Badnekayi Palya

Just love this karnataka style dish, for its simplicity and mouth-watering flavors. I hate capsicum (green peppers) in almost everything else, except for this dish. I just love the twist it gives to this dish and how it enhances the flavors.

Whenever I prepare this dish, I feel like eating Akki rotti along with it - the kind they make by pre-cooking the rice flour and rolling it out into chapathis. I absolutely love the combination - you should try it sometime :D

Preparation Time (10 min)

Cooking Time - 15 mins approx


Ingredients
Eggplant - 2 cups (diced)
Capsicum - 1 cup (diced)
Tomato - 1 cup (optional)
Sambar powder - 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 2 tsps
Salt - as per taste


For tempering

Red Chillies - 2 (broken into 4 pieces) (optional)
Urdh daal - 1 tsp
Chana daal - 1/2 tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Curry Leaves 4- 5 leaves
Oil - 1 tbsp


Method

Heat the oil in a small pan. When its hot, add mustard seeds to it. When the mustard seeds begin to sputter, add chana daal and urdh daal to it and after 5 secs, add the curry leaves and red chillies to it. Then add the diced capsicum and allow it to cook for around 2-3 mins or until it turns color a little bit. Then add the eggplant to it and stir well.

Add turmeric powder and salt and mix well. Cover and cook for about 5 - 7 mins on small-medium flame.

Now, the eggplant is almost cooked. Dont cook the eggplant too much as that might turn it into a mushy paste. Now add the tomatoes (if using them) and cook for another 2 mins or so. Then add the sambar powder and mix well. Cook for 2 more mins. Remove from heat but leave it covered on the stove for another 2-3 mins for the flavors to get steamed inside. Badanekayi palya is ready to serve.

Dont forget to try it with Akki Rotti... will put up the recipe soon.

- So