The Sunday ride was brief. We traveled to Ballaleshwar Lake in Panvel and spent a few moments there. As the area was busy with morning joggers and walkers, we decided it was best to return toward Navi Mumbai. With plenty of time, we visited Belapur Fish Market and bought some kingfish and squid, although I was craving something different. I hadn’t cooked stuffed Maharashtrian-style brinjals in a while, so I chose today to prepare some spicy stuffed brinjals. The Maharashtrian recipe is quite simple, requiring only a few ingredients and taking little time to prepare. If you enjoy brinjals, give this a try. Happy cooking!
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Serves – 4
Ingredients:
Brinjals – 400 gm
Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
Tamarind – 5 gm
Coconut – 100 gm
Salt – to taste
Spices for frying:
Red chillies – 10 gm
Coriander seeds – 1/2 tsp
Cumin – 1/2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds – 1/2 tsp
Turmeric – 1/2 tsp
Oil – 20 ml
Method:
1 ) Heat a little oil and fry spices. Let it cool for a few minutes.
2 ) Grind the spices with tamarind and salt. Add ground coconut and mix well.
3 ) Slit brinjals into four pieces, up to three-fourths of its length and put into water.
4 ) Stuff the brinjals with the ground spices.
5 ) In a shallow pan, heat oil. Add mustard seeds. When mustard seeds crackle, place the brinjals in the pan and add the remaining spice paste.
6 ) Cover and cook on slow fire turning brinjals in between to ensure even cooking. Once cooked, garnish with coriander and serve hot.
P.S : I have eliminated the use of curry leaves and onions which goes in the traditional recipe. Feel freet to use them in case you prefer a thick gravy. I personally prefer a dry version of stuffed brinjals.
At Ballaleshwar Lake, Panvel
