Curried Eggplant & Bell pepper

The week's started on a few crazy notes.Sample this - I spent a good 2 days searching for my son's school uniform that went missing or so I thought. While the kid went to school in his casuals, I brought the house down ala Kate Beckett. The cabinets and cupboards were ransacked , the laundry bag turned inside-out and even the iron wallah was badgered to do a check & recheck of his stack of clothes. The case of the missing uniform had me baffled real bad b-( 

Finally when hubby dearest was given an earful about it, he gently reminded me about my visit to the tailor the previous week. The uniform which was given for adjustment was  forgotten to be collected. This when the to-do list was pinned on the fridge right before my eyes.  DUH . I was glad that my agony came to an end#:-S but guess who had a good fun at my expense :D

BTW, the reference to Ms. Beckett was unavoidable. Hooked to Castle these days, the sassy duo have my attention :P 

Coming to today's recipe , the combo of eggplants & pepper is not only tasty but its pairing with rotis(indian flat-bread) as well as rice was heavenly.

While the eggplant blended in perfectly, the pepper stood out giving the dish a nice taste.

For this month's Blog Hop Wednesday # 18 , I am paired with Smitha who has a fine space @ Kannada Cuisine . I loved the versatility of recipes in her blog. Eyeing quite a few of them , I settled for this recipe.The heat for the curry was from Sambar Powder which is a heady mix of Red Chillis, Coriander seeds, Bengal Gram, Asafoetida, Cumin Seeds, Curry leaves etc.  Of-course, I had to give the dish a little something to leave my mark. Hence the addition of the powdered roasted Bengal gram and cardamom. The dish got that extra zing & oomph with it. It is optional as the original recipe did not mention this extra ingredients

What's in it :-(Serves : 3, Prep Time : 10 mins , Cooking Time : 20 to 25 minutes)

• Eggplant  - 250 grams (approx) 
• Green Bell Pepper   - 1 large
• Potato - 1 large
• Green Chillis - 3 to 4 - to taste
• Tomato - 1 large
• Onion - 1 large
• Oil - 2 to 3 tbsp
• Mustard seeds - 1/4 to 1/2 tsp
• Cumin Seeds - 1/2 to 1 tsp
• Asafoetida - a pinch or two
• Sambar Powder - 2 tsp - to taste (I used store-bought) 
• Salt to taste
• Coriander leaves - a fistful - finely chopped

Final Sprinkle :-(My twist)/optional)

• Roasted Bengal Gram  (பொட்டுகடலை) - a fistful
• Cardamom - 2 pods

Here's How :-

Powder the roasted Bengal gram along with cardamom and set it aside.
Wash and clean all vegetables. Dice them to uniform size. Heat oil in a wok.Throw in the mustard, cumin seeds and asafoetida in quick succession.Once the spices sizzle, throw in the onion and green chillis. Saute till onion is golden.
Tip in the diced potato. Add a pinch of salt, cover and cook till they are slightly soft.
Throw in the brinjal. Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes. Now add the bell pepper and the tomato along with the sambar powder. Cover and cook till all the vegetables are tender crisp. Sprinkle some water if needed. Adjust salt and dunk the powdered roasted bengal gram & cardamom. Give it a good mix. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves. Serve hot with Chapatis or rice.