Punjabi tadka: Baingan ka bartha

Since today is the end of the week and I feel so energised to cook something extravagant I went through my fridge and found two eggplants sitting comfortably in the box. I wonder how it got there, cause i don't ever remember buying one of these from my trip to the market...My husband must have got them seeing how he loves to eat this king of vegetables...that is what it is called as such...

Some little facts about this wonderful vegetable are as follows. It is called the eggplant, aubergine, melongene, brinjal or guinea squash or nightshades and is a native of India. The fruit is botanically classified as a berry and contains numerous small, soft seeds which are edible, but have a bitter taste because they contain nicotinoid alkaloids; this is unsurprising as it is a close relative of tobacco.

Enough of facts, though interesting it is getting me hungry. So lets start cooking. Todays recipe is Baingan ka bartha, to put it in layman terms it is Smashed Eggplant curry....This dish is very popular in Punjab and it takes its roots from there....This works wonders with a nice roti....

Things you need are:1 medium Baigan (eggplant), 1 Finely chopped onions, 2 Finely chopped tomatoes, 1 Finely chopped green chilli , 1/2 tsp Red chilli powder, 1/2 tsp Garam Masala Powder, 1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder, 1/2 tsp dried mango powder, 3 tbsp Vegetable oil , Salt to taste , Chopped green coriander leaves for garnishing

How to make it: 

There are two steps to this curry. First, you have to roast the eggplant till the skin chars. To do that, brush baigan (eggplant) with oil and roast it on a gas burner over medium heat or use a grill too. Frequently turn the eggplant upside down, until fully roasted. Once done, hold it under cold running water or in a bowl full of water. Cool it and peel off the blackened skin. 

Second and the final step towards making this mouthwatering curry is to mash the flesh of the eggplant and keep aside. I prefer to add some amchoor or dry mango powder to get rid of its bitterness and some turmeric powder to avoid further blackening.

Now to make the curry,heat oil in a pan/kadai . Add green chilli and onion and fry over medium heat until light golden brown. Add tomatoes and cook until tender. Now add the mashed baigan (eggplant) and fry till the baigan is coated well and oil starts to separate, this should take about 5-7 minutes over medium heat. Then add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala and salt and stir. Garnish the baigan bharta with green coriander leaves and serve hot.

Note: People who don't love the eggplant and have nightmares of eating this beautiful vegetable you should try this recipe. I hate eggplants but manage to eat this curry as it doesnt look like an eggplant in the end.

 

Hyderabadi Style: Mirch ka salan

This morning when I went shopping for some fresh veggies my eyes fell on this luscious green long chillies, not the regular short, small spicy one but the longer and fatter version of green chillies. I bought some thinking I would make my hubi a Mirch ka salan with rotis for tonight's dinner since he loves spices so much.....

So here it goes.....the process is quite simple but it involves a lot of ingredients to make it nice and spicy.... 

Things you need for the gravy: 200 gms long green chillies, 1 tsp jeera, 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds, 1/4 tsp nigella seeds , 6 curry leaves , 1/4 tsp turmeric powder , 2 tbsp coriander-cumin seeds (dhania-jeera) powder, 2 tsp chilli powder, 4 tbsp tamarind water, 2 tbsp chopped corriander, 5 tbsp oil, salt to taste

To be ground into a paste: 6 cloves of garlic, 12 mm. (1/2") piece ginger, 1 onion, 2 tomatoes, 3 tbsp grated coconut

For the dry powder: 2 tbsp roasted peanuts, 2 tbsp sesame seeds, 1 tbsp cumin seeds 

How to do it:

For the dry powder:  Roast the peanuts, sesame seeds and cumin seeds lightly. Remove and powder.

For the gravy: Heat the oil in a kadai. Wash and slit the green chillies. Remove the seeds and fry in hot oil until they turn white. Remove. In the same oil, add the cumin seeds, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, nigella seeds and curry leaves. Cook until the seeds crackle. Add the paste of onions and tomatoes and fry for a while. Add the turmeric and coriander-cumin seed powder, chilli powder and dry powder masala. Cook for a few minutes until the oil comes on the top. Add 2 cups of water and the tamarind water and cook until thick. Add the fried green chillies, coriander and salt and cook for a few minutes. The gravy should be thick. Serve hot.

 

 

 Note: This dish doesnt work good with green capsicum or bell peppers.....