Potato and aubergine recipe ( Baingan batata nu shaak )

Oh my goodness!!! It really has been such a long time since I have updated this blog. I have had a very very busy year. As it goes, iv just been really busy having a good time with my busy family and my fantastic friends and my other hobby, painting. I will upload a few pics of my paintings soon, or even set up a new blog on painting! hummmmm.......... lol 

Anyway, If you are familiar with a gujarati thali, then you will be familiar with  baingan batata nu shaak! It is generally an every day recipe, which is quick, easy, cheap and very healthy too!

You can elaborate the recipe to you families taste too. It is nice if you add a few hand fulls of green peas or spring onions in towards the end, or even extra spices like black onion seeds, whole dried red chillies or cloves and cinnamon.

This was also one of the first indian dishes that I learned to cook. Im telling you this because i have an extreme affection for this dish. It brings back so many happy memories, cooking in the kitchen with Manjula "mummyji" As I have said before on other posts, Manjula was not my actual mum, but more like a kind of surrogate mother to me for a few years. So every time I eat this dish it brings flooding back joyful memories for me! :D

Anyway, on with the recipe............

Ingredients:-

1 large aubergine,
4 medium potatoes,
1 large juicy tomato,
1 large dried red chilli,
1/2 tsp mustard seeds,
1/2 tsp cumin seeds,
1/2 tsp black onion seeds,
large pinch of hing or asafoetida,
1 tsp garlic paste,
1 tsp ginger paste,
1/2 tsp green chilli paste or to taste,
1/2 tsp turmeric powder,
1/2 tsp chilli powder or to taste,
1 heaped tsp coriander/cumin powder
1 1/2 tsp sugar
salt to taste,
lemon wedges to garnish and to splash on at the end (optional)

Directions:-

1. Wash, peel and dice the potatoes, and partly peel the aubergine, so that it looks stripy and set them both aside in a bowl of cold salty water. Chop the potatoes and set a large pan, over a medium heat and heat the oil.

2. Once the oil is hot enough, add the mustard seeds.

3. Wait until the mustard seed crackle and pop and then add the cumin seeds, dried red chilli, turmeric and the hing or asafoetida, gently fry for a few seconds and then add the tomatoes, garlic, ginger and chilli pastes. Cook until the tomato is all nice and pulpy and the ginger and garlic no longer smell raw. If your tomatoes are not very juicy, you may add a splash of water.

4.Add all of the dry spices and cook on a low heat for 30 seconds

5.. Drain and rinse the potato and aubergine, and then add the salt and sugar gently add to the pot and give everything a good stir together. Place a tight fitting lid onto the pan and cook until the potatoes are nice and soft.

6. Sprinkle with fresh coriander, and serve as part of a thali, or simply serve with any type of indian bread, but goes especially well with either layered butter paratha or chapati. EASY AND VERY YUMMY!!! give it a try and let me know how you get on.

Any comments welcome!   :D