Finally I made it to Nupur's A-Z of Indian vegetables. This week comes the letter 'M'. And it is not too easy to pick a vegetable with this letter for me. Mango can't be treated as a vegetable, can it?
Then one fine day I made this mixed vegetable subzi, the way my mom makes it always. Eggplant, okra and green plantains are cooked together and towards the end of cooking a coarsely ground rice-red chili mixture is sprinkled on top. It is simple with no pretentious flavors but so good.
This is my contribution to Nupur's event.
Mili Juli sabzi
10-12 small round eggplants, quartered
10-12 okra, cut into slightly largish pieces
1 large plantain, skin removed and cut into thin slices (here I mean the small plantains and not the big ones used in chips)
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp urad dal
1/2 tsp turmeric
Salt
Powder:
1 T rice
3-4 red chilies
Dry roast rice and red chilies till rice turns milky white. Grind very coarsely. Heat 1 tsp oil in a skillet. Add mustard and urad dal. When mustard pops, add the cut vegetables , turmeric and salt. Sprinkle little water, cover and cook until all vegetables are done. Having plantain cook as soon as the other veggies is the key here.
Uncover, add ground powder and fold them in. Saute for a couple of minutes on a high flame.
