Brinjal Delicacies

Quick Dahi Baingan

1. Used the big purple brinjal. In a kadai, add oil, cut brinjal and toss until all the pieces catch the oil. Add salt and ginger garlic paste and toss a little. Cook with closed lid until the brinjal is soft.

2. Once the pieces are cooked, transfer into another bowl. In the kadai, add oil, dry masalas (cloves, cardamom and cinnamon) and fry a little. Add turmeric and kashmiri chilli powder and fry until the raw smell of the turmeric is gone.

3. Remove the kadai off the heat and once it is at room temperature, add curd and mix well with spices. This avoids the curd from curdling. Add lots of water and mix well.

4. Put the kadai back on heat. Add the cooked brinjal pieces, coriander, pudina and curry leaves. Bring the mixture to boil.

5. Once the water reduces to half, add garam masala and coriander powder and cook with closed lid until the water evaporates. The dish is slightly sour and earthy (kammadanam).

Elaborate Dahi Baingan

1. In a kadai, add oil, cut Baingan and toss until all the pieces catch the oil. Cook with closed lid on low flame until the Baingan is soft and cooked. Take it into a dish.

2. In the same kadai, add oil, jeera, hing and let it splutter. Add finely chopped onions and ginger garlic paste and fry until cooked.

3. Add two spoons of besan and fry until the raw smell goes. Add turmeric, chilli powder, coriander powder, and garam masala and fry until it starts leaving oil.

4. Now add little water and when the spices are mixed well, add curd that is already beaten. The water added earlier prevents the curd from curdling.

5. Keep stirring until the raw curd taste is gone. Add the cooked Baingan and cook on medium with a closed lid until oil separates.

6. Garnish with coriander and kasuri methi.

Vankaya Gasagasalu

1. Cut the brinjals length wise to medium sized pieces.

2. Heat oil in a kadai, add the brinjal and cook on low flame with a covered lid until the pieces turn soft and the brinjal is well cooked.

3. Remove the pieces and in the left over oil, from ginger garlic paste and curry leaves.

4. Once the paste is fried, add the brinjals back, add salt, chilli powder, turmeic and toss. Add ground poppy seeds and toss.

5. Add water and bring to boil. Close with a lid. Add a small jaggery piece to ad depth to the flavour,

6. Once the gravy has thickened, add garam masala, adjust the taste, garnish with kasuri methi, coriander and pudina leaves.

Brinjal Roast

1. Cut egg plants into disks and put the disks in a bowl.

2. To the bowl add salt, turmeric, chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and rub the mixture on both sides of the egg plant. Keep the bowl closed. The disks start sweating and absorb the spices.

3. After about 30 mins, take a flat kadai. Add oil generously. Add curry leaves and fry until they turn crisp.

4. Place the disks in a single layer on the kadai. Cook evenly on both sides, turning occasionally. Once the egg plant changes color and can be cut with the cooking spoon quite smoothly, take the disks out.

5. Microwave if needed before serving.

Gutti Vankaya

1. Cut the brinjals into 4 parts, keeping the stalks on. Take a bowl of water, add salt, add the brinjals and put it on the stove on simmer. The water should remain luke warm.

2. Meanwhile in a kadai, add little oil and roast the following — ground nuts about 3 tsp, 1 tsp sesame seeds, 1 tsp coriander seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, some methi seeds, hing, cinnamon, laung, elachi, coconut pieces.

3. Once all the above are roasted, transfer into mixer, add ginger garlic paste, small onion, salt, turmeric, chilli powder and grind into a smooth paste.

4. Remove the brinjals from water, stuff them and keep aside.

5. In a kadai, add oil generously and then add mustard seeds and hing. Once mustard splutters add curry leaves and fry until they are crispy.

6. Place the brinjals in the kadai, and saute them gently. They should have oil on all sides. Now cover the lid and let the brinjals cook until the color changes. The brinjals need to be watched and turned over carefully.

7. Once the brinjals are reasonably soft, add the remaining gravy, tamarind juice, lots of water and cover with a lid.

8. From here, it takes about 30 mins to cook. The brinjals should be ready to fall from the stalks. The oil should have separated.

Vankaya Kaaram Koora

1. Cut the brinjals into 4 parts

2. Add oil to a kadai and add the brinjal, salt and let them cook until tender.

3. Take out to a bowl.

4. Add onion paste, ginger garlic paste and fry extremely well. The more the cook, the better the taste.

5. Add turmeric, chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala and fry more.

6. Add tamarind paste and water and the fried brinjal and bring to boil.

7. Add jaggery and cook until the dish leaves oil.