Having been married into an Andhra family has enriched my cooking knowledge with a whole amazing world of tastes and techniques. My father in law has been my mentor and this recipe has been developed with his help. In fact the plating of this dish , has been designed by him.
Ingredients:
- Eggplant 2 (the long variety)
- Cooked rice 1cup
- Onion finely chopped 1 piece
- Coriander for garnish
- Grated coconut 1 tbsp
- Oil 3 tbsps.
- For the stuffing:
- Whole dry red chillies 5
- Channa dal or split Bengal gram 2 tbsps
- Urad dal or split black gram 2 tbsps
- Rai or mustard seeds 1 tsp
- Sesame seeds 1 tbsp
- oil 1 tbsp
Method:
First prepare the stuffing by roasting all the ingredients , on a slow flame , to a nice golden brown colour and a lovely aroma . Allow it to cool down and grind to a coarse powder . Slit the eggplants length wise from the base keeping the stem intact and stuff them with the powder . Squeeze them well so they retain the stuffing. In a shallow pan , add the oil and fry the eggplants carefully. Cover the pan till the eggplants are tender to touch . Take the rest of the stuffing and mix it well with the cooked rice. Sauté the finely chopped onion in a separate pan for garnish. Serve the eggplants on a bed of the prepared rice . Garnish with coriander, onions and grated coconut.