“Vaingana- Khalambe Bajji (Brinjal- Brine Raw Mango Chutney)” … I love giving twists to our own GSB Konkani Saraswat dishes and a few days back I had shared a similar bajji which you can check out on too … mitta ghallele ambo (brine/ salt preserve raw mango) prepared in any form is our favorite and over decades I have shared plenty of recipes … here I have made it in combo with purple Vaingana (Brinjal) and it turned out lip smacking; sort of thikshe- midshe- amshe (spicy- salty- tangy) … try it, tastes wonderful served with rice ... Yummilicious …
** Bajji is a simple dish from GSB Konkani Saraswat Cuisine prepared by mashing cooked/ roasted veggies with spices. This dish tastes best served with rice during meals and that’s one of the best combinations. I have tried out plenty of variations besides the most famous one of all times being gulla/ vaingana/ brinjal bajji.
** A few days back I had shared brine raw mango with venti (colocasia stems) which got me lots of feedback. Here I have prepared in combo of large sized purple brinjal (vaingana) with mitta ghallele ambo (brine raw mango) and it tastes wonderful. You must give this a try if like me you to love bajji/ a chutney sort of dish.
** I must mention here that you can use any type of brinjal eg. green, purple, small, large or if you have access to mattu gulla you can use the same too. In Mumbai its difficult to get large sized gulla and I prefer using vaingana for best results. I will be sharing more combos so do follow me for more recipes in gb, insta or blog.
** I have written plenty about this dish bajji and gojju in my previous posts and anything more would be repeating myself which I am sure would bore my readers. For all of you who have visited my Blog newly do browse through for more choice of recipes via. common link shared at the bottom of this recipe or using label section.
** For all those out there who are hesitant to try out new recipes, don’t worry, just go ahead and give a try making your own adjustments keeping in mind your family preferences and you will not go wrong. We must make a effort to preserve and spread awareness pf our traditional recipes for our coming generations to benefit from.
** Here is very own simple recipe for “Vaingana- Khalambe Bajji (Brinjal- Brine Raw Mango Chutney)” … my style …
** Before I go into the recipe, I would like to mention here that for best of taste the Brinjal/ Vaingana is always roasted on open fire/ flame, however you can also use oven/ air fryer/ microwave for the same too. Again, you can cut them into medium sized chunks and cook in a vessel or pressure cook too. I have prepared in all methods and I must confess that these days I prefer the pressure cooker for 2 reasons; faster cooking and lesser mess. Having said that I must admit that the roasting method gives a wonderful smoky flavor perfectly the one that is usually observed in traditional Bajji. You can check the roasting method in other posts and follow the same with any brinjal available in your vicinity. Its healthy, tasty and easy to prepare so do try it, if desired.
** I have used one large sized dark purple coloured Brinjal (aubergine/ vaingana/ vangi/ eggplant) and 3 small sized halambo (mitta ghallele ambo/ salt preserve/ brine raw mango) for this recipe along with spices and seasoning. You may adjust the quantity and spices accordingly (as per your need).
** Soak 3 small sized brine raw mango/ khalambo in plenty of water overnight (or for 4-6 hours), changing the water a few times so that the excess salt content in them gets diluted and can be discarded. This step is very important to remove the excess salt as the raw mango to be used is brine/ salt water preserved. In case you have forgotten to do so, at least do it for a few hours remembering to change the water a few times which helps fasten the process. When done rinse it well and its ready to be used.
** Wash, wipe one large sized brinjal/ Vaingana and cut into 3 inch sized pieces retaining the outer skin. Add into a pressure cooker pan along with one cup of water and pressure cook on medium heat for 1-2 whistles. Keep it aside and allow the pressure to release on it’s own and when able to open the lid do so and allow it to completely cool down to room temperature. (If using roasting method check other posts).
** Once cool enough gently peel off the outer skin of the brinjal and add it into a bowl along with the water in which it is cooked and keep it aside. Drain off the water from brine raw mango/ khalambo taking care to see that there is no excess water (Important step). Now remove all of the pulpy portions discarding the inner seed and add it to the cooked brinjal in the bowl. Wash your hands clean and then mash both cooked brinjal and khalambo together with until well blended to a thick pulp. You can use a potato masher if desired, however please do not use any electric gadgets.
** Note : Bajji is usually mashed well with hands using squeezing method for best results. The seeds from the brinjal if any needs to be retained as it is unlike if used electric gadget which will result into a very smooth thick paste which is neither pleasant to look at nor is tasty, so do check out my other posts for reference of preparation method. I am sure once you follow this method you will agree with this traditional method.
** In a kolambula (wooden bowl)/ pestle/ any other thick stainless steel bowl add 3-4 green chillies (tarni mirsanga/ hari mirchi/ hasi menasu) cut into small pieces and crush with a weight until evenly crushed. Add mashed vaingana- khalambo, along with 1 tblsp of hinga uddaka (prepared asafoetida water from gummy hing, the method of which is shared at the bottom of this recipe). Mix all ingredients together, check and add more water if necessary only. Check and add salt (namak/ meeta) only if required as addition of brine ingredients always have enough salt in them. Lastly add 1 tbslp of raw coconut oil (nariyal tel/ narlel tela) and mix well. Cover with a lid and leave it aside to rest just for 10 minutes for the flavours to be infused and its ready for serving. In case you need to serve it later, keep it in fridge and remove 20 minutes before serving time.
** Note : Addition of coconut oil in tempering enhances the flavor of the dish, however for any reason you do not want to use the same, you can replace it with any edible oil of your choice too. Again, if not using gummy hing prepared water or if this is not available in your vicinity, then please avoid adding the powder form directly as it does not give out flavor instead heat the coconut oil (any edible oil) add 1/2– 1 tsp of hing (asafoetida) powder, fry for a second and then pour it over the bajji and mix well.
** Note : There is no cooking involved for khalambo/ brine raw mango. Only the brinjal is either roasted or cooked and used. Again further cooking after the bajji is done too is not a followed step. Addition of extra salt should be done only after tasting the bajji as brined ingredients have loads of salt content in them and despite soaking in water to remove excess water it is not sufficient and they tend to be salty and salt if added again may turn out to be disastrous. I personally never add additional salt to brine dishes as in my home we always prefer to add less salt to our cooked dishes. However, if you find after tasting that your family may need a little bit of addition of salt do so and mix well. Coconut Oil tastes best, however if desired, you can use any oil of your choice.
** “Vaingana- Khalambe Bajji (Brinjal- Brine Raw Mango Chutney)” is done and ready to be served. Bajji/ Gojju is a side dish served with rice during meals along with other dishes and it tastes wonderful sort of amshe’- tikshe’- midshe’ (tandy- spicy- salty) dish which is loved by almost all from GSB community. Though this bajji looks like chutney, it is not served with dosa, idly etc. as personally I feel it does not go well with it. Bajji is a common dish for GSB Konkani Saraswats that is always served with steaming hot rice or as a side dish with Dalitoy/ Saaru along with Rice or Peja (Rice porridge). Do try out this variation, a concoction of my own that turned out excellent in taste.
** For Preparing of Hing/ Asafoetida Water From Gummy Hing : Hing water is prepared by putting a small marble sized gummy hing (available in South Indian Stores) into a glass bottle and adding about a small cup of boiled and cooled water to it. Within a few hours the hing will slowly melt and you will get a thick whitish liquid. This is known as hinga uddaka/ asafoetida water. You can store this in fridge and use sparingly as and when needed. We GSB Konkani Saraswat Community usually prepare the same and keep it in the fridge always and use the same for dal, patrado or any other hummana etc. If you do not have the gummy hing or have never used or seen it, check out the pictur collage, I have shared the same. Again, if not available, no issues, you can add hing/ asafoetida powder in which case always add it into the hot oil while tempering to get a good aroma.
** Sharing a few common links below to all “Bajji/ Gojju” recipes, do check out in leisure and try them out, they are all excellent in taste …
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