bonellilou

          Begun Bhaja, Baingan Bhaja, another dish that I had tried from the Bengali cuisine, some time back. It's a simple and tasty dish, we use the big eggplants for this, the slices are marinated in spice powders, dusted with some rice flour and shallow fried. It tastes very good with rice and some dal/lentil curry, but of course it can be served with rotis too..

Need To Here

• Eggplant - 1 medium size
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Red Chilly Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Amchur, Dry Mango Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Garam Masala - 1/2 teaspoon
• Rice Flour - to coat the slices
• Salt to taste

Original recipe here.

Method


          Slice the eggplant and leave it in water for about 1/2 hour. Then remove the slices, add the turmeric, chilly, amchur powders, garam masala and salt, mix it and leave for about 15 minutes.


          Then take the rice flour in a plate, coat the eggplant slices on both sides with it.


          Shallow fry the slices till golden brown on both sides, drain the excess oil on a napkin and serve it hot.


Note
We can fry the eggplants without the rice flour too, but the rice flour gives a crispy texture.
This tastes best when served hot, the crispiness is lost as it turns cold.

          I make paneer at home, at least once in 2 weeks, since my daughter likes it very much and mostly instead of doing a curry with paneer alone, I cook it along with some vegetable. I usually add capsicum, peas, spinach or even cabbage, this time I wanted to try it with eggplant/brinjal. Sauteing the eggplant and then mixing in paneer pieces would have worked too, but I made a curry with grilled and mashed eggplant and paneer. At home, we like the smoky flavor from the grilled eggplant, if you don't like it then peel, cook and mash the eggplant. The curry was delicious with a nice flavor, we had it with rotis but it would go very well with naans or even with some light pilaf..

Need To Have

• Big Eggplant/Brinjal - 1 medium
• Paneer/Indian Cottage Cheese - 200 gm, cubed
• Onions - 2 big, chopped
• Garlic - 4 cloves, grated
• Tomatoes - 2 medium, chopped
• Red Chilly Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Coriander Powder - 11/2 teaspoon
• Garam Masala - 1/2 teaspoon
• Kasuri Methi/Dried Fenugreek Leaves - 2 atblespoons
• Cumin Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Fenugreek Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon

Method


          Roast the eggplant directly on fire till the skin is charred completely, cool it, then peel the skin and mash the eggplant and keep.


          Shallow fry the paneer pieces in a little oil, remove and keep.


          Heat some oil, add the cumin seeds and fenugreek seeds, when it starts sizzling, add the chopped onion and grated garlic. Saute till the onions turn pink and the garlic gives a nice smell, then add the tomatoes, kasuri methi and saute for a minute.


          Add the turmeric powder, chilly and coriander powders and salt and saute till the tomatoes break down and become mushy, then add the mashed eggplant and mix.


          Add about 1 cup of water and cook for about 5 minutes. Then add the paneer pieces, garam masala and cook for another 5 minutes, garnish with some more kasuri methi, remove and serve.


Note
Don't over fry the paneer pieces, they'll turn tough.
You can add some fresh cream at the end to make the curry richer. 

         
          For the month of February, I was paired with Lakshmi Vimala for the ' Shhhh Cooking Secretly' event, she had given me eggplant and coriander leaves as the secret ingredients. I came up with this curry with the two ingredients, I made a masala with the coriander leaves and cooked the eggplants in it. It turned out to be very flavorful, and tasted very good with both rotis and rice..

Need To Have

• Small Purple Brinjals/Eggplants - 5, sliced
• Tomato - 1, chopped
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Sugar - 1/2 teaspoon
• Cumin Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Cashews - 4, broken into pieces

To Grind

• Chopped Coriander Leaves - 1 cup, packed
• Ginger - 1" piece
• Green Chillies - 3
• Shallots - 6
• Grated Coconut - 2 tablespoons

Method


          Grind together all the ingredients given under ' to grind '.


          Slice the eggplants and keep it in water along with a little salt for 10 to 15 minutes. Then saute it in a little oil with a pinch of salt, till it's 3/4th cooked, remove and keep.


          Heat some oil, toast the cashews and remove. Heat some more oil, add the cumin seeds, when it starts sizzling, add the ground paste and saute for about 5 minutes.


          Then add the tomatoes, sugar and turmeric powder and mix for another 2 minutes, then add the eggplant pieces and mix.


          Add about 1/2 cup of water, cover and cook for 5minutes, then remove the lid and cook till the mixture becomes dry, garnish with cashew pieces and serve.


Note
Make the paste slightly coarse, not into a smooth paste.
Soaking the eggplant pieces in salted water removes any bitterness from the brinjals.
Choose brinjals which doesn't have much seeds.