Khanavali Part 4 -Ennegai/ Stuffed Eggplant/Aubergines/Brinjal

This is yet another version of Ennegai. No wonder, eggplant being a native vegetable to India, we have cultivated so many different ways of cooking it! It is such a tragedy that Indian government has given a go ahead for the field trails of genetically modified brinjal/Egg Plants. Never know what will be the consequence! If BT cotton is of any indication, there will be more tragedy to follow..That is for another day, perhaps I will turn yet another blind eye on another impending catastrophe.
But now for the ennegai.


Brinjal/ Eggplants 6 small
Onion medium 1 chopped
Butter 1 tbsp
Oil 1 tsp
Jeera 1 tsp
Mustard 1 tsp
Peanuts 2 tbsp
Curry leaves 8-10
Tamarind Paste 3/4 tsp
Jaggery 1" piece
Khara Masala entire quantity mentioned except 1 tbsp
Hing a dash
Salt to taste.

Method:

• Toast peanuts. Cool and grind them into a smooth power using a coffee grinder.
• Mix the ground peanuts with the Khara Masale. Set it aside
• Make two perpendicular slits on the eggplants starting from the tip running all the way up to a centimeter from the stalk. Make sure the stalk still hold the vegetable together.
• Stuff the Khara masale and peanut mixture generously into the egg plant.
  
• Heat a thick bottomed pan with a tight fitting lid.
  
• Drop the butter and oil. Toss in the mustard seeds, Jeera, hing and curry leaves. Once the spluttering stops, add the onions. Cook till they are soft.
• Now gently place the stuffed egg plants in a single layer on the bed of onions. Cover and cook for five minutes. Turn them over after five minutes.
• Once the skin of the egg plant has turned darker, add the tamarind, 1 cup of water, jaggery, salt (remember the khara masale already has some salt!). Simmer till the egg plants are soft
• Serve hot with Jowar rotti!