Ennegayi Recipe | Badanekayi Ennegayi

making stuffing masala for ennegayi recipe

1. In a small frying pan or kadai, heat 2 teaspoons oil. 
2. Keep the flame to a low and then add ½ tablespoon chana dal and 1 tablespoon peanuts.
3. Fry on a low flame stirring often.
4. Fry till the chana dal gets golden. The peanuts will also get fried. Roasted chana dal can be used instead of raw chana dal. Add roasted chana dal when you add desiccated coconut.
5. Then add ½ tablespoon coriander seeds, 2 cloves, 1 inch cinnamon and 1 marathi moggu (optional).
6. Mix well and fry for some seconds till the spices smell aromatic.
7. Then add 2 to 3 dry red chilies (byadagi or kashmiri chilies) and 5 to 6 curry leaves. Mix well.
8. Next add 5 tablespoon desiccated coconut or fresh coconut and ½ teaspoon sesame seeds. You can also use niger seeds.
9. Mix very well and roast on a low flame stirring often till the coconut becomes golden. Remove the pan from the stove top and let the mixture cool. Stir often.
10. Once the stuffing masala cools down, then add in a grinder jar.
11. Grind to a fine powder. A slightly coarse powder can be made. 
12. Take the masala paste in a bowl or plate.
13. Add salt as per taste and mix well.
14. Add ⅔ to ¾ cup water in the grinder jar. Swirl and shake so that the spice paste at the bottom and sides of the jar gets mixed with the water. Keep this aside. for a gravy like consistency, you can add 1 cup water.

making tamarind pulp

1. Soak 1 teaspoon tamarind in ¼ cup hot water for 20 to 25 minutes.
2. Later squeeze tamarind pulp from the soaked tamarind. Keep aside.

chopping, soaking and stuffing brinjals

1. Rinse 250 grams small brinjals or 10 to 12 small brinjals well in water.
2. Take each brinjal and slit it in four sides without cutting it entirely. You can trim the stalks if you want. Pull the cut sides outwards and check for worms if any.
3. Add the brinjals in enough water in which ¼ teaspoon salt in added. This is done so that the brinjals do not get discoloured.
4. Before stuffing brinjals, in a colander, drain all the water from them. Now take each brinjal and stuff it with the masala paste with a spoon. Stuff all brinjals this way. Keep aside.

making ennegayi recipe

1. In a heavy kadai heat 2 tablespoons oil. While tempering use a thick bottomed pan and sauté on a low flame, so that masala does not get burnt.
2. Add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds and let them crackle.
3. Then add ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder and 1 pinch of asafoetida. Give a stir.
4. Add the masala filled brinjals. Mix well.
5. Then add the tamarind pulp.
6. Add the masala mixed water from the grinder jar (from step 14 above). 
7. Stir and mix gently.
8. Cover the kadai or pan with a lid.
9. On a low flame simmer till the brinjals are tender and cooked.
10. Do check a couple of times when the brinjals are cooking. If the brinjal ennegayi gravy looks dry, then you can add some more water.
11. Simmer till the brinjals are cooked and are tender. Pass a knife through a few brinjals and it should slid easily. Oil will also float on the gravy once brinjals are cooked.
12. Once the brinjals are done, then add ½ teaspoon jaggery or add as per taste. 
13. Mix well but gently and switch off the flame.
14. While serving ennegayi you can garnish with coriander leaves. Serve ennegayi with jowar rotis, bajra rotis or chapatis.