We all know that brinjals are considered the king of all vegetables. But do we know why (apart from the fact that it wears a green "crown").Well heres' the insight into its "royal bloodline"... ;-)
Nutritional Value of Brinjal
(Given here is the nutritional value of a serving of 100 grams of brinjal)
Calcium - 525 mg
Cholesterol - 16mg
Dietary Fiber - 4.9g
Iron - 6mg
Potassium - 618mg
Protein - 8g
Saturated Fat - 5.2g
Sodium - 62mg
Sugars - 11.4g
Total Carbohydrates - 17.8g
Total Fat - 27.5g
Vitamin A - 6.4 mg
Health & Nutrition Benefits of Eating Brinjal
*Take brinjal in a mashed form or as a soup and add some garlic and asafetida to it. It will help you get rid of flatulence and adjust the wind humor of the body.
*Brinjal can also be eaten after being roasted directly on fire. Just peel off the skin, mash it and add some salt in it for flavor and eat it. It will help cure phlegm, congestion and reduce the formation of gas.
*In order to increase appetite and digestion, take soup made of mashed brinjal and tomato, along with some salt and pepper.
*In case you are unable to fall asleep easily, eat a soft brinjal (along with some honey) after baking it directly over fire. If taken regularly, it may also cure insomnia.
*In order to cure enlarged spleen caused due to malaria, eat soft baked brinjal along with raw sugar on empty stomach, preferably in the morning.
(Courtesy: iloveindia)
Now coming to the most important part--the taste! After all in the end its all about taste, ain't it?! It is one of the best vegetables for amatuer cooks to start working with. The purple hue shines through and springyness of the veggie delights the hearts. Ok so you have guessed it...I love it!
I have to thank my dad for introducing me to this vegetable. No no he doesn't cook...its just that when we were kids, it was a Sunday morning ritual that we loved to follow. We went to the hustling-bustling vegetable market where my father taught me to choose the freshest produce. The tricks and tips of picking a vegetable when it is freshest and not simply relying on the shop keeper (who would inevitably try to sell off his older produce). Like, a brinjal is at its best when its exterior is shiny purple and it weighs light in the hand.
Though I am not that lil' kid anymore holding my father's hand, wide-eyed, grasping all the knowledge....all that he taught has stuck through time.
It is commonly said that a learning never goes to waste. So true and I experienced it myself when after marriage, I shifted base and had to do the veggie shopping on my own! (For someone who has never really done it on her own ever, it was quite a task. Its only after marriage and quitting work that I have really started cooking full time....no don't be mistaken, I'm lovin' it!) :-)
So here's one of the simplest recipes with brinjals. Its a bengali dish. (I was born and brought up in Kolkata, East India) I make this dish so very often and hubby dear loved it the first time he tasted it. I am all about simplicity in food without compromising on taste or health. Hope you make it and enjoy it too, just like we do.
Baingan Bhaja (fried eggplant/brinjal)
Ingredients-
1 large eggplant, sliced into 1'' thick discs
3 tsp turmeric
2 tsp salt
enough mustard oil to deep fry
Method-
In a big plate, arrange the eggplant discs and sprinkle them with half the turmeric and half the salt.
Rub the turmeric and salt into the eggplants with your finger tips.
Turn over the sliced eggplants (white side face-up) and sprinkle with turmeric and salt and rub, as earlier.
Now, heat the mustard oil in a deep fying pan and deep fry the slices till golden brown. Flip and brown the other side too. It will be almost blackish-purple in colour, once removed.
Check seasoning, sprinkle some more salt , if required.
Serve with chapatis/parathas or theple.
Nutritional Value of Brinjal
(Given here is the nutritional value of a serving of 100 grams of brinjal)
Calcium - 525 mg
Cholesterol - 16mg
Dietary Fiber - 4.9g
Iron - 6mg
Potassium - 618mg
Protein - 8g
Saturated Fat - 5.2g
Sodium - 62mg
Sugars - 11.4g
Total Carbohydrates - 17.8g
Total Fat - 27.5g
Vitamin A - 6.4 mg
Health & Nutrition Benefits of Eating Brinjal
*Take brinjal in a mashed form or as a soup and add some garlic and asafetida to it. It will help you get rid of flatulence and adjust the wind humor of the body.
*Brinjal can also be eaten after being roasted directly on fire. Just peel off the skin, mash it and add some salt in it for flavor and eat it. It will help cure phlegm, congestion and reduce the formation of gas.
*In order to increase appetite and digestion, take soup made of mashed brinjal and tomato, along with some salt and pepper.
*In case you are unable to fall asleep easily, eat a soft brinjal (along with some honey) after baking it directly over fire. If taken regularly, it may also cure insomnia.
*In order to cure enlarged spleen caused due to malaria, eat soft baked brinjal along with raw sugar on empty stomach, preferably in the morning.
(Courtesy: iloveindia)
Now coming to the most important part--the taste! After all in the end its all about taste, ain't it?! It is one of the best vegetables for amatuer cooks to start working with. The purple hue shines through and springyness of the veggie delights the hearts. Ok so you have guessed it...I love it!
I have to thank my dad for introducing me to this vegetable. No no he doesn't cook...its just that when we were kids, it was a Sunday morning ritual that we loved to follow. We went to the hustling-bustling vegetable market where my father taught me to choose the freshest produce. The tricks and tips of picking a vegetable when it is freshest and not simply relying on the shop keeper (who would inevitably try to sell off his older produce). Like, a brinjal is at its best when its exterior is shiny purple and it weighs light in the hand.
Though I am not that lil' kid anymore holding my father's hand, wide-eyed, grasping all the knowledge....all that he taught has stuck through time.
It is commonly said that a learning never goes to waste. So true and I experienced it myself when after marriage, I shifted base and had to do the veggie shopping on my own! (For someone who has never really done it on her own ever, it was quite a task. Its only after marriage and quitting work that I have really started cooking full time....no don't be mistaken, I'm lovin' it!) :-)
So here's one of the simplest recipes with brinjals. Its a bengali dish. (I was born and brought up in Kolkata, East India) I make this dish so very often and hubby dear loved it the first time he tasted it. I am all about simplicity in food without compromising on taste or health. Hope you make it and enjoy it too, just like we do.
Baingan Bhaja (fried eggplant/brinjal)
Ingredients-
1 large eggplant, sliced into 1'' thick discs
3 tsp turmeric
2 tsp salt
enough mustard oil to deep fry
Method-
In a big plate, arrange the eggplant discs and sprinkle them with half the turmeric and half the salt.
Rub the turmeric and salt into the eggplants with your finger tips.
Turn over the sliced eggplants (white side face-up) and sprinkle with turmeric and salt and rub, as earlier.
Now, heat the mustard oil in a deep fying pan and deep fry the slices till golden brown. Flip and brown the other side too. It will be almost blackish-purple in colour, once removed.
Check seasoning, sprinkle some more salt , if required.
Serve with chapatis/parathas or theple.
This dish goes to Harini (Sunshinemom)'s FIC- November event.
N.B. Its 2.30 am here in HK, hubby is waiting...am testing his patience. I am a blog-o-addict..(head hanging in shame). So will post the recipe for theple later.
