Brinjal / Eggplant Gojju

Learnt From:

One of my friends Saroj. It is a Karnataka dish. I love the taste of it. She told that they make different kinds of gojjus. Should learn them too from her.

Ingredients:

Brinjals --- 5 round medium size
Potato --- 1 large
Tomato --- 1
Onion --- ½ of the big one
Tamarind --- 1 lime size
Jaggery --- ¾ th of the piece
Salt --- to taste
Turmeric Powder --- a pinch

Dry Roast & Grind the following Ingredients:

Dry Red Chilies --- 5
Channa Dal --- 1 tblsn
Urad Dal --- 1 tblsn
Coriander Seeds --- 1 tblsn
Fenugreek / Methi Seeds --- ¼ tsp
Sesame Seeds --- 1 tblsn
Cumin Seeds --- 1 tsp

For Seasoning:

Oil --- 1 tblsn
Mustard Seeds --- 1 tsp

Process:

Chop ½ of the onion.
Heat 2 tblsn of oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. Fry them till they splutter.
Add chopped onions. Fry them till they turn to transulucent colour.

In the mean while, Peel the skin of a potato and chop them into pieces, chop 5 brinjals too and keep both of them in plenty of water till they get immersed completely in water. Orelse they will discolour.
Add chopped potato and brinjals.

Chop a medium size tomato too and add tht chopped one to the pan.

Add a pinch of turmeric and salt.
Cover it and cook till done half. Stir occasionally.

In the mean while, clean a lime size ball of tamarind with water and heat for 30 seconds in micro-wave by adding little water.

Take tamarind juice out of it by adding little more water.
Add tamarind juice and ¾ piece of jaggery to the pan. (look at the piece of the jaggery in the following picuter.)

In the meanwhile, dry roast the above mentioned ingredients and grind them to a fine powder. (Note: Instead of coriander seeds and cumin seeds, I have used coriander powder and cumin powder.)

Add the powder to the pan.

Adjust salt.

Cook till done.
Transfer the curry to a serving bowl.

Have it with pulka / chapathi or with rice. Either is good.

Tri-Colour Capsicum Curry

When we were moving to a new house Sunitha had send methi parathas and this tri-colour capsicum curry for dinner. It was really too good. The combination was very very good. She told that she made this curry of her own.

Learnt From: One of my friends Sunitha. It is her own recipe.

Ingredients:

Red Capsicum --- 1
Orange Capsicum --- 1
Green Capsicum --- 1

Frozen Green Peas --- ½ cup
Onion --- ¼ of the big one
Coriander powder --- ½ tsp
Cumin powder --- ½ tsp
Garam masala --- ½ tsp
Turmeric powder --- a pinch
Salt --- as per taste
Milk --- ½ cup (optional)

For Seasoning:

Oil --- 1 tblsn
Mustard seeds --- 1 tsp

Process:

Chop capsicum and onion into small pieces.
Heat a tblsn of oil in a pan.
Add and toast mustard seeds.
When the mustard seeds start spluttering add chopped onions. Stir fry till onions become translucent.
Add chopped capsicum and frozen green peas. But I forgot to add frozen peas.


Add a pinch of turmeric and enough salt to the capsicums.
Add ½ cup of water or milk to the capsicum.


Cover it and cook till capsicums are done. Adjust water.
Stir occasionally.


Add coriander powder, cumin powder, & garam masala each ½ tsp.
Stir fry for 2 minutes.
Turn off the heat.


Transfer the curry to a serving bowl.


Tastes good with chapathi, roti or methi paratha.

French Beans Spicy Curry

Learnt From: My friend Kalyani

Ingredients:

French Beans --- When chopped --- 3 cups
Onions --- ¼ of the big one
Turmeric Powder --- a pinch
Garlic --- 3 big cloves
Cumin seeds --- 1 tsp
Salt --- as per taste

For Seasoning:

Oil --- 2 tblsn
Urad Dal --- 1 tsp
Mustard seeds --- 1 tsp
Cumin seeds --- ½ tsp
Dry Red Chilly --- 1 chopped

Process:

Clean & Chop French beans.


Chop onions.
Heat 2 tblsn of oil in a pan.
Add & Toast seasoning one by one like … urad dal, mustard seeds, cumin seeds & chopped dry red chilly.
Add chopped onions. Fry till translucent.


Add chopped beans, a pinch of turmeric powder and enough salt to the beans.
Add 2 cups of water to the beans. Adjust water till beans cook.


Stir occasionally.
In the mean while, crush 3 garlic cloves and 1 tsp of cumin seeds to a coarse paste with a big ladle.


Cook beans till done.
When the water evaporates add garlic-cumin paste to it.


Stir fry for 2 minutes.
Turn off the heat.
Add a tsp of red chilly powder.


Mix well.
Transfer the curry to a serving bowl.

Bagara Baingan

Learnt From: Vahrehvah.

Serving for: 5-6 People

Ingredients:

(Don’t get scared of the lengthy list of ingredients. If you do cooking regularly … all the ingredients are available at your home only. Check out the list. Just get fresh, small and round brinjals from the market.)

Brinjals --- 8 – 10
Peanuts --- 1 cup
Sesame Seeds --- 3 tblsn
Dry Coconut Powder --- 2 tblsn
Cinnamon Stick --- 1
Cloves --- 3
Cardamom --- 3 pods
Bay Leaf --- 1
Mustard Seeds --- 1 ½ tsp
Cumin Seeds --- ½ tsp
Green Chilies --- 2
Onion --- 1
Curry Leaves --- 7-8
Turmeric Powder --- a pinch
Ginger-Garlic Paste --- ½ tsp
Coriander Powder --- 1 tblsn
Cumin Powder --- 1 tblsn
Red Chilly Powder --- 1 tsp
Tamarind --- small lemon size ball
Jaggery --- a tblsn (optional)
Salt --- as per taste
Oil --- for deep fry

Process:

Heat a tblsn of oil in a pan. Add a cup of peanuts. Fry till they are ¾ th done. Add 3 tblsn of sesame seeds and dry coconut powder. Fry till sesame seeds are done. ( I don’t have dry coconut powder. So I used shredded coconut at the time of grinding)

Transfer the fried ones to a blender. Blend coarsely by adding around a cup of water to it. Keep tht aside.


Heat oil for deep fry in a pan.
Chop 2 green chilies and 1 onion. Keep them aside.
Clean brinjals along with stems with water. Opposite to the stem part of the brinjals cut ¾ th of the brinjal towards stem. Cut like Plus mark. Keep all the rest of the brinjals in the same way and keep them in salted water. (If you keep them in normal water the colour and the taste of the brinjals change. To prevent that … keep them in salted water.)
Clean lime size tamarind with water. Add little water to it. Micro-wave for 30 seconds. Extract tamarind juice out of it by adding ¾ cup of water.
When the oil is at right hot. Deep fry the brinjals till they are 3/4th done.



Heat 7-8 tblsn of oil in a wide pan.
Add a cinnamon stick by breaking it, 3 pods of cardamoms, 3-5 cloves and a bay leaf. Fry them.
Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds.
Add chopped green chilies and onion.
Add enough salt to the onions.


Fry till the onion turn to brown colour.
Add curry leaves and a pinch of turmeric powder.
Fry for a while.
Add ½ tsp of ginger-garlic paste. Fry for a while.
Add 2 cups of water.
Add a tblsn of coriander powder and a tblsn of cumin powder and ¾ tsp of red chilly powder. Fry for a while.
Turn the heat to medium.
Add blended peanuts-sesame-coconut paste.


Cover it and boil.
Add tamarind juice and enough salt to the gravy.
Add a tblsn of jaggery if you like. I didn’t add jaggery to my dish.
Again cover it and boil.
Boil it still the oil loses.

Taste it and adjust the salt.
Add fried brinjals to the gravy.


Cook it on medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes.


Turn off the heat.
Transfer the curry to a serving bowl.


Have it with biryani or with rice.

Eggplant Tomato Curry

Learnt From:

I learnt from Vahrehvah. It came out good. For further reference you can check out the video of Vahrehvah.

Ingredients:

Eggplant --- 1
Oil --- for deep fry
Onion --- ½ of the big onion
Tomatoes --- 2 big
Green Chilies --- 4
Ginger-Garlic Paste --- 1 tsp (optional)
Turmeric Powder --- a pinch
Coriander Powder --- 1 tsp
Red Chilly Powder --- ½ tsp
Salt --- ½ -3/4 tsp (adjust it)
Peanuts / Cashewnuts --- 3 tblsn
Sesame seeds --- 3 tblsn

For Seasoning:

Oil --- 4 tblsn
Dry Red Chilies --- 2 (Chopped)
Mustard Seeds --- 1 tsp
Cumin Seeds --- ½ tsp
Curry Leaves --- a few

Process:

Heat oil for deep fry.
In the mean while, chop eggplant.


Make sure tht the cutting pad, knife, and eggplant all should be dry. Wipe off the wet with a dry cloth or with a paper towel after cleaning them with water.
When the oil is hot deep fry the chopped eggplant till tender.


Keep the fried eggplant in a steel strainer in order to drain the excess oil.


Chop 4 green chilies, ½ of the big onion & 2 big tomatoes .
Heat 4 tblsn of oil in a pan.
Add and toast chopped red chilies, mustard seeds & cumin seeds. Add chopped green chilies, onions & curry leaves. Add 1 tsp of ginger garlic paste which is optional. Sauté till onion turn to translucent.


Add chopped tomatoes, 1 tsp of coriander powder, ½ tsp of red chilly powder & ½ to ¾ tsp of salt (adjust) to the pan. Cover it with lid. If the gravy is thick add little water to the pan. Sauté it till the tomatoes become mash.


Add fried eggplant to the pan. Cover and cook it for 5 minutes in medium-low heat.
In the meanwhile, dry roast 3 tblsn peanuts. Transfer the roasted peanuts to a bowl. In the same pan dry roast 2 tblsn sesame seeds. Grind them to a coarse powder. Keep tht aside.

Note: You can even use cashew nuts instead of peanuts. If you are using cashewnuts, you can add sesame seeds when the cashews are done half. And no need of removing the skin. It gives still more taste. When I am in hurry I do with cashews.

Just before turning off the heat add this powder.


Mix it well.


Add Chopped coriander leaves. Mix well.
Transfer the curry to a serving bowl.
This curry is good with rice as well as with Chapathi too.

For more clarity watch this video.

Guthi Vankaya Kura

Learnt From:

I learnt this spicy masala curry from my Mom.

Serving for:

It can be served for 5-7 people.

Ingredients:

Brinjal (Vankayalu) --- 6


Onions --- ½ of the big one
Tamarind


Whole red chilies --- 6 no.
Coriander seeds --- 3 table spoons
Chana dal ---1 table spoon
Urad dal --- 1 table spoon
Cumin seeds --- 1 table spoon
Turmeric powder --- a pinch
Salt --- as per taste

For Seasoning:

Oil --- 6 spoons
Chana dal --- 1 tsp
Urad dal --- 1 tsp
Mustard seeds --- ½ tsp
Curry leaves --- 5-6

Process:

Clean tamarind with water.
Pour some water and heat the tamarind (30 seconds in microwave).


Heat 2 spoons of oil in a deep pan.
Fry and toast whole red chilies, coriander seeds, chana dal, urad dal, cumin seeds.


Transfer them into the mixie jar (let it cool) and keep it aside.
Chop onions into thin slices.
Chop brinjal into slices.
Keep the chopped once in salted water. So that the colour and the taste of the brinjal won’t change. (In telugu we call as kandra pattadam).


Heat six spoons of oil in that pan.
Add and toast seasoning one by one like chana dal, urad dal, mustard seeds and curry leaves.
Add chopped onions.


After a while add chopped brinjal too.


Add pinch of turmeric powder and enough salt.
Turn the flame to medium.
Cover the pan with lid.


Take tamarind juice by adding water which you already heated and kept aside. (about 3/4th cup of juice).
Add half tamarind juice to the pan and cover again it with lid.
Stir it up occasionally.
In the mean while, grind the stuff which you already fried to a fine powder.


Cook till the brinjal becomes tender.
Remove the lid.
Add that grinded powder and the remaining tamarind juice to the pan.


Keep it for 5 minutes and turn off the flame.
Transfer the curry to a serving bowl.


Have the spicy and tasty curry with rice.
Ennnjoy.