So!! Me and my crazy foodie friends continue the saga of preparing amazing thaalis from different parts of India. This time it was one of my favorites, as I have been born and raised in Maharashtra!
Although a Telugu (Andhraite) originally, the staple food in our house is still Maharashtrian. My Mom adds touches of the South here and there, which makes it even more interesting. This was one of her many other specialties and its also my husbands all time favorite; which makes the dish even more special to me.
Guys, I cannot tell you how amazing this thaali turned out to be! Especially because of the fact that it had one of my most favorite dishes on planet i.e. Pooran Poli and Katachi Amti (Indian bread stuffed with sweet filling made of Chana Daal and Jaggery along with Spicy Lentil Soup on the side). I am yet to learn how to make Puran Poli but my contribution to this thaali was by making Katachi Amti and the very popular Bharli Vangi!! Hope you guys try it and enjoy it!
And the awesome thaali!!
Ingredients:
Indian Eggplant/Brinjal- medium size, 6
For the filling:
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Goda masala or Garam masala - 1 tb sp
Red chilli powder - 1 tb sp or to taste
Coriander powder - 1/2 tbsp
Roasted Jeera powder - 1 t sp
Coriander leaves - 2 sprigs finely chopped
Tamarind paste - 2 t sp
Salt - to taste
Roasted peanut powder - 1 cup
Roasted dry coconut powder - 1/4 cup
For the base:
Red Onions - medium 2-3, finely chopped
Mustard and Cumin seeds - 1 tsp each
Asafoetida - 2 pinches
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Goda masala or Garam masala - 1 tb sp
Red chilli powder - 1 tb sp or to taste
Coriander powder - 1/2 tbsp
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Roasted Jeera powder - 1 t sp
Jaggery - 2 tbsp or to taste.
Salt - to taste
Oil - 4 tb sp
Coriander leaves - 2 sprigs, finely chopped, for garnish
Method:
For the filling:
- Wash the Egg plants well and cut their crowns off.
- Now on the opposite side of the crown, slit the Brinjal across making a plus sign and an opening like that of a flower with 4 petals. This will help put the filling in. Do not slit it too deep towards the top, else it will break.
- Now mix all rest of the ingredients very well and start filling it into the slit Egg plants little by little.
For the base:
- Heat the oil in a non stick pan and add Mustard and Cumin seeds and allow them to splutter.
- Add the curry leaves, turmeric powder and asafoetida
- Next add all the onions and saute very well till the onions are well cooked and lightly colored (do not brown it)
- Add the ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell is gone.
- Now add the Goda masala or Garam Masala, Red Chili powder, Coriander powder, Jeera powder, Jaggery and saute for sometime.
- When the masalas are cooked place the stuffed Egg plants carefully on top spreading them across the pan for even heating.
- Now cover the pan and let it cook on a very slow flame for 10 minutes. Keep a watch and flip them over, half way through. Add 1/4 cup of water to help the cooking process.
- Check the eggplants, if not cooked let it go on for few more minutes and add more water if required.
If you had any left over filling, you can add it on the sides at this point.
- Garnish with Coriander leaves and serve hot with Jowari roti or any other roti or rice.
Tips:
- One other dish you can make is skip the base and just fry the stuffed egg plants till they are cooked and crispy. It is very tasty!
- When you make the filling you can double the ingredients, make it in bulk and use it next time to stuff other vegetables like Capsicum, Long chilies, etc. Only difference is Egg plant.in the whole recipe.
- If you do not want to take the efforts of stuffing the Egg plants, an easy version would be to skip the base and instead, saute the whole filling in oil and some water and then add Egg plants cut in the shape you like once the masala is cooked. Then add more water and cook till the egg plants are cooked. That tastes pretty amazing too!
Healthy Twist:
- Reduce the amount of oil to half as peanuts already have lot of it and will leave oil once cooked.
And finally the awesome Buffet spread!! Let me know if you want recipes for any more of the dishes from this thaali :)
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