Chettinad style Brinjal with Potatoes

beetroot = cabbage + green beans OR do beetroot equal purple cabbages and beans? I don't think so and I am sure none of you think so too, but someone in my house reads beets as cabbages! On those rare occasions when I ask the other adult in the household to do some grocery shopping I spend a significant amount of time getting the list ready. As for me I make list occasionally. Anyway the list for DH is a lot more detailed than anything I would make for me. It has instructions on how many tomatoes or potatoes to pick up, the size of the onions and where they should be pressed to find out if they are starting to go bad. It is indeed an arduous process.

You might be wondering if it wouldn't much easier just doing the shopping myself, well some days there is no other choice. Anyway all I remember putting in the list were beets but when I return from my trip, the grocery was put away and the kitchen counters and stove wiped clean. This pleased me no end but when I search for the beets all I see is a purple cabbage sitting next to the green cabbage that I had purchased just a few days earlier and a bag of green beans. So I come home with my head filled with beet recipes but there is no beets only purple cabbage and green beans. Some reprogramming was required to use up the purple cabbage instead. Adding chopped up cabbage to Dal Rice made it look and taste good.They were a great addition to fried rice and using them in place of onion in gravies. So if life hands me a cabbage or in particular a purple cabbate I have learnt to deal with it.

But purple brinjals are another matter altogether. Like this Brinjal masal on Solai's blog. I am sure most of you aware of this treasure trove of Chettinad recipes. Though Chettinad is famous for spicy non vegetarian dishes there are a quite a few lip smacking spicy vegetarian dishes as well. I just love the fact that she had used sambhar powder in the recipe. I added a few potatoes for some extra quantity.

We had them with some whole wheat rotis but tastes good with rice as well.

Recipe Source: Brinjal Masal

Chettinad Style Brinjal with Potatoes
Ingredients
1. 10 Medium sized purple brinjals sliced thin
2. 3 Medium sized potatoes, peeled and sliced
3. 1/2 red or yellow onion chopped
4. 6-8 cloves of garlic sliced
5. 2 juicy red tomatoes chopped (I used 10 grape tomatoes and 1 medium sized tomato)
6. 1 tbsp sambhar powder
7. 2 tsp turmeric powder
8. seasonings - cumin, curry leaves and mustard
9. salt to taste
10. 2 tsp oil
Method
1. In a kadai heat oil and add the seasonings, when the mustard pops add the onions and saute till translucent.
2. Add garlic and saute for a minute more. Now add the tomatoes and salt and cook till the tomatoes are soft.
3. Add the brinjal pieces and saute for a few more minutes.
4. Add the potatoes, turmeric,sambhar powder,salt and mix with the brinjal pieces.
5. Sprinkle a tbsp of water, cover the lid and cook till the potatoes and brinjal turns soft.
6. Open the lid and saute till all the water is absorbed.

Serve with rotis.