Bharli Vangi/ Maharshtrian Style Stuffed Brinjals (Egg Plant)
I wasn’t much of a vegetable eater, as a kid. I was choosyin my choice of vegetables. One of my facourite dishes as a kid, was a versionof stuffed brinjals, which is a Maharashtrian recipe. My granny was a reservoirof recipes, from Bengali, to North India, to Nepalese, to Marathi, andeverything and everything (including shepard’s pie and Chinese) in between.
For the longest, I did not even know that this recipe ofbrinjal is actually a Marathi recipe. It is excellent, and very tasty, andreasonably simple to make. Though, like all good recipes, indigenousingredients serve it best.
Recipe:
Time: Approx. 45 minutes
8 medium-small sized poky/ thorny wild brinjals, that are stiffand hazy violet-grey coloured
½ cup of pink peanuts
½ a thumb size of ginger finely chopped
4 garlic cloves finely chopped
2 tablespoon of white sesame seeds
½ teaspoon coriander powder/ 1 tablespoon of coriander seeds
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1/4th teaspoonturmeric powder
½ teaspoon of poppy seeds
2 medium spicy red chilies
2 onions finely chopped
1 fat pinch of garam masala
½ cup Desiccated Coconut (IF you are fine with the taste ofcoconut)
1 teaspoon of Jaggery
1 cup water
Salt according to taste
Cooking:
Cut the brinjals in a cross cut, running a little under theender length of the brinjals. Wash these and keep them aside
In a kadhai/ wok. Roast the peanuts on a medium flame tillthey are mildly roasted, and their skins begin to peel. Let them cool, and rubaway their skins.
In the same kadhai, roast the red chillies, the sesameseeds, the cumin seeds, and the coriander seeds, the poppy seeds, for about 5minutes, on medium flame. Take these off the kadhai, and grind all the roastedingredients along with turmeric powder, in the mixer, till they are smooth
In a kadhai, in about 2 tablespoons of oil, fry the finelychopped onions, till they are very light brown. Add the finely chopped gingerand garlic, and cook for 2 minutes
Add the ground paste in this mix, and cook for about 3 minuteson a medium flame, stirring continuously, and then add a cup of water, andincrease the flame to high, and cook for a minute more
After switching off the gas, add jaggery and salt to taste,along with a large pinch of garam masala
Stuff this mix into the brinjals, and fry the brinjals forabout 10 minutes in a kadhai with a lid, turning them a few times, whenever thelid is opened
Add about a cup of water, and stir the brinjals on a largeflame, turning the heat down and covering the kadhai
In about 10 minutes once the water starts drying turn offthe flame and garnish with the coconut and fresh coriander leaves and your veryown Maharashtrian style Brinjal is ready to eat.
Tip: Have with warm bhaakri or chapattis
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