Brinjal,Aubergine,Eggplant

Brinjal  is a cherished vegetable among my family members.It is also known as aubergine or eggplant They come in two colours :purple and white.

When uncooked it has a bitter taste  but becomes soft and pulpy when cooked. As soon as the vegetable is cut for cooking,the vegetable pieces are soaked in turmeric powder to get rid of the bitterness.Then it is washed and rinsed well before getting to the stove.I love to try my hands cooking brinjals in a variety of ways.Brinjals can be cooked,fried baked and roasted .More than often ,I fry the brinjals and then use them accordingly in a recipe.My family’s favourite is the baked brinjal dish,which I prepare for special occasions.Another specialty is the brinjal curry ,which is commonly cooked in my home.With added ingredients it becomes  a delectable dish.This is usually served with rice and curry.l

Brinjal Curry

4 medium brinjals

1 onion sliced

A piece of ginger chopped

3 cloves garlic chopped

1 tomato

A dessertspoon mustard seeds.

A sprig of curry leaves

1 tablespoon chilly powder or chilly  flakes ( you can add more  or reduce the amount)

1 ½ teacups coconut milk.

Oil for frying

Salt to taste

Method

Wash and cut the brinjals  lengthwise .( should be a little thick).Fry them in oil.Drain them in paper towel and set aside while you prepare the gravy.

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan.Cook the onions till it turns pale in colour.Add the ginger ,garlic,chilly and the rest of the ingredients and cook for a further few minutes.When the gravy thickens , add the fried brinjals and let it simmer .Enjoy with a plate of rice and curry.

 

You can see more pictures of brinjal dishes ( cooked in a variety of ways) 

Mixed Pickle

Pickle is  an essential accompaniment  to rice and curry.And it can be of any kind.Here’s a delicious preserve which  can be enjoyed  on any occasion.This  is  a necessary side dish, skillfully prepared during  festivals or  any formal meals  hosted at home.I can assure you the guests  will greatly savor the taste.

Mixed Pickle

250 grams red onions ( the small variety)

10  small green chillies (seeds intact)
1 medium carrot
250 gr. Dates
2 cups vinegar
2 tbsps.Mustard seeds ( coarsely grind)
3 cloves. of  Garlic
A piece of   Ginger( about an inch)
1 1/2 tbsp. red chilly powder
1 ½  tbsps  Sugar
A sprig - curry leaves,
3 cloves,
A piece of cinnamon stick broken into half.
4-5 cardamom pods
Salt to taste

Optional:  dried& salted lemons/mangoes

step 1

Peel,wash and cut the carrot into julienne pieces.
Peel the onions wash and keep aside.Wash the green chillies and keep them whole
Take half quantity of dates, remove seeds .(The other half, with seeds intact,keep aside).
 

Step 2

I used the blender to mix the, garlic, ginger and  half of the dates (deseed) with the 2  cups of vinegar.this will make a thick paste.Remove from blender and pour the contents into a clay pot or a glass container.

Step 3
Stir into the paste, the red chilly powder, sugar , salt, the mustard seeds,cardamon and the cinnamon stick

Now add the remaining  dates with the seeds intact ,the small  onions ( whole : do not cut or chop) green chillies , carrot pieces  and the sprig of curry leaves .Mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon to coat the paste evenly  so that the vegetables   soak up  the paste .

Optional tip  For that extra zing and a tangy flavor, add  into the pickle 2-3 dried salted lemons cut into quarters or dried  mangoes .(If you add the lemons and the salted mangoes, reduce the salt  when  you make the paste in step 3.

 

If the paste in step 2 is too thick ,add a little vinegar.

I usually serve mixed pickle  with an array of  curried vegetables, meat dishes and steamed rice.

 

This pickle will keep fresh,tightly sealed  in a  clay pot or a glass jar,for upto about three weeks in  the refrigerator.

 

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Rice And Curry

Sri Lanka is known for her warm hospitality and great food.The staple food of this beautiful island, is rice, which is accompanied with a wide range of curries,vegetables, pickles  and green leaves.No one could resist a  plateful  of  scrumptious delicacies.As hungry as I was,I  just couldn't  dip into the food without first taking some pictures of what I was going to eat.


A plate of rice with a variety of vegetables and curried fish.The vegetables you see are curried beetroot, lentils,  green leaves,thallana-battu  (Thai eggplant ) cooked spicy fish and fried pappadams,a crispy, savoury cracker.The best part of the whole thing is , you use your right hand fingers to mix a little bit of the rice and curries,take a morsel of the mixture and shove it ( not too roughly)  into the mouth.Hmm..And when munching, you get the real taste of all the goodness of the fiery spices and the flavourings of all the herbs.You got to taste it, to feel it!

My goodness! I still cannot believe that I had actually cleaned up the plate.