Today’s dish is made from my favourite vegetable, Brinjal. This gravy is blend of peanut, coconut and spices. This aromatic, colourful and flavourful curry draws its inspiration from north Karnataka’s famous dish ‘Badnekai Ennegai’. They make a wonderful accompaniment to the Jolada rotti as it is called in Karnataka or jowar rotti.
Making Roasted Brinjal Curry is bit lengthy, but all your efforts are going to reap you tasty curry. This gravy is made in 3 steps.
1.Roasting spices and grinding them to a fine paste.
2.Stuffing Brinjal and roasting them.
3.Mix cooked Brinjal and gravy.
Make sure you pick fresh Brinjals. I picked baby brinjals as their sight itself was so appetizing and decided to make this dish instantly. In ennegai cooking peanut is one of the main ingredients. It gives a different nutty flavour to the curry. And dry coconut is used there whereas I made use of fresh coconut. dry chilli is used to spice up and whole garam masala for the aroma. Savour Brinjal curry with rice or roti to your hearts content.
Ingredients
- Small Purple Brinjal 8-10.
- Onion 1 large finely chopped.
- Tomato 2 medium size.
- Curry leaves 1 strand.
- Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp.
- Bay leaf 2.
- Turmeric powder 1/2tsp.
- Red chilli powder 1/2tbsp.
- Coriander powder 1/2tbsp.
- Salt.
- Oil 3 tbsp.
- Ghee 1 tbsp.
Ingredients for Masala Paste
- Coriander seeds 1 tbsp.
- Cumin seeds 1/2tsp.
- Urad dal 1/2tsp.
- Fenugreek Seeds(Methi) 1/4 tsp.
- Cinnamon 1/2″ .
- Garlic 2 cloves.
- Ginger 1/2″.
- Cashew nuts 7-8.
- Grated coconut 1/2 cup.
- Peanuts 1/2 cup.
- Dry Red Chillies 4-5.
- Curry Leaves 1 strand.
- Wash the baby brinjals.Slit the Brinjal from base and keep in salt water for 1 hour. Do not remove stalks.
- Dryroast peanuts and keep it aside.
- In the same pan dry roast cumin,coriander,urad dal,Fenugreek seeds,cinnoman,curry leaves and Red chillies and keep it aside.
- Now dry roast coconut,ginger,garlic and cashew nuts.
- Grind all dry roasted ingredients by adding little water and make a thick paste.
- Fill this masala paste into the slit Brinjal and keep the remaining paste aside.
- Grind 2 tomatoes and make a smooth puree.
- In pan heat 1 tbsp ghee and 3 tbsp oil.
- Add mustard once it starts spluttering add bay leaves and curry leaves.
- Now chopped onions; sauté till it becomes brown.
- Add tomato puree and 1/4 cup water . Cook for 4-5 minutes.
- Add turmeric,coriander powder,red chilly powder and salt and cook till oil starts separating.
- Now add the remaining masala paste and mix thoroughly. Add 1/2 cup water mix well(You can add ore water if you want thin gravy).
- Cook for 5 minutes and transfer this gravy to bowl.
- In the same pan put 3 Tbsp oil and heat it.
- Add brinjal and roast it in high flame for 6-7 minutes. Keep flipping it slowly.
- Now add gravy back to this and cook in low flame for 10 minutes.(Adjust the water).
- Serve it hot with Rice or roti.
Method
