"Kachri", made of Brinjals

A delicious, not too common and simple fare

Kachri Baingan Ki /Brinjal grilled and spiced

The big round brinjal/aubergine/eggplant is roasted whole and made into “Bharta” in north India, of which there are variations to be found in the Middle East cuisine too.

In the south, the roasted brinjal goes into what is called a “thogayal”—call it a sort of bharta.

The best part about this variety of bringal is that there is never a “season” for it—it is available round the year. And it is available  in almost every nook and corner of the world.

These brinjals are  very commonly sliced, dipped in a batter and deep fried to make “bhajjis” or “bhajias”, a popular snack/starter

Brinjal slices, coated with spices,being roasted

There is one nice dish that my mother in law used to make with slices of this big fat thing. She called it “kachri”, and it is something I’ve not eaten anywhere save my husband’s relatives. Perhaps it is not all that common or popular.But extremely tasty, it is.  This  “kachri” however ,is not a snack but a side dish to go with roti. Along with a dal, it makes a simple, nice lunch.

The doubting  Thomas need only check with my friends who “oohed and aaahed” at the sight of it, asked for receipe, and also told me to bring it in my lunch box again.

Onion rings being sautéed

Here goes the receipe:

Ingredients

1.Big,round  brinjal-1, cut into half inch slices, and rested in water

2.Blend the following dry ingredients in a small bowl:

Salt-to taste

Turmeric powder- One level teaspoon

Red chilli powder-Half teaspoon

Aamchur or dry mango powder-Half teaspoon

Asoefiatide-a pinch

3.Onion-1 big one, cut into rings

4.One large tomato, as many slices as there are of brinjal.

5.Vegetable oil 4 level teaspoons

6.Dry fenugreek leaves crushed(kasoori methi) – one teaspoon

Tomato slices being sautéed

Method

In  a  large , flat, heavy bottomed pan, drizzle two teaspoons of oil, and keep on gas burner.

Meanwhile, drain the brinjal slices, and with a knife or fork, slash across diagonally, forming diamonds, but without cutting the slices.

 Do this on both sides. This is in lieu of  pricking with the fork, and gives a grilled look to the brinjal  slices.

 Sprinkle the mixture of dry ingredients on one side of  each slice, and place them in the frying pan, with the plain side down. Put a lid, and after one minute, reduce the flame, and keep it that way, for about three minutes.

Take off the lid, and flip the brinjal slices over carefully, and let them cook on slow flame for another three minutes. Switch off the gas.

Kachris being "dressed up"!

Take the “kachris” out  of the pan, and arrange them on a plate.

In the same pan, drizzle a spoon of oil, and toss the onion rings. Add a pinch of salt and sauté them well, for about two or three minutes. Take care they don’t turn brown.

Arrange some rings on each of the “kachri”.

In the same pan, drizzle a spoon of oil, add salt, and  gently place the tomato slices taking care that they don’t lose shape. A minute later, flip them over, and switch off the gas.

Sprinkle some dry fenugreek leaf powder on top for that lovely flavor

Arrange a slice of tomato on each “kachri”, and garnish the tomatoes with  the fragrant, crushed kasoori methi. The humble brinjal slice looks truly “gourmet”, and very inviting. It dresses up the plate which has a roti and some dal, for lunch or dinner.

Enjoy !

PS: One can get as original and experimental while making “kachris”,  to the point of personalizing it. The trick in assembling one’s own group of dry ingredients—eg salt,pepper,oregano, or may be just garam masala, or just rub a clove of garlic.

And one can add a ring of bright green peppers, or yellow bell peppers for that matter.

Elevates the appeal to a simple meal

PPS:

If the Kachri looks ooh-la-la ooh-la-la, it is thanks to Photoshop that has enabled me to blur the background-- the humble brinjal dish remains virginal and untouched.

And  tips on how to do this came from Edible Garden  a blog I look at pretty regularly, to get a hang of Blogsphere. Those who want to dress/undress their pictures similarly, kindly click

http://www.cookingandme.com/2009/03/food-photography-basics-using-photoshop.html