Tumgai Palya,Veggies that are Fruits

5 from 3 votes

Stuffed Aubergines Traditional Indian Style

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Indian, Karnataka, Maharashatrian

Keyword: Aubergine Recipes, Indian Cuisine, Indian Curry, Stuffed, Vegetable

Servings: People

Calories: 0.1kcal

Roast and crush cooled peanuts if using. Roast the sesame seeds too.
Cut the onions fine. Soak the tamarind in water.
Crisscross slits on the eggplant. Make sure not to cut the eggplant in quarters. Discard the eggplant if there are any black spots on the insides. Place the slit eggplant in water. Set aside.
Mix the onion, garlic, fresh coconut fresh, sesame seeds, red chilli powder, turmeric, salt, jaggery, and coriander leaves chopped. Add Goda masala if using. Mix the tamarind water to wet the ingredients. Add peanuts powder (if using). You can grind ll these ingredients together too.
Once the eggplant opens a little, stuff generously. Set aside. Reserve some stuffing for the gravy.
Heat oil in the wok, on a high flame, splutter mustard and add hing.
Lower the flame, and add the stuffed eggplant. Try to keep them all upright. Add the leftover stuffing and mix well. Let this cook till there are blisters on the eggplant.
Add water and keep turning the eggplant to make sure it cooks evenly.
Garnish with coriander and serve.

Small tender eggplants are ideal, so start by choosing the right brinjal. In Karnataka, we get “mul badnekayi” with small thorns, a dying breed, but the best.
There should be no holes in them. Choose the straight ones, crooked ones are generally riddled with worms.
My aunts had a rule of thumb. They always asked the vendor if the brinjals had seeds. Small tender brinjals plucked before seeds can form are the most tender.
Be careful while slitting the eggplant. Do not cut it in half. A slit halfway through is more than enough.