3.11.2008

Ringan Bateka Methi ne Tuvar Lilva nu Shaak



















My submission for Poojas VoW Brinjal Event.

Ringan Bateka Methi ne Tuvar Lilva nu Shaak literally translates to Brinjal Potato Methi and Green Tuvar Vegetables (Sabji). Served with Kachumber no salad(Cucumber) ane patli dal.

Brinjal is a typical winter vegetable in Gujarat. Ringan no ollo is a very famous Gujarati bhartha style dish that usually evokes winter for me. While ollo is well known , ive made this lesser known Brinjal Potato Gujarati combination.

What is unusual about this recipe is the addition of fresh Methi leaves and Tuvar Lilva(Green Tuvar), fresh lime juice and of course mandatory in gujarat - sugar. Sometimes I crave the fresh taste of this simple , almost rustic dish from my childhood as a break from the masala gravies i seem to make so often.

Without further ado, here is the recipe.

Ingredients:
3 Long Japanese Style Brinjal
2 Medium Potatoes
1 Small Onion
1/2 cup Tuvar Lilva( From the frozen section of the Indian Store)
1/2 cup Fresh or Frozen Methi( Fenugreek) Leaves ( Donot use Kasoori Methi)
Salt
2 tbsp dhana jeeru powder
Red Chilli Powder to taste
Lemon Juice
Sugar

For the Dhana Jeeru Powder: Take 1 tbsp jeera in a Skillet and toast until you can smell the jeera (cumin). Add 1 tbsp of dhania or coriander seeds and toast for about a minute more. Powder finely in a spice jar or your mixie.

Method:

1. Slice the Brinjal (Ringan) into 2 inch long sections. Divide each section into half and then proceed to slice thinly. Peel the potatoes and slice into similar pieces ( Long and thin). Slice the Onion into long and thin pieces.
2. Take as much oil as you are comfortable with(:)-The more the better in this case Notice how cleverly i never mention OIL in the ingredient list) in your saute pan.
3. Add the onion and saute until translucent. Add all the rest of the ingredients. The order is not particularly important. Add all the spices and saute for about 10 minutes.
4. For the last five minutes , cover with a lid or a plate and let steam. I find that the frozen Tuvar Lilva is for some reason a lot tougher than the fresh ones we used back home. So cover with a lid until you are happy with the softness of the tuvar.

Now the observant might ask, where is the lemon and the sugar? Top the shaak or sabji with fresh lemon juice and Sugar. Im not comfortable with a lot of sugar. I found that a light hand with the sugar and just a squeeze of lemon juice adds a whole another dimension of flavor.

Taste ek dum sakkad thai jai!

I tried to make Bajra rotlas, a thick rustic chappati type bread - which would have accompanied this shaak beautifully. I even found this lovely picture tutorial from Kajal to make them. But alas, my bajra rotlas turned out to be DOA. So ive stuck to chappatis. You could also serve them with puris.

10 comments:

Pooja said...

Wow, what a lovely blog it is. Why didn't i knew about you earlier Ms ?
Yet another Gujarati on Blog , Soooo... nice to meet you :) .
SO true about Brinjal . For me too winter come along with imagination of garama garam olo ne rotla, Samw Pinch :D.
ringan bateka nu shak is the regular shak of my mom's kitchen and yeah methi ringan you can find every other day in our winter kitchen series, you made these all together, A nice combo :) . Just today I am going to post those 2 dishes of me , nice to get many great version of brinjal :) , Thanks a lot for sharing and participating.
Stay tuned.

Trupti said...

Nice entry MS. This sabji is new to me. Thanks for sharing this recipe.

Vaishali said...

MS, that recipe sounds delicious. I never can collect enough eggplant recipes because it's one of my favorite veggies. Thanks!

Sia said...

the name itself is so lyrical... :)

Alpa said...

woohoo, another gujarati :)

i agree with sia, you should turn that title into a song... it does sound quite lyrical.

i love this shaak, although i've never added methi in it before. will give it a try tonite.

ms said...

Hi guys, thank you very much for your kind comments

Pooja: Ive been around for a while, but I guess Ive just been a silent spectator, using my blog to just record stuff so I dont forget!
It was fun making this shaak , now only if I can make those bajra rotlas as well, then Im set.

Trupti: Thanks for stopping by!

Vaishali: Thanks! I like unusual vegetable combinations too. I think it is easier to find typical Punjabi vegetable combinations.

sia : Gujarati is a very sweet and lyrical language, I think. Thanks!

Alpa: hey alpa, thanks! Do let me know how it goes.

FH said...

Another Gujarati, Pooja as I see is very happy! :D
Great entry ms. Now got to go and check all your recipes!:)

Unknown said...

nice recipe with brinjal..lovely entry..am going to post one today..

Anonymous said...

Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now keep it up!

Jannki8 said...

That's not the correct recipe for thana jiru powder. Lots of stuff go into that spice blend. I make mine from scratch but you can easily obtain that blend from the store. Also the fenugreek leaves must be soaked to remove bitterness before eating. Anyways. Nice picture.