Eggplant/Brinjal Bhajji (Gulla Bajji/gojju)

 Eggplant/Brinjal Bhajji (Gulla Bajji/gojju)

Watch gulla bajji/gojju making here.

Brinjals from around Udupi regions called as gulla, matti gulla, perampalli gulla etc are charcoal roasted and are made into a spicy side dish called gulla bajji/gojju in Konkani. A great accompaniment with rice/pyej (congee).

Gulla gojju is usually prepared using matti gulla, a special type of eggplant/aubergine/brinjal from Mattu near Udupi. But you can also prepare this from any green brinjal (called as vaygan in Konkani). The smoked brinjal is mixed with green chillies, tamarind, fresh coriander and coconut oil to make a yummy side dish.

Dishes such as gulla bajji (roasted eggplant), gulla sagle (stuffed brinjal), gulla phodi (shallow fried brinjal), gulla bajo (deep fryied brinjal fritters), thendle gulla mashinge sanga upakari (brinjal stir fry with drumsticks and ivy gourd), bolhulli (brahmin style tangy brinjal curry) are the most sought after dishes in Udupi/Mangalore region prepared from matti gulla, gulla. Matti gulla are also used in sambhar, gajbajje etc.

Traditionally the Brinjal/Eggplant/Aubergine/Badnekai/Vayangana/Gulla are roasted on charcoal and this side dish is served as an accompaniment with rice. You can roast the brinjals easily on gas, as its difficult to find charcoal these days. 

Ingredients:

1 big brinjal
1 medium onion
3 green chillies
4-5 tablespoons of oil
3 tablespoons of chopped fresh coriander
3 tablespoons of grated coconut
2 tablespoons of tamarind
Salt to taste

Serves: 2

Preparation Method:

Wash the brinjal. Do not remove the stem portion as it comes in handy while roasting the brinjal on the gas flame.

Wipe the brinjal dry, coat it with a thin layer of oil. 

Keep a mesh on a medium flame and keep the brinjal on it. Roast it uniformly on all sides by turning it, rotating it every now and then until its cooked through on all sides.

Use a mesh to hold the brinjal on the flame, because the brinjal collapses as it cooks. You can get your hands free while your brinjal sits on the mesh and gets roasted. Or else you need to hold the brinjal with your hands throughout the roasting process.

Once cooked keep the brinjal closed in a bowl. This resting period helps it cook on the inside.

Meanwhile soak tamarind in 1/4 cup water.

Once the brinjals cooled completely, peel the brinjal. If the carbon particles stick to the outer portion of the eggplant, give it a wash.

Smash the peeled eggplant in a bowl. Smash the tamarind in the water it was soaked so that it gives out its pulp. 

In another bowl add green chillies, salt and smash them a little. 

Add the tamarind water, grated coconut, smashed brinjal, chopped fresh coriander, coconut oil and mix well.

Serving Suggestions:

Serve the gojju with a bowl of hot steaming rice. 

Eat gojju with or without lots of coconut oil.

Eat gojju with or without chopped onions. 

Coconut oil gives a nice flavour to the gojju. Onions give a nice crunch and taste to the gojju. 

P.S: Instead of tamarind you can even use bimbal or hogplum/ambado for sourness. Cook them until soft using 1/2 cup water, smash well using hands once they are cooked and cooled and mix with cooked, cooled brinjal.

You can even add asafoetida to the gulla gojju instead of coconut oil.

Find more Konkani cuisine side dishes here

Tags: Aubergine, eggplant, brinjal, gulla, goolla, matti gulla, bajji, bhajji, side dish, roasted, gojju, vaygan, gojju, Konkani recipe, Konkani dish, Konkani cuisine, Udupi cuisine, Mangalore food, Konkani food