STUFFED BABY EGGPLANTS

A lovely bright day outside absolutely reflects how I feel today.
My nomadic husband is back home from his travels and my occassional traveller son too is coming home tonight.


stuffed baby eggplants



Creating a colourful, spicy and somewhat tart tasting dish seemed to be the requirement of the day.

Off into the kitchen and I found these lovely baby eggplants, a favourite with both my husband and son.

Just perfect!! I could taste that tongue-clicking tartness of tamarind combined with the heat of the red chili powder and green chili padi. But then I saw that half empty bottle of crushed peanuts which have become my favourite lately. The ones I used in my Zingy Potato Upma.

And with my note-pad and pen in my daughter's beautiful hands I set about creating this simple, colourful and tasty dish.

Tamarind is a sweet and sour fleshy fruit that grows in pods. It is a commonly used fruit in many parts of the world and has many medicinal uses.

High in acid, sugar, B vitamins and calcium, this fruit when ripe is shelled and treated with salt and stored for later use. This is the version available in Asian stores and is used in many Asian curries and preparations.
But the tastiest fruit is the one whacked down from a road-side tree or a neighbour's tree when the owners are taking their nap on a hot sunny afternoon, or the one handed down by your little black-faced monkey-friend sitting on the lush tree in the cool shade of the leaves eating his fruit. I taught mine to pluck and throw it to me. He would clap everytime I caught it in my tiny hands or shake his head and beat his forehead when I didn't, learnt by imitating me, of course.


Peanuts are not really nuts but legumes. They grow underground.
These so-called nuts are used in cuisines world-wide, roasted, boiled, salted or just eaten off the pod. Oil from peanut is used for cooking.
It's flour is gluten-free and is used as a flavour-enhancer by chefs. It's milk is given to people affected with lactose-intolerance, just like soyabean milk.

They are a rich source of Niacin, antioxidants that far exceed the amount in carrots and beets. Roasting peanuts increases the antioxidant content by as much as 22%. They are also a good source of Vitamin E, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, folate and fiber. They are naturally free of trans-fats and sodium. They contain more protein than any true nut, about 25gm., about 48gm. fat of which only 7gm. is saturated, the remaining being monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat.

These false nuts are used to combat malnutrition.

They also contain coenzyme Q10 which is essential for high energy using organs like the heart, liver and the kidneys. Other sources are oily fish, soyabean, spinach and beef.

STUFFED BABY EGGPLANTS

Ingredients:

serves 2

.Baby eggplants....................................8 pcs.

.Yellow bell pepper.............................1/2, cut into large dice

.Cherry tomatoes...................................10

.Oil.........................................................1 tsp.

.Cumin seeds..........................................1/2 tsp.

for the tamarind juice:

.Tamarind..............................................1 Tbsp.

.Water....................................................1 1/2 cup

for the stuffing:

.Coriander powder.................................2 tsp.

.Fennel seed powder..............................1 tsp.

.Turmeric powder...................................1 dash

.Red chili powder...................................1/2 tsp.

.Garam masala powder...........................1/4th tsp.

.Tava fry masala......................................1 tsp.

.Salt..........................................................3/4th tsp.

.Dry raw mango powder...........................1/2 tsp.

.Crushed peanuts.......................................3Tbsp.

.Small green chili(chili padi)....................1 tsp., finely chopped

.Dill leaves................................................ 1 spring, for garnish

Method:

To prepare the tamarind juice:

.Soak the tamarind in the water for 10 minutes.

.Using fingers rub and squeeze the pulp out. Sieve with fingers or  thick sieve if available carefully

 removing any impurities.

.Collect this juice in a bowl.

.Wash, trim and while keeping the stem intact slit the baby eggplants crosswise, taking care not to cut

 through.

.Steep in salted water for 10 minutes. Drain.

.Meanwhile, slit the cherry tomatoes along one side taking care not to cut through.

.Cut the yellow bell pepper into large dices.

.Heat oil in a wok and oil-blanche the baby eggplants. Remove and drain on a kitchen absorbent paper

 towel.



.In a bowl mix together all the ingredients for the stuffing.

.Set aside 1 Tbsp of the filling and stuff the remaining into the oil-blanched baby eggplants.

how to proceed:

.Heat oil in a flat pan and add the cumin seeds. When they crackle add the eggplants. Cook for

 8 to 10 minutes stirring occassionally.

.Add the yellow bell pepper, cherry tomatoes and the reserved stuffing mixture.

.Mix well and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring continuously.

.Add the tamarind juice and cover and cook for 10 minutes on low heat till all the juice has evaporated,

 stirring occassionally, taking care not to caramalize the juices.

.Check to see if the eggplants are well done, if not add a little water and cover and cook further till

 cooked.

.Serve hot. Garnish with some dill leaves.

Note:



stuffed baby eggplants



.Adding the tamarind juice may delay the cooking process. Hence cooking in the oil and in the pan

 before the addition of tamarind juice is essential. Add the tamarind juice when the eggplants are almost

 cooked.

.The bell pepper and cherry tomatoes do not require long to be cooked.