This dish needs no introduction!!! There isn't one Kannadiga that is unaware of "Badanekai Yennegai", I'm sure! For the ones who are not familiar with it - Yennegai is a signature dish of North Karnataka . Eggplants/Brinjal are stuffed with ground masalas and shallow fried in oil, until done. Pronounced and spelled in different ways (Ennegai/Enngai/Yengai/Yenngai), this dish has multiple versions of the recipe too!! I got this version of the recipe from a friend of mine, Sangeeta. She is a wonderful cook and this recipe of hers is always a winner!!
This recipe takes me down the memory lane to the time I was newly married.... Couple of weeks after our wedding, Naveen and I landed here in the US (his project was in North Carolina, back then) to a very warm welcome from a wonderful set of friends. While some of them were at the airport to pick us up, the others had got an apartment ready for us!! For the next 15 days, we were flooded with dinner and luncheon invites from all the families out there.The ladies out there were all wonderful cooks.... One was better than the other!!! And those were the times when I could barely make my own cup of tea :D.... Needless to say, I was awed by the way they cooked so effortlessly for 8-10 people each time..... single handed, that too!! My friend Sangeeta was one among them and when she had us over for dinner, Badanekayi Yenngai was one of the dishes she had made for us. It was sooooo good, that I haven't stopped talking about it ever since!! I collected the recipe from her instantly, but never got myself to try it until now :( .... I finally made it yesterday and it was awesome! It tasted so different and fresh!!! Jolada rotti and Yenngai or akki rotti and yenngai are the most famous combos in Karnataka. But this dish can also be had with rotis or even some hot steamed rice!!
Ingredients:
4-6 Small, round, purple eggplants
1 tbsp Oil
1 tsp Mustard seeds
A generous pinch of hing
1/2 of a medium sized Onion, chopped finely
Salt as per taste
For the Masala:
1/2 to 3/4 cup Grated coconut, fresh/frozen
2-2.5 tsp Coriander seeds
1 tsp Jeera
3-4 Cloves (optional)
1" Cinnamon stick (optional)
4-5 Dry Red Chilies, low spiced
2 tsp Ellu/Sesame seeds/Til, both black & white will do
1 tbsp Peanuts
1/4 tsp Tamarind paste
1/2 tsp Powdered Jaggery/Sugar
1/2 of a medium sized Onion, chopped coarsely
Method:
- Dry roast the coriander seeds, jeera, red chilies, cloves, cinnamon, til and peanuts until the peanuts start popping a little; Make sure not to burn any of the spices.
- Grind the roasted spices with coconut, onion, tamarind, jaggery and salt; Add just enough water to make it a coarse paste; Keep aside.
- Make two slits on the eggplants, lengthwise- Such that the slits form a "+" sign on each eggplant; Be careful while making the slits, and make sure the eggplant is in 1 piece and not quartered while slitting them; Retain the stalk of the eggplant.
- Stuff the eggplants with the ground masala and keep aside; Save the remaining masala for making the gravy.
- Heat oil in a pan; Temper with mustard seeds, hing and curry leaves.
- Add finely chopped onions and saute for a minute.
- Slowly drop the stuffed eggplants one by one into the pan; Cook covered on medium heat for 4-5 minutes; Flip the eggplants once in a while, so that they are cooked on all sides;
- Add some water to the saved masala paste and pour into the pan over the eggplants; Adjust ingredients according to taste
- Saute regularly and continue to cook covered, until the eggplants are done and the gravy reaches the desired consistency.
- Remove from stove and serve hot with rice, rotis, dosas etc.
Prep Time: About 45 mins;
Serves: About 2-3 people;
i made this a long long time ago for RCI Karnataka :)
ReplyDeleteI love yennegai too, its one of my absolute favorite N with Jolada Rotti, what a combo .. My version is almost the same but i don't add coconut & i use tomatoes to make the gravy which is why I omit tamarind too, this looks sooo delish, its been a while since I had em.
ReplyDeleteI once had another version of yennegai which was much more dry as compared to the regular ones & was just too good, I have been looking for that recipe since then, Have you any idea as to how to go abt that version?
You wudnt believe i have been searching for this recipe for long.I tried doing a google search probably a month back...wasnt fruitful.In India,on the way to mysore one of the hotels called "Kamat Yatrinivas" serves this with "Akki Roti"/Joladha roti..and i completely relish it.I felt nostalgic reading ur blog....thanks for this wonderful recipe.Am jes waiting to get brinjal n make this.
ReplyDeletevisited your blog for the first time or may be a couple of times (?), you have very nice recipes..
ReplyDeleteSeems like you are a Bangalorean married to a guy who is from Mangalore., yennegayi is making me drool...very nice :)
visited your blog for the first time or may be a couple of times (?), you have very nice recipes..
ReplyDeleteSeems like you are a Bangalorean married to a guy who is from Mangalore., yennegayi is making me drool...very nice :)
Hi dear, back here again :-) We call this ennai kathirikkai. Looks fantabulous!
ReplyDeletehe he he, u r right, guess the advices will never stem! another 4 months to go till the parenting advice can begin :-)
awesome recipe...yummy
ReplyDeleteLooks delicious.
ReplyDeleteLooks so gud...I love this....looks delicious...lovely pic too
ReplyDeleteI love this, excellent pictures ramya:)Looks cool!
ReplyDeleteI love this dish, but i have never made them at home.
ReplyDeleteLooks so yumm.
Wow something new to me. Will surely try this out...
ReplyDeleteI simply love this and the one they make at Kamat Yatrinivas is absolutely delicious...thanks for putting this up...just got the jollada atta yesterday, so will make this real soon...
ReplyDeleteLooks fantastic :-)
ReplyDeleteBayalli neer barta ide!! I don't often get those small Badanekai, only Japanese oned here. Looks so good, Ramya, makes me crave for some akki rotti and these! :))
ReplyDeleteSuper agide Ramya! Ennegai andre nanigantu tumbaaaaa ista!
ReplyDeletelovely dish...will try this weekend
ReplyDelete@Everyone,
ReplyDeleteThanx girls!! :) Yennegai is everyones fav!!!
@Deesha,
Yep, Kamath Yathri nivas serves amazing yennegai. About the dry version, will ask my frd abt it... She said her mom makes the drier version.
@Sushma,
Yep, you guessed it right... I am a bangalorean married to a mangalorean!! :) Glad you liked the recipes
Hi Ramya ...nice dish. Pic looks soo yummy ...!
ReplyDeleteRamya, there are 3 Indian kids this year in AI. I think slumdog's Dev Patel inspired them or something! Good season to watch, may be Noop dowg will make it, who knows!:D
ReplyDeleteWonderful recipe! I love your blog and the detailed instructions for all your recipes, not to mention the fabulous pics to with it.
ReplyDeleteI am drooling seeing ur brinjal, looks so good :)
ReplyDeleteRamya.....yanagai looks sooo delicious so as your articulation :)
ReplyDeletehey ramya.kiran had been asking me to do this since ages and i was saying that its so complicated so was a bit scared to do it.ur recipe looks pretty easy.try madthini..wil let u know.hey can i omit ellu?me and kiran always have an upset stomach if i add it adakke kelthaaidini.thnx.
ReplyDeleteJust drooling over those brinjal..bookmarked to try this...
ReplyDelete@Ramya Kiran,
ReplyDeleteSure, go ahead and omit the sesame seeds. Should not make too much of a difference!
@Everyone,
Thanx so much, girls! Glad y'all liked it
Ramya ...i would like to pass the lemonade award ..plz visit to my blog .
ReplyDeleteI've heard of this before, but have got to try this version out. Sounds awesome! :)
ReplyDeleteLovely picture. looks soooo yummy
ReplyDeleteUmm, yennegai and some akki rotti, perfect combo..Ur picture here is drool-worthy Ramya..
ReplyDeleteLove yennegai with anything!!
ReplyDeletehey!
ReplyDeleteI have an award for you in my blog, kindly collect it
the badanegai ennegai looks delicious, brings back a lot of memories for me!
ReplyDeleteWow, Awesome picture, leaves me mouthwatering...love this recipe so much dear. Your version invites me...lovely!
ReplyDeleteThat picture is fantastic Ramya, loving that masala...
ReplyDeleteThis sounds similar to "Gutti Vankaya" we make in Andhra. Lovely recipe. Will definetly try your version Ramya.
ReplyDeleteHey, I want to let you know about the event I've started at Asvadha. Please participate if you are interested.
Looks great Ramya..
ReplyDeleteHey Ramya....came to check any of your latest updates,cudnt resist commenting on the Yennegai again.Makes me drool!
ReplyDeleteHi Ramya..THose are wonderful recipes. I always try out my sister's recipe from http://roopaskitchen.blogspot.com. But thoroughly enjoyed your blog as well. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteRamya, I tried this on 21st night, late feedback as I cdnt log on..the masala is flavorsome, brinjal becomes so tasty with it, loved it a lot! Keeper recipe! Goes well with chapatis n rice!
ReplyDeleteWow..FANTASTIC PIC!!Excellent recipe:)My mom used to make this without cloves and cinnamon:)That's my fav.U reminded me of that:)Will try ur version.I HAVE LOTS OF BRINJAL AT HOME:)
ReplyDeleteDo make a visit to my blog at ur free time:)Thanks in advance:)
ReplyDeleteWe call it Ennai Kathirikai.Your post made me drool.I love to eat this with steaming rice with some ghee smeared on it..Yummm..
ReplyDeletethis is an excellent recipe....i actually thought yennegai is quite complicated to make, and hence never ventured into it.....until i saw your instructions...
ReplyDeletethanks...
- badari
this is an excellent recipe....i actually thought yennegai is quite complicated to make, and hence never ventured into it.....until i saw your instructions...
ReplyDeletethanks...
- badari
I didn't like eggplants when I was going up, but now absolutly love it especially with yennegai. I have tried to few different receipes and this is my next try.
ReplyDeletehai friends,
ReplyDeleteI tried making this badanakai yennakai, it came out so well, i dont how to thank you for the same, i am really very very happy but at the same can i add a sall change , pl add a few grains of methi while raosting and while seasoning and also add chaniya patta in the end it is really delicious thanbk u once again
vijaya
hi i am newly married and dont know to cook ur site is been my guide thank u
ReplyDeleteregards
chaitanya
i ve made this and it was very flavorful...thanks
ReplyDeleteI tried this and it came out really well.
ReplyDeleteThank you
I tried this out and it tasted excellent. Thanks for t recipe
ReplyDeleteI thought they use garlic too...
ReplyDeleteTried the recipe this evening,came out really good and very tasty, thanks for posting
ReplyDeleteHey tried this recipe today.. And i came out really well :)
ReplyDeleteA little different from my mom's version..
Nonetheless it was superb.. Looking forward to try your other recipes.
Simply superb recipe!! Came out v v v well
ReplyDeleteSaw many blogs but ur recipe was interesting tried it today it came out exceptionally well.thanx for d wonderfully recipe
ReplyDelete*Wonderful
ReplyDeleteHi ramya, it is very nice to see some mane Adige at your blog. I think some other nice recipes are missing. Add all of this too.like massoppu, upsaru, bassaru,majjige huli, ect village tastes. People will enjoy these healthy and ancient recipes
ReplyDelete