Stuffed Brinjal Curry

Ingredients

Brinjals: 5-6

Chopped onion: 1 cup

Tamarind paste: 2-3 tsp

Jaggery: 1 tsp

Turmeric: ¼ tsp

Red chili powder: ½ tsp

Asafoetida: ¼ tsp

Salt: To taste

Mustard seeds: 1 tsp

Curry leaves: 2-3 springs

Chopped coriander leaves: 2-3 tsp
Oil: 5-6 tsp

For stuffing

Peanut: 1 cup

Dry coconut: ¼ cup

Niger seeds: 5-6 tsp (If you don’t get them, you can use black sesame, but taste will change)

Red Chilies: 8-10

Urad dal: 1 tsp

Channa dal: 1 tsp

Jeera: 1 tsp

Coriander seeds: 1 tsp

Cinnamon: 1 inch

Fenugreek seeds: 5-6 seeds

Stuffed brinjal curry

Stuffing powder

Stuffed brinjals

Method

Dry roast all the stuffing ingredients one by one, and after roasting peanuts, remove the skin. Grind all the roasted ingredients and make a coarse powder. Add salt, asafoetida and tamarind paste, mix well and keep aside.

Take each brinjal and make slits but not all the way through. If you want, you can keep the stem or remove it, I prefer keeping them. Stuff the prepared mixture into the slit brinjals carefully without breaking them.

Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and curry leaves. When they splutter, add onion and sauté for a minute. Add the stuffed brinjals carefully and fry all the sides till the colour of them changes. Add the remaining stuffing mixture on the brinjals and add turmeric powder, jaggery, red chili powder and salt to taste and add 1-2 cups of water. Mix carefully and close the lid. Cook the brinjals for 15minutes on a low flame stirring carefully occasionally. Remove from heat and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with roti or chapati.