Spicy Stuffed Brinjals / Bharli Vangi!

 As a little girl, I always hated Brinjals, would not go anywhere near them, they looked like one mashed lump of vegetable! My mother however never gave up on her persistence to make us eat every vegetable there was and thanks to her I learnt to eat vegetables and also absolutely love them. The recipe I am about to disclose is a gem from her treasure. She learnt cooking from my grand mother who had her own vegetable patch and experimented with different spices. My grandmother had an evviable vegetable and fruit garden nestled at the foot of a small hillock. So this recipe is sort of an heirloom that's being passed on..


Brinjals, also very famously known as; eggplant, aubergine, melongene, or guinea squash and come in different varieties. The ones that are used in this recipe are the very small ones, that have a mixed colour of purple, green and white. This kind of brinjals have a great taste and flaovur compared to the others and are the best suited for stuffing.


The stuffing invloves a range of spices and herbs, it can be overwhelming but trust me the end result is delightful. I guess, by now, you must be quite eager to know how to go about cooking the stuffed Brinjals, so here it is...


Prep Time – 15 mins


Cooking Time – 15 to 20- mins.


Makes a curry for about 8-9 small Brinjals.


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Small sized Brinjals 8-9
Ingredients for  the stuffing:
Onions – 1 large
Garlic – 2 cloves
Ginger
Coriander – 1 bunch
Coconut – half
Coriander powder – ½ tea spoon
Cumin Powder – 1 tea spoon
Crushed Peanuts – 1 cup (roast the peanuts and then crush)- coarse - The main ingredient
Goda Masala (Traditional Maharashtrian curry powder) / Garam Masala
Jagerry – 2 table spoons
Salt, Turmeric and Red Hot Chilly powder – To taste
Tamarind  Pulp–  ¼ teaspoon
Vegetable Oil – 1 tablespoon

Prepare the stuffing:
Grated onion, garlic cloves, ginger (grate about ½ teaspoon of ginger), jaggery, and shred the coconut.
Soak Tamarind in water, when soft make a fine paste - 2 pieces
Once the grating is done and the tamarind pulp is ready, mix it with crushed peanut powder, salt, chilli powder, Turmeric, Coriander powder, Goda Masala, Oil, half a bunch of fresh coriander leaves.
Make sure the mixture is thick enough to be stuffed in the Brinjals.
 
Cooking the Brinjals:
1.       Slit the Brinjals vertically, creating a plus sign on the top of the Brinjals. Do not cut the Brinjals completely, retain the stems. The Brinjal should gorgeously open like flower petals.
2.       Stuff the mixture prepared for the stuffing in the slit Brinjals. Grip the Brinjals firmly to make sure the stuffing is packed in nicely.

3.       In a kadai or non stick pan, pour oil generously, without thinking too much about the calories it contains, you can burn out the oil out later :)
4.       Dip all the stuffed Brinjals in oil.
5.       Cover the pan and let the Brinjals cook on a low flame. The Brinjals will cook in its own steam with a dash of water. Do not add too much water, unless you are looking for a runny curry.
6.       Stir at periodic intervals, so that the Brinjals don’t get burnt
7.       Let is cook for about 15-20 mins.
8.       Garnish the curry with coriander leaves and shredded coconut.
The curry tastes great with Wheat, Jowar or Bajara (Millet Bread)roti or a naan. Millet is a great alternative for gluten free wheat and plain flour naans, served along with curd on the side to mellow down the heat.
Enjoy the delicious curry on a rainy day with a bunch of friends or family.
If you happen to try it out, do let me know if this made you a proud host :)


Cheers!
Dee