Brinjal Raitha

When it comes to vegetable shopping, I can't finish without a  few eggplants. I am always excited to see the purplish ones (big American variety) but also love those with thorns (rare Vellore variety), green round brinjal with crunchy seeds (Thai variety), long purple brinjal (Chinese eggplant), the white buttery brinjal (Tirunelveli Vennai kathirikkai), white with purple stripes (Madras variety) .....OMG! I love all of them:) Click to read how this brinjal lover admires it and its origin:)
So I try as many recipes as possible with them till hubby thinks of other plans to stop me:)
Here is my favorite brinjal pachadi or raitha. Hope you all like it.

Broiled brinjal.

Ingredients:

Eggplant - 1 (100 gm / medium size)
onion - 2 tbsp
green chilly - 1
cumin powder - 1/4 tsp
plain Indian yogurt (fat free) - 1 cup
salt - to taste
curry leaf - 1 sprig
cilantro - 1 plant
mustard - 1/2 tsp
olive oil - 1 tsp

Method:

Apply a drop of oil all over the brinjal and stick a skewer to it.
Show it over burning flame and cook in that open fire till the eggplant's skin gets charred. We can do this in broiling mode in oven also, but it will take more time.
Let it cool.

Peel the skin and coarsely mash it.

Add finely chopped onion, green chillies, cilantro along with require salt and curd.

Heat a wok with a 1/2 tsp oil, splutter the mustard seed, curry leaves and pour over the raita. Sprinkle some cumin powder.

Brinjal raitha is ready!

Serving suggestion:

Serve with roti while making channa masala or any dal based curry.
Can be used as a dip also.

Tips:

Brinjals are low in calorie with more fiber. Good for intestines and relives gas problems. So traditionally they cook the lentils/ dals with brinjal.....e.g., brinjal sambar, mochai kathiri kulambu etc.