Vankaya - Tomato Pachadi / Andhra Style Eggplant and Tomato Chutney

(This was originally posted on 3/12/08.)

I prepare a variety of vegetable based chutneys, using the base recipe which has been in our family for generations. Some chutneys are prepared using a combo of vegetables instead of one, like this eggplants and tomatoes one for instance which stands out among the lot. It can be served with rice as part of a meal or even with rotis. 

The combination of eggplants and tomatoes yields this delicious and spicy chutney. Usually, eggplants and tomatoes are roasted whole, peeled and then ground coarsely when preparing this chutney. I sometimes follow the easier method and prepare the chutney this way by sautéing chopped vegetables, chilis and other spices together. The addition of tamarind and jaggery makes this a flavor loaded chutney.

Ingredients:

1.5 tbsp. oil

1 tbsp. skinned black gram / uard dal

1 tsp mustard seeds

A pinch of fenugreek seeds

2 pinches of asafoetida  

Green chilis as needed (I used 2 very spicy, long green chilis.)

3 eggplants (I used round, purple ones.) 

2 tomatoes 

1/8 tsp. turmeric powder

Salt to taste  

1 tsp. sized tamarind ball

1/2 to 1 tsp. jaggery (I added 1/2 packet Stevia.)

 

Directions: 

* Wash and wipe the tomatoes and eggplants dry. Chop the eggplants and tomatoes into cubes.

* Heat oil in a sauté pan and add skinned black gram / urad dal and mustard seeds. When black gram start to turn slightly reddish, add fenugreek/methi seeds, and asafoetida. When fenugreek seeds start to turn a shade darker, add green chilis and saute for few seconds.

* Next add chopped eggplants, tomatoes, turmeric, salt and tamarind.

* Cover and cook until the vegetables soften on low heat setting and turn off the stove. 

* Let the mixture cool and grind it coarsely adding jaggery to taste.  in a blender. 

This post is an entry for Blogging Marathon and check the link to find out what other marathoners are cooking.

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A - Z Karnataka Recipe Series ~ R for Rave Vangi Bhath

So far in my 'A - Z' Karnataka Recipe Series,

A - Akki Halbai
B - Biscuit Roti
C - Congress Kadalekayi
D - Davanagere Benne Dose
E - Ellu Pajji
F - Field Beans / Avarekalu Payasa
G - Girmit
H - Hitakida Avarekalu Huli
I - Iyengar Bakery Style Masala Toast
J - Jolada Vade
K - Kumbalakayi Idli
L - Limbe Hannina Gojju
M - Mysore Pak
N - Nuchinunde

O - Oodhalina Bisibele Bhath
P - Panchakajjaya
Q - Quinoa Oralu Chitranna

'R' dishes from Karnataka:

'R' stands for rotti in Kannada which happens to be a very popular,  unleavened flat bread from Karnataka. There are variations depending upon the kind of flour used to make these rottis. The rice flour based ones that are made in three different ways are called akki rottis. The finger millet flour and semolina versions would be ragi rotti and sajjige rotti respectively. Sorghum flour based ones are called jolada rotti which are a staple meal in North Karnataka homes. There is also a fiery red chili chutney from that region called Ranjaka.

'R' is for ragi too which happens to be finger millet which is an important cereal grain of the state. The ground millet is traditionally used to cook various dishes like rotti, dose, idli, halbai and so on. And  most importantly, it is used in the preparation of ragi mudde which is a staple lunch and dinner item for many households across the state, especially in the southern parts. No ragi muddhe equals to no meal in these homes. Hurihittu is the popped grain that has been ground and stored to make ragi malt and laddus. 

'R' also stands for rave in Kannada. Rave, pronounced ra-way is semolina that is used in various dishes like uppittu, rave dose, rave idli, rave rotti, rave ganji / payasa, rave laadu, halbai and so on. Rave idli and rotti originated in the state though the rest are cooked through out south India.

R for rave vangi bhath:
My 'R' dish today is an authentic and tasty breakfast dish from the state called rave vangi bhath that can even double up as a comforting lunch box item. Vangi bhath powder adds spice to this version of vegetable upma. It is somewhat a cross between a uppittu recipe and vangi bhath and try it in case if you are looking to elevate the ordinary upma recipe. The bhath usually contains vegetables and is wholesome though it can be prepared without them as well making it a quick fix dish. Usually eggplants and capsicum are a part of the dish and usage of onions is entirely optional and I don't use them. Semolina can be replaced by vermicelli or a combination of semolina and vermicelli can be used as well in the recipe. In that case, the water quantity needs to be adjusted since vermicelli gets cooked in less quantity of water than semolina. 

Ingredients:

1 cup semolina 
2 small eggplants 
1/2 small sized capsicum
1 tomato
2 tbsp. oil
1 tsp. split chickpeas (chana dal)
1 tsp. skinned black gram (urad dal)
1 tsp. mustard seeds
2 tbsp. cashews
1 sprig of curry leaves
1/8 tsp. turmeric powder
A handful of fresh / frozen peas
About 1.5 to 2 tbsp. vangi bhath powder
Salt to taste

Prep work:
1. Roast semolina on medium flame, continuously stirring until it starts to give off the toasted aroma and some of the grains start to change the shade to slightly brown at the bottom, about 4 -5 minutes. Remove from the stove and let it cool. 

2. Either home made or store bought vangi bhath powder can be used in the recipe. The home made version can be found here and it can be prepared in advance and stored for weeks.. 
3. Chop the stalks of eggplants and slight them lenthwise into thin strips. Discard the stem and the seeds from capsicum and chop finely. Also chop the tomato finely and keep aside. (I used about 3/4 cup of each vegetable for 2 cups semolina. One can use about 1 to 1.5 cups vegetables for 1 cup semolina.)


Directions:
* Heat oil on medium flame in a big sized pan / pot and add split chick peas, skinned black gram, mustard seeds and cashews. 

* Stir and when the split chick peas and skinned black gram start to turn reddish / slightly brown, add curry leaves, chopped vegetables, and turmeric. 

* Saute on medium flame, stirring intermittently until vegetables are about to be done, exactly about 5 minutes. There is no need to cook them until done since they are going to get further cooked in water.

* Add 3 cups of water, peas, vangi bhath powder to taste and salt. Bring the water to a boil. (One can taste test the water and check whether the spice and salt levels are as per taste. The water should taste slightly saltier and spicy. If it is not spicy enough then a little chili powder can be used if preferred rather than adding vangi bhath powder. Adding too much of vangi bhath powder makes the flavor too strong instead of making it spicier.)

* Lower the heat setting once the water starts to boil. Pour the semolina into the pan in a steady, quick stream using the non dominant hand while continuously stirring with your dominant hand, to avoid forming lumps. In case, any lumps are formed then immediately break them with the back of the spatula.
 
* Cover and cook on low flame until semolina is cooked, about 4 to 5 minutes. Garnish with cilantro if needed and serve immediately.

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Senagapindi Gutti Vankaya Koora / Eggplants Stuffed With Chickpea Flour

Stuffed vegetable preparations are relished across India and some vegetables like eggplants, bitter gourds and capsicum are the preferred choices when it comes to these kind of dishes. Today's version is for eggplant lovers. Stuffed eggplant preparations are called gutti vankaya koora in the states of Andhra and Telangana. A gutti literally means a bouquet, vankaya being eggplant and koora is curry / subzi in Telugu language. The 'tti' sound in the word gutti is pronounced as 'thi' as in 'thick' with a stress. The 'vanka' in vankaya rhymes with lanka as in Sri Lanka. Gutti vankaya koora comes both in dry and gravy versions. A typical dry version is prepared in the way I have given below but there are several stuffing choices one can choose from, making this curry a versatile one. 

Also some versions use up all the stuffing mixture to stuff into eggplants with no extra powder left unlike my version. In that case, the eggplants may need a little sprinkling of salt at the end. I added about a tsp. of super spicy chilli powder in the recipe which is perfect for people like my husband who eat very spicy food. People who prefer it to be less spicy need to adjust the quantity as needed. The extra stuffing mixture added to the curry at the final stages makes the curry delicious and keeps it on a spicier side.

My mother's kitchen is a onion - garlic free zone and so, she prepares dry gutti vankaya versions or simple eggplant curries throwing in curry leaves and coconut, the typical south Indian way. Today's version used to be a common preparation in my both grand mothers' kitchens and still is a regular one in my mother's and aunt's places. It is by far the simplest preparation I have seen when it comes to preparing the stuffing - no toasting, no grinding and no cooking involved. You just mix chickpea flour / senagapindi, salt and chili powder and use it as a stuffing. My mother follows her mother and uses an iron kadai / wok to prepare curries like these and so at the final stages, the left over stuffing mixture is fried to the point where it looks like it got accidentally burnt. My mother was telling me that she prepares it so since she grew up enjoying the curry made that way by her mother. The powder looks  black though it doesn't taste like burnt powder. We used to relish that powder alone with some hot rice and ghee when we were kids. My paternal grand mother used to fry it only until it turned reddish like I did. Apart from what color the remaining stuffing mixture is fried to, the recipe is same in both my mother and father's side of the families. Even little kids who cannot eat the stuffed eggplants can enjoy the fried stuffing mixture alone with rice and ghee.

Ingredients:
4 small sized eggplants
2 Tbsp. oil 
Ingredients for stuffing:
1/4 cup chickpea flour / senagapindi
Salt to taste
1/2 to 3/4 tsp. spicy variety chili powder (or to taste)
1 tbsp. oil (optional)

Method:
* Sieve chickpea flour into a bowl and add the remaining stuffing ingredients. Mix well to combine.
* Wash eggplants and wipe them dry. I haven't removed the stalks here but they can be cut off if preferred. Keeping the base (the stalk side) intact, make two cuts in each eggplant vertically from the opposite side, making a + shape. In case the stalks are removed, make the  '+' cut from that side. Fill them with the chickpea flour mixture as shown. You can fill as much as the eggplants can hold without spilling. If the filling gets spilled over the surface of the eggplant, wipe it clean.

* Heat a pan and add oil. Drop the eggplants carefully. Rotate each eggplant in the oil holding the stalk so that they are coated well with oil.

* Lower the flame, cover and let it cook until all the eggplants are done. Keep rotating the eggplants in between for uniform cooking. By this time, the eggplants loose their color and are tender to touch. Sprinkle a little salt over eggplants only if needed.

* When they are done, transfer the eggplants onto a plate. Add the remaining stuffing mixture and cook on low medium flame. The little oil present in the pan would be enough to fry the mixture and in case, one can add a tsp. extra if preferred. This powder when fried should be on a dry side. 

* Keep stirring until it starts to change the color, about 5 minutes or so. 

* Add the eggplants back to the pan and gently mix.

* Remove and serve one or two eggplants along with the chickpea flour mixture in each plate, with warm rice and ghee.


This post is an entry for Blogging Marathon #105 under 'Stuffed Dishes - Vegetables' theme. Check what other marathoners are cooking, clicking at the link.

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Brinjal Dalcha

I had made a score of biryani / pulaos and side dishes to go with them, last month for the mega marathon. This dalcha was one of those side dishes that I had made to accompany my Ambur biryani. 'Dalcha' was created in the Hyderabadi Nizams' kitchens and is said to be a modified version of a Persian dried lamb with beans dish. The original dish is of course a non vegetarian version that uses mutton and chana dal / split chickpeas along with the spices to flavor it up. This is a flavorful and simple vegetarian version dalcha made with eggplants / brinjals and pairs well with a biryani / pulao. Eggplants can be replaced with soy chunks or with mixed vegetables.
 
Recipe source: Here
Ingredients:
1/2 cup toor dal / pigeon peas
2 tbsp. chana dal / split chickpeas
1/8 tsp. ground turmeric
1 cup water
1 tbsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. ginger - garlic paste
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 small egg plants, sliced thinly
1/2 tsp. garam masala
1/4 tsp. cumin powder
1/2 tsp. chili powder
Salt to taste
Tamarind water to taste
1/2 cup water
Ingredients for tempering:
1 tsp. oil
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1/8 tsp. fenugreek seeds
2 dried red chilies, each broken into 2 or 3 pieces
1 stalk of curry leaves
2 pinches of asafoetida

Directions:
* Pressure cook toor dal, chana dal and turmeric adding a cup of water for 3 whistles or until the dal is softly cooked. When the valve pressure is gone, mash the dal well and keep it side.
* Heat oil in a pot / pan and add onion. Fry until translucent and add the ginger - garlic paste. Saute until the raw smell of the paste leaves.
* Next add brinjal slices, tamarind water, chili powder, and cumin powder. Mix well, cover and cook for about 5 minutes.
* Add cooked dal and salt to the pan. Stir and add about 1/2 cup or more of water. Cover and cook until the brinjal pieces are done.
* For tempering, heat oil in a small pan and add mustard seeds, red chilies, and fenugreek seeds. When mustard seeds start to sizzle and pop, add curry leaves and asafoetida. Turn off the stove and add the tempering to the dalcha. 
* Serve warm with biryani / pulao.



This post is an entry for Blogging Marathon #100 under 'Regional Side Dishes' theme.

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G for Gutti Vankaya Biryani (Stuffed Eggplant Biryani)

The biryanis which originated in the royal kitchens of India under Muslim regime were predominantly meat based. The vegetarian versions of the recent era are substitutes to these traditional versions to suit the palates of vegetarians. There have been recently regional twists to these meatless meals to come up with an umpteen number of vegetarian and vegan options in the pulao / biryani section. Gutti vankaya biryani is one such dish I came across during my last summer visit to India. There was a birthday in the family and a nephew of ours, who happens to be a great fan of biryanis ordered a couple of them online. They were gutti vankaya biryani and pandumirapakaya pachadi biryani, which were obviously and heavily inspired by Andhra cuisine, though we were in Bangalore.

Pandu miarapakaya pachadi is a classic Andhra pickle made with red, ripe chillies while 'gutti vankaya koora' is a stuffed brinjal preparation from the region that is quite popular. I cannot stand the smell of garlic and so didn't taste either of them. Even adults who love garlic and are used to the heat of Andhra cuisine started to sniffle and started to complain about the overly spicy and garlicky rice. However I thought they were two great adaptations with local flare. If you take out Hyderabad from the region, I don't think there are any traditional biryanis left that is distinctly Andhra flavored. A gutti vankaya biryani is one of those new era biryanis which can be easily associated with the state just by it's name.

It also makes sense to come up with an eggplant or gutti vankaya biryani. Eggplant has an elevated status among the vegetables in Andhra cuisine and most of the locals love it. My husband too happens to be a fan and I had decided to recreate that biryani for him when I came back home. This marathon proved to be a perfect opportunity to try it. Honestly speaking I was not well versed with pulao - biryani preparations before this marathon. I have cooked around 20 dishes in the past two months to the point of vexation and in turn kinda gained expertise now in the preparation. This was one of the dishes that I cooked early on and so opted for a simple pressure cooker preparation like a pulao. If it had been now, I would have prepared in an authentic biryani style by preparing a marinated base and cooking in a dum style. That is for another time, I guess.

The word 'Gutti' literally means a bouquet or a bunch in Telugu, the language spoken in Andhra and Telangana states. 'Gu' here is not pronounced as in the word 'gut' but as in 'guru'. And 'tti' as the 'th' sound in the word 'thin'.  Eggplant / brinjal is called vankaaya. The 'vanka' in the word 'vankaaya' is pronounced as 'lanka' as in Srilanka. The eggplants are stuffed with a spice - legume mixture here instead of being chopped and sauteed, which is a common feature in vegetable biryani preparation. I added the spice mixture in the gravy as well along with biryani masala to bring out the flavor more. Don't be intimidated by the long list of ingredients. Most of them go into tempering. The final feedback I got from my husband was good. If one is an eggplant lover and looking for a quick and easy biryani version to prepare, give it a try. The dish is spicy enough that it can be served with plain yogurt / a simple raita.

Ingredients:
1 cup Basmati rice
1 - 2 tbsp. ghee and/or oil
1 tsp. shahjeera / jeera (caraway / cumin seeds)
3 cardamom pods
3 cloves
2 small bay leaves
2 star anise
2 one inch pieces of cinnamon / casia
1 or 2 green chilies, finely chopped (depending upon the spiciness)
1 cup thinly sliced onions
1 inch piece of finely chopped ginger
1 tsp. garlic paste (I didn't use any.)
A handful of cilantro leaves
Roughly a handful of mint leaves
1 big tomato, finely chopped
1 tsp. biryani masala / garam masala
1/4 cup yogurt
1 and 1/4 tsp. salt or as needed
A little more than 1 and 1/2 cups water

Stuffing ingredients for 6 eggplants:
6 small eggplants
2 tbsp. peanuts
2 tbsp. chana dal / roasted, split chickpeas
1 tbsp. coriander seeds
1 tsp. sesame seeds
4 cloves
4 one inch pieces of cinnamon
4 - 6 red chillies depending upon their spiciness
Salt to taste
(The stuffing is for six eggplants. I had used the stuffing for 4 eggplants and used the rest in the onion and tomato gravy.  In case, if six eggplants are used and need more to use in the gravy, prepare more stuffing powder.)

Directions for the spice powder preparation and stuffing:
* Toast chana dal in a small skillet or wok on medium flame until it starts to lightly brown. Add coriander seeds, sesame seeds, cloves, cinnamon and red chillies and saute for a minute or two on low flame until everything is toasted. Take care not to burn them. Transfer the toasted contents to a plate and let them cool.
* Peanuts take longer to toast than the above ingredients and so toast them individually. Toast on low flame until black spots start to appear on the peanut skins and they don't appear raw when tasted. Cool and skin the peanuts by rubbing them between your palms. Let them cool. (Ready made toasted and skinned peanuts can be used instead.) 
* Add all the toasted ingredients and salt to a mixer / spice grinder and grind them fine. Add a tbsp. or two of water to the powder, make a thick paste and keep it aside.
* Wash and wipe the eggplants dry. Make crosswise slit on the eggplants, to the opposite side of the stem. (Make a plus mark cut, taking care not to quarter the eggplants.)
* Stuff the eggplants with the above spice mixture uniformly. If there is any leftover spice powder, use it in the gravy prepared.

Directions for biryani preparation:
1. Heat ghee in a small pressure cooker / pan and add carom or cumin seeds. When they start to brown, add cardamom, clove, cinnamon, bay leaf and star anise. Saute for few seconds, until the aroma of spices is noted. 
2. Add green chillies and onions and saute until golden brown. Next add ginger - garlic paste and saute until the raw smell leaves. Next add mint and cilantro and saute for a couple of minutes. Add tomatoes and cook until mush.

3. Add biryani masala, salt, any left over spice mixture from the above stuffing step, and yogurt and cook until almost the yogurt evaporates.
4. Wash the rice in two changes of water and drain. Add the drained rice and water. Mix gently to combine. Arrange the eggplants over the top, close the lid and pressure cook for three whistles. Let the valve pressure release on it's own. Wait for few minutes and then open the lid. Gently fluff and serve with yogurt.

Notes:
1. If the rice was soaked for about 20 - 30 minutes prior to cooking, pressure cook for two whistles.
2. If cooking in a pan, don't add the stuffed eggplants and cook until the rice is half cooked. Then add the eggplants, cover the pan tightly and continue to cook on low flame until rice is completely cooked. (It may take about 20 minutes to cook this way.)

So far in my Biryani / Pulao / Khichdi series,
A for Ambur Biryani
B for Basanti Pulao / Misthi Pulao
C for Corn - Fenugreek Greens Pulao
D for Donne Biryani
E for Ek Toap na Dal Bhaat
F for Fada ni Khichdi

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#99.

An InLinkz Link-up

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A - Z Indian Biryani / Pulao / Khichdi Series ~ E for Ek Toap Na Dal Bhaat

Here is a one pot khichdi from the Gujarati kitchens. It is wholesome, nutritious and a filling meal as a khichdi should be but is somewhat a special one. It is easy and quick to prepare this as well. This is one of the dishes I cooked early on but I started to have second thoughts because I have another recipe in the line which involves stuffing and I was not impressed with the images I captured. It was a cloudy day in the middle of Midwest winter and there was not even a single image that looked crisp. I cooked another khichdi last week, in case I didn't want to go with it. However I changed my mind again today and decided to go with this Gujarati meal, I found on Tarla Dalal's website. 

Calling it a one pot rice - lentil khichdi would be misleading since it is not your everyday khichdi where you dump spices, rice, lentil and vegetables in one pot and cook. Vegetables used here are not chopped but stuffed and eggplants are an interesting addition too, considering that it is not commonly used in a khichdi preparation. The addition of vegetables, stuffed with a coconut - cilantro base is the highlight of this khichdi and it definitely elevates the simple khichdi to an entertaining meal. The onions I used were tiny and kind of disintegrated into the khichdi and so, it is hard to notice them in the images. 

This dal bhaat can be cooked under 30 minutes, if soaking toor dal is not involved. I have noticed that the same toor dal without any prior soaking can be cooked in 3 whistles in some cookers and some take longer even if they are newly bought cookers. If you own a cooker which can cook dal in 3 whistles, go ahead with the recipe without soaking dal. If not, soak dal for 1 to 2 hours before so that rice and dal gets cooked at the same time. Otherwise, the rice would be a mush and the dal may not be cooked enough. The stuffing can be changed to a personal favorite one as well instead of using the one mentioned in the recipe. I changed the stuffing slightly while cooking though I am posting the same one mentioned in the original recipe.

Ingredients: (Yield - 4 servings)
1 cup rice
1/3 cup pigeon peas / toor dal
2 1/2 cups water (I used 1.5 + 2/3 cup, It is perfect if you prefer a dry version khichdi like shown in the image.)
2 tbsp. ghee
1 tsp. cumin seeds
a pinch of asafoetida
1/8 tsp. turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1/4 cup frozen peas
4 baby potatoes
4 small variety brinjals / eggplants 
4 to 6 baby onions 

Ingredients for stuffing:
1 tbsp. coriander powder
1 tbsp. cumin powder
1 tbsp. sugar (I didn't use.)
1.5 tbsp. red chili powder
A pinch of asafoetida
Salt to taste
3/4 cup fresh coconut, grated
1/3 cup finely minced cilantro / coriander leaves

Directions:
* If the variety of toor dal being used is not going to pressure cook in 3 whistles or cook at the same time as rice, wash and soak the dal in water for 1 or 2 hours and drain the water. There is no need to soak the rice but wash and drain.
* Combine all ingredients mentioned under stuffing in a small bowl and mix well. 
* Peel the potatoes and onions. Make criss-cross slits on onions, potatoes and brinjals, taking care not to separate the 4 segments. (Keep the stalk of the brinjals intact and cut along the opposite end. Cut a + mark, not cutting all the way through.)
* Stuff the onions, potatoes and brinjals evenly with the stuffing prepared in the above step. Keep them aside.
* Heat ghee in a small (3 liter) pressure cooker and add cumin seeds. When they start to brown add asafoetida, turmeric powder, drained rice and toor dal. Saute them for about a minute, on medium flame. 
* Add green peas, salt and water and stir well. Next add the stuffed vegetables and gently stir the mixture once. Pressure cook on high flame for 3 whistles.
* When the valve pressure is gone, remove the lid.
* If preferred, add another tbsp. of ghee at this point and gently mix.
* Serve it with some plain yogurt / butter milk. 

So far in my Biryani / Pulao / Khichdi series,
A for Ambur Biryani
B for Basanti Pulao / Misthi Pulao
C for Corn - Fenugreek Greens Pulao
D for Donne Biryani

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#99.

An InLinkz Link-up

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Eggplant Rice

Here is a delicious rice choice for eggplant lovers. Crisply fried eggplants paired with spicy lentil powder yield a great flavor to this rice. The spice powder can be prepared ahead and can be stored in an air tight container for months. I prefer to fry the eggplants but calorie conscious folks can cook eggplants with little oil though crispy eggplants taste better.
 
Ingredients for spice powder:
1 tbsp. chanadal
1.5 tsp. uraddal
1.5 tsp. coriander seeds
2 tbsp. shredded dry coconut (copra)
5 spicy variety dries red chillies

Ingredients for part 2:
1 cup rice (I used sona masuri rice.)
3 big sized round egg plants (I had about 3 cups eggplant slices.)
Oil to fry the eggplant slices (I used canola oil.)

Ingredients for part 3:
4 tsp. oil
1 tbsp. cashew halves
1 tsp. split roasted chickpeas / chana dal
1 tsp. split black gram / urad dal
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
10 - 12 curry leaves
1/8 tsp. turmeric powder
1.5 tsp. salt
Red chili powder (if needed) 

Part 1: Preparing spice powder
Toast chanadal and uraddal individually in a saute pan until they turn reddish brown. Saute the coriander seeds till they turn slightly brownish and add the red chillies at the end. Let them cool and grind all the ingredients finely.

Part 2:
* Rinse rice with water and drain. Pressure cook adding 2 cups of water and let it cool.
* Cut off the eggplant stalks and cut them lengthwise into two. Slice them thinly.
* Heat oil in a pan and fry the eggplant slices in batches on medium flame until crisp and golden brown. Drain them on absorbent paper towels.

Part 3:
* Heat oil in a kadai or a big non stick pot. Add the cashews and toast them till they turn golden brown. Remove them with a slotted spoon and keep aside. Add split roasted chickpeas, split black gram
and mustard seeds to the same oil and sauté until roasted chickpeas turns reddish. Then add curry leaves and turmeric powder.
* Add 3 tbsp. spice powder, salt and fried eggplants to the pan and mix properly so that the eggplant slices are well coated.
* Then add the cooked rice and mix well. Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed. Garnish with the toasted cashews.  

This post goes to Blogging marathon #85 under the theme "Rice /  Gravy recipes". Check out the page to read what other marathoners are cooking.
 

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A - Z Andhra Recipes ~ V for Vankaaya Kothimira Karam Koora

The first dish I cooked for this marathon has been for the alphabet 'V' but however that dish is not going to be featured today. I had prepared a traditional sweet dish called vennappalu in advance, planning to blog today. In fact, I cooked three varieties of appalu, five different times planning for my 'G', 'R' and 'V' alphabets and somehow other regional dishes took precedence like in today's case and none of those got published this month.

'V' stands for an important vegetable in Andhra cuisine which happens to be 'vankaya', the eggplants or brinjals. Along with the other local vegetables like dosakaya (yellow cucumber), gongura (sorrel greens), chukkakoora (sour greens native to the state), vankaya has a significant place in the native cooking. An eggplant preparation makes it appearance even on wedding menus in Andhra region, especially in brahmin households. Vankaya koora with koora podi (eggplant curry with spicy curry powder) was a common preparation during weddings in olden days. My A-Z Andhra recipe list would have been incomplete without including this most cherished vegetable among the locals. Several versions of pachadi (chutney), koora (curry) and pulusu / pappu (lentil based stews) are prepared using eggplants and many of them are posted on my blog. Today's post features a dry stuffed preparation of eggplants, using a spicy and flavorful cilantro based stuffing. This is a traditional dish and the recipe was shared to me years ago, by my husband's nieces.

 
Pantry ingredients that start with 'V' in Telugu language: 
Vaamu - Ajwain , Carom seeds 
Vadiyalu - Sundried crisps made with rice flour / tapioca pearls / lentils and such
Verusenaga pappu - Peanuts

Produce:
Vankaya - Eggplant / Brinjal
Velaga pandu - Wood apple
Vellulli - Garlic
Vellulli paaya - Garlic pod

Some 'V' dishes:
Vadalu / Garelu - Deep fried fritters
Vada pappu - Soaked moong dal made for RamaNavami
Vampoosa / Vampodi Kaaralu - Deep fried snack
Velaga pandu pachadi - wood apple chutney 
Vellulli karam - Instant garlic pickle
Venna - Butter 
Venna undalu & Vennappalu - Traditional sweet dishes
(And also Curries, Chutney & Dal made with eggplants)
 
Ingredients (2 servings)4 small eggplants (violet or green colored)
2 cups loosely packed cilantro leaves
1 inch piece of ginger
2 green chilies or as needed
1 to 2 tbsp. oil

Method:
* Wash cilantro leaves and pat dry. Grind cilantro leaves, ginger, green chillies and salt together to a paste, adding no water. This is used as stuffing.
* Wash eggplants, wipe them dry and chop off the stalks.
* Keeping the base intact, cut the eggplants twice vertically making a + shape. Fill eggplants with the above stuffing. You can fill as much as the eggplants can hold without spilling. If the filling gets spilled over the surface of the eggplant, wipe it clean.

* Heat oil in a pan and add the stuffed eggplants to it. Tilt the pan carefully so that the eggplants are coated well with the oil. Sprinkle a little salt over the eggplants.
* Cook covered on low flame, turning intermittently until browned on all sides and the eggplants are soft to touch. 
* Remove and serve warm with warm rice and ghee, if serving as a part of Andhra meal. 

So far on my 'A - Z' Andhra Cuisine,
A for Alasanda Vada
B for Bellam Garelu
C for Chiyali
D for Dondakaaya Kaarapu Kaaya
E for Endu Kobbari Podi
F for Fine Biscuits 
G for Gongura - Mamidikaya Pappu
H for Halwa Holigalu
I for Idli Karam Podi
J for Janthikalu
K for Kobbari Koora

L for Lauzu
M for Matikkaaya Kaaram Koora
N for Nimmakaaya Kaaram
O for Ottotti
P for Perugu Vadalu  
Q for Qubani ka Meetha 
R for Ragi Sangati
S for Satyanarayana Vrata Prasadam
T for Theepi Dibba Rotte
U for Usirikaaya Pulihora

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 63.

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Veggie Wednesday ~ Eggplant Pizza

Time sure flies by. It seems like yesterday when I finished the month long marathon based on global cuisine and it's time now for another month long marathon. For the uninitiated, we, a group of bloggers post a dozen 'theme' based recipes each month and do 'month' long blogging during April and September months. The blogging marathon event is the brainchild of Srivalli's and anyone interested to learn more / participate in the future events can check the link below for the details. This time the group chose to go with the 'baking' theme - 'Fire up your oven' and Valli decided not to impose any sub-themes to make the participants' lives easier. However bloggers are free to come up with their own themes for this event as long as they stick to baking.

And what an irony! It turns out that going with sub-themes is more stress free. I kept procrastinating until the last minute being not able to decide what to cook. Lists were made only to come up with a new one each day. And I was so fed up that I finally decided to bake some dishes that I thought my family would love and come up with themes based on those and it seemed to work somehow. I have yet to bake 1/3 of the dishes and hopefully I would be able to present the dishes in the way I have planned.

The first one in the series is going to be these eggplant pizzas. One idea that kept popping in my mind was 'flour-less baking' when I was planning for this event and around the same time I came across these on MSN website. A little google search enlightened me that the idea/ recipe has been in circulation for years or decades now. I prepared these keeping my husband in mind since he is an ardent fan of that vegetable while the rest at home are not so enthusiastic about it. It is a gluten-free and less guiltier option over the traditional flour based pizzas. They look cute as single serving appetizers or can go in a sandwich and are a treat for eggplant lovers. 

The original recipe mentions to use 1 inch thick eggplant slices but  I used 1/2 inch thick slices. To see how 1 inch ones work, I cut a couple of slices in that size too. And my recommendation is to go with less than 1/2 inch ones. I skipped spinach leaves as my husband is not fond of those and used a basil - oregano tomato sauce. The base is not going to be very crispy but can still hold the fillings and the sauce.

Ingredients:
1 large eggplant, sliced a little thicker than 1/4 inch (I had about 14 slices and updating the info.)
1/2 - 1 tsp. salt to taste
8 oz. tomato sauce 
Mozzarella cheese as needed
14 - 15 grape tomatoes, sliced
Chili flakes (optional)

Method: (Details in the parenthesis are my recommendations.)
* Preheat oven to 425 deg F.
* Arrange the eggplant slices on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle salt over the slices and bake them for about 15 - 20 minutes. (Eggplant slices can be lightly brushed with olive oil before placing in the oven. Flip them halfway through baking.)
 
* Remove the baking sheet from the oven and turn on the broiler setting. Spread about a tsp of sauce over the eggplant slice and sprinkle cheese over it. Arrange the grape tomato slices evenly (and any other vegetables you want to use as toppings) over the cheese. Sprinkle chili flakes if using.
(If you feel the eggplant slices are not going to be cooked perfect, they can be baked until the cheese melts instead of broiling.)

* Broil for about 3 to 4 minutes. Keep an eye while broiling as they can burn pretty fast.
* Serve warm immediately, sprinkling some more red chili flakes if needed.

Check here to learn what other marathoners are cooking during this blogging marathon.

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