Masale ke baigan (Spiced aubergines)
Aubergines/Brinjals/ Baigan (hindi) -> you call it by any name. This is a plant native to India and is very rich in Iron. Its a rich source of folic acid and potassium, and is helpful in treating high blood cholestrol. Very famous all across India, brinjal can be cooked in various dishes. The taste and variety of the dishes varies widely between north and south India. What I have discussed in this blog is the recipe used across the northern Indian states such as Punjab, Uttaranchal, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and the National Capital Region.
Ingredients
Small sized aubergines - 6 to 7 in number
Coriander Powder - 3-4 table spoons
Garam Masala - 1 table spoon
Mango Powder (Amchur) - 1 table spoon
Red Chilli Powder - 2 tea spoons
Salt - To taste
Oil - 4 table spoons
Cumin Seeds - 1 table spoon
Method
Wash and pat dry the brinjals. Hold them from the head and make two perpendicular slits across the brinjal starting from bottom to top. Do not slice it off completely (the head with the stick should remain intact). Repeat the process for all the brinjals and keep aside. (do not leave for more than 5 min else the brinjals will turn brown).
Take a bowl. Add all the spices (except cumin seeds) and add two table spoons of oil. Mix well and make a paste out of it. Now fill this paste into the slits of each brinjal. Dont fill too much. I like to normally rub the spices mixture around the body of the each brinjal. This leaves a very thin film of spice on the brinjal making sure that the spices sieve in to the body of the aubergines.
Now take a pan. Heat two table spoons of oil and add the cumin seeds. Once the seeds are crackled, lay the brinjals (with spice mixture filled in it) in the pan carefully. Now cover the pan with a lid and cook on low flame for around 10 min.
Keep looking after every 2 min and turn the brinjals in all directions to ensure all sides get cooked, and none of the sides get burnt.
Finally when the brinjals are completely tender, we are done. Enjoy with chapatis, or rice. :)
