Eggplant Raita with Mirchi Crumble

Eggplant raita is delicious. Recipes have proliferated, been adapted and morphed, all the while retaining their key essence, eggplant. The recipe below comes from Prassy Gokhale, her interpretation, borrowed from her friend. What makes it stand out is a fried dried chile, crumbled as a topping. It was love at first bite!

Shallow fried eggplant slices are immersed in garlic flavored yogurt. Spluttered mustard seeds and curry leaves garnish the yogurt. But the piece-de-resistance is the dried mirchi crumble that finishes the raita. Dried mirchi or chiles, stuffed with spicy masala powder, can be found in Indian grocery stores. Typically Maharashtrian in nature, they tend to be mildly spicy to flaming hot. Crumble the fried chile over yogurt. This is what takes it over the top!


EGGPLANT RAITA WITH MIRCHI CRUMBLE
Courtesy Prassy Gokhale
Serves 4
GF, WF, VG, EF

1 small Eggplant
Canola Oil
3/4 cup Yogurt
1 teaspoon Garlic paste
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 teaspoon Mustard seeds
4-5 Curry Leaves
1-2 Dried Stuffed Chiles
fresh Cilantro


Slice eggplant thinly in batches as you fry them. 

Dribble a little oil into a nonstick saucepan. Shallow fry eggplant slices on both sides till golden brown. Use Oil judiciously. This is the low cal version. Feel free to deep fry slices to get the same effect. Drain well on paper towels.

Fry dried chiles in the same oil, turning often, till crisp and deep brown. Keep aside.

Whisk yogurt, garlic paste and salt. 

Arrange eggplant slices in an overlapping manner on a plate. Season with a little salt.

Pour yogurt over eggplant. 

Use the same saucepan as the one used to fry eggplant and chiles. You need a scant tablespoon of oil to fry mustard seeds and curry leaves. 

Heat oil.

Add mustard seeds and curry leaves to oil and let them splutter a few seconds. 

Pour spiced oil evenly over eggplant. 

Crumble chile over eggplant and yogurt. 

At this point you could refrigerate raita for an hour. Though it tastes best freshly assembled.

Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve. 

Thank you thank you thank you Prassy! It is so good even the no-yogurt eaters dived into it!

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