Vangi Masala

What will you cook if you want to cook for yourself?

This Question might sounds silly, but, is it?

We may claim that we are cooking for ourself everyday. Lets consider a situation when you are all alone at home and your are not required to cook anything for your family for whatever reason. You are hungry and would like to satisfy your cravings. What is it that you would you cook?

If you ask me, I will say “Eggplant”, “Brinjal”. Especially, I love the tiny brinjals very much. Rasa vangi, Stuffed Curry… the list is endless.

One such recipe is “Vangi masala”.

The Recipe is:

1 walnut sized ball of Tamarind
1/2 lb Tiny Eggplant or Brinjal
2 teaspoons of Oil
2 Garlic cloves
2 teaspoons Coriander Seeds
1/2 inch piece of Cinnamon
2 Cloves
1/4 cup of shredded Coconut
4 Dried Red chili
3 teaspoons of Salt
1 teaspoon Jaggery
1/4 teaspoon Black Mustard seeds

The Method:

1. Soak the tamarind on 1/2 cup of warm water until it turns soft.
2. Crush the tamarind in the soaked water and drain the water in a bowl. Discard the pulp.
3. Grind coconut, garlic, coriander seeds, cinnamon, cloves and red chili to a fine paste.
4. Slit the bottom of the eggplants 1/4 inch deep, but not cutting into quarters.
5. Heat the oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the eggplants. Fry until they are well coated with oil and start to pale in color.
6. Add the tamarind extract and salt. When it starts boiling, add the ground paste,Jaggery and mix well.
7. Reduce the heat and let it boil until the eggplants are cooked and the gravy thickens.

This is my entry for Indira’s JFI Event hosted by Sangeetha.