Boiled Indian Green Eggplant Dip/Gulla Bajji/Brinjal Gojju

This is one of the most popular traditional dishes of udupi. This bajji/gojju is typically prepared using special variety of Brinjal , that is "mattu gulla". No lentils ...No Coconut used in this recipe. 
This brinjal is light green in color and grown in a village "mattu" near udupi. Every year,the first brinjal harvested here is offered to lord krishna at krishna mutt, Udupi. Special seeds used for growing this "mattu gulla" is said to be given by "vadiraj Swamiji". Click here to know the origin/story behind "mattu Gulla" in detail ?

Serves 2 

Ingredients:

2-3 mattu gulla/ any indian green brinjal

1 tsp tamarind paste

salt to taste

1 tsp grated jaggery

pinch of turmeric

1 tsp chopped coriander leaves

1-2 fresh red/green chilly slit into half ( increase the number if you want spicy)
1/4 tsp of asafoetida powder

for seasoning

1 tsp coconut oil/cooking oil

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp urad dal

7-8 curry leaves

1-2 dry red chilly slit into halves
1-2 shallots chopped finely and sauteed with tsp of oil(optional)

How To Prepare ?

• Wash and chop the brinjals.
• Boil 1/2 cup of water in cooking vessel and add chopped brinjal to it.
• Add turmeric powder, jaggery and tamarind paste to it. Let it cook in a medium flame.
  
• when the brinjal is 3/4th cooked add salt and give a quick stir.
  
• Switch off the flame after it cooks completely.[Insert a fork and check whether it is completely cooked or not]. Let it cool for 4-5 mins.
  
• Using your hands/laddle smash the warm boiled brinjals. Don't smash into a very smooth paste.
• Add in asafoetida powder, green chilly and coriander leaves and mix nicely.  (mash the chopped green chilies little bit so that smell and spiciness get mixed with the dish well.)      

• In a separate pan , heat 1 tsp of oil and add in mustard seeds . After mustard seed pops out and in urad dal,red chilly,curry leaves.Once the urad dal turns golden brown, switch off the flame.Add this seasoning on top of bajji/gojju/dip and mix it nicely. 
• This step is totally optional , using tsp of oil  saute chopped  shallots and then  add it to the dish.

                               

• Goes well with Hot Rice along with spoon of ghee/coconut oil.

Tips/Notes:

• You can make this gojju little watery if you like. I prefer to keep it as little dry because I can pack this as chutney along with rice for the lunch box.!!
• You can use other variety of brinjal (purple in color) as well, but taste will be little different.
• Instead of shallots, you can also use red onions. Chop it finely and saute them in a tsp of oil before adding it to the dish.
• You can add chopped green chilies along with brinjal while boiling itself. 

Thanks so much for going through my recipe.Kindly get back to me with your comments. .Please do share it with your friends and family if you like the recipe :-)