More Eggplants. Hoorah!

Judi picked vegetables for me today. We got another gallon of chili peppers and two big eggplants. Here's an Indian dish I'll make sometime this week. This is recipe that calls for popping spice seeds in hot oil. It gives them a unique taste, and it's fun to do.

Mashed Eggplant With Peanuts And Spices

Eggplant Mixture
1 medium unpeeled eggplant, chopped in large chunks (about 5 cups)Simmer in water about 8 minutes, until very soft, drained and mashed.
2 Tablespoons crushed roasted peanuts
2 Tablespoons fresh coriander leaves (cilantro), chopped

Sauce
In a saucepan, heat:
1 1/2 Tablespoons vegetable oil (you really should use ghee, but it's hard to find around here)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon sesame seed
When the seeds pop, add to the saucepan:
3 Tablespoons onion, chopped
1/4 jalapeño pepper, ground
1/2 small clove garlic, ground
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons coriander
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or chili powder
1/8 teaspoon turmeric

Sauté until the onions are lightly browned.
Add the eggplant mixture to the saucepan; combine, remove from the heat, and serve with basmati rice.

You can make your own ghee if you want to. It takes a bit of time. Indian friends swear that ghee is a healthy fat to use. I wouldn't bet on it, but it's tasty to use once in awhile. The rest of the time I just use olive oil.

Ghee
Ghee is basically butter that has the milk solids and water removed.

1. Melt one pound of unsalted butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat.

2. Once melted, increase the heat and bring to the boil. Once the surface is completely covered with foam, stir gently and reduce the heat to very low.

3. Simmer, uncovered and undisturbed for 45 minutes, or until the milk solids in the bottom of the pan have turned golden brown and the liquid on top is transparent.

4. Remove from the heat and strain the butter through a metal sieve lined with four layers of cheesecloth. You may have to do this several times until it is perfectly clear. Even the smallest of solids left in the ghee will reduce it's cooking properties.

5. Pour the ghee into a glass jar and seal tightly. This can be kept at room temperature for several months, provided no moisture is allowed to enter the ghee (e.g. dipping a wet spoon into it) or for longer if refrigerated. It can also be frozen for up to 1 year.


Now I'm beginning to wonder how many eggplants I'll have this year. I've never had this many good eggplants in my house at once. It's hard to find really good ones in the grocery store, and my garden has never produced many eggplants until this year. I feel absolutely wealthy.

Garam Masala ( sometimes spelled garam marsala)
I buy this by the pound from San Francisco Herb Company. If you can't find it in your supermarket you can make your own blend. Here's a recipe. Coffee grinders do make good spice grinders, but once you've ground spices in it your coffee will be spicy. I have two- one for my husband's coffee and one for spices. My husband doesn't like spicy coffee. Some people do.

1 tbs cardamom seeds
2" stick cinnamon
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg

Heat the spices stirring gently in a dry skillet until they begin to smell warm and spicy. Don't burn them. Place all ingredients in a clean coffee grinder. Grind to a fine powder-about 45 seconds. This makes 3 tablespoons