Vankaya Oorupindi

Ingredients
Brinjal (big one) – 1
Asafoetida powder – 1/4 tsp
Red chilli – 4-6
Tamarind – a small ball say the size of a quarter.
Curry leaves
Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
Urad dal – 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida
Salt – to taste
Oil

Get Cooking!
1. Grill the brinjal till you are sure that it is cooked well.
2. Peel the skin off (Check if it is cooked well inside).
3.  Sauté the red chilli (ginger, peppercorns, green chillies)
4. Grind  the tamarind, red chilli and salt coarsely.
5. Add the peeled, grilled brinjal & whip it to mix evenly.
5. Temper some mustard seeds, urad dal. Add asafoetida, curry leaves. Add this to the ground mix and whip once.
5. Serve with hot rice & ghee 🙂

 

Tips
You may saute some tomatoes & add to the mixer to add some nutrition/flavour.
You may also reduce the red chillies, add some black peppercorns instead.
I also add ginger, green chillies.
Grilling the tomatoes also gives a different taste to sautéing them.

 

Masala Kathirikai

Ingredients
Onion paste
tomato puree
ginger-garlic paste
tamarind
peanuts
Poppy seeds 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds ½ tbsp
Fenugreek seeds ½ tsp
Coconut 2 tbsp
Red chillies 2
Coriander seeds ½ tbsp
Sesame seeds 1 tbsp
Oil
Coriander leaves

Get Cooking!
1. Roast the khus khus, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, red chillies, Coriander seeds, sesame seeds and coconut. Grind all to a paste
2. Slit brinjal, fry them.
3. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat.
4. Add the onion paste, roast for a while.
5. Then add ginger-garlic paste, roast for a while before adding tomato purée.
6. Add the ground masala, salt, chilli powder, some tamarind paste.
7. Mix in the brinjals. Heat this for a couple of minutes with some water so that the brinjals mix in with the masala.
8. Serve with rice/roti garnishing with coriander leaves.

Tips
You could slit the brinjal and roast them in a saucepan with minimal oil till they are cooked or you could bake the vegetable by spraying some oil on them which is what I did.