Traditional favourites from North, South Karnataka

Maddur Vada

Ennegayi

This week, celebrity chef Sujatha takes you on a food journey from North Karnataka to Maddur in the South and introduces you to two authentic regional dishes from the state: Ennegayi and Maddur Vada, as part of Deccan Herald and Prajavani’s Cuisines of Karnataka series presented in association with Freedom Refined Sunflower Oil.

Maddur Vada

Maddur vada, a tasty teatime snack, derives its name from the town where it was first made by Ramachandra Budhya, who sold idlis and pakoras at the Maddur Railway Station, in 1917. When a train arrived before its scheduled time, in a hurry Ramachandra ended up preparing these vadas instead of pakoras.

Ingredients

One cup semolina (medium upma rava)

One cup maida

Quarter cup rice flour

Eight to ten cashew nuts (crushed)

Six to seven green chillies (finely chopped)

Two teaspoon curry leaves (finely chopped)

One teaspoon ginger (finely chopped)

One teaspoon roasted sesame seeds

Two onions (sliced)

Two tablespoon groundnuts (crushed or powdered)

Salt (as per taste)

Freedom Refined Sunflower Oil

Recipe

In a bowl, take semolina, maida, two and a half tablespoon rice flour, crushed groundnuts, green chillies, sliced onions, crushed cashew nuts, roasted sesame seeds, chopped curry leaves, chopped ginger and salt as per taste.

To this, add two tablespoons of heated oil, and give it a nice mix. Add water little at a time and mix them well. The dough should be similar to that of pakora dough. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes.

Grease your palms with some oil. Take small balls from the dough and flatten it on your palms.

Deep fry the vadas on medium flame. Enjoy Maddur vadas with coconut chutney.

****

Ennegayi

One dish that is synonymous with North Karnataka is Ennegayi. This dish made from stuffed brinjal is best had with Jowar Roti. A staple in the northern districts, it is considered a specialty in other parts of the state.

Ingredients

For curry

Ten round (purple) brinjals

One teaspoon mustard

Curry leaves

Half tablespoon fenugreek seeds

One onion (diced)

Quarter cup tamarind juice

One tablespoon crushed jaggery

Fresh coriander leaves

For filling

Two tablespoon sesame seeds

Half cup dried coconut (kobbari)

Quarter cup groundnuts

One teaspoon chilli powder

One teaspoon niger seeds (ramtil)

Salt as per taste

For puree

One onion (diced)

Two tomatoes (diced)

Half teaspoon ginger (finely chopped)

Half teaspoon garlic (finely chopped)

Half teaspoon turmeric powder

Half teaspoon chilli powder

One teaspoon coriander powder

Half teaspoon cumin powder

Half teaspoon garam masala

Salt (as per taste)

Freedom Refined Sunflower Oil

Recipe

First dry roast sesame seeds. Next slightly roast niger seeds until it starts popping. Then roast groundnuts. Switch off the stove and in the same pan warm dried coconut.

Transfer the roasted ingredients to a mixer grinder, add chilli powder and a pinch of salt and grind. Make two slits in the brinjal (keeping the stalk intact) and stuff them with the powder.

In a pan, heat some oil and shallow fry the brinjals till they change colour to dark brown colour.

In another pan, heat some oil, and add finely chopped ginger, garlic and diced onion. Saute it for a while and add diced tomatoes.

Once it turns mushy, add coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala, chilli powder, a pinch of turmeric powder and salt as per taste. Give it all a good stir and turn off the stove after a while.

Once it is cooled, grind it in a mixer grinder to obtain a puree.

For the tempering, take some oil in a pan, add some mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, one diced onion, and saute it.

To this, add curry leaves, followed by the masala puree. In the end, add some tamarind juice and salt, if required. Once it starts bubbling, add the fried brinjals. Finally, add some jaggery to neutralise the sour taste and let it cook for some time. Garnish it with coriander leaves.