Badanekai Ennegai is a North Karnataka delicacy served with Jolada Rotti / Maize flour Roti or Akki Rotti /Rice flour Roti. It is enjoyed with Chapati too. Tiny Brinjals/Eggplant are slit, stuffed with spices and cooked whole in a fragrant gravy.
Ingredients :
- 10 small purple Brinjals
- 2 large onions
- 2 tbsps roasted peanuts
- 2 tsps Til/ sesame seeds
- 2 tsps Chana Dal/Split chickpeas
- 1 tsp Urad Dal/Split Black Gram
- 1 tbsp Coriander seeds
- 1/2 tsp Jeera/Cumin seeds
- 1/3 tsp Methi/Fenugreek seeds
- 1/4 coconut grated
- 10 dry red chillies
- 1/4 tsp Haldi /Turmeric powder
- 6 curry leaves
- 3 heaped tbsps Tamarind paste
- 1 heaped tsp Jaggery
- 4 tbsps oil
- 1 tsp Mustard
- 1 sprig of curry leaves
- Salt
Method :
Slit the Brinjal into four keeping the stem intact. Place them in a bowl of water to prevent discolouration. Slice the onions thinly.
Heat a pan. Dry roast the sesame seeds till they splutter and turn a golden brown. Roast the coriander seeds, cumin, Chana Dal, Urad Dal, Methi and the dry red chillies in a tsp of oil to a nice golden brown. Dry roast the coconut to a rich golden brown. Mix all the ingredients, drop in the curry leaves and Haldi and give a quick toss so that all the roasted ingredients blend well. Dry grind the roasted peanuts, sesame seeds and the above roasted ingredients to a fine powder. Add salt, mix well and stuff this powder/ masala into the Brinjals. Heat oil in the pressure cooker. Add the mustard. After it splutters add the curry leaves and sliced onions Roast till they are translucent . Gently place the stuffed brinjals into the cooker and, add the remaining masala, jaggery, tamarind paste and 300 ml of water. Pressure cook to one whistle. Serve hot.