Its only recently that we have started cooking with dill leaves (soya/suva). And I wonder why didn’t I do it before. These pungent, sharp tasting grassy leaves when added to any dish, take its level up a notch. Check out my recipe of soya leaves kadhi here.
The first and only time I had it before my marriage was when mum cooked methi alu and added some suva leaves in the bhaji. I was like, what!!?? Methi alu has always been my favourite side dish and playing with it was a sin. So I sulked and fussed so much about it (spare me, I was a teenager!) and poor mum didn’t dare to add dill again to any dish after that. Read- Health benefits of dill leaves
The second encounter was in my sasural (in-laws house) where my SIL prepared this suva baingan bhaji. Now it was turn to keep mum and gulp it down. But when I tasted the dish, it wasn’t that bad. And after a few bites, it actually started tasting amazing. I liked it so much, I tried to replicate it at mum’s place but since I didn’t have any idea of the spices proportion it turned out very bad and tasteless. And now it was mom’s turn to sulk 😀
More easy recipes for dinner – Alu methi | Alu dhaniya | South Indian style Alu sabzi |Alu matar rassa | Dahi aalu | Lauki alu
Anyway, so I asked my favourite blogger and friend from Banaras ka khana– Sangeeta to help me with the recipe. And she posted it pretty soon after I requested. I realised that my last trial was bland since I added too many spices and too much of dill so it became very overpowering. This time I followed Sangeeta’s recipe to the T and got the same taste as my SIL’s. The only different thing I did was to cook this dish in a kadhayi (wok/deep dish pan) and not pressure cooker. Cooking brinjals in a pressure cooker makes them kind of watery and I don’t like the taste then.
The dish is very simple and a good one for when the methi and suva leaves are in season. You can easily make out the difference between the fresh produce and an out of season one. the fresh leaves and brinjals (eggplant/aubergines) carry a sweet-ish flavour of their own which is retained even when cooked. That’s what makes this sublime medley of pungent leaves and silky eggplants so delicious to have.
This is a typical dish from the states of Eastern U.P. and Bihar, eaten with plain phulka roti or as a side dish on a platter. Serve it hot and fresh, since leaving it for too long and then reheating it makes the aubergines kind of bland and watery. So either you cook it on high flame again to evaporate all the water, or best to eat it fresh.
More recipes from U.P. and Bihar:- Litti chokha | Bihari Poha (Chura matar) | U.P. style alu tikki | Sattu ka paratha
Course: Side dish
Cuisine:- U.P., Indian
Serves:- 2-3 people
What you need?
- 4-5 fresh brinjals (aubergines/eggplant)- about half a kg
- 1 cup methi leaves
- 1 cup dill leaves (suwa bhaji / suva leaves)
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
- 2-3 green chilies, chopped small or minced
- small piece of ginger, grated
- 1-2 small tomato, chopped roughly
- 1 tbsp mustard oil
- 1/4 tsp mustard seeds, fennel seeds each
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- a pinch of asafoetida (hing)
How to make?
Wash thoroughly and chop the greens. Keep aside.
Heat oil in a deep pan or wok, add in the hing, mustard seeds, fennel seeds, cumin seeds and wait till they splutter.Add the minced ginger, garlic, green chilies and cook for 15-20 seconds. Add tomatoes and salt, and cook till they get a bit mashed up.
Add the brinjal and the chopped greens, mix well and let it cook for a few minutes covered with a lid. Cook till the brinjals get cooked properly, the greens wont take much time. Keep stirring in between and add a few drops of water is feel very dry.
Notes:
Some people add potato cubes as well to this dish. I had eaten it without the same so havent used it. The original recipe called for green peas as as well, but only add them if you have fresh pods of it. I dont prefer to use frozen peas in vegetables which are already mushy and watery. But you may try them by all means and discover your taste.
I have used the smaller variety of baingan/brinjal here since thats how my SIL made it. Sangeeta had advised to take the fleshy, larger variety for the sabzi. You may take your pick.
Try another delicious delicacy from Gujarat made using dill leaves- Suva ki kadhi
totally new combo.. sounds interesting