Hunasekayi(Tamarind) Tokku(Pickle)

Ingredients:
1.5 KG Tender Tamarind / Ele Hunasekayi
3/4 KG Green Chillies
8 - 10 tsp Turmeric powder
4 - 5 tsp Asafetida powder
7 - 8 tsp fried Fenugreek Seeds powder
3 - 3.5 cups Salt

Recipe:
Wash the tender tamarinds and spread it over a cotton cloth to remove the water content or just wipe the tamarinds in a clean dry cotton cloth. Cut the edges and remove any fiber/strings as shown in the picture below.

Cut the tamarind into medium sized pieces as shown in the picture below.

Remove the stem of each green chilly and wash them and spread it over a cotton cloth to remove the water content.

Put fenugreek seeds in a pan and fry them in medium flame until they give nice aroma. Once its cooled,  grind them in a mixer into smooth paste and keep it aside.
Put chopped tamarind in a mixer and crush them coarsely by without adding any water. Put green chillies, little amount of salt and crush them together coarsely by without adding any water. Add remaining amount of salt, turmeric powder, asafetida, fenugreek seeds powder and mix them well.

Put this above mixture in a mixer and grind them together for few seconds as shown in the picture below. Store this in an airtight container.

Take little amount of prepared thokku in a bowl. Put 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp oil in a pan and heat. Once it starts spluttering, add pinch of asafetida powder, keep it for few seconds and then add it to tokku. Mix well before serving. It goes well with hot rice & ghee or along with curd. It can be used to make rice bath, rasam, chutney, etc.

Badanekayi(Eggplant/Brinjal) Masale Palya

Ingredients:
4 medium sized Brinjal(Eggplant) / Badanekayi (Long one preferred) or 6 cups of chopped Brinjal
3 - 4 Red Chillies
3/4 tsp Coriander seeds
1/8 tsp Cumin seeds
1/8 tsp Fenugreek seeds
Pinch of Asafetida powder
1/2 - 3/4 cup grated Coconut
Large grape sized Tamarind
Large lemon sized Jaggary
Pinch of Turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1 1/4 tsp Black Gram seeds (1/4 tsp for Masala and remaining for Seasoning)
1 tsp Mustard seeds
10 - 12 Curry leaves(5-6 for Masala and remaining for Seasoning)
3 tsp Oil

Recipe:

Put water, little amount of butter milk in a vessel. Chop the eggplant into thin longer pieces(1 inch sized) and put it in a vessel containing buttermilk water for about 5 mins.

Put 1 tsp oil, red chillies, 1/4 tsp black gram seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds in a pan and fry them in medium/low flame until they give nice aroma. Add asafetida powder, 5-6 curry leaves and fry them together for about 1 min and switch off the flame.

Put fried masala in a mixer and crush them for few seconds. Add grated coconut, jaggary, tamarind, salt  and grind them coarsely by adding little amount of water as shown in the picture below.

Put mustard seeds, 1tsp blackgram seeds and 2 tsp oil in a thick bottomed vessel. Once it starts spluttering, add remaining curry leaves, chopped eggplant, turmeric powder, pinch of salt and fry them for about 2-3 mins in medium flame. Add the ground masala, mix them well and cook the eggplant in low flame by covering a lid. It goes well with Rice, Chapathis.