STUFFED SMALL BRINJALS / THUMBIDA BADANEKAAYI / BARWA BAINGAN

INGREDIENTS:
For the Curry:
16 Small Brinjals
Few Curry Leaves (2 to 3 sprigs)
1/4 Cup or 5 tbsp of Oil
1 tsp of Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp of Turmeric powder
Marble size Jaggery (optional)
20 gms/size of Marble/ 5 to 6 Flakes of Tamarind
Few Coriander Leaves to Garnish (5 to 6 stalks)
2 Medium sized Onions
4 to 5 Garlic Pods
Salt as Required

For the Masala Powder :
1 Cup Coriander seeds
1 tbsp Urad dal
1-1/2 tsp Bengal gram Dal
1/4 tsp Fenugreek seeds
1-1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
1/2 tsp Poppy seeds
1/2 tsp Pepper corns
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
2 Sticks (1'' Pieces) Cinnamon sticks
4 Cloves
3 to 4 Marati Moggu
1/4 tsp Asafoetida/Hing
1-1/2 tbsp of White Till seeds
1-1/2 tbsp of Uchellu / niger seeds
60 gms / more than 1/4 cup of Dry Copra
1/4 Cup Peanuts/Ground nuts
6 - 5 Guntur -Badgi Dry Red Chillies

METHOD:
First of all soak around 20gms/size of marble/5 to 6 Flakes of Tamarind in 1 cup of hot water
In a tsp of oil add Fenugreek first, when it turns golden brown in colour, add cinnamon sticks, Marati Moggu, cloves and fry for a minute, then add Mustard seeds, pepper corns, Dry Red Chillies and cumin fry for a minute when they smell very nice, and the cumin turns golden in colour, then take all of them out in a plate, now add Channa dal fry with a drop of oil until it changes colour take it out, then another tiny bit of oil and fry Urad dal until it changes colour take it out, then add another tiny bit of oil add Coriander seeds and fry until they change colour to golden colour, Leave them on the plate until they cool down. (you can also fry the dals and coriander seeds together with the other ingredients one by  one)
In the same wok fry ground nuts nicely until it changes colour, may be 5 minutes to 7 minutes, the skin starts peeling off, take it out and allow it cool.
Then fry both the Till seeds  separately (White and Niger seeds) until they start popping or spluttering out, take these out on to a plate to cool
Grate the Dry Copra/ Coconut fry just for a minute and keep it aside to cool.
Rubbing in both palms remove the skin and the small nodes in the Ground nuts and Grind just the two parts of the nuts and powder and keep aside.
Once they are all cool Grind the dals first into a smooth powder then to this add the Till seeds and the Dry Coconut/Copra and make the powder.
Now your Masala powder is ready. This powder can be stored in an Air tight container. when ever you want to make this gravy, Vegetable bath, or any dry curry with any other vegetables which might go well with the masala, Gojjus or you can even use it for sambhar (omitting adding of til seeds).

Once the Masala is ready now the process is easy.
Here I did a little variation, actually I did not grinded both the coconuts into a smooth paste rather than using the Dry copra to make the masala powder as I intended to use all the powder immediately and I did not keep it for any storing.
Take the 2 Onions and Garlic pods and grind them into a smooth paste.
In a bowl take the Masala powder, Ground nut powder, Onion - Garlic paste, and Coconut paste mix all this together with 1 tbsp of salt.
Slit open the Brinjals as shown and fill up them with masala powder and keep it ready. you will be left with some masala powder paste as well.

Take a large pan/ wok heat 1/4 cup of oil to this add mustard seeds, when they splutter add turmeric powder and slide in the filled Brinjals and curry leaves into the pan and saute them carefully for 2 minutes until all the brinjals are coated with oil.
You will be left with some masala powder paste, to this add nicely squeezed Tamarind water to this remaining paste, mix well together  add this to the Pan as shown in the picture add another 2 to 3 cups of water depending on how gravy you want your subzi to be and also adjust the salt, remember you have already added some to the powder paste while filling the Brinjals, Cover and cook for about 20 to 25 minutes in a low flame, just check now and then and turn them around slowly, so that they don't get squished and dry up, if it dries up add a bit of water.

But, usually it cooks well in that flame and the gravy thickens too, chop few fresh coriander leaves and Garnish and serve hot with Roti, Naan, pulkas or chapatis.
Here is an other click of my Badanekaayi Yennagai..

will write about Jolada rotti soon....

Variation: If you cannot get Tamarind you can substitute it with 2 small Tomatoes.
Do not forget to adjust salt and Red chillies to your taste, as chillies usually differ.

I am sending this to Kavita's Healing food - Egg plant event , started by Siri.
Hope you enjoy making it as we did.. Have a good day... take care... bye..... c u soon.....

The post Stuffed Small Brinjals North Karnataka Style/ Thumbida Badanekaayi/ Barwa Baingan appeared first on My Veg Fare.

UCCHELLU PUDI

METHOD I
Ingredients:

• 100 gms or 1 cup ucchellu (a kind of black Til)
• 15 to 20 gms or 1/4 cup Channa Dal
• 4-4 Red chillies (Guntur-Badgi)
• 3 to 4 flakes or marble sized Tamarind
• a piece of Jaggery
• oil to roast
• 1 to 1/2 tsp of salt or salt as required

METHOD:

1. First of all clean the Til or Ucchellu seeds and dry in the sun for some time then fry them a little until they are quite warm
2. Then with little oil roast chenna dal, red chillies and Tamarind
3. when they are cool with required quantity of salt grind them in the mixer to a fine powder consistency in the last round add scrapped jaggery and give a final grind.
4. mix together and now it is finally ready to serve, put it in a air tight container for a long shelf life.

METHOD II
Ingredients:

• 1 cup of Ucchellu
• 1/4 cup peanuts
• a pinch of asafoetida
• 2 tbsp of dry coconut or copra or dessicated coconut
• a marble sized tamarind
• salt to taste
• 1 tbsp Urad dal
• 4-4 Red chillies (Guntur-Badgi)
• oil to roast
• a little piece of jaggery

METHOD

1. Clean the Til and roast it in as you roast the til seeds
2. With a tsp of oil roast urad dal, chillies and tamarind and keep aside
3. Dry roast the peanuts or if u get roasted peanuts u can use them or you can also use the roasted & salted peanuts too, but just be careful when adding salt as peanuts already have salt in them !!!.
4. After roasting the peanuts dehusk them and remove all the outer covering. Now it is ready to use.
5. Grind all the ingredients into a fine powder again as usual in the last round add the scrapped jaggery, mix well together and store it in a air tight container for a long shelf life.

When I was writing this Recipe I was quite feeling hungry as i had not had my breakfast and I thought what am I going to eat, Just then I remembered this song from an old Kannada film, The song was like this I do not remember the name of the film but used to remember the first two lines of it all the time I keep murmuring it now & then ! The song is - '' Raagi rotti ucchellu chutney thandiv nan magne, moogina matta jadidu malago kalnan magane.......'' it means I have brought Raagi Rotti and Ucchellu Chutney eat till u fill up to the nose and sleep well....I think that fellow was an useless idiot who was whiling away his time, I haven't seen the movies, its a long time ago so must ask my hubby about this tonight when he is back and find out what it is !! well anyways, I just decided I am going to eat the same thing and here is palate of Ragi Rotti and Ucchellu chutney pudi.
Hoping you would also make and enjoy this uttara karnataka dish and eat it.

The post Uchellu Pudi or powder appeared first on My Veg Fare.