Hasi huli (Hasi means ‘Raw’ in Kannada) is a typical Udupi style slow cooked dish.This curry is spicy and the hotness comes from green chillies. There is no ground masala or spice powders that go into the dish. All the ingredients are cooked together till they blend well. Consistency of the dish is a thick gravy.The more the brinjals get cooked the better. Absolutely a simple dish to make and a nice accompaniment with Rice, idli or dosa.
Make sure to pick fresh Brinjal. Again, there are varieties of Brinjal available at the market, which one is best? Honestly, hailing from Udupi my pick is Mattu Gulla. Gulla as we locally call them, is a Brinjal variant from Mattu, a small village in Udupi. From my recent visit to Udupi I had these packed back to Bengaluru. Somehow I was not convinced with the texture of the gravy after cooking Hasi huli. As I said the gravy should be thick and mushy, but here you can distinctly see the Brinjal pieces. Though it was cooked well it was not mashed well. The final product was so tasty that I forgot about the texture.
The entire dish when finished is a treat to eyes with mainly greens used in the recipe. Coriander, curry leaves, hing (Asafoetida) infuses a special aroma to the dish spiced with hot chillies cooked with lots of coconut oil. You can substitute refined oil in place of coconut oil, but for that authentic touch I suggest you use coconut oil.
Once ready, savour Brinjal Hasi huli with hot rice topped with coconut oil. This combination is a killer, please do try. If you re not a fan of coconut oil then you may skip it, its just optional. In Udupi and Mangalore region we are so used to top certain dishes with coconut oil, it just takes the dish a level higher. Follow the recipe below and treat yourself to a authentic Udupi style cooking.
Ingredients
- Brinjal 2 large.
- Tamarind paste 1 tbsp.
- Coriander leaves 1 medium bunch.
- Curry leaves 2 strands.
- Asafoetida 1/4 tsp.
- Green chillies 4-5.
- Turmeric 1/2 tsp.
- Jaggery 1/2 tsp.
- Salt to taste.
seasoning
- Urad dal 1/2 tsp.
- Mustard 1/2 tsp.
- Red chilly 1-2.
- Oil (Coconut oil).
Method
- In a thick bottomed pan, add 1 cup of water.
- When the water starts to boil add tamarind paste,salt,jaggery,turmeric,oil and slit green chillies. Use chillies carefully to adjust to your spice level.
- Boil for 5 minutes.
- Add Brinjal and curry leaves. Put little water if the solution feels dry.
- Close the lid and cook for 20 – 25 minutes in low flame till Brinjal becomes soft.
- Now add asafoetida and coriander leaves. Give a stir and let it cook for 5 more minutes.
- Finish it with a aromatic seasoning.