Engai Palya / Badanekai Engai / Brinjal Masala

Yengai Palya Recipe / Badnekai Enngai Recipe:
With Jowar Roti Combo

Ingredients:

8 Small purple with white lines eggplants

2 tbsp Oil

1 tsp Mustard seeds

1 tbs jeera

1/2 of a medium sized Onion, finaly chopped

Salt as per taste

For the Masala:

1/2 to 3/4 cup Grated coconut

2-2.5 tsp Coriander seeds

Coriander leaves

Curry leaves

1 tsp Jeera

3 Green Chilies

1tbs masala powder/ sambar pudi

1/2 tsp tumeric powder 

2 tsp Ellu / Sesame seeds / Til,

2 tbsp Peanuts

1/4 tsp Tamarind paste

1/2 tsp Powdered Jaggery

1/2 of a medium sized Onion, coarsely chopped

Method: 

Dry roast the peanuts until it turns golden brown in low-medium flame, same repeat for sesame seeds. Make sure not to burn any of the single peanut. 

Let it cool down and make a powder (it should be coarsely not fine powder). 

  
 

Fry coarsely chopped onion, jeera, coconut, green chili, coriander seeds, coriander leaves, curry leaves in oil. Make a coarse paste of oil fried ingredients in a mixer.



 
Take eggplant and slit from down into 4 pieces without breaking it as shown in the picture below. Fill the masala paste inside the eggplant and keep aside.

In a skillet splutter mustard seeds with jeera and add finally chopped onion, fry till it turns golden brown. Now drop stuffed eggplant into skillet and add powdered sesame seeds and peanuts. 

Add salt, masala powder(sambar pudi), turmeric powder, tamarind paste to the masala paste. Mix well and Add some water to the saved masala paste and pour into the pan over the eggplants, Adjust ingredients according to taste. Cook in low to medium flame (don’t over cook). Remove from stove and serve hot with rotis, chapathi, rotti etc. 

Badanekai Engai goes very well with Jowar Rotti, Bili Holige, Akki Rotti, ...