Mysooru Badanekaayi Palya - Mildly Spicy Mysore Brinjal Dry Curry

 MYSOORU BADANEKAAYI PALYA

Tender, fleshy, small and yummy ! Eerangere badanekaayi - the long green brinjal variety grown around Mysore - is the perfect choice to prepare the delicious Mysooru Badanekayi Palya. My mouth waters even now as I think of the the delicious vaangi baath which my mother - in - law prepared decades ago, using this particular variety of brinjals.

Here I have used the long green local brinjals to prepare the delicious palya. The Byadagi Menasina kayee ( a special variety of chillies grown in Byadagi, a village in Karnataka ) lends a special colour and flavour to the palya. Do try out this Palya using Eerangere badanekaayi and enjoy the authentic delicacy.

INGREDIENTS

Long green brinjals - 1/2 kg

Turmeric powder - 1 pinch

Sesame oil - 2 tbsps

Mustard seeds 1/4 tsp

Split black gram dal - 1/2 tsp

Bengal gram dal - 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves - a few

Salt - 1 tsp

Fresh coconut gratings - 1 cup

FOR THE SPICE POWDER

Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp

Bengal gram dal - 1 tbsp

Byadagi red chilles - 10

Cinnamon - 1''

Asafoetida - 1 pinch

METHOD

1. Heat a drop of oil and fry the cinnamon.

2. When the cinnamon starts giving out a pleasant aroma, add the coriander seeds, Bengal gram dal and broken Byadagi chillies, and roast together till you get a very pleasant aroma.

3. Add asafoetida and switch off flame.The heat of the pan is enough to fry the asafoetida powder.

4. Cool and grind the roasted spice into a smooth powder and keep aside.

5. Wash and quarter the brinjals lengthwise and then cut them across into 2'" pieces.

6. Immerse the brinjal pieces in water as you cut them to avoid discolouration.

7. Heat the remaining oil in a pan and add mustard seeds.

8. When the seeds splutter add black gram dal and bengal gram dal and fry till they turn golden in colour.

9. Add curry leaves and turmeric powder.

10. Drain the brinjal pieces and add  to the seasoning.

11. Stir in salt, cover and cook for two minutes till the vegetable releases water.

12. Cook without lid on low flame stirring now and then, in its own water, till the brinjal pieces are about to be done.

13. Once the brinjal is done increase heat and cook till all the water evaporates.The cooked brinjal pieces should remain firm.Do not allow it to become mushy.

14. Mix in one and a half tsps of the ground spice powder and switch off flame.

15.Finally mix in the fresh coconut gratings .

Enjoy the flavoursome Mysooru Badane kaayi Palya with your favourite meal.

Carrot, Orange and Radish Salad

Whenever I have no mood for cooking, I go for salad. It is always simple and filling. Most of the time, I prepare it in the morning and pack it for my lunch. Carrying 3-4 boxes to office is my style and one can find some fruits, snacks or this kind of salads for sure. I still remember one of my colleagues used to tease me for bringing these many boxes like a school kid!!!



I got to know this African salad recipe from one of the magazine. After that, I prepared many times and served them with pita breads. But till now, I haven't tasted them with orange blossom water. Try yourself with orange blossom water if you have it in your pantry and enjoy the salad.

Basic Information:
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Idle Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 2


Ingredients:



Carrot - 1 no, large

Radish - 10 nos,

Orange - 1 no, large

Coriander leaves - 1 tablespoons

Olive oil - 1 teaspoon

Lemon Juice - 1 teaspoon

Cinnamon powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Black pepper powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Salt - to taste

Orange blossom water - 1 teaspoon

Pita wedges - 1 no, to serve

Method:



1) Slice carrot and radish to thin pieces. Peel orange and remove seeds from it.

2) Mix slices carrot, radish and oranges in large bowl.

3) Add olive oil and lemon juice.

4) Add cinnamon powder, black pepper powder and salt. Add orange blossom water, if you have.

5) Add coriander leaves and toss till all the ingredients combined well.

6) Serve immediately or cover and keep aside for 30 minutes.

7) After 30 minutes, serve with pita wedges.

Note:

1) Increase or decrease the seasoning according to your tastebuds.

Iru Puli Kuzhambu / Eruvilli Kuzhambu

A very new dish to me and I got introduced to it after I got married. It happens to be one of the favorite kuzhambu of my DH. This kuzhambu is a typical Tirunelveli dish. It is called "Iru Puli" since it has two tangy ingredients added into it. The term "Iru Puli" gradually evolved to be called eruvilli kuzhambu..One is the tamarind pulp and the other is the buttermilk. It serves as a great accompaniment to Idli, Dosa and can be best enjoyed with rice. There are different veggies that can be added to this. Some veggies commonly used are white pumpkin, okra, carrots, chayote, drumsticks or taro root.

Here is how you make it.

Ingredients:

For the Ground Paste:


Chana Dal - 1 tbsp
Fenugreek/ Methi Seeds - 1- 1 1/2 tsp
Red Chillies - 4-5
Curry leaves - A few
Grated fresh coconut - 1 cup
Butter milk - 1 cup

For the Sambar:

Tamarind Pulp - 1 tbsp
Asafoetida - A pinch
Veggies of your choice - 1 1/2 cups
Salt - To Taste

For Tempering:


Ghee / Oil - 1 tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Chana Dal - 1/2 tsp
Jeera / Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - a Few (optional)
Cilantro - For Garnishing

Method:

• Cut the veggies of your choice into 1 inch sticks. I used carrots as we all love that in this kuzhambu.

• In a pan, dry roast the chana dal and the fenugreek seeds until a beautiful aroma comes out of it.

• Also dry roast the red chilies and the freshly grated coconut until golden brown. You can also dry roast the curry leaves.

• In a Mixie Jar add all the above ingredients and then add buttermilk and grind it to a slightly coarse paste.

• In another vessel, dissolve the tamarind pulp in 1 1/2 cups of water.

• Add the veggies and bring it to a boil until the raw smell of tamarind disappears and the veggies get tender.

• Add a pinch of asafoetida and add salt to taste.

• Once the water has come to a boil and the veggies have become tender, add the ground paste and simmer it for a while for about 5-7 minutes.

• Garnish it with generous amounts of cilantro.

• For the seasoning, add ghee / oil in a small pan. Add the mustard seeds, chana dal, urad dal and jeera. Once the Mustard seeds start spluttering, and both the dals turn light brown, add them to the kuzhambu / sambar to temper it. You can add curry leaves and asafoetida too at this stage though it is optional.

• Iru puli kuzhambu / Eruvili kuzhambu is ready to be enjoyed hot with rice.

• Try out this unique kuzhambu and let me know what you guys think!!

Notes:

• You can use one kind of veggie or you can use different kinds of veggies at the same time.
• Feel free to be creative with the use of veggies.
• Use of curry leaves while grinding and for tempering it is optional. You can use it in both stages or use it in one or eliminate it completely.
• Be careful while adding salt. Since there is a lot of tanginess  from the tamarind and the buttermilk,you may want to reduce the amount of salt.
• You can use freshly grated coconut or frozen shredded coconut depending upon the availability.
• Make sure that the paste to be ground is neither too coarse nor too smooth.