Badanekai Yennegai

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:

1. 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.
2. Grind the roasted spices with coconut, onion, tamarind, jaggery and salt; Add just enough water to make it a coarse paste; Keep aside.
3. 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.
4. Stuff the eggplants with the ground masala and keep aside; Save the remaining masala for making the gravy.
5. Heat oil in a pan; Temper with mustard seeds, hing and curry leaves.
6. Add finely chopped onions and saute for a minute.
7. 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;
8. Add some water to the saved masala paste and pour into the pan over the eggplants; Adjust ingredients according to taste
9. Saute regularly and continue to cook covered, until the eggplants are done and the gravy reaches the desired consistency.
10. Remove from stove and serve hot with rice, rotis, dosas etc.

Prep Time: About 45 mins;

Serves: About 2-3 people;

Inviting Entries for the "Chutney/Dip Mania" Event , here @ Mane Adige

Sankranti wishes to one and all!!! In Karnataka, people greet each other with "Ellu-Bella" and "Sakkare Acchu", and wish for happiness & prosperity, now and always. "Ellu-Bella" is a snack made with roasted peanuts, chana dhalia, copra, Til and Jaggery.... Hence the name! Sakkare Acchu's are figures made out of sugar syrup. Hot sugar syrup is poured into wooden moulds of different shapes and allowed to cool down. Once cooled, they become hard and can be eaten like candies. While I have the recipes for both "Ellu-Bella" and "Sakkare Acchu", I do not have any pictures to go with them. So, you will have to wait for a little longer, I suppose... I'm sorry :(. Our Sankranti meal, is not going to be any huge affair his time. I am only planning for some Huggi/Sweet Pongal- just to stick to the tradition, and some Raw Mango Rice or Chitranna - Both of which have already found a place on Mane Adige!!

I have no specific recipe for you this time, but I have the details of an event that I will be hosting here at Mane Adige!!

Off late, I have been trying out different varieties of chutneys and dips - Thanx to all the fellow food bloggers.... the number of varieties that you folks have posted is mind blowing!!! So, I thought, why not have them all at one place?!?!!

So....Pour in your entries for the "Chutney/Dip Mania" Event @ Mane Adige!!! All you have to do is:

1. Post a recipe for a chutney/dip in your blog, starting now till Feb 15th 2009. Old posts are welcome as long as you update and re-post them.
2. Any number of entries are welcome.
3. Link back to this event announcement on Mane Adige, from your post. Feel free to use the banner above!!
4. Non-Bloggers can send in your entries as well!! Mail me your recipe along with a picture, and I will post it on Mane Adige during the round up.
   
5. Send in your entries to mane.adige@gmail.com , with the following details

• Subject line : "Chutney/Dip Mania"
• Your name. Also, the name of your blog and the link to your blog.
• URL to the post on your blog.
• Name and Picture of the dish. Picture of any size will do.

6. Last date will be Feb 15th 2009- Midnight CST.

Rush in your entries as soon as possible!!! Looking forward to all the delicious varieties.... :)

Thenginakai/ Coconut Chutney

       

Here's wishing all Mane Adige readers A Very Happy and a Prosperous New Year!!! May this year bring you a lot of happiness, good health and continued success!! My resolution for the year- Post more regularly on Mane Adige!!  Feel free to mail me a reminder if I happen to slip :D

I have been receiving quite a few requests from my readers for the Coconut Chutney recipe. "You have so many variations of dosas, and many breakfast dishes that have to be served with coconut chutney. And I don't see the chutney recipe anywhere... Could you please post the recipe soon??!?".... one of the mails said. So, here goes!!

This recipe is the Bangalore/Mysore/Shimoga version of the chutney. Mangalore/ Udupi version of Kayi chutney is a little different - will post that version soon!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup Grated coconut, fresh/frozen

1 tbsp Chana Dhalia/Putaani/Hurigadale

2-3 Green chilies, low to medium spiced

2-3 strands Cilantro

3-4 Curry leaves

1/4 tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Tamarind Paste

1/4 tsp Sugar

A pinch of Turmeric

A generous pinch of Hing

Salt as per taste

For Tempering:

1-2 tsp Ghee/Oil

1/4 tsp Mustard seeds

3-4 curry leaves

Method:

1. Grind coarsely, all the ingredients for the chutney in a blender; Add just enough water to make a thick paste.
2. Adjust salt and sugar according to taste.
3. Temper with mustard seeds and curry leaves; Serve with dosas, idlis, akki rottis, pakoras or any other snack of your choice.

Prep Time: 5 mins;

Serves: About 3-4 people;