Eggplant Ravaiya Recipes

EGGPLANT RAVAIYA

Steps:

• Put all ingredients except for the olive oil and eggplants in a food processor, and pulse until the peanuts are ground. Add oil and pulse to combine; the mixture will resemble damp sand. Set aside.
• Cut a crosshatch in the bottom of the eggplant about three-quarters of the way up the fruit, leaving the stem intact. (In other words, you're making a deep plus-sign shape in the bulbous part of the fruit, so you can stuff it with the peanut filling.) Repeat with the remaining eggplants.
• Stuff each eggplant with a little of the peanut mixture, just enough to fill the hole. You should have some peanut mixture left over.
• Place the stuffed eggplants on their sides in a single layer on the bottom of a large pot or saucepan with a lid. The eggplants can overlap a little, but ideally they will all fit on the bottom of the pot. Dollop the leftover peanut mixture on top of and around the eggplants, and add 1 cup of water. Turn heat to medium and cover the pot. Let the eggplant cook at a simmer, adjusting the heat as necessary, for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until the eggplants are just tender when you poke them at the stem end with the tip of a knife.
• Taste the sauce for salt, and serve hot with basmati rice or Indian flatbreads.

VEGETABLES STUFFED WITH SPICES (RAVAIYA BHARELA)

Steps:

• Put peanuts, ginger, garlic and chilies into container of an electric blender. Blend as finely as possible. Spoon and scrape mixture into a mixing bowl.
• Add turmeric, red pepper, cumin, coriander, salt, sugar, garam masala and 2 tablespoons of oil. Blend well with fingers.
• Cut potatoes lengthwise, slightly more than halfway down. Give potatoes slightly more than a quarter turn and make a similar cut. The cut portion can be opened slightly to provide space for stuffing. Fill the cut sections of each potato with equal portions stuffing.
• Peel onions. Cut each, slicing down with a knife almost but not quite through to the bottom. Give each onion a quarter turn and slice in similar fashion. Open up onions and stuff with spice mixture.
• Trim off ends of eggplants. Cut each eggplant crosswise in half. Partly slice open each piece so that it can be opened up but remains hinged at the bottom. Fill halves with equal portions of spice mixture.
• Put remaining cup of oil in bottom of a casserole and arrange vegetables, stuffed side up in layers, one atop the other.
• Cover casserole closely with a shallow pan that fits more or less compactly. Pour an inch or so of water in pan. Heat vegetables until they start to cook in the oil. Let cook over low heat until potatoes are tender, 30 to 35 minutes. Stir gently, if at all, as vegetables cook. Sprinkle with coriander before serving.