Ringan-Tuver nu Shaak

Cooking and eating any sort of eggplant is usually not my cup of tea but surprisingly, I have been having a soft corner for tiny eggplants that KG loves! Everytime we visit a veggie market, he brings at least one type of it without forgetting… and I’m being asked to cook :P
Having tried a few varieties, I’m stuck on one! The simplest of all… and yummiest too ;) Sometimes a simple meal is quite comforting and satisfying, isn’t it? And specially when it’s easy to cook… A few things here n there and bingo!!!
A few months back, my mum had sent me a spice-mix for bharwan (stuffed) subzis and now when I ran out of it, I tried making my own! Well, she had told me about all 18 different ingredients that went into it… but this is a cheat version, I can say ;)
Here is how I made it… and yes, don’t forget to have a look at what were the other things on the thaali!!!

Ringan-Tuver nu Shaak

INGREDIENTS:

For masala–

Fistful of Peanuts, roasted
3-4 tbsp Roasted Besan (chickpea flour)
3-4 tbsp Coconut (dessicated and lightly toasted)
1 tsp Fennel Seeds
1/2 tsp Coriander Seeds
1 tsp Anardana Powder
1 tsp Amchoor Powder
2 tbsp Sugar
2 tsp Coriander Powder
1-2 tsp Red Chilly Powder (adjust to your taste)
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
Salt, to taste

Other than that–

3-4 Baby eggplants (brinjals, purple or green)
1 Potato
1/2 cup Fresh (or frozen) Pigeon Peas (tuver lilva)
Lots of coriander, finely chopped
2 tsp Ginger-Green Chilly Paste
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
3-4 tbsp Oil + for deep frying

STEPS TO FOLLOW:

1. Cut baby eggplants, potatoes into big cubes and deep-fry them until golden brown.
2. Transfer it to absorbent paper and keep it aside.
3. Mix all the ingredients of masala in a bowl and adjust the spices according to your tastebuds (specially the spice factor).
4. Heat oil in a kadai and add cumin seeds.
5. Once it crackles well, add ginger-green chilly paste and saute for a while.
6. Add pigeon peas in the kadai and cook it for a min or 2 until slightly tender.
7. Mix deep-fried potatoes and eggplants along with masala and rest of the spices into it.
8. Add 1/2 to 3/4 cup of water and mix everything gently.
9. Cook it uncovered for a couple of mins only as all ingredients are pretty much cooked beforehand.
10. And serve it hot with phulka!!! :)

SJ’s NOTE:

Same masala you can use for bharwan baigan too ;)