भरली वांग्याची भाजी (Maharashtrian style)/ Bharle vang/ Stuffed Eggplant/ Stuffed Brinjal

My mom is the best cook!!! Yes, we all say that and we all hear that all the time (and you know from whom) 

When I came to the US first time, I started missing my mom’s cooking and started calling her every now and then for “Her only” best recipes. One of the recipe was Bharalya vangyachi bhaji or stuffed eggplant which is usually cooked in any typical Maharashtrian family. Of course later as I started cooking regularly, made few changes to her great recipe and everyone loved it. It is one of the best invented recipes and usually relished with Jawar/ Jwarichi Bhakari or Roti or Rice. So here we go.

Ingredients:

1. Small Eggplants/ Vangi/ Brinjal: 4-6 
2. Kothimbir/ coriander: 1 ½ Cup (Finely chopped) 
3. Danyache kut/ Roasted peanut powder (coarse): ½ Cup
4. Oil: 2 Tbsp (For stuffing) and 2 Tbsp (For tempering) 
5. Kanda/ Onion (Medium): ½ Finely chopped (For stuffing) and ½ medium diced (For gravy)
6. Goda Masala (Maharashtrian masala): 2 Tbsp
7. Halad/ Turmeric Powder: 1 Tbsp
8. Lal Tikhat/ Red Chili powder: 2 Tbsp (according to your taste)
9. Dhana-Jeera powder/ Coriander-cumin powder: 2 Tsp
10. Ale-Lasun paste/ Ginger-Garlic paste: 2 Tsp
11. Mohari/ Mustard seeds: 1 Tsp
12. Hing/ Asafoetida: ½ Tsp
13. Jeera/ Cumin seeds: 1 Tsp
14. Kadhipatta/ Curry leaves: Few
15. Gud/ Jaggery: a small piece (optional)
16. Salt: To taste
17. Water: As needed for the gravy

Procedure:

Stuffing:

1. Take all the masalas (except hing and mohari) in a plate, add roasted peanut powder, ginger-garlic paste, finely cut coriander, finely chopped onion and some salt to the masalas. 
2. Add some oil in this mixture. I usually prefer vegetable oil for any kind of Indian cooking, you may use your choice of oil, however, I would not suggest olive oil. Mix it well and keep it aside.

Curry:

1. Take eggplants and cut their stems. Now cut them vertically in “plus” sign. Cut them till the edges, don’t cut them through. Put cut eggplants in water so that they will not become black. Start stuffing the eggplants with above mentioned mixture. Be generous while stuffing the eggplant with this mixture, however be very careful not to break the eggplant while stuffing it.
   
   

   
2. Take a wok/ kadhai, add oil for tempering.
3. Once the oil is hot enough add mustard seeds and let them splutter well. 
4. Now add hing & curry leaves. 
5. Once tempering is done, add remaining onion dices and sauté it well. Now add remaining masala mixture (stuffing mixture) and sauté it well. 
6. Put stuffed eggplants to the kadhai and add little water, stir well and put a lid on it. 
7. Let it cook for 3-4 min, stir in between. 
8. Once you see the masalas have started to leave oil, add more water to make a nice gravy and put the lid back and cook it for about 7-10min (keep stirring carefully in between). 
9. At this time you may add a little gud in the gravy (my family does not like the jaggery flavor so I never add it but the authentic recipe calls for it). 
10. Check the eggplants by piercing a little with the help of a fork. If the fork goes in easily, that means the gravy or bhaaji is ready. 
11. You may also tell if it is ready or no, just by looking at it since the eggplants change its color to brownish or little dark from the original color.

Serve it hot, preferably with Jawar bhakari but it tastes good with poli/roti/chapati or white rice too.

Note:
This recipe calls for a lot of coriander so please take the exact amount as suggested in the recipe. You may alternate goda masala with garam masala but the taste will be little different (however good for sure, so don't worry)

Don’t forget to enjoy this yummy & authentic Maharashtrian meal item. Happy Cooking!!!! 

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PITHALE/ MAHARASHTRIAN PITHALE

PITHALE/ MAHARASHTRIAN PITHALE

Pithale is an authentic food preparation from state of Maharashtra, India. It is a staple of many in the state. It is very delicious and can be eaten with bhakari. 

We usually get to eat this preparation in an authentic form in any small village in Maharashtra. It can be thick or thin form. Today we will see how to make semi-thick pithale. 

Ingredients:

1. Besan (Chickpea flour): 1 Cup
2. Kanda (Onion): 1 medium (chopped)
3. Lasun (Garlic): 4-5 cloves
4. Oil: 3 TBsp (For tempering)
5. Lal Mirchi (Whole, dry Red Chilies): 2-3 (adjust according to taste)
6. Fresh hiravi Mirchi (Fresh Green Chilies): 1-2 (adjust according to taste)
7. Kadhi patta (Curry leaves): 5-6
8. Mohari (Mustard seeds): 1 Tsp
9. Hing (Asafoetida): ½ Tsp
10. Haldi (Turmeric powder): 1 Tsp
11. Dhana-jeera powder (Coriander-cumin powder)
12. Jeera (Cumin): 2-3 TBsp
13. Suke khobare (Grated Dry coconut): ½ Cup
14. Danyache kut (crushed peanuts): 1Tbsp (optional)
15. Water: 2-3 Cups (take more water later according to your desired consistency of pithale)
16. Fresh Kothimbir/ Dhaniya (Coriander): ¼ Cup (Finely chopped)
17. Salt: To taste

Procedure:

Take a bowl, add besan, dhana-jeera powder, danyache kut (crushed peanuts), salt, and water to make a thin paste. Keep it aside. Now take jeera, grated dry coconut, green chilies in a mixie bowl and grind it coarsely. Do not add water to this mixture. Roast this mixture on a dry pan and keep it aside.

Take (preferably) a cast iron pan and if you do not have a cast iron pan simply take any wok or kadhai and add oil to it. Put it on high heat. Once the oil is really hot add mohari, let it splutter nicely. Put hing, haldi, kadhi patta & red chilies to the tempering. Now add Lasun (garlic) first and then kanda (onion) to this tempering. Fry till kanda is translucent and lasun is brown in color. Now add grated coconut mixture to the wok, stir it for 2-3 minutes. At this time put the heat down to medium, we don’t want to burn the tempering while adding the besan-mixture to the wok.

Stir besan mixture once again before putting it to the hot wok. Now pour besan mixture to the wok slowly with one hand while stirring the mixture with another hand continuously. There should not be any lumps of the besan mixture. Put little extra water at this time if you see any lumps or if you feel the mixture is too thick. However, just keep one thing in mind while adding the water, that you need to stir the mixture continuously otherwise this will be lumpy pithale and it will not cook through. If you are happy with the consistency, put a lid on the wok. Let it cook for about 6-7min, stirring in between. Drain the water or moisture on the lid to this pithale mixture every-time you open the lid to stir, this will keep the pithale moist & will not be dry in the end.

Just taste it for salt and to check if the besan is cooked through. Now add kothimbir. 

Serve hot with Bhakari/ Roti or Rice. Serve dry garlic chutney & freshly cut onion as a side.

Don’t forget to enjoy this spicy but yummy dish. Happy Cooking!!!! J

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