Baby spice

Okay, well I keep going on about my perfect Indian thali, so I thought I should most probably kick this off. There are clearly all manner of Indian curries and side dishes that could be included, so I’ll start with one and I can build on that. The Cat, Alice and I were yet again in the Tachbrook market, tempted out of the office by the sun and to the market by the new empanada street food stall. They were sampled on this occasion by Alice and the Cat; I stuck with the falafel due to my fear of the pastry on that day.

At the same place where I bought my lovely yellow tomatoes I bought a bowl of baby aubergines. I have to admit, I’m a sucker for those shops that sell bowls of fruit and veg for £1. I once scored a whole bowl of mangoes, although I did quickly have to make them into mango chutney. Anyway, I digress.

So I came home with a bowl of baby aubergines (sans bowl); in honour of the Cat who can only eat aubergines on a Wednesday night when the Mouse is out, leading his Boy Scout troop (this isn’t a euphemism). He just doesn’t like aubergine.

I decided to make my dry spice stuffed baby aubergines (brinjal bhaji), which is ideally eaten with bread (no sauce for rice you see – unless there is something else saucy in your thali). Instead I opted for my favourite store cupboard ‘easy’ of gram flour pancakes. Yes, less carb and no, I am not fixated with carbs.

What you will need
6 baby aubergines (I have 3 left from my bowl)
2 cloves garlic
Thumb sized piece of ginger
1 onion
Oil
2 tea spoon ground coriander
2 tea spoon ground cumin
1 tea spoon chilli powder
1 tea spoon turmeric
1 tea spoon amchur (ground mango- although you could use dried pomegranate)
1 tea spoon tomato puree
2 fresh chillies

 

Chop the onion, crush the garlic and grate the ginger. Sauté all of this in oil until softened for about 5-10 minutes. Add all the spices and toast just for a minute before removing everything to a bowl. At this point add the fresh chillies, seasoning, tomato puree and more oil (about 2 tablespoons) to bind the spice mixture and create a paste.

Hold the Baby aubergines by the narrow leafy end and score a cross through the bulbous end almost to reach the base, but not quite. Proceed with stuffing the spice paste into the baby aubergine. It doesn’t matter if you over stuff; more is more in this case.

Cook the baby aubergines in a table spoon of hot oil for about 10 minutes until they start to brown and soften. At this point turn down the heat and pour over some water (about 4-5 tablespoons), place a lid on the pan to let the aubergine steam and the water evaporate. They should be ready after five minutes.

If you want to, this can be served with some natural yoghurt and a simple gram flour pancake. For the pancake, make a thin batter with gram flour and water. Mix through some chopped fresh coriander and season. Heat some oil in pan and then add a light coating until cooked on one side, then turn over. Voila – it couldn’t be easier.

Of course, this is just one of the dishes in my thali. I would expect to have a dahl, maybe a chickpea or potato dish, a kuchumber or raita; never mind the muttar paneer (aka cheesy peas) and vegetarian keema. Watch this space.