Eggplant Theeyal

As usual I underestimated the power of laziness while promising a week of vegetarian gravies. I had four different dishes which fit the theme sitting in the draft with recipes, all I had to do was type up an introduction and click the publish button! Well, anyway with the rate at which I am blogging, I can safely say this is going to be a veg-gravy month here.

Theeyal is a generic term for dishes with a brown sauce made of roasted coconut and spices along with tamarind paste forming the base. I love all kinds of brown food, Theeyal being one of my favorite. The basic preparation is the same for all theeyals, you can add different kind of veggies to make okra Theeyal, onion Theeyal, bitter gourd Theeyal etc. This base is also great with chicken and prawns, although we never call it Chicken Theeyal for some reason!

This eggplant Theeyal is more veg-heavy than usual theeyals. Normally the pieces are sparse and the sauce is thinner, but I had to use up all the eggplants in the fridge. Also, made this way, it makes a wholesome meal with steamed rice.

Ingredients

• 1lb eggplants sliced into thick rounds
• To Grind
  • 1.5 cups fresh or frozen grated coconut
  • 1 tbsp thinly sliced shallots
  • 2 tbsp thinly sliced ginger pieces
  • 6 dry red chilies
  • 1 tsp coriander seeds
  • 1/8 tsp fenugreek seeds
  • 1/8 tsp cumin seeds
• 1.5 tbsp oil
• 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 dry red chilies
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots
• 4 cloves garlic whole
• 4 green chilies
• a few curry leaves
• 1 tbsp tamarind paste
• salt to taste

Method

In a deep pan, dry roast the grated coconut till brown and keep aside.

In the same pan, dry roast the red chilies, coriander powder, fenugreek seeds and cumin seeds and keep aside.

Add a little bit of oil and saute the shallots and ginger pieces one after the other till brown.

Grind all the fried ingredients with a little water to form a smooth paste.

Add some more oil to the pan and saute the egg plant pieces till soft. Remove and keep aside.

Add a little more oil to the pan and add mustard seeds when the oil is hot.  When the mustard seeds start to splutter, add the cumin seeds and red chilies and saute for a few seconds. Add the shallots, green chillies and garlic and saute till shallots are soft.

Add the ground spice paste, tamarind paste, curry leaves and salt. Saute for about 3-4 minutes stirring frequently. Add the sauteed eggplant pieces and mix well to coat the pieces well with the spice paste. Add 1/2 cup hot water to the pan and cook till the gravy thickens.

Serve with steamed rice.

More like this..

Category: Eggplant, India - Kerala, Side Dish - Gravy, Vegetarian