There are a variety of vegetable dishes across the country. Gojju, for example, is a Karnataka-style sweet and sour dish that is made with a particular vegetable as the main ingredient. It is prepared in tamarind sauce and tempered with spices. Gojju is best savoured with steamed rice, or it can be eaten with roti, and makes for a light and healthy meal.
The most popular gojju dish in Karnataka is the one made with a combination of tomatoes and onions in tamarind juice. However, other vegetables are used in gojju as well, such as ladies finger and bitter gourd. However, in the recommended recipe below, white brinjal or badaneyaki is used as the main vegetable. If white brinjal is not available, then the common purple brinjal can be used. The slightly bitter and sharp taste of the brinjal is complemented with tangy tamarind sauce and jaggery, flavoured with green chilis, and finally tempered with spices. The way in which all the ingredients come together to prepare the Badaneyaki Gojju, makes it a unique dish.
Health quotient
Brinjal or eggplant is a good source of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. It is considered to be good for the heart, is believed to control blood sugar, and is said to be good for weight loss. An interesting trivia about brinjal is that it is largely considered a vegetable, but it is, in fact, a fruit.
Here is a simple recipe for Badaneyaki Gojju:
Ingredients
• 3-4 brinjals, preferably white brinjals
• One tablespoon of tamarind
• 1 tablespoon of grated jaggery
• 2 teaspoons of coconut or refined oil
• A pinch of white lentils
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
• A pinch of hing
• 2 green chilis
• A few curry leaves
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• Water
Method
• Wash the brinjal well. Then cut off the stems, and chop it into medium sized pieces
• Boil the brinjals in one and a half cups of water in a pan until the brinjal turns soft and mushy
• Peel off the brinjal skin. Put the peeled brinjal in a bowl, and mash it to a pulp with a masher or a ladle
• Soak the tamarind in a cup of water and make tamarind juice
• Add the tamarind juice to the brinjal mash, and mix
• Add the one tablespoon of grated jaggery
• Slit the two green chilis through the middle and add it to the mashed brinjal mix
• Add one teaspoon of salt or as per taste preference
• Mix all the ingredients well, if required add a little bit of water, and mix again
• In another pan, heat two teaspoons of coconut or refined oil, add a pinch of white lentils, half a teaspoon of mustard seeds, a few curry leaves, and a pinch of hing, and mix a bit
• Temper the gojju with the above mixture, again mix well
• Serve the Badanekayi Gojju hot
Gojju is also made with a fruit as the base, such as mango and even orange peel.