Food talk
This eggplant dish will egg on appetite
Pushpesh Pant

Arguably one of the most popular combinations in North Indian repertoire is aloo baigan. Potatoes and aubergines go well together and what is more, you can tilt the balance in favour of one or the other, as per your taste or availability at the moment of cooking. The interesting thing is that the brinjal or eggplants used in this recipe are always the long variety. The round ones are exclusively used in bharta or bhaja. It may be pointed out that the potatoes partnering it, too, never change their shape and appear as wedges. The subzi may be cooked with a slight variation of spices but never dons an exciting, enticing garb. We have wondered at times why we treat old friends with such indifference and not try to discover their ‘hidden possibilities’?

Our unspoken wish was granted recently when a friend who likes to ‘fuse’ culinary styles served us aloo-baigan vilayati, when we shared pot-luck at his pad. The epithet ‘vilayati’ seemed appropriate as not only the baigan used in this recipe are round ones used in Greek moussaka and the potatoes were sliced round the way they are in Lyonise but also because the dish was cooked in olive oil and flavored with mixed dried herbs, eschewing the desi haldi-dhania-mirchi. The shredded tomatoes were sun-dried variety. Sprinkling of garlic salt completed the exotic make over.

Method

Slice the brinjal in about one- inch thick pieces then quarter. Sprinkle salt and keep aside for about 15 minutes. Parboil potatoes ensuring that these aren’t overcooked and a bite remains. Peel and slice in round wafers ¼ inch thick. Shred the tomatoes. Wipe the chillies with moist cloth. Line a non stick pan with a thin film of olive oil and lightly pan grill the brinjal 2 minutes on each side on medium low flame pressing lightly with a wooden spatula. Remove and place in a bowl or platter. Repeat the process with the potatoes. Transfer these to the bowl or platter where the brinjal slices are awaiting company. Sprinkle over with dried herbs, sun dried tomatoes and chilly flakes. Season with garlic salt and garnish with chillies.

Alu baingan vilayati

Ingredients
Brinjal (medium-sized) One round
Potatoes (medium-sized) 2-3
Sun-dried tomatoes 1-2
Olive oil 1 tbsp
Green chillies 2-3
Chilli flakes (optional, to taste)
A large pinch of mixed dried herbs 
Garlic salt

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