வெஞ்சனம்

இங்க குடுக்கற அளவு எல்லாமே ரெண்டு பேருக்கானது.

தேவையானது:

புளி ஒரு எலுமிச்சம் பழம் அளவு.

மிளகாய் வற்றல் - (காரத்திற்கேற்ப 10 to 12 வரை)

தனியா 2 ஸ்பூன்

கடலை பருப்பு 1 ஸ்பூன்

மிளகு - 1/4 ஸ்பூன்

ஜீரகம் - 1 ஸ்பூன்

துவரம் பருப்பு - 1/2 ஆழாக்கு

தேங்காய் 1 நன்கு துருவி கொள்ளவும்

சின்ன வெங்காயம் - 1/4 கிலோ

பெரிய வெங்காயம் - 2 nos.

கத்திரிக்காய் - 1/4 to 1/2 கிலோ (வாழைகாய், கொத்தவரை, அவரை போன்ற காய்களும் போடலாம் அனால் கத்திரிக்காய் போட்டால் சுவையே அலாதி தான்)

செய்முறை:

தனியா, கடலை பருப்பு, மிளகு, மிளகாய் வற்றல், ஜீரகம், எல்லாவற்றையும் தனி தனியாக நல்லெண்ணையில் வறுககவும். பெரிய வெங்காயத்தையும் நறுக்கி, வறுத்து வாய்த்த சாமான்களுடனும் துருவிய தேங்கையுடனும் சேர்த்து நன்கு அரைத்து கொள்ளவும். நைசாக அரைக்க கூடாது, நற நற என்று அரைத்து கொள்ளவும்.

துவரம் பருப்பை நன்கு குழைய வேக விடவும். சின்ன வெங்காயத்தை நல்லெண்ணையில் வதக்கி கொள்ளவும். புளியை கரைத்து அது கொதிக்கும் போது, வதக்கிய சின்ன வெங்காயம், பொடியாக நறுக்கின கத்திரிக்கையை போட்டு புளி தண்ணீரை ஊற்றி, உப்பு சேர்த்து வேக விடவும். புளியின் பச்சை வாசானை போன உடன் அரைத்த விழுது, நன்கு கரைத்த துவரம் பருப்பை சேர்த்து கொதிக்க விடவும். கொதித்து நுரைத்து வந்த உடன், இறக்கி, கறிவேப்பிலை போட்டு, அதன் தலையில் தாளித்து கொட்டவும்.

அவரைப் பருப்பு என்று ஒரு பருப்பு உண்டு. இந்த அவரைப்  பருப்பை போட்டு வெஞ்சனம் வைத்தால், இன்னும் மிகவும் சுவையாக இருக்கும். தட்டைப் பருப்பும் சேர்க்கலாம்.

வெங்காயம், கத்திரிகாயை கண்டிப்பாக சின்ன சின்ன துண்டுகளாக நறுக்கி போடவும். சின்ன வெங்காயம் போட்டால் கூடுதல் சுவை.

மிளகு ஜீரகம் மற்றும் அவரை பருப்பு போடுவதால் வெஞ்சனம் என்று பெயர். குடியானவர்களின் உணவு இது. கெட்டியாக செய்து களியுடன் உண்பார்களாம்.

Stuffed Baby Brinjal by Sumangalee Dhandapani

Brinjal Contest Entry 

Ingredients
750g baby brinjals (green)
200ml refined oil
1 tbsp sesame oil (gingely oil)
2 tbsp cashewnut
2 tbsp poppy seeds
4 tbsp coconut, grated
4 red chillies, whole
1 tbsp peanuts, roasted
1 tbsp curry leaves
2 onions, chopped
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
2 tomatoes, chopped
Salt to taste
1 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
3/4 cup tamarind pulp
2 tbsp fresh coriander leaves, chopped

Method:
Take the baby brinjals and slit it from the center. Fry it in hot oil and keep it aside.
Roast the sesame seeds, cashew nut, poppy seeds, coconut, whole red chilli and make a fine paste.
Crush the peanut and keep it aside.
In a pan heat some oil, add curry leaves, chopped onion and fry till onion gets golden colour. 
Add ginger garlic paste and saute for another 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook for some more time.
Once it starts leaving out oil, add the powder spices and the paste, and cook it.
Take out half the masala and add the crushed peanut. Stuff the fried brinjals with this masala and keep them aside.
Add little water in the remaining masala and simmer the flame. Add the stuffed brinjals, tamarind pulp, salt and sprinkle fresh coriander leaves. 
Leave this to cook for 5 minutes and serve hot with chappati or rice.

Brinjal Thogayal by Shripriya

Pathiya Samayal Contest Entry by Shripriya Ramakrishnan

Brinjal is one of the non-gassy vegetables that can be had without any restrictions during the postpartum period. It is one of my favorite vegetables so I prefered having it a lot of times during both of my after-delivery periods. The following is my favorite even now.

Ingredients:
1. Brinjal - 3-4
2. Black pepper - half teaspoon or Red chillies 1 or 2 based on your preference.
3. Tamarind - gooseberry sized.
4. Oil - One-two tablespoon
5. For seasoning - Mustard, urad, asafoetida, jeera, and curry leaves.
6. Salt - as needed.

Method:
1. Fry whole brinjal in a kadai with little oil. Alternatively you can microwave the brinjal and avoid too much of oil consumption.
2. Fry the black pepper/red chillies in just 1/4 teaspoon of oil.
3. Peel the brinjal skin. 
4. Grind the peeled brinjal and the black pepper/red chillies with tamarind and salt.
5. In a kadai, pour little bit of oil and season with all the items mentioned for seasoning.
6. Add the ground brinjal-black pepper/red chillies paste.
7. Fry for sometime until it thickens to desired consistency.
8. Have it with hot rice and ghee or with chappathi.

Variations: 
1. You can add garlic also in the seasoning or fry it separately and grind it with brinjal and black pepper/red chillies.
2. If you want to make it for non-pathiya samayal and want it to be little spicy, omit black pepper and add red chillies and green chillies. And after seasoning, add finely chopped onion and fry them until cooked and then add the ground paste. This will be very good with chappathis.
3. You can just fry the whole brinjals, remove the skin, mash it with a maththu, then season it with mustard, red chillies, hing, urad, and curry leaves and mix it with rice and eat. Curd also can be added to the mashed brinjal.

Ennai Kathirikkai Kara Kuzhambu by Shripriya

Brinjal contest entry by Shripriya Ramakrishnan

Ingredients:

1. Brinjal: Two cups chopped.
2. Sambhar Onion: About 25
3. Garlic - 10 cloves
4. Tomato - 1 big chopped fine
5. Dhania seeds - 1 teaspoon
6. Kadalai paruppu (bengal gram)- 1 teaspoon
7. Milagu(black pepper) - 2 teaspoons
8. Jeeragam(cumin) - 1 teaspoon
9. Red Chillies - 5
10. Coconut shredded: 3-4 tablespoons
11. Turmeric - lemon sized
12. For seasoning: Gingelly oil, turmeric, asafoetida, methi seeds, mustard, toor dhal, curry leaves
13. Salt : as needed. 

Method:
1. Fry the items mentioned in no. 5 through 9 in a teaspoon of oil.
2. In a teaspoon of oil, fry about 10-12 sambar onions, Garlic cloves, and tomatoes until they are cooked well.
3. Grind all the fried items in step 1 and 2 into a coarse paste with coconut and some salt.
4. Soak the tamarind and get the tamarind juice of may be 3-4 cups.
5. In a kadai, pour oil and add the items mentioned for seasoning. Once it splutters, add the rest of the sambhar onions and fry until they are cooked. 
6. Add the cut brinjal pieces. Cook them well.
7. Now add the tamarind juice. Let it boil for some time. Then add the ground paste. Add some salt according to taste.
8. Let it boil until it thickens.
9. Serve it with hot rice. Roasted papad is the best combination.
Variations:
1. If you get small brinjals, slit them with stem intact, coat them in little bit of oil and microwave until it is 3/4th cooked. Then stuff the ground paste in the brinjals, and then add this after frying the sambhar onions and fry for sometime, and then add the tamarind juice and let it boil. Everything else is the same as mentioned in the above recipe.

2. If you want to give it a little chettinad touch, fry about 1 teaspoon of sombu(fennel) along with other items mentioned above for the kuzhambu masala and grind it together. And add about half teaspoon of sombu(fennel) in seasoning also.

3. Those who don't like to add onion and/or poondu, fry and powder the following and use it as the stuffing and karakuzhambu podi: One teaspoon vendhayam, asafoetida, one tblspn each of toor dhal, urad dhal, and chana dhal, red chillies according to taste, and two teaspoons of dhania.

4. You can just make this as poondu-milagu kuzhambu without the brinjals.

Note: I have given some variations at the end and have mentioned how to make ennai kathrikkai kuzhambu there. Since I did not have the small brinjals that is required for the same, I cut the brinjals and made kathrikkai kara kuzhambu.

Bagara Baingan by Shripriya

Brinjal Contest entry by Shripriya Ramakrishnan

Ingredients:

Small Brinjals - Around 15
Peanuts - 1 cup
Sesame seeds - 1/2 cup
Dry coconut pieces - 1/2 cup
Green Chillies - 7-8 (use 10-12 if you want it to be very spicy)
Garlic - 6 clovesRed onion - 1 big
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Tamarind - gooseberry sized.
Small piece of cinnamon, 2 cloves, cumin seeds, turmeric - for seasoning.
Coriander leaves for garnishing.
Salt - as needed.
Oil - If you want to deep fry the brinjals.

Method:
1. Wash the brinjals, wipe it, and slit them with the stem intact.

2. You can deep fry these slit brinjals in oil. If you are diet-conscious, microwave the slit brinjals in a microwavable plate for 5-6 minutes on high until they are almost done. Alternatively, you can shallow fry the slit brinjals.

3. Dry roast peanuts, sesame seeds, and dry coconut. Chop onion. Fry green chillies, garlic, ginger, chopped onion, tamarind in a teaspoon of oil. Grind all of these into a paste.

4. Heat 2-3 tablespoons of oil and all the items mentioned for seasoning. Add the cooked brinjals. Then add the ground paste and some water according to the desired consistency. Add salt.Let it simmer. Once it is done, turn off the stove and garnish with coriander leaves.

This goes very well with Pulavs, briyanis,chapathis, naan and paratha varieties.

Baingan Aloo Kuruma by Shripriya

Brinjal Contest entry posted by Shripriya Ramakrishnan

Ingredients:

Brinjal - 6 chopped fine
Potato - 2 boiled and cut into pieces
Tomato - 1chopped fine
Onion - 1 chopped fine
Ginger(1 inch)-Garlic(5 Cloves)-Green chillies (4 )- grind into a paste
Coconut milk - 2 cups
Garam masala powder - 1 tblspn

For seasoning: oil, sombu, mustard, turmeric
Salt - as needed
Coriander leaves for garnishing.

Method: 

1. In a kadai put oil, add the items mentioned for seasoning.
2. Add the chopped onion, and fry till it is cooked fine.
3. Add the Ginger, garlic, greenchillies paste and fry until raw smell disappears.
4. Add the tomatos and cook well.
5. Add the cut brinjals. Fry until they get nicely cooked.
6. Add the boiled and cut potatoes, garam masala powder, salt, and the coconut milk.
7. Once it boils upto desired consistency, turn the stove off, garnish with coriader leaves.

Goes well with chappathis, puris, and also plain rice.

Variations:
1. We can add chole instead of potatoes and make this as baingan chole.
2. Instead of adding coconut milk, you can grind 4 tblspns of shredded coconut along with ginger, garlic, and green chillies and add it.

Baingan Bartha by Usha Kumar

Brinjal Contest Entry Recipe by Usha Kumar

Ingredients:
1 medium Baigan (big kathrikai)
1/2 cup Cooked green peas
1 Finely chopped onions
1 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
3 tbsp Vegetable oil
Salt to taste

Chopped green coriander leaves for garnishing

Preparation of baigan ka bharta :
Brush baigan (kathrikai) with oil (refined oil or till oil) and roast it on a gas burner over medium heat.
Frequently turn the kathrikai 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.
Mash the flesh.
Heat oil in a pan / kadhai . Add green chilli and onion and fry over medium heat until light golden brown.
Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala and salt and stir. Add tomatoes and cook until tender.
Add green peas and mashed baigan /kathrikai. Stir well. Fry the baigan bhartha for 5-7 minutes over medium heat.Garnish the baigan bharta with green coriander leaves and serve hot.

Note:Green peas is yr choice..if you want you can add..otherwise leave it. A delicious side dish for chappathis, pulkas, tandoori items..even it goes wid plain rice..

Brinjal Chutney by Sumangalee Dhandapani

Brinjal contest entry posted by Sumangalee Dhandapani

Ingredients

Brinjal 2 medium sized
Scraped coconut 1/2 a cup
Green chillies 4 or 5 (can add more if you want)
Garlic cloves 3
Tamarind half a lemon size
Corriander leaves
Salt for taste

For seasoning
1 teaspoon oil 
1/2 a teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 a teaspoon urad dhal

Method
Apply oil on the brinjals and grill it or hold it on flame or fire to cook
Leave the brinjals to cool. When they become cool, remove the burnt skin and take the pulp
Grind the coconut, green chillies, garlic cloves, tamarind, corriander leaves and salt into a smooth paste
Add the brinjal pulp and run the mixer once
Season it and serve it with iddly or dosas

Baingan Partha by Vijaya Venkatesh

Brinjal Dishes contest entry by Vijaya Venkatesh

Ingredients:
Big Brinjal - 1
Green chillies - 6 to 8 ( chopped finely)
Coriander leaves - 1/4 bunch (chopped finely)
Dhaniya powder - 1 tea spoon
Haldi - 1 tea spoon
salt to taste
Wheat flour - 3 cups

Method:

Thoroughly roast the baingan , remove the skin and mash it well. Add all the ingredients with wheat flour along with baingan mash and make a soft dough , roll them and make paraths . You can add garlic paste to the flour also, if u like . Serve them with raitha .

Kathirikkai Gothsu by Bhooma Sudhakar

Brinjal Contest entry by Bhooma Sudhagar

Ingredients:

Brinjal – 5-6 pcs (medium size-finely diced)
Onion – 2
Tomato – 1
Tamarind extract - one cup (take a lemon size tamarind extract)
thuvar Dhal – cooked and smashed
Turmeric powder and salt as required.

Roast and coarse grind:-
Coriander seeds – 3 tsp
Urad dhal – 1 tsp
Channa dhal – 1 tsp
Red chillies – 4 (round chillies)

For seasoning:-

Musturd seeds - ½ tsp
Curry leaves – 1 string.

How to make :-
Heat the kadai, pour 2 spoons of oil and add mustard seeds and curry leaves.
When the mustard splutters, add onions and allow to saute till soft. Now add the tomatoes and mix well.
Tap in a pinch of turmeric and cook till the tomato-onion mixture is mushy.
Now add the diced brinjals and mix well. Then add the tamarind extract.
Allow around 5-8mints for the brinjals also to cook in to the mixture and get soft.
When its a little thick add the smashed thuvar dhal, add salt and pour some more water depending on what you want the final consistency to be.
Lastly add the grinded powder and mix well. keep it just for a mintute .
Normally it would be a little thicker than “Sambar” but thinner than a chutney or dip.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with Venn Pongal.
I just added smash thuvar dhal to subside the sour taste of tamarind water and enhance the flavour..so it is optional..

Brinjal Rasavangi by Sowpernica

Brinjal Contest entry by Sowpernica's Kitchen

Ingredients:

Brinjal – ½ kg (finely cut)
Jaggery – a small bit
Oil – 1 ½ teaspoon
Mustard seeds – 1 teaspoon
Salt – 1 ½ teaspoon
Tamarind – a small piece
Hing - ¼ teaspoon
Turmeric powder - ½ teaspoon
Roast & Grind:
Coriander seeds – 3 teaspoons
Channa dal – 3 teaspoons
Red chillies – 2
Curry leaves – 6
Coconut – ½ cup (grated)

Method:
Heat a teaspoon of oil in a kadai.
Add mustard seeds & allow spluttering.
Add cut brinjal pieces, salt, turmeric powder, hing & jaggery.
Soak tamarind in little water & prepare tamarind water. (approx ½ tumbler)
Sprinkle this water & keep closed.
Repeat step 5 until till the pieces look cooked.
Roast ingredients mentioned with ½ teaspoon of oil & grind to smooth paste.
Add the ground paste & mix well.
Allow boiling for 5 more minutes.
Garnish with curry leaves & serve hot with rice.

Aloo Baingan by Malliga Shivaram

INGREDIENTS:

Potato-----1/4 kg

Small round brinjals ¼ kg

Oil for frying

garam masala pow—1/2tsp

finely cut onions ¾ cup or3 onions cut

fresh cream—1 tbsp

salt, finely cut coriander leaves

thick tamarind extract—2 tbsp

chopped tomato—1/4 cup or two tomatoes,

DRY ROAST AND POWDER

Dhania---1 tbsp

Poppy seeds—1tbsp

White sesame seeds or til seeds---1bsp

Roasted peanuts—1 tbsp

last

And 2 onions grind coarsely last

METHOD:

1]slice brinjal lenghtwise.

1. ]Cook potato peel and cut lengthwise.

2. Deep fry both in oil separately and keep aside.

3. Heat add onions and fry golden

4. Add chopped tomatoes and stir for a few mins

5. Add ground paste and fry till oil separates

6. Add garam masala, salt,chilli powder and tamarind.

7. Add potatoes and brinjal cook covered for few minutes---till a nice aroma comes remove, garnish with coriander and fresh cream on top[optional]

Stuffed Brinjal Fry by Sowpernica

Ingredients:

Kathirikkai [small sized] – ¼ kg

Besan – 5 teaspoons

Special masala powder – 5 teaspoons

Salt – 1 ½ teaspoon

Hing – ¼ teaspoon

Turmeric powder – ¼ teaspoon

Oil – 5 teaspoons

Method:

1. Wash brinjals & let them dry completely.
2. Slit them without cutting fully
3. Mix besan, special masala powder, salt, hing & turmeric powder.
4. Add a tablespoon of water & make a paste of the powder mixture.
5. Stuff the masala into the slits
6. Heat oil in a shallow non-stick pan.
7. Arrange the stuffed pieces.
8. Keep closed till golden brown.
9. Turn sides & fry till golden brown.

Baingan Mussalam|Baingan Mohalai Gravy a very rich side dish recipe

I came to know that Baingan Mughalai gravy and Baingan Mussalam are one and the same after getting clarified from some of my friends. Though any kind of vegetable can be used along with the basic gravy, when Baingan is used it really gives a wonderful taste. A must try for all Brinjal lovers.

Ingredients:
Brinjals - 8 nos small sized
Onions - 2 nos big
Tomato - 4 nos.
Tomato puree - 1 cup
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Chilly powder - 1 tsp (or to taste)
Salt to taste
Ghee - 1/4 cup
Oil for deep frying.
Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup
Fresh cream - 3 to 4 tbsp

Method:
Wash and clean the brinjals and cut them to 6 pieces length wise. Heat oil in a pan and fry the brinjal pieces till they become golden brown in colour. In a hard bottom shallow pan add ghee and  cumin seeds. When the cumin seeds crackle add the finely chopped onions and saute it till it turns golden brown in colour. Add the ginger garlic paste, coriander powder, turmeric powder, chilli powder and mix well. Add a cup of water to mix all the ingredients thoroughly. Bring it to a boil, reduce the flame add the finely chopped tomatoes and mash well with all the other ingredients. Cook it thoroughly till the oil separates from gravy. Add brinjal, tomato gravy and required quantity of salt. Mix well and cook for about 5 mins in low flame.

Remove from flame and transfer it to a serving bowl, mix the cream. Garnish it with coriander leaves. To make the dish rich can also garnish with fried cashew nuts.

Goes well with Rotis, Chappatis or even jeera rice.

Eggplant Parmesan

Brinjal Contest entries by Kanthi Narayanan

Ingredients :

Eggplant – one - 6 inches long, 2 inches thick & firm
All Purpose Flour (Maida) - 3 table spoons
Eggs – 3 beaten OR Milk - 1 Cup
Bread crumbs – ¾ cup approximately - mixed with red pepper powder
Olive oil – ½ inch height in medium size frying pan
Spaghetti sauce ** see below
Mozzarella cheese – ½ pound grated
Garlic powder – 1 tea spoon
Oregano powder – 1 tea spoon
Red pepper flakes – 2 tea spoons

Method :
Wash & peel eggplant and cut into half, horizontally. Cut each half into thin slices. Dip each slice into the flour, then the egg or milk and coat it thickly on both sides with bread crumbs. Fry to a golden brown in olive oil. In an oven safe dish, pour spaghetti sauce - about ¼ inch height. Sprinkle the spices into the sauce & mix well. Place egg plant slices in a single fold. Put cheese on each slice & top with another eggplant slice. Pour more sauce over the entire pan and bake fully covered with aluminium foil, in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes (or until cheese has melted). Remove from oven & let sit for 10 minutes on counter. Serve with spaghetti & garlic bread.

Vaangi bath by Kanthi Narayanan

Brinjal contest entries by Kanthi Narayanan

Ingredients :
Brinjal - 6 firm cut into 1' pieces vertically
Rice - 1/2 cup
Salt - 1 teaspoon
Dhaniya seeds - 2 tablespoons
Kadale paruppu - 1 tablespoon
Red chillies - 2 big
Cinnamon - 1/2' piece
Cloves - 2
Dry Cocoanut - 1 tablespoon
Kariveppilai - 6 leaves
Oil - 4 tablespoons
Mustard seeds - 3/4 teaspoon
Peanuts - 1 tablespoonTurmeric - 1 teaspoon

Method :
Saute ingredients in BOX in a little oil to golden brown. Cool and make a coarse powder. Set aside. Saute the brinjal in oil with 1/2 teaspoon salt until cooked. Cook rice (not too soft). In a little oil, make seasoning with mustard seeds & peanuts, add the rice, rest of salt, brinjal, masala powder & turmeric powder and mix well but gently.

Tip: Thin green brinjals are the best for this recipe.

Brinjal in Tomato Gravy - Side dish recipe

Ingredients:
Brinjals - 1/4 kg
Onions - 2 nos
Tomatoes - 2 nos or Tomato puree - 1 1/2 cups
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Chilly powder - 2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Coriander Leaves - 1/2 cup
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 tbsp

Method:
Chop onions finely. Slit green chillies into half. Add green chopped onions, ginger garlic paste, green chilly, chilly powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, coriander powder and salt and saute for a few mins. Add tomato puree and saute till the oil separates.

Cut the brinjals into big thin slices and add it to the pan. Add required salt and 1 cup of water and simmer the flame. Cook till the gravy thickens and the brinjals gets cooked. Remove from flame and add finely chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with rice. Goes well with chappati too.

Eggplants in Spicy Gravy

I am so fond of eggplants and so are my kids. We love to have eggplants in any form. I got this recipe from one of my neighbour and when I tried it out, it turned out to be too good. It became a good rice accompaniment and also for chappati.

Ingredients
Eggplants - 1/2 kg (small sized)
Small Onions - 100 gms
Tomato - 2 nos
Big Onions - 1 no
Green Chilly - 2 nos
Red Chilly - 6 nos
Curry Leaves - 1/4 cup
Coriander Leaves - 1/2 cup
Tamrind Paste - 2 tbsp
Salt - To taste

Method:
Slit the eggplants into 4 (without cutting it fully). In an pan add 1/2 spoon oil and fry the small onions till they turn glassy. Add the curry leaves and red chilly to it and saute it for a few more minutes. Grind these along with coriander leaves to a very fine paste.

Cut the big onions into thin strips. Heat 1 tbsp of oil and add the ground paste to it and saute for a min. Add the slit brinjals to it and mix it well with the paste so that the paste gets smeared all over. Add 2 cups of water to the paste and add the tamrind paste to it and mix it well so that the tamrind paste gets dissolved in the water. Add salt and let it boil. When the gravy becomes a semi thick paste, remove from flame.

Decorate it with finely chopped coriander leaves.

This goes very well with hot rice and also chappati.

Mohalai Brinjal - A very rich party recipe

Ingredients:
Brinjal - Small 1kg
Garlic - 6 to 8 Flakes
Pepper -1 tbsp
Small Onions (Sambar Onions) - 1/4 kg
Tamrind - 1 lemon size (or Tamrind Paste - 1/4 cup )
Cashew nuts - 50 gms
Ground nuts - 50 gms
Tomato - Ripe Banglore Tomato (Big in size) - 2 nos
Salt - To taste
Red Chilly Powder - 1 tsp
Dhania (Coriander) Powder - 1/2 tsp(optional)

Method
Grind cashew nuts, ground nuts, garlic and tomato into a fine paste. Divide the tamrind paste into two. Add 1/2 cup of water to one portion. In a shallow pan add oil and fry the pepper in it. Add the small onions to it and fry it too.

Slit the brinjals into 4 (do not cut it fully), and add it to the oil. Saute it for a while. Add the coriander powder and red chilly powder and mix it well with the vegetables. Add the watery tamrind paste and salt and let it boil for while. Add the ground paste to it and boil it till the oil separates. Add the thick tamrind paste to it and reduce the flame. Let it boil for another 10 to 15 mins till the raw smell of the tamrind goes off.

This makes a great side dish for Vegetable Pulov, Vegetable Briyani and hot white rice.

Kathirikaai Tahyir Pachidi (Brinjal Raitha)

Ingredients:
Brinjal - 1/4 kg
Curd - 2 cups
Oil - 1 tbspn
Urad dal - 2 tbspn
Mustard - 1 tspn
Coriander powder - 1 tbspn
Jeera powder - 1 tbspn
Chilly Powder - 1 tbspn
Salt to taste

Method:
Cut brinjal into thin slices. Spread it in a plate. Mix coriander powder, turmeric powder, 1 tspn of salt and chilly powder and marianate the brinjal slices in this powder. Let it set for atleast 15 mins. Fry it in oil or spread them in a glass plate and keep it in oven for 1 min.

It will turn golden brown. Remove from oil/oven. Beat 1 curd and add a pinch of salt to it. Put the brinjal into it and season it with mustard and urad dal. Let it set for half an hour. Refrigerate it immediatly. Before serving add the remaining curd.