Purple Beauties: Masala Badane Palya

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What do you cook when you are alone at home and just have to cook for yourself? With my HD away on business trip for one full week, I spent first two days by eating all left over and took dry sandwich for lunch box. When there was nothing left in fridge, I went for frozen Parathas and canned curries and takeaways. It went on like this for next two days and the time came for me to move my a*&$% to kitchen when my tummy went on strike for torturing it and wouldn’t listen to any of my poor excuses for not in a mood to cook for myself. Ha, what was I thinking? I could enjoy one week of bachelor life without cooking, washing the dish and spending the evening with my favourite book and TV shows? Tough luck!!!

Thankfully there was someone who came to my rescue. My true knight in shining armour. The one only dark, handsome and pot bellied Baby Brinjals (what did you think? Tsk tsk… Dirty minds ;). I usually go for stuffing them with spice mix when ever I get these lovely purple beauties. This time around I neither had time nor energy (read to lazy to cook) to do it. So I went for next best thing, stir fried them. Now came the question of what spices to add, do I need to use onions and tomatoes, etc etc… Sometime you can become quite creative when you are too lazy to do anything and the best example is my own creation of this Masala Badane Palya. Just roasted few lentils and spices and ground them with small bunch of coriander and chillies and added them to stir fried Brinjal wedges. And voila!!! A winner recipe was ready in no time at all… It tasted simply amazing (to my own surprise ;) with steaming bowl of Rice with chilled Yogurt and this lovely Yellow Watermelon to complete the dish. I can highly recommend this recipe for all you Brinjal/eggplant lovers. If you don’t have baby purple brinjals use the regular eggplants and follow the recipe. Off it goes to Sangeeth’s Eat Healthy-Fibre Rich event after I read it here and here that Eggplant is indeed high in fibre and good for weight reduction (how cool is that, more reason to eat eggplant;). And not to forget all those channa and urad dal which too are rich in fibre.

Masala Badane Palya

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Masala Badane Palya (Baby Brinjals stri fried with ground spices and coriander)
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 15-20 mins
Serves: 3-4

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Ingredients:
8-10 Baby Purple Brinjals, halved and cut into wedges and placed in a bowl of cold water till needed
1-2 tbsp Coriander Leaves, very finely chopped
Salt to taste

To Roast and Grind into Powder:
Small bunch or ¼ cup Coriander Leaves (including stem)
3-4 Green Chillies (Adjust acc to taste)
½ inch Ginger
1 small marble sized Tamarind Pulp
To roast:
1 tbsp Channa Dal
½ tbsp Urad Dal/Split Black Lentils
¾ tbsp Coriander Seeds
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds

For Tempering:
1 tbsp Oil
½ tbsp Channa Dal
½ tbsp Urad Dal
1 Dry Red Chilli, broken
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
½ tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
¼ tsp Hing/Asafoetida
Few Curry Leaves

Masala Badane Palya

Method:
Dry roast channa dal in a pan till it turns light golden brown. Similarly dry roast urad dal, coriander seeds and jeera one by one and keep them aside to cool. Once cooled grind them coarsely with fresh coriander leaves, green chillies, ginger and tamarind pulp without adding any water.
Now heat a tbsp of oil in a pan and add mustard seeds to it. When it starts to pop and splutter add channa dal, urad dal, and dry red chilli. Sauté them on medium flame till dals turn golden brown in colour. Mix in cumin seeds, curry leaves and hing and sauté for just few seconds.
Add brinjal wedges and keep stirring at medium to high flame for about 5-8 minutes.
Add salt to taste and ground powder and mix well. Keep stirring for another 2-3 minutes till all pieces of brinjal is nicely quoted with ground mixture.
Sprinkle 1-2 tbsp of water and cover the lid. Let the brinjals cook on a low to medium flame for another 10-15 minutes. Sprinkle little water in between to making sure that the masala doesn’t stick to the pan.
Switch off the flame once the brinjals are well cooked and mix in finely chopped coriander leaves. Serve it with a bowl of steam cooked Rice with Ghee and Dal or with Chapatti and enjoy.

Masala Badane Palya

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Note:
Other Brinjal/Eggplant recipes posted so far

• Udupi Sambar
• Badane Ennegayi-1
• Badane Ennegayi-2
• Sweet & Sour Badane Palya
• Stuffed Brinjals

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From the Temple Town: Udupi Sambar

Tucked in between the majestic mountains of Western Ghats on the east and mighty Arabian Sea on the West, there is a beautiful small town called Udupi. There are not many places like Udupi that has rich history, colourful diversity, vibrant people, virgin beaches, incredibly charming buildings and simply irresistible cuisine. I remember visiting the Krishna Temple with my parents and grandmother once in every six months when we were small and a walk on a Ratha Maarga (Chariot Street) was one of my favourite parts of the trip. Dad would take us to small shops on Ratha Maarga looking for any unusual piece of art and craft for his antique collection and promise us to take to our favourite hotel on a way back home for sinfully delicious, crisp Masala Dosa. A lazy stroll along the streets of Ashta Matha (8 temples) with Ajji while she narrated an amazing story of Saint Kanakadasa and Lord Krishna is something I will always cherish. It’s been quite some years since I visited the temple but the memories are as fresh as morning dew on rose petal.

Another part of our trip to Udupi that is one of my wonderful childhood memories is the food served at Udupi, be it at Krishna Temple or at my favourite restaurants Diana and Kidiyoor. For a foodie like me Udupi is food paradise. Even simple every day food has magical feel to it. According to history, the Udupi Cuisine has its origin in Ashta Matha’s of Udupi founded by the Vaishnavite saint Shri Madhvacharya in the 13th century. Locally grown grains, beans, vegetables and fruits are the hallmark of this divine cuisine. The world famous Krishna Matha/Temple is believed to be the centre of Dasa Saahitya, a form of literature originated in Udupi. And this same temple serves free food, called as Annadana, for thousands of devotees every single day. The temple food is simple with no frills. Rice, one or two Palyas (vegetable stir Fries), Rasam (thin, spicy Tomato Soup), Papad/Happala, Sambar (South Indian vegetable curry), Majjige Neeru (Spiced Butter Milk) and Payasam (Indian pudding) to finish this divine meal. This is one meal that not only satisfies your stomach but also touches your soul.

One such recipe is Udupi Sambar usually made with no onion and garlic at Krishna Temple. The following recipe uses small pink Sambar/Pearl Onions. The vegetables used here Brinjal and Drumsticks are made for each other. The tang of tamarind and tomatoes, sweetness of jaggery and coconut and heat from roasted spices complements each other in this coconut-lentil medley. Back at my native we use Udupi Gulla Badane which has got big seeds compared to usual purple eggplants we get here. Nevertheless, you can use any vegetables of your choice like gourds or pumpkins as it is on slight sweet notes. The ingredient list might scare you but trust me when I say it’s really simple to make. Serve it with lacy and crisp Dosas or fluffy and soft Idlis or just plain steaming bowl of white Rice and Ghee to enjoy this divine food straight from Temple Town, Udupi.

Udupi Sambar

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Udupi Samabr (Vegetable Coconut-Lentil based Curry from Temple Town, Udupi)
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 20-25 mins
Serves: 5-6
Recipe Source: Pachakam & Amma

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Ingredients:

1 large Brinjal/Eggplant, cut into 1 inch cubes (Thai Green Eggplant or Udupi Gulla Badane is preferred)
3-4 Drum Sticks, cut into 2 inch pieces
10-12 small Sambar Onions/Pearl Onions, peeled or 1 large Onion, thinly sliced
2 large Tomatoes, cubed
2-3 Green Chillies, slit
½-¾ cups Toor Dal/Split Pigeon Pea/Red Gram, washed, pressure cooked with pinch of Turmeric Powder and tsp of Oil and mashed well
1 tsp Tamarind Paste/1 small lime sized Tamarind Pulp, soaked in warm water and juice extracted
1 tsp Jaggery (Adjust acc to taste)
½ tsp Turmeric Powder
Small bunch of Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
1 tbsp Oil (Preferably Coconut Oil)
¼ tsp Hing/Asafoetida
Few Curry Leaves
Salt to taste

For Udupi Sambar Powder:
1 tbsp Urad Dal/Split Black Gram
½ tbsp Channa Dal/Spilt Bengal Gram
2 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
1 tbsp Coriander Seeds
½ tsp Methi/Fenugreek Seeds
4-6 Dry Red Chilli (Preferably Byadagi, adjust acc to taste)
1 cup Grated fresh/frozen Coconut

For Tempering:
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 Dry Red Chilli, halved
¼ tsp Hing/Asafoetida
Few Curry Leaves
1 tbsp Oil, preferably Coconut Oil

One of Many: Badane Ennegai

Question: How to make Badane Ennegai?
Person #1: Oh, it’s very simple. You take little bit of fresh coconut, and then…
Person #2: No, you don’t use fresh coconut for Ennegai. You need desiccated coconut and you grind it with …
Person #3: Hey, hey… Aren’t you forgetting something? The authentic recipe calls for roasting the spices and coconut.
Person #4: Yes, roast dry chilli preferably Byadagi Menasu.
Person #5: Oh not Byadagi, you have to use Kolhapuri Menasu. It should taste spicy not bland!!! That’s how we Hubli-Dharwad people like!
Person #6: Cut the stem of the Brinjal and make ‘+’ mark half the way.
Person #7: Hello… You always keep the stem. You don’t take the crown away from this ‘King of Vegetables’.
Person #8: Ennegai is a dry dish.
Person #9: I don’t agree with you. Spicy, aromatic stuffed Brinjals are cooked in creamy gravy.
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Person #N: …… This is the authentic recipe for Badane Ennegai.

Yes, ask some ‘N’ number of Kannadigas as how to cook Badane Ennegai and you will surely end up with ‘N’ methods of making them. Each and every household has their own ‘authentic’ recipe for cooking this delicious Baby Brinjals. Some stuff them with freshly grated coconut and some with desiccated one. Some roast the spices before pounding them and some grind them with out roasting first. Some make them mild where as some prefer spicy. So it’s not a big surprise if you find different versions of Badane Ennegai at different source. Well, for that matter I have already blogged two different recipes for Badane Ennegai in my blog. So to make it perfect 3, here is another way to cook Badane Ennegai. This recipe is from my Aunt S who is not just a wonderful cook but also has published a wonderful cooking book. I usually refer to this cook book of hers, gifted to me by her on my wedding, when I am unable to clarify some doubts with my Amma or Atte at odd hours. Well, even after two years of cooking on my own there are quite many times I keep calling them if I am not sure of some ingredients. And yes, I still haven’t learnt to write these recipes in my diary. Thanks to this blog, as it is just two or three times a week my Amma or Atte are forced to talk to me at odd hours. Well, it’s a vast improvement from getting some half a dozens of calls every single day ;) May be they’ll not have to worry about getting woken up at 2 in the morning in few years of time!!!

This delicious recipe of Badane Ennegai is a keeper for sure. My aunt stuffs the Baby Brinjals is lightly roasted dry/desiccated coconut with aromatic spices and peanuts for nutty flavour. Addition of onions in stuffing adds little crunch and sweet taste and the tamarind paste gives that oomph factor. Serve it with Dal Rice or Rasam Rice or with Roties. But the best way to eat it is with Jolada Rotti in Dharwad style. This favourite dish of mine goes to my dear friend Pooja for her VOW-Brinjal.

Badane Ennegai

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Badane Ennegai (Stuffed Babay Brinjals)
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20-30 minutes
Serves: 3-4

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Ingredients:
8-10 Baby Brinjals
1-2 tbsp Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
½ tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
Few Curry Leaves
1-2 tbsp Oil

For the Stuffing:
1 small Onion, finely chopped
½ cup Desiccated Coconut
2 tbsp Roasted Peanuts
¾ tbsp Channa Dal/Split Chickpeas
½ tbsp Urad Dal/Split Black Gram
½ tbsp Coriander Seeds
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
6-8 Dry Red Chillies, halved (Adjust acc to taste)
½ tsp Turmeric Powder
¼ tsp Hing/Asafoetida
1-1½ tsp Tamarind Paste/1 big marble sized Tamarind Pulp soaked in warm water
2 tbsp coriander Leaves, finely chopped
Salt to taste