Brinjal-bites/ Grilled Eggplant

Brinjal-bites/ Pan-fried or grilled eggplant

(Brinjal slices dusted with a medley of spices & pan-fried, grilled or roasted)
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PrepTime : Serves : Cook Time
5 Min 3-4 10-15 Min

Ingredients:

1 large long brinjal/ eggplant
1/4 tsp turmeric pwd
1/4 tsp cumin pwd
1/4 tsp pepper pwd
1/4 tsp red-chili pwd
1/2 tsp salt
olive oil

Cooking Instructions:

Cut the eggplant into 1/2cm-thin slices & dust them with all the powders, salt & 2 tbsp olive oil - toss to cover evenly. Shallow-fry or grill on both sides for 2-3 minutes on medium heat. Serve hot as a snack or a side to your Indian meal.

Alternative - You can make a batter of gram-flour, yoghurt, salt to taste & some red-chili, turmeric, cumin & pepper powders. Coat the slices in the batter & deep-fry till golden brown.
Another way to make brinjal-bites is to coat the slices with a batter of corn-flour & milk and then dust them with breadcrumbs or semolina and shallow fry on each side.

Peanut-chutney stuffed Baby Brinjals

Peanut-chutney stuffed Baby brinjals

(An Indian dish from the state of Maharashtra featuring baby brinjals/ eggplant stuffed with a spicy peanut sauce & cooked in the same gravy)

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PrepTime : Serves : Cook Time
10 Min 4 10Min


Ingredients :

8 small brinjals (golf-ball size)
2 handfuls peanuts (w/o the skin)
1 cup dessicated coconut
2 green chillies
1/2 tbsp pepper corns
salt to taste
1/2 tsp turmeric pwd
2 chopped large onion
1/4 -1/2 cup curry leaves
cooking oil
2 ripe medium tomatoes -chopped
1/4 tsp cumin pwd
1 tbsp corriander pwd
1 tsp sugar

Cooking Instructions:

Run a knife into the bulb of each brinjal 3/4th way in towards the stem (not fully), the repeat perpendicular to this cut (cross cut). Repeat for all brinjals & place in a bowl of water with a pinch of turmeric powder & 1/2 tsp salt added to it.

Lightly roast peanuts, coconut & 1/2 the finely chopped onion and put these along with the chillies, cumin pwd, pepper corns, turmeric pwd, sugar, coriander pwd & 1/2 tsp salt. Coarsely grind (not a very smooth paste), pulsating only, till almost evenly coarse. Taste & add more salt if required.

Heat 4 tbsp oil in a non-stick kadai/ sauce pan, fry tomatoes till soft & then add this masala/ mixture & fry well for 5-6 minutes. Remove half of this mixture & stiff the brinjals with it.

In the pan with the remaining masala, add 1/2 cup (or 1-2 cups if you want more gravy) water, stir well & place the brinjals in it (stem above the gravy, bulbs immersed well into the gravy) & simmer covered for 5 minutes or till brinjals are cooked. Serve with piping hot rotis/ naan.