Eggplant Curry(Katharikai Curry)

Eggplant, aubergine, brinjal there are the different names and there could be many more names for this super tasty and nutritious vegetable. Eggplant comes in different shapes, sizes and colors in purple, jade green, lavender, yellow-white and orange. No matter what name is called and what color it is this is one of my favorite vegetable . This curry is very simple to make and for any eggplant lover this recipe is a keeper.



Preparation Time - 10 Minutes

Cooking Time - 20 to 30 Minutes

Serves - 4



Ingredients



Small Purple round eggplant - 10 to 12

 Salt - 1 1/2 tsp or to taste

Tamarind - Gooseberry sized ball

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Curry powder - 1 Tbsp(as per taste and spice level of the curry powder)

Grated Coconut - 1 Tbsp

Coconut oil - 1 Tsp

Mustard seeds - 1/2 Tsp

Split Urad Dal - 1 Tsp

Asafoetida - pinch

Curry leaves - few



Method



1) Soak the tamarind in little bit of warm water and once well soaked using as little water as possible thoroughly extract the tamarind pulp from the soaked tamarind.



2) Wash, rinse and cut the eggplant into long thin pieces( half the eggplant and each half cut into 3 pieces - around 6 strips per eggplant)



 3) Heat a pan, i used a cast iron roasting pan and add oil. Once the oil is hot add the mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds stop spluttering, add urad dal, asafoetida and curry leaves.



4) Once the urad dal is golden brown, add the cut eggplant pieces. Now add the turmeric powder, salt and cover and cook for 10 minutes stirring in between.



5) Once the eggplant is half cooked, add the extracted tamarind pulp and cook for 10 more minutes till the eggplant is thoroughly cooked.



6) Now add the curry powder and saute for 2 minutes and if any excess water is there, this powder will absorb it. Now add the grated coconut, stir and combine and leave for a minute and then switch off the stove. Leave this in the pan for five minutes and transfer to a serving bowl.



Notes - I used the small purple eggplant, if you use the thin long purple or jade green, they get cooked much faster than the small round purple variety. Do not add tamarind pulp at the beginning as your eggplant will not get cooked that easily and always add it once the eggplant is half done. Do not leave the cooked food in a cast iron pan for a longer time, as the taste and smell of the pan will be absorbed by the cooked food. So transfer it to a serving bowl within few minutes.

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Stuffed Eggplant Curry(With Coconut , Peanuts & Spices)

Know what you Eat - An eggplant, which is commonly referred to as a brinjal or an aubergine is a native to India. Eggplant's ample bioflavonoids may be beneficial in preventing strokes and hemorrhages. The fruit contains the phytochemical monoterpene, an antioxidant helpful in preventing heart disease and cancer. Eggplant may also prevent the oxidation of cells that leads to cancer growth. Eggplant is rich in dietary fiber and also contain Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, and phosphorous. To boost the nutritional benefits, pair eggplant with other vegetables such as tomatoes, onions, and peppers. Peanuts are not true nuts but a member of a family of legumes related to peas, lentils, chickpeas and other beans. Peanuts are a very good source of monounsaturated fats, the type of fat that is emphasized in the heart-healthy diet.

My Mom makes this eggplant stuffed curry very frequently. But to make them you need to have little smaller sized eggplants and tender ones. She uses channa dal for the stuffing and when i was making this i ran out of them and was in no mood to drive for 5 miles to get this single grocery. So i substituted with peanuts and it tasted awesome.

Ingredients

Small sized eggplants - Around 20
Onion - 1 big
Grated Coconut - 1 cup
Coriander seeds - 3/4 cup
Peanuts - 3/4 cup
Red chillies - 6 to 8 or to your taste
Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
Cinnamon stick - 1
Oil - 3 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Tamarind - Gooseberry sized ball
Water
Salt to taste

Method

1) Heat 1 tsp of oil add cinnamon sticks, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, peanuts, red chillies. Roast till you get a nice aroma from all the spices and all of the ingredients are slightly brown. Now add the grated coconut to the other spices and roast till it is slightly brown. Set this aside.
2) Heat 1 tsp of oil, add the chopped onion pieces and saute till the onions are translucent.
3) Soak the tamarind in little bit of warm water and set it aside.
4) Now wash and dry the eggplants. Slit them from the top till 3/4 of the length and on the bottom in the opposite direction once again slit till 3/4 of the length. Make sure not to slit the eggplant into two.
5) Grind all the roasted spices in step 1, 2, 3 into a coarse mixture along with salt to taste and keep this aside.
6) The eggplants you get here are not fresh and tender, if they are tender just stuff the spices in the eggplant. Heat 1 tbsp of oil add cumin seeds, once they stop spluttering add the stuffed eggplant and little bit of salt and cover and cook. Once the eggplant is cooked, add the remaining stuffing and mix thoroughly and switch off the stove. Serve the eggplant curry with rice or bread of your choice. If you don't get tender ones go to step 7.
7) Heat 1 tbsp of oil add the split eggplants and little bit of salt and saute till they are slightly tender and not completely cooked. Now remove from heat and let this cool.
8) Take the eggplant one by one and stuff the spices on both the ends and repeat till all the eggplants are stuffed.
9) Now heat the remaining oil, add the cumin seeds. Once they stop spluttering add the stuffed eggplants and the remaining stuffing and little bit of water. Cover and cook and once the eggplants are well cooked, increase the heat, remove the cover and let the water dry up. You will get a dry curry with stuffed eggplant and spices.
10) Serve it with rice or bread of your choice.

Event Participation

1) This dish goes to JFI-Peanuts guest hosted by Pavani of Cook's Hideout, event started by Indira.

2) This goes to Sanghi's FIL-Brinjal

3) This dish goes to MLLA-13th helping guest hosted by Sunshinemom, event started by Susan.

4) This dish goes to PJ's Lets Go Nuts- Coconut event.

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