Bhaghara Baingan (Brinjals)

©ashashenoyfineart

Ingredients:
Step-1
Fry the following on slow fire to light golden brown:
Groundnuts            : 3 Tbsp
Til seeds                 : 2 Tbsp
Coconut scrapings  : 3 to 4 Tbsp
(or roast 1/4th dry coconut /copra roast on flame,
poke a fork into the coconut and turn on flame)
Cool the above, make a coarse powder in the mixie, add water and complete the grinding, remove the paste and keep in a bowl.

Step-2
Eight to ten small, fresh and tender brinjals.
Wash and wipe dry the brinjals. Remove the stalks. Slit the bottom of each brinjal into 4 sections at right angles till a little before the stalk
In a kadai (thick pan) pour oil. Keep on stove and heat the oil till very hot (drop a tiny piece of brinjal, it should pop up in the oil immediately and not sink and stay at the bottom) but don't over heat.
Drop the brinjals one by one and fry till the color changes, you can reduce the flame slightly to avoid over frying. When done remove with a frying ladle and place in a colander to drain the oil.

Transfer the oil used for frying from this pan, leaving behind about 6 Tbsps oil.

Now take two medium size onions. Poke a fork in the onion and tun over a medium flame till the onions turn translucent. Now slice the onions and blend in a mixie. Keep aside.

Step-3
Ingredients
Mustard seeds:  1 tsp
Black til    : 1/2 tsp (kalonji)
Red chillies:  2
Methi seeds:  8 numbers
Karbev: 10 leaves
Onion paste: as in Step-2
Ginger garlic paste: 1 tsp
*Salt: to taste

Dhania powder: 1 level tsp
Jeera powder: 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder:  1 tsp

Lime-sized tamarind, wash well add water and extract thick juice.


Now heat the oil in the pan, and drop one by one of the above ingredients up to salt*. Fry well on a slow fire and then add dhania, jeera, chilli powder. Fry again and then add the paste made in Step -1, mix well fry again, add oil if necessary and 1/2 cup water to blend. Keep frying till oil leaves the sides of the pan. Now carefully place the fried brinjals, add tamarind juice, and cook for 10 mins slowly turning the brinjals in the masala. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes on slow fire. Put off the flame and add chopped coriander leaves. Bhagara baingan is ready to serve!!

Pepper Chicken

Ingredients: 

(A) Broiler chicken : 600 gms (good pieces) 

Ginger-garlic paste : 1 Tbsp each 

Curds/yoghurt                    : 150 ml 

Vinegar : 1 Tbsp 

Salt : 2 tsp 

Chili powder : 1 tsp 

Haldi/Turmeric powder : 1/2 tsp (B) 

Large onions : 2 Chopped and ground coarsely in a mixie 

Ginger garlic paste : 1 Tbsp 

Coriander/dhania powder : 1 Tbsp 

Pepper : 2 Tbsp pepper corns freshly powdered 

Garam masala powder : 1 tsp  (you can buy a branded pack of Garam masala

Green chillies (slit) : 4 

Tamarind lime size : soak in water and extract thick juice 

Curry leaves(karbev) : 10 to 15 

Refined oil : 6 Tbsps or 100 ml 

Salt : 1 tsp ( adjust salt) 

For seasoning : Coconut oil/rice bran/sunflower oil, 1 tspfull mustard seeds ,2 dry red chilies and few curry leaves. 

Method: 

Mix the items under (A) and marinate the chicken pieces in it for 1 hour. Take a thick pan and pour the oil into it. Keep on stove and when hot add the ginger-garlic paste and sauté. 

When the raw smell goes, add the onion paste and saute, add the the garam masala, pepper, dhania/coriander powder, slit green chilies and karbev(curry leaves) leaves next and saute well. Keep turning till the mixture is fried nicely and oil is leaving the sides of the mixture. 

Add salt and the marinated chicken pieces, pour the tamarind juice. Mix well and cover and allow to cook adding very little water to help in cooking the chicken pieces. Instead of water you can also use 1/2 cup of coconut milk for cooking the chicken in the gravy. This enhances the taste of the curry.The chicken pieces should cook well in about 15 minutes. Finally season with the seasoning items and decorate with chopped coriander leaves . Serve hot with chicken biryani. This is a spicy Southie Indian chicken curry.