Brinjal curry – vankaya podi kura – eggplant curry

Vankaya or brinjal curry (eggplant) is a very versatile vegetable. You can prepare curry, use it in sambar and even make pachadi(brinjal chutney) out of it. We find a lot of different brinjals in market today. For this recipe, I specifically use the green brinjal (not the violet/black ones).

This brinjal curry is a simple recipe that uses a podi or spice powder that I prepare in bulk and store. A little tamarind juice is used so that the spice powder coats well to the brinjal. Also, the tamarind gives a slight tangy or sour taste that is needed for this recipe.

This brinjal curry goes well with rice, sambar and rasam. Also, you can serve it with peanut rice, curry leaves rice, coconut rice, jeera rice etc that are little subtle in taste.

You can check my easy rice recipes for lunch box –

1. curd rice
2. palak rice
3. methi rice
4. G6 rice
5. Tomato rice
6. Capsicum(bell pepper) rice

Ingredients:

For the Podi
Chana dal or Senaga pappu – 4 tbsp
Urad dal or Minappapu – 2 tbsp
Coriander seeds or Dhaniyalu – 2 tbsp
Cumin seeds or Jeera – 2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds or Menthulu – 1 tsp
Dry Red Chili – 8
Oil – 1 tbsp

Other
Brinjal or Vankaya – 3 large (cut into long pieces)
Tamarind juice – 3-4 tbsp
Asafoetida/Hing – ½ tsp
Salt – to taste
Oil – 1 tbsp

Procedure for podi:

1. Dry roast the chana dal till it starts changing color.
2. Add the remaining ingredients under ‘for the podi’ and fry till they leave a lovely aroma and turn into light golden color.
3. Remove from heat and let them cool completely.
4. First blend the dry red chili into a smooth powder.
5. Add the remaining mixture and blend into a coarse consistency. There should be pieces of dal left.
6. Store in air tight jar at room temperature. This stays good upto a month.

Procedure for curry:

1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and add the brinjal pieces.
2. Add the required salt and cover with lid.
3. Fry till the brinjal becomes soft but make sure that it doesn’t become mushy.
4. Now add the tamarind juice and let the brinjal fry till the tamarind is soaked by the vegetable.
5. Once the brinjal absorbs the tamarind juice and becomes dry, add the prepared podi and hing.
6. Cover with lid and let it simmer for about 5 mins.
7. Stir well and serve hot.

This brinjal curry is easy to make once you have the spice mixture (podi) ready. This can be served with dal, rice or sambar.

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