Brinjal curry/Yennegai- My style

This is one of my no fail recipes, the flavor of the spices in brinjal gravy is palatable and goes well with akki/rice rotti’s (A south Indian way of making flat bread). Though, there are different versions of Yennegai, this is easy and tasty. You may choose to slit the whole brinjal or slice them. We love the way brinjal slices added to the gravy and this also goes well with hot rice and a dollop of ghee.

BRINJAL CURRY

PREPARATION TIME: 15 minutes

COOKING TIME: 15 minutes

SERVES: 6

INGREDIENTS:

For grinding:
2 tbspn. of fresh grated coconut
1 ½ tbspn. of dry roasted coriander seeds with a few pepper cons and curry leaves
1 tspn. of jaggery
1-inch ginger
2-3 cloves of garlic
2 kashmiri red chillies
2-3 whole red chillies
1 tbspn. tamarind paste
2 tbspn. of white sesame seeds

Grind all the above with very little water to a fine paste.

8-9 round brinjals sliced
1 big onion thinly sliced

For tempering:

Oil as required
2 tspn. of mustard seeds
1 tspn. of cumin seeds
Chopped coriander for garnishing
Salt to taste

METHOD:

Take a pan, add oil and after the oil is heated, add mustard seeds and after it splutters, add cumin seeds.

Now add sliced onions and fry well. Adding a little salt will make the onions cook faster.
Once the onions turn golden brown in color, add the sliced brinjals. (Always, storing the sliced brinjals in water helps them from discoloring). Fry the brinjals until they are soft.

Add the ground paste and half cup of water and mix well. Use a lid to avoid the spluttering. Add salt and adjust the consistency of the gravy by adding water. Let it cook for 5-7 minutes. Garnish with coriander.

AKKI/RICE FLOUR ROTTI’s

PREPARATION TIME: 5 minutes

COOKING TIME: 5 minutes

SERVES: 6

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups of rice flour
1 tspn. carom seeds
2 tbspn. cumin seeds
Salt and water as required

Mix all the above in a mixing bowl to make a soft dough and set it aside for 5 minutes.

METHOD:

The rotti’s can be made directly on the iron griddle or on a parchment paper/ silicone sheet and then transferred on to the griddle. I prefer making them on the griddle, the rotti’s turn out very thin and crispy.
Firstly, few minutes before making the rotti’s, heat the griddle smeared with some oil till you see some flames. Make sure the griddle is not over heated. Set is aside for the griddle to cool down.

Then, drizzle some oil on to the griddle, take a ball of the dough and pat it with your fingers covering the whole griddle. Pat it as thin as possible. You need a little practice to get it right.
Roast the rotti’s by placing the griddle on the stove. You may also cover the griddle with a lid to cook it faster.
In about two minutes, you will have your crispy akki rotti’s ready.