Eggplant Circles with Stuffed Center

 

Eggplants….either you like them or you hate them. What if we find a way to lure the haters to eat the vegetable? This is one such recipe ….

 There are more such recipes on my channel:  https://goo.gl/XBwLLc

 A vegan dish that I invented based on the ingredients at hand. Turns out delicious every time and people who don’t eat eggplant/brinjal seem to enjoy it too. The trick is that the whole circle is not eggplant … only the outer part is. The filling in the middle has a lot of flavours and textures that surprise everyone.

 I like to serve it as an appetizer or a side dish. This is the perfect “something different” that you can churn up with eggplant to make a meal special.  The recipe is fairly easy 😊

 Click the link below for the video:

STUFFED EGGPLANT CIRCLES            Makes 6 to 8

Ingredients:

Eggplant/Brinjal – 2 x 250g

Bengal gram/chana dal – ¼ cup (soaked)

Onion (finely chopped) – 1 tbsp

Capsicum (finely chopped) – 1 tbsp

Ginger paste – ½ tsp

Green Chilies (chopped) – to taste

Fresh Tomato Paste – 4 tsp

Soya granules (cooked) – ½ cup

Boiled potato – 1 small

Corn flour – 1 ½ tbsp

Roasted walnuts (chopped) – a handful

 

SAUCES

Sweet chili sauce – 2 tsp

Kasundi/Mustard Sauce – 1 to 2 tsp

 

POWDERED SPICES

Coriander powder – ½ tsp

Cumin powder – ¼ tsp

Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

 

Salt – to taste

Vegetable oil – 3 tsp + for shallow frying

 

TO SPRINKLE ON TOP

Chaat Masala powder

Roasted Cumin powder

Red Chili powder

 

Method:

1.    Wash and cut the eggplants into (about an inch) thick rounds. Scoop out the center of each round leaving half an inch from the outer edge. Dip the rounds and centers in turmeric water.

2.    Once all of them have been scooped out, chop up the centers finely.  Keep aside.

3.    Grind the soaked Bengal gram/Chana dal into a smooth paste. Keep aside.

4.     Heat 3 tsp of oil in a pan and add in the chopped onion, capsicum and salt. Cook till the onions are lightly browned. Add in the ginger and cook till the raw smell goes away.

5.    Add in the chopped eggplant, season with salt and cook till they are done. Add in the POWDERED SPICES, chopped green chilies and tomato paste. Cook till the oil starts separating.

6.    Mash and add the boiled potato and the SAUCES. Mix well and cook till everything is combined. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Add in 2 tbsp of the Bengal gram/Chana dal paste. Cook till the mixture thickens. Let it cool completely. Add the walnuts and mix well.

7.    Make thin slurry with the cornflour and left over Chana dal paste. Add water as required.

8.    Arrange the eggplant circles onto the work surface and add in a generous amount of the filling at the center. Use a knife to smooth the surface.

9.    Dip the eggplants into the slurry and shallow fry them on each side for about 2 minutes on medium heat or until they are done.

10. Garnish with coriander leaves. Sprinkle chat masala powder, roasted cumin powder and red chili powder before serving.

© Rinki’s Kitchen