Eggplant curry with Peanuts for JFI

This is a delicacy which my mother makes often.I relish this dish just with plain rice and a tsp of ghee.This is also a great side dish for any spiced rice such as pulav, biriyani, jeera rice etc.,

Here is the recipe

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant

1 handful of roasted peanuts , ground into a coarse powder.

1 medium onion chopped

1 small tomato chopped

1 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp turmeric pwd (optional)

1 tsp whole pepper

1 tsp cumin/jeera seeds

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp urad dhal

1 tsp channa dhal

1 tsp tamarind paste dissolved in 1/2 cup of water

curry leaves optional.

salt and oil to taste.

Method.

Wash and cut the brinjal or eggplants into 1 inch long strips.

Take 2tblsp of oil in non stick kadai/pan.

Add the mustard and wait till it splutters.

Now add the urad dhal, channa dhal, pepper , jeera and currey leaves.

Once the dhal is brown, add the onions and fry till translucent.

Add the eggplants and fry nicely till it shrinks in size, now add the tomatoes, chillipowder, turmeric, and salt. Sprinkle some water, reduce the flame and close the pan with lid.

Allow it to cook for 8 10 mins, and then add the tamarind juice(1tsp paste dissolved in 1/2 cup water).

Increase the heat and stir well till all the juice is absorbed.

Now add the coarse peanut/groundnut powder , chopped coriander leaves, stir well to combine and switch of the stove.

Note:

• Always add the peanuts, only when all the water is absorbed and the curry is almost dry. Otherwise the dish will become very soggy.
• As a variation you can also add 2tblsp of shreded coconut with or without the peanuts .
• Roasting the brinjal in more oil (20r 3 tblsp more) and allowing the brinjal to cook in the oil will definitly enhance the taste even better i.e. if you are not worried about the extra calories or fat that bringa along with it :).

This is a great dish to prepare for potlucks, get together's or any party for that matter.

Iam sending this to ths months JFI conceived by Indira hosted at 'The cooks hide out'

Moroccan Fried Eggplants - AWED

My love for mediteranean cuisine started when we went to a small authentic middle eastern restaurant in Denver few years back.It was for a friends birthday party and we were a huge gang.Since nobody had any idea about the food, the chef decided to bring out his favorites right from appetizers to desserts.We started off with a fried eggplant appetizer,which was so delicious that it disappeared from the plate as soon as it was brought to the table.The food was so memorable that whenever I think about mediteranean food this dish comes to my mind.

At last after all these years Sri's AWED event made me search for this recipe and try it out.

When I started my search I stumbled upon lots of 'Fried Eggplant' recipes like 'Salatat Bathinjan', 'Badhinjan Miqli' named according to the region with very little variations.But none of them suited the dish I had in mind. Finally I saw this 'Moroccon Fried eggplants' which was exactly what I was looking for.However I made slight variations in these too, instead of egg for dipping I used 'flour mixed in 1/4 cup of water' and instead of flour for dredging I used bread crumbs .

Here's how we do it.

Ingredients
1 large Eggplant

1/2 tsp chilli powder

1/4 tsp roasted cumin powder

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tbls chopped garlic

1 table spoon flour

2 cups bread crumbs.

Method.
Remove the stem and slice the Eggplant into thick slices.

Sprinkle some salt over the slices and leave it for about 15 - 30 mins.

Pat the slices dry using a kitchen towelAdd the chilli powder, garlic and lemon juice to the slices and mix well to coat.Allow to rest for 30 mins.

Mix the flour in a bowl with 1/4 cup water to form a light batter.(You can also use one beaten egg instead of flour batter). Spread the Breadcrumbs in a plate.

I cooked them in two batches, one batch using the skillet and another batch using the oven. Both turned out great with a unique taste.

For the skillet:

Add enough Olive oil to a skillet to fully cover the bottom, and heat the oil over medium heat. Dip the eggplant slice in the flour mixture and the toss it on the bread crumbs to coat evenly and place it in the hot oil.Fry the eggplant in batches, turning several times, until deep golden brown. Remove the eggplant to paper towels or a rack to drain.

For the Oven:

Preheat the Oven to 200 Deg C. Dip the eggplant slice in the flour mixture and then toss it on the bread crumbs to coat evenly.Place the eggplant slices on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Sprinkle some olive oil over them and bake till crispy for about 20 mins.

Serve warm with any sauce of your choice.

Whether served as a vegetable side dish, or as part of the main course, these slices of breaded eggplant are a tasty addition to any meal.

Note:To make it even more richer you can add 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese to the bread crumbs.