside this, but since it is in a kind of ball or oval shape, it is called kozhukkattai. I learnt this from my Mother in Law, Mrs Meena Ganesan.

For the Upma Kozhukkattai you will need

A steamer, A kadai.

I used my electric rice cooker, it has a steamer attachment.

1/2 Cup Cream of Rice

2 to 3 tsps oil

1/2 tsp of mustard seeds

2 Green Chillies (slit)

1 Red Chillies

About a handful of coconut, cut in tooth shaped pieces

curry leaves, two strands

1 tsp hing

1 and 1/2 tsp of salt (Depends on your taste)

1/2 tsp of Black pepper (Broken in pieces but not finely ground To acheive this you can do it in a mortar and pestle, incase you dont have one, don't fret, get a nice stone, one which will fit in the palm of you hand. Wrap the peppers in a towel and break them with the stone.)

Method

-> a kadai, add oil

->add mustard seeds once the oil is hot

->When the seeds start to sputter, add the Green Chillies, Red Chillies, Black Pepper, Coconut and Curry leaves annd hing,

-> fry for a little time and then add about 1 cup of water

-> Once the water starts to boil, switch the stove off and add the cream of rice slowly so as not form lumps, and then add salt.

-> mix it thoroughly, and it should be thick

-> Do not worry about cooking it since we are going to steam this.

Let it be in the kadai, and close it.

Prepare to steam the upma.

Take a steamer, I use a cloth inside the steamer so it will not get dry.Shape the upma in balls and neatly stack them in your steamer. You may use you idli steamer but make sure the balls dont get smashed by the idli plate. Steam for 15 minutes.

This dish goes best with Brinjal or eggplant Gothsu.

You will need

2 tsp oil

1 big Italian eggplant or 6 small Indian eggplants

1/2 tsp mustard

2 Green Chillies

1 Red chillies

1 strand curry leaves

1/2 tsp hing

1 small ball sized tamarind soaked in 1 cup of water, (extract the water)

Roast the Brinjals in an open fire on your stove or in your oven.

Please look at Baingan Bharta to roast them in the oven. (Do not add the garlic to it.)

Method

In a Kadai, add oil, and then afdter the oil is hot enough, add the mustard,

once the mustard seeds start to sputter, add the chillies and curry leaves and hing.

Turn the stove off.

Scoop out the insde of the brinjals and mix them (with your hand) with the tamarind juice.

Once the eggplant is fully mashed and mixed, add this to the kadai mixture and turn the stove on just to heat the mixture, but not BOIL. This will be done in two to three minutes if you have a gas stove, add salt and take it out and serve with the upma. ENJOY!

Baingan Bharta

You will need

1 brinjal if it is an Italian eggplant.Or 6 small brinjals

1 big onion-chopped finely

2 tomatoes-chopped finely

7 cloves of garlic

a handful of peas

1 tsp jeera

1tsp garam masala

1tsp chili powder

salt to taste

Method

I oil the brinjal and wrap it in foil along with the garlic cloves (in foil) and put it in the oven for 1 hr at 350deg Fah ...

The other option is to roast it over an open fire if you do not have an oven..

Once it is fully roasted, peel the skin and mash the brinjal well. You can squeeze the garlic out of the skin...

In a Kadai, add some oil, put some jeera, and saute, add the onions, fry till light brown, add tomatoes and peas, fry till the tomatoes get mashed, then add the brinjal and garlic , add 1 tsp of garam masala and the chili powder.. and add salt (about one and half tsp)

garnish with fresh corainder and serve while hot.

You can eat this with roti and raita