Happy Cooking: Eggplant Potato curry...Indian Masala

Dear Single,

I hope, at least, some of you may have changed your status and now have a spouse.Your house- now a home. I Pray the others too get the opportunity to upgrade their status.

This dish is a simple and tasty meal that goes well with steamed rice and mango pickle (OR any pickle you prefer).

This is one meal I fell in love when I was a child, and my two children still love to have this. This, 'VANGAI-BHAAT' is essentially a Maharashtrian dish-though I am not a Maharashtrian by creed, but none the less, one by birth, being born in what is today known as Mumbai.

The recipe that I list below is of my version. However, the flavour & nutrition value is akin to the traditional.

Eggplant- You will find in the market, come of various shapes, sizes and colour. All of them taste equally good, and are similar in food value.

For this dish I would recommend the long purple variety, though, you may buy any that is available.

You will require the following for two servings:

1. Eggplant/Baingan-400 gms. (While buying I would suggest you ensure that the vege. is firm, without any holes, unblemished and has a stem that is green and fresh).

2. 02 small onion. 01 big potato.

3. 01 big tomato or 02 small ones-diced fine.

4. 02 tps ginger garlic paste.

5. 03 green chillies, 6-8 fresh green curry leaves( available in the vege. market) & few sprigs of fresh coriander leaves.

6. 01 tps of carom/ajwain seeds, jeera, coriander powder, red chillies powder, curry powder & turmeric powder. Also, 03 cloves, 1'' Cinnamon stick and 02 bay leaves.

7. 75-100 ml cooking oil.

8. Juice of one lemon/lime/nimbu.

9. Water.


Method

Step One

1. Cut off the stem, little of the end of the eggplant and dice it small. Keep aside,drowned in water.Dice the potato small and keep aside, in water.

2. Make paste of green chillies, 04 curry leaves, one onion and 60% of the fresh coriander leaves.
3. Slice thin the other onion.

Step Two

1. In a deep cooking vessel, put in the oil and on heating, put in the bay leaves, jeera, carom seeds, sliced onion and 6 curry leaves- stir fry till onion gets transparent.Add the green paste and fry till it starts to get brown.


02. Now put in the potato along with eggplant/baingan and fry with the Cinnamon and the cloves thrown in. As the eggplant softens , with the back of the ladle, mash a few of the diced eggplant.

3.Sprinkle all of the powder masala, half of curry powder and stir fry to mix the masala. Put in the diced tomato and fry making sure that the vege. does not stick to the bottom or it does not burn. Keep adding few spoons of water in regular interval to acheive this .

4. To help to make a homogeneous slurry with the potato and a some of the eggplant, pour in water (approx 02 cups) to make the curry of desired consistency. Add salt to taste. Cover to cook.

5. Cook on full flame,when potato is done, switch off the fire and remove.

Sprinkle the remaining curry powder and flavour with lime juice.

Garnish with fresh coriander and serve with steaming hot plain rice.