Badanekai Gojji Sambar/ Brinjal Dal :

Our Native Brinjal has its charm and a fan base. People who like it relish it in many ways. I have already shared the palya, and this dal is one more item, which is our family favourite and mild at the taste. Here, we use either Gulla or a native variety of big green brinjal.

It needs hardly any ingredient but tastes fantastic and soothing in the summer heat. It is No coconut, vegan curry. 

Ingredients:

Brinjal – 1 ( big)

Toor dal – 1 cup ( cooked with turmeric and mashed)

Green chillies – 5 to 8 ( slit)

Salt – as per taste

Jaggery – as per taste

Roasted methi powder – ½ to 1 spoon

Tamarind – small lemon sized

coriander leaves – 2 tbl spoon (Chopped)

Seasoning: Coconut oil – 1 tbl spoon, Mustard – 1 tsp, Hing – peanut size ball, red chilli – 1, curry leaves – 1 spring.

Method:

-Here, we use full brinjal, even its stalk. So, the chopping procedure is, Halve the brinjal, even the stalk. Make four slits lengthwise. And dice it. Remove the inner woody part of the stalk and discard.

-Put those brinjal pieces in water and immerse.

-Now, take one vessel, Boil tamarind, 2 cups of water, salt, jaggery, slit green chillies. When it starts boiling, add brinjal pieces by draining the immersed water.

-When brinjal pieces turn soft, add mashed dal, roasted methi powder, adjust the salt and, jaggery and chillies according to your taste.

-Boil nicely, garnish with coriander. Do the seasoning by heating oil, splutter mustard, hing, red chilli and curry leaves.

-Enjoy with hot rice and papad.

NOTE: You can check the quantity of all the essential ingredients in the Above picture.

 

 

 

Badanekai palya/ Brinjal dry curry:

Usually, Brinjal/ Eggplant of Mangalore/Udupi region is known as “UDUPI GULLA”. No! We have two varieties.

Both are Heirloom, native variety.

How to differentiate our native varieties of brinjal? It is so easy.

Here, I am talking about our “Oora Badane”, “Native Brinjal” of Mangalore. 

Much bigger (almost like purple brinjal, used in Bhartha). The outer skin is shiny pear-shaped; the outer skin is thinner, pale green with white lines.

It is fleshy and used in our style of Bhartha ( Roasted sweet and sour Gojju), Palya, Sambar and kayi Huli.

We all know that GI tagged “Udupi Gulla”, which is small, darker in the shade, matte-finished outer skin with a couple of thorns at the woody stalk. ( which is at the backside in the picture) 

For this palya, we use fleshy, seasonal native brinjal. This one side dish, which my husband craves for and asks to make, and he relishes with Ghee smeared Chapathi.

The recipe is simple and needs freshly ground masala or readily available Rasam powder.

Ingredients:

Round Brinjal – 1

Onion – 2 ( medium)

Green chillies – 2

Salt

Tamarind – gooseberry size

Turmeric – ½ tsp

Jaggery – as needed

For the masala powder:

¼ cup – grated coconut

2 -Red chillies

Coriander -1 tsp

Cumin – ½ tsp

For the seasoning:

Coconut oil – 2 tbl spoons, mustard – 1tsp, urad dal – 1tsp, Chana dal – 1tsp, hing – 1 pinch and curry leaves – 1 spring

Chopped coriander – to garnish.

Method:

-Slice onion. Chop green chillies. Soak the tamarind in a small cup of hot water.

-Roast the coriander, cumin, red chillies in a drop of oil, make a coarse powder and keep it aside.

-Now take a bowl with water and immerse the chopped brinjal. Brinjal pieces should be slightly bigger and ¼” thicker. (Please refer to the pictures)

-Now, we would do the seasoning, take one Kadai, heat oil, splutter mustard, add urad dal, chana dal, hing and fry until it is slightly brown. Add curry leaves.

-next, add onion and green chillies and fry until it is transparent and wilts.

-Extract tamarind water pour-over. Add turmeric, salt, jaggery. When water starts boiling, add brinjal and mix everything properly.

-Close the lid and cook the veggie on a low flame. Add freshly dry ground coconut masala, mix everything, once again close the lid and cook further to absorb the flavour.

-Switch off the gas and garnish with the chopped coriander leaves. It pairs well with Roti or rice.

NOTE:

If you are using the rasam powder, add little coconut and proceed with the procedure with the Rasam powder.

-Freshly made masala and the usage of cold-pressed coconut oil does give the authentic taste.

Rice flour Ubbu rotti / Ukkarisida akki rotti:

Rotti is an integral part of our breakfast menu. In Karnataka, every region has a different method to make Akki rotti/Rice rotti. Mangaloreans prefer to make Red boiled rice rotti by grinding the soaked rice, I have already shared the recipe, and the link is HERE.

After some exposure to Bangalore, I learned this shortcut method to make equally satisfying no preparation or soaking, an instant and quick method, which uses readily available rice flour.

One can use a Rotti press or coupe of wooden planks or roll like a chapati/ pulka.

Ingredients:

Rice flour – 2 cups

Water – 2 ½ cups

Salt – as needed

Oil – 1 tsp

Method:

-Boil water in a thick bottom vessel by adding salt and oil.

-When it starts boiling, switch off the gas, add rice flour mix everything, close the lid and leave it for 5 to 10 minutes.

-The build-up Steam would help you get a smooth, crack-free dough to make perfect rotti.

-After 10 minutes, Open the lid start kneading the dough. Take out the little dough, make the roundel and start making the flat disc.

-To make the disc, take two thick plastic or butter paper sheets. Use Roti press and keep the lemon-sized ball between two papers and press.

OR

-Roll like a chapati/ Pulka by dusting the dry flour.

-Cook on tawa, just like whole wheat pulka —Cook both sides by flipping. Then, place it on gas fire to puff.

-If you wish, you can apply coconut oil or ghee on top of the puffed rotti. Serve with Chutney of your choice of curry.

NOTE:

While kneading the dough, If you feel it is dry, breaking and not holding together, please add little hot water and adjust it until it turns out pliable.

-Each rice flour acts different, and the water absorption happens accordingly.