Baingan Bharta- Eggplant roast with vegetables

Serves four. Preparation time: 1 hour

Ingredients:
1 tbsp oil
2 medium sized round Eggplants (also called Aubergine, Brinjal)
3 green chillies
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds (Rai, Aavalu)
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds (Jheera, Jilakara)
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
Salt to taste
Red chilli powder to taste
1 big onion chopped fine
2 big tomatoes chopped fine
Handful of chopped cilantro
(Optional)
5 mint leaves
1/2 cup green peas

Method:
Roast the whole eggplants until they are done. They are best roasted on coals in a kumpati (traditional portable stove that uses coal), but you can roast over the gas stove too. Keep turning them every few minutes for even roasting, until the outer skin burns black. Some cooks brush oil over the eggplant, but mine got roasted well without oil too. Set aside to cool and remove the skin.

In a pan, heat the oil. Add mustard seeds, let them splutter and add Jheera seeds. Add the onions, green chillies, mint leaves, green peas, turmeric powder, salt and let it cook until the onion browns. Salt draws moisture out of the onions & the green peas get cooked in that moisture. Add the red chilli powder & tomatoes, let it cook until the tomatoes soften into a sauce.

Add the roasted eggplants & mix well, the eggplants get mashed easily into the onoin-tomato-green peas. Switch off the heat. Garnish with cilantro.

This goes well with rice or chapati.

Another easy & healthy way to consume roasted eggplants: Blend some green chillies, salt and a bunch of cilantro, mix in the roasted eggplants & add some tamarind paste. This is the Telugu way of consuming roasted eggplant as a 'banda pacchadi' (literally, a chutney made with stones, meaning that all raw ingredients are crushed using a mortal-pestle without any cooking involved).
Old habits die hard, my mom always prefers her banda pacchadi over this Baingan bharta, but I think both of them taste yummy in their own ways!

Trivia:
I am currently going through a pudina love phase, so experimenting a lot with pudina. This dish tasted lovely with some mint leaves added in, but they are not usually added. Omit them if it doesn't appeal to you. Also, fresh green peas are my eternal favourite so I am always sneaking some into everything, these too can be omitted.
My mother says these roasted eggplants are looking like chicken thanks to the magnified shots, so although she admired the pics, she wasn't very pleased with the meaty look LOL.

కొతిమీర కారపు వంకాయ :Kotimeera karapu vankaya- Eggplant with cilantro & green chilli

Serving for 2 persons

INGREDIENTS:

Vankayalu/eggplant...........2(Long)
Green chillies.. ..............10 to 12 (medium size)
Salt .......................................to taste
Cilantro .................................1/2 bunch
Oil .......................................To fry (Not deep fry)

METHOD:

1.Cut eggplant about 3 inc length and keep in water.
2.Grind cilantro,chillies and salt make paste.
3.Make a slit on both side of eggplant as shown in picture.
4.Stuff the cilantro paste in to slits.
5.Heat oil in a pan add pieces and fry them untill it becomes tender.

It goes with hot rice and ghee.
Variations: you can stuff red chilly powder and heeng instead of above paste.

వంకాయ పచ్చడి: Vankaya pacchadi: Eggplant chutney

INGREDIENTS:

Big eggplant/ vankaya..........1
Green chillies.................6
Tamarind.......................Half marble size
Salt to taste
Cilantro.......................few leaves
Avalu/mustard..................1/2 tsp
Urad dal/minapappu.............2 tsp
Heeng..........................1/4tsp
Menthi podi/fenugreek powder...1/4tsp
Oil............................11/2tsp

METHOD:
1.Peel and microwave vankaya for 5to8 min.( or cook on stove top and remove skin)
2.Soak tamarind and keep aside.
3.Heat oil in a pan put mustard seeds.
4.When it splutter add urad dal.
5.Then add menthi powder and heeng.
6.Grind green chillies,salt and tamarind together.
7.Add vankaya, seasoning to the
chilly paste,now grind using whipping button.
8.Add chopped cilantro and serve.


It goes with rice.

వంకాయ పచ్చి పులుసు :Vankaya pacchi pulusu- Eggplant Tamarind Stew

INGREDIENTS:

Eggplant 1( Big)
Tamarind big lemon size
Salt as per taste
Jaggary 1 table spoons (powdered)
Red chilys 8 to 10 (as per taste)
Celantro for garnishing
Seasoninig:

Oil 1 tbl sp.
mustard seeds 1 tsp
Heeng 1/4 tsp
Fenugreek seeds powder 1/2 tsp (dry roast and grind)

Preparation:

1. Peel eggplant and microvave for 5 to 8 minits or cook in a pan./(roast it directly on the flame using wire mesh).
2. Soak tamarind for 30 min and make thin puree and keep aside.
3. Heat small pan add little bit oil and fry red chillyis.
4.Take tamarind water in a bowel and add Fri.ed red chillies (mashed)
5. Add jaggary, salt to the tamarind water.
6. Add cooked and mashed eggplant to the mixture.
7. Heat oil in small pan add mustard seeds when it splutter add heeng and fenugreek powder.
8. Add to the mixture and mix well and garnish with cilantro and serve.

This can be eaten with rice or roti.

1.Variations..

Instead of egg plant, you can use onions.
1. cut onion into small pieces.
2. fry it in a little oil untill they get soft.
3. add this in the tamarind juice.
4. rest is as above.
(Refer to Ullipaya pacchi pulusu for detail).

2.Variation..

1.white pumpkin vadis can be fried and can mixed in the tamarind juice.
2. rest is as above.

బజ్జీ- Bajji- Fritters

Serves: Three. Preparation time: 40 minutes


Ingredients:

1 cup Bengal gram flour (Bésan, Senagapindi)    
1/4 cup Rice flour (Chával ká átá, Beeyappindi)
1/2 Tsp Garam masala powder
1 Tsp Red Chilli powder or to taste
1 level Tsp Salt or to taste
1/2 Tsp Tsp Cumin seeds (Jheera, Jilakara)
1/2 Tsp Turmeric (Haldi, Pasupu)
2 pinches Asafoetida (Heeng, Inguva)

1 heaped cup vegetables (eg; Potato, Plantain, Ridge gourd)
1/2 cup water
Oil to fry

Method:
1. Wash, peel and thinly slice the vegetable into rounds. Set aside.  
2. Place a cauldron of oil on heat so that it is ready by the time we prepare our Bajji batter/dough.

3. In a bowl, sift together all the flours and spices, make sure that they are evenly mixed.  

4. Add a little over 1/2 cup of water to the bowl, mix well making sure to break up any lumps. You may need to add a little bit more of water to get the right consistency. It should be thinner than Idli batter but slightly thicker than Dosa batter. (This benchmark has already been explained in Idli, also refer to step 6. for further explanation on batter consistency). 
5. The oil must be hot enough to fry. Drop a grain sized amount of dough/batter into the oil to test, if it sinks to the bottom and then rises up foaming, oil is hot enough. 
6. Dip each vegetable round into the batter, the batter covers the vegetable and coats it evenly but is thick enough not to drain away completely, it slowly drips off the vegetable. Drop this coated vegetable round into the oil. Repeat this step until the surface of the oil is full of frying Bajjis. 

7. While the Bajjis are frying, line a plate with blotting paper. Stir the Bajjis to turn them around for even frying. 
8. When the Bajjis are golden brown (around 7 minutes but depends on oil temperature and also what vegetable/how thick the rounds are), pick them out with a slotted ladle and transfer onto the plate lined with blotting paper.  
Serve hot with Tomato ketchup or any chutney. Bajjis are great on their own too. 


Variations:
Bajjis can be made from a variety of vegetables. Potato, Plantain, Ridge gourd, Onions, Capsicum, Chillies (if not hot), Eggplants, Zucchini (Courgette, Summer Squash), Cauliflower.
Optional: You may add half a teaspoon of ginger-garlic paste into the batter/dough.
Professional cooks add a pinch of baking soda, it makes the bajjis come out fluffy. However, they soak up more oil and end up with a higher dose of sodium.

Culture & Health:
Called 'Pakoda' by some, 'Bajji' by others, they say a perfect rainy day activity is to sip hot tea or coffee with piping hot pakodas.
I love the taste of soggy leftover Bajjis on the day after they're made, the vegetable flavour permeates into the fried soggy batter. Others like refried Bajjis, leftover soggy Bajjis come out extra crisp when fried again on the next day.
Bhajji-pav is a favourite street-side food sold by cart-vendors in Mumbai. It consists of a potato bajji jammed between a bun, with green chutney, tamarind chutney and other spices.
I don't want to defame/slander the reputation of such a yummy preparation by starting on its health angle. Let me just say, chickpea flour is a good source of protein, while the vegetable provides vitamins & minerals ;-) :-P
On a serious note, we all know that fried foods do all the bad things possible to our system. The vegetable loses most of its vitamin load in the frying process. This preparation is not recommended for regular consumption, it is not for the health conscious, it is not for those on any kind of dietary restrictions. It is full of oil (empty calories: a no no for diabetics. all that cholesterol: a no go zone for heart patients. all that fat: stresses our dear liver, a complete no entry for those with a problem liver/kidneys) and sodium (so much salt/soda, a no no for high blood pressure candidates, gout candidates, arthritic personalities, those on dialysis... I believe most diseases are exacerbated by sodium intake, so we need to watch out!).
And Baba Ramdevji says besan is very bad for health, so don't even feel good about the protein. :-)

Trivia:
If there is one thing that I remember my mother cooking regularly, it's pakodas and bajjis!!
Warning: This food is highly addictive and difficult to resist. ;-)

వంకాయ- అల్లం పచ్చిమిరపకాయ: Vankáya Allam Pacchimirapakáya- Aubergine with Ginger & Green Chilli

Serves: Two. Preparation time: 30 minutes. 

Ingredients:

7 small round aubergines (Eggplant/Brinjal, Baingan, Vankáya)
4 Green chillies
1 inch Ginger (Adrak, Allam)
1 tsp split Chickpeas (Chana dal, Senagapappu)

1 tsp split black gram (Urad dal, Minappappu)

1 tsp Mustard Seeds (Rai, Avalu)

1/2 tsp Turmeric (Haldi, Pasupu)
1/4 tsp Asafoetida (Heeng, Inguva)
3 Curry leaves (Kadipatta, Karuvepáku)
1 tsp Tamarind paste
1/2 tsp Salt (or to taste)
4 stems Cilantro (Kotimeer)
1 tbsp oil

Method:
1. Chop green chillies and ginger, pound into a paste using a mortar & pestle (or a mixer), set aside.
2. Quarter aubergines and set aside. (You may use any other variety if small round ones are not available, chop into 2" pieces.) 
3. Heat oil to medium hot. Add Minappappu & Senagapappu. When they brown, add Mustard seeds, Asafoetida, Turmeric. When mustard seeds splutter, add the Ginger-green chilli paste and curry leaves. Let the paste fry for a minute.
4. Mix in the aubergines and salt. Cover and cook. You may add 2 tsps of water if needed (Aubergines generally go soft very easily and do not need water).
5. Uncover and stir every 4 minutes. Cook until the flesh turns moist with a translucent hue and the skin discolours (greenish grey/brown black), around 10 to 15 minutes. 
6. Add tamarind paste when almost done. 
7. Garnish with chopped Cilantro after it is done.  
    Serve with fresh hot rice. Pairs very well with Chapati.

Precautions/Variations:
1. Chopped aubergines turn dark brown/black due to oxidation. Hence, chop them just before you begin heating the oil. Alternatively, immerse them in salt water to prevent oxidation.
2. Some recipes do not use Tamarind paste.  
3. Some recipes instruct to add the ginger-green chilli paste right at the end before turning off the heat. 
4. Green chillies may be adjusted according to taste. Use less if they are fiery, use more if mild. 
5. Manual pounding with a mortar-pestle lends a unique texture to the ginger-green chilli paste. If using an electric mixer/grinder, you may need to add a few drops of water. 
6. The traditional recipe demands lot of oil. However, a healthier version can be made by first roasting/microwaving the aubergines and then frying with less oil. My raw aubergines are brownish as they are pre-roasted. 
7. This same recipe can be replicated with Cluster beans (Guar, Goru chikkudu kaaya) & Jaggery instead of Aubergines. 


Refer to Manju pinni's Vankáya Mudda Koora recipe for an alternate version. 


Culture & Health: 
Aubergine, Brinjal, Eggplant- Solanum melongen-  is native to India and hence extensively used in Indian cuisine. India is the world's largest producer after China. Its flesh absorbs oil & spice so beautifully that every cook loves to experiment with aubergine. 
Eggplant helps to block the formation of free radicals and is a rich source of folic acid & potassium. Unfortunately, those are the only good lines on dear aubergine. 
Aubergines are richer in Nicotine than any other edible plant. They are rich in Histamines and commonly lead to allergic reactions upon consumption (almost 10 % of the Indian population was allergic according to a study). They are classified as a 'Visham' (Poison) in Ayurveda & Yoga/Pranayama, a food full of negative energy, to be avoided like meat/garlic/onion! Homeopaths advise against consumption of aubergine when on homeopathic medication. 
Jains do not consume Aubergine as it is full of seeds, a seed is a capsule of potential life, hence consumption is against Jaina dharma's Ahimsa principle. 


Trivia:
For all aubergine lovers, I am so sorry, why are most yummy things bad for health? I tasted aubergine last week after over 7 long years, and my my, I think I love it! 
This is another Chivukula favourite. Krishna's favourite, Sudhakar uncle's favourite, Anji uncle's favourite, who else is in love with this yummy Visham? 
This is my mom-in-law (Indira aunty)'s recipe. Kameshwari didi says that whenever Indira aunty made this at home, it was usually clubbed with Menthi Majjiga or Majjiga pulusu as all these recipes use ginger-green chilli paste. 

గుత్తి వంకాయ కూర: Gutti Vankaya Kura- Stuffed eggplant

Ingredients
10 small round egg plants/vankayalu
kura podi (refer to our podulu)
1 to 1 1/2 tbsp oil Salt to taste

Thayarucheyatam/preparation
Wash egg plants and remove the stem
Slit them in length wise up to 3/4 height and turn the egg plant upside down (opposite side) and make a slit on the other side too.
Do not cut the brinjal completely into pieces. Just slit the brinjals.
Now put them in salt water.
In a bowl take sufficient amount of kurapodi and add salt as per your taste.
Add little oil to powder and make it litte wet
Stuff the above mixture into eggplants and microwave them for about 8 mins.
Heat oil in a pan, add semi-cooked eggplants fry them by changing sides until the eggplants become brown.

వంకాయ ముద్ద కూర: Vankaaya mudda kura- Eggplant curry

Preparation time: 10 mins.
Cooking time: 15 mins
(serves 3 people)

Ingredients

1 big onoin/vullipaya
4 vankayalu/eggplants(long)
2 inches ginger/allam
3 green chillies/pachhimirapakayalu
1/4 tsp turmeric/pasupu
salt to taste

Thirgamatha/popu/seasoning
1/2 tsp avalu/mustardseeds
2tbsp senagapappu/chanadal
1tbsp minapappu/uraddal
1 tbsp oil /Manju

Preparation/Thayaruchyu vidhanam
1. Chop the eggplants into small pieces and put them in water.
2. Make a paste of ginger and chilly or chop them into tiny pieces.
3. Heat oil in a pan and add all the tadka ingredients.
4. Add chopped onions and fry till light brown, then add eggplant pieces.
5. Add salt and turmeric. Cover with lid and let it cook for 5 mins.
6. Add ginger-chilly paste and let it cook until eggplant becomes soft.

This curry goes with rice and roti.

Variations: You can add kura podi/cury powder instead of ginger-chilly paste to try a different taste.

వంకాయ పెరుగు పచ్చడి: Vankaya perugu pachadi- Egg plant with yogurt

Preparation time:15mins
serves 2 people

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups yogurt/curd/perugu
1 big eggplant/pedda vankaaya
2 green chillys/pachimirapakayalu
1/2 inch ginger piece/allam mukka
1 tsp oil
some cilantro/kothimera

Thiragamatha/Tadka/seasoning
1tsp uraddal/minapapu
1/2 tsp mustard seeds/avalu
1/4tsp cumin seeds/jeelakarra
pinch hing/inguva
Salt to taste

Preparation:
1. Wash and peel the eggplant
2. Microwave for 5 to 8 mins till it is cooked
3. Grate the ginger,finely chop the green chillies or make paste of ginger chilly
4. Add chilly, ginger, salt to yogurt and mix well.
5. Add eggplant to yogurt mixture and stir well .
6. Heat oil and put all sesonings and add it to the yogurt mixture.
7. Garnish with finely chopped cilantro.

This goes with white rice, roti and parata.