Vini's Brinjal rice

Saute onions, then chopped eggplant until cooked.  Put some powder (Vini uses Iyengar's Bisibele bath pwdr, can also use sambar pwdr).  Add chopped coriander and peas. 

Week 26 - Stuffed Baingan

Ingredients

6-8 small baingan, split crosswise

1/4 cup peanuts

2 tsp sesame seeds

3-4 dry red chillies

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp coriander seeds

Can add 1 tsp flax seeds if you have

Dry roast the above.  Grind to a fine powder.  To the powder add:

Turmeric powder

2 tsp tamarind paste

2 tbsp finely minced onion

Salt

Mix everything well.

Stuff the baingan with above paste.  You can cook it in a skillet or pressure cooker or instant pot.  Pop some mustard seeds in oil, add a little chopped onion and fry.  Then add the baingan, any leftover stuffing and 1/2 cup water.  In instant pot, pressure cook on low pressure for 4 mins and then quick release. 

 Week 17 - Curried eggplant rice

Ingredients 

3/4 basmati or other rice

      * Wash the rice well and soak for 30 minutes. Drain.

1/2 tsp turmeric

3 brinjals or 1/2 small eggplant - cut into thick strips

salt, 1/2 tbsp water

      * Combine the turmeric, salt and water in a shallow bowl. Add the eggplant strips and coat well. 

1 1/2 tbsp sesame seeds

6 black peppercorns (maybe less - 6 may make it too spicy

3/4 tbsp coriander seeds

4 cloves

small piece cinnamon

       * Dry roast above and grind to a powder.

2 1/2 tbsp sesame oil

1/4 cup cashews

1/4 tbsp ginger, minced

1 tsp green chillies, minced

2 cardamom pods, slightly crushed

1/4 tsp mustard seeds

curry leaves, salt to taste

1/4 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp sugar

1 cup water (approx)

chopped coriander leaves

Method

• Heat oil over moderate heat. Fry the cashews, remove and set aside.
• Add the mustard seeds to the oil. When it pops, add ginger, green chillies and cardamom pods. Add the curry leaves and the brinjal/eggplant.
• Stir-fry for a few minutes until the brinjal begins to brown.
• Add the uncooked rice and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the water, spice powder, salt, lemon juice, sugar, fried cashews and half of the chopped coriander. 
• Reduce the heat to very low, cover with a tight fitting lid and gently simmer, without stirring, for 20-25 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed.
• Turn off the heat and let the rice sit covered for 5 minutes.
• Just before serving, remove the cover, sprinkle in the remaining coriander and mix.

 Week 10 - Chow Chow kootu

Recipe from onehotstove blog

Method

    1. Make a thick paste of

         1 tsp. mustard seeds
        5-6 peppercorns
        8-10 fenugreek seeds
        2 tbsp. coriander seeds
        3 tbsp. fresh/frozen grated coconut

    2. In a pan, heat 1 tbsp. oil. Temper it with

        ¹⁄₂ tsp. mustard seeds
        ¹⁄₂ tsp. turmeric
        ¹⁄₂ tsp. red chilli powder
        Pinch of asafetida
        Sprig of curry leaves

    3. Add the following vegetables (or other vegetables that you have on hand) and saute well

        1 large carrot, diced
        2 Japanese eggplants, diced
        1 large potato, diced

    4. Add salt to taste, a little water and cover and cook the vegetables until they are barely tender.

    5. Stir in

        1 tsp. tamarind paste
        2 tsp. tomato pickle 
        Ground spice paste

    6. Cook for a few more minutes.

 Week 5 recipe - Spicy chickpea and eggplant stew

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 3 large eggplant, cubed
• 1 cup chickpeas, soaked overnight
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 3 * 14 ounce cans chopped tomatoes (about 10 fresh tomatoes)
• salt and freshly ground pepper

For the garnish

• 2 tbsps olive oil
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 garlic clove, sliced
• sprigs of cilantro

1. Place the eggplant in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Set the colander in a bowl and let sit for 30 mts to allow the bitter juices to escape. Rinse and dry.
2. Boil the chickpeas till tender. Drain.
3. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add garlic and onion and cook until soft. Add the spices and cook, stirring for a few seconds. Stir in the eggplant and cook for 5 mts. Add the tomatoes and chickpeas and season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 20 mts.
4. To make the garnish, heat the oil in a frying pan and when very hot, add the onion and garlic. Fry until golden and crisp. Serve the stew with rice, topped with the garnish. 

Can also have this dish with rotis. Add some chilli paste to make it spicier. 

Bagara Baingan

450 gms Brinjals
5 gm red chillies
115 gms coconut
15 gms coriander seeds
5 gms garlic
5 gms sesame seeds
225 gms onions
115 gms tamarind
5 gms jaggery
Mustard seeds
Turmeric pwdr
Curry leaves

Wash brinjal without breaking the stem.  Cut lengthwise so that brinjal still remains whole.  Heat oil and fry brinjal till the skin becomes brown.  Remove and keep aside.  Fry onions with the coriander seeds and red chillies.  Grind it with the coconut and garlic.  Extract tamarind pulp and add to the ground paste.  Roast sesame seeds separately and powder.  In a little oil, saute the paste well.  Add the brinjal and sesame seed powder.  Cover and cook till gravy thickens.  Add jaggery.  Tadka mustard seeds and curry leaves in ghee and pour over the curry.

Eggplant Kothsu

I made this kothsu for D the other day and she loved it. K also had some with rice and he said it was not bad. Considering he hates eggplant, that was high praise indeed! 

Eggplant Kothsu

1/4 eggplant, chopped (I used the long purple one)
1 tomato, chopped
2 green chillies, slit
1/3 tsp tamarind pulp
1 tsp sambar powder
curry leaves, 1 sprig
mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp
salt
hing
cilantro
oil

Heat oil and burst mustard seeds. Add eggplant and stir. When it is partially cooked, add tomatoes, curry leaves, green chillies and cilantro. After two minutes, add sambar powder and hing. Stir. Now add tamarind pulp, salt and 2 cups water and allow to boil well. Simmer till it reaches required consistency. This goes well with upma, ven pongal etc.

Baingan Achaari

Another recipe from Nita Mehta's zero oil cookbook.

Baingan Achaari

7 eggplants (I used the long, thin purple eggplant)
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
2 sprigs curry leaves
5 ripe tomatoes, chopped finely
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
salt, to taste
1/2 tsp garam masala

Tempering
pinch of hing
1 tsp fennel
1/2 tsp onion seeds (kalonji)
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds

Cut eggplant into half lengthwise and then cut each piece diagonally into two pieces. Sprinkle salt and keep aside for 15 minutes. Wash.
Heat a pan. Add all the tempering ingredients and stir till fenugreek seeds turns brown. Add ginger garlic paste. Stir for a second. Add curry leaves and the chopped tomatoes. Fry till tomatoes are almost dry. Add all the powders and salt. Mix well and then add the eggplants. Cook covered for 15 minutes on medium flame till soft. Serve hot.