Lavanya's Eggplant with Peanut Butter

Cut the indian baby brinjals into quarters - lengthwise.
Marinate it with salt, turmeric and chilli powder for 20 - 30 minutes.


Heat some oil in kadai and add finely chopped onion.
When onion is bit brown add tomato. For 2 big onions add only 1 tomato.
When tomatoes are mushy add the marinated eggplant and adjust seasoning.
To this add 1 tablespoon peanut butter. Fry everything nicely until oil separates.

Grace Aunty's Eggplant

Ingredients

1. 10 baby eggplants
2. 2 tbsp Grated Coconut
3. 2 tbsp Roasted Dalia (hurigadale in kannada)
4. 2 tbsp Sesame Seeds
5. 1 tbsp Jeera
6. 1 tbsp Coriander Seeds
7. 1/2 big Onion
8. 1 Garlic (whole)
9. 6 Green Chillies

Dry fry all the above and grind with:

• 1/2 tsp Chilli Pd
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric
• Salt

Slit the eggplants and fill them with the ground masala.

Heat oil in a wide pan and season with mustard, 1/2 onion.

Add the eggplant and cook for some time.

Add the juice of 1 lemon size - Tamarind  and cook till oil seperates.

Tips: Can substitute eggplant with Tomato or Capsicum.

Nenju Elumbu Soup or Maarkandam soup ( Lamb Rib bone soup)

Ingredients


Nenju elumbu -200gms (If not available lamb bones can be replaced)
Small onion-10 or big onion (medium size-1 )
Small tomato -1
Rice washed water-2 cups (optional)

For grinding

Pepper corns-1 teaspoon
Small jeera -1 teaspoon
Dhania or dry Malli -1 ½ teaspoon
Red chili -1

Procedure

Before cooking the rice for the day, wash it and soak for 5 minutes. Drain the water and keep ready.
Put the nenjelumbu, onion ,tomato and very little salt along with a teaspoon of turmeric powder in the cooker. Add the rice washed water also and cook for 10 minutes .
Grind the items to be ground in the small jar.
Once the pressure goes open the cooker and add the ground powder and allow the soup to boil for 5 minutes.
There should be 4 cups of soup for this quantity ofnenjuelumbu. Dont add too much or too little water. If soup is less, water can be added and check for the correct hotness and salt. While cooking this checking is very important.
If you want the soup to be little more hot, add little more milagu jeeraga powder.
Salt also can be added according to taste. After 5 to 6 minutes switch off the stove.
Serve the soup hot. Garnish with coriander leaves while serving.

Aunty's Athirasam/Kajjaya

Ingredients:

4 cuprs - Rice (sona masoori, raw rice...)
3 cups - Jaggery
1 tsp -  Saunf
1" piece - Chuuku / dry ginger
4 - Cardamoms
1 pinch - salt


Method:

Grind Saunf, Chukku and Cardamom to a dry powder.

Soak rice in water for 3-4 hours.

Dry the rice in shade by spreading it on a cloth.

Rice should be dried till its alomost completely dry. If you hold a morsel of rice and pour it down, there should be some rice stuck to your hand. That's the required consistency.

Grind the rice to coarse / almost smooth powder.

Pour water over jaggery just to cover it and try to melt it.

Take the jaggery water and bring to boil to a consistency where it froths up and when you feel it between your thumb and index finger, it should feel sticky.

At this point, add rice flour little by little and keep stirring/mixing it.

Add the above ground powder and stir and turn the stove off.

Cool the above mixture to luke warm or room temperature.

Make small patties on a wax paper/ziploc and deep fry in oil. Press any excess oil and enjoy!!!

Aunty's Coconut Chutney

Coconut
Garlic
Tamarind
Salt
Green or Red Chillies

Grind all the above and season.