Brinjal Chutney Recipe
Brinjal chutney or venkaya pachadi, an Andhra style brinjal chutney made with Indian eggplant, tamarind, and spices
Ingredients
- 250 grams eggplant or brinjal you can use the large eggplant, long Asian variety, or small Indian ones
- 1 green chilli add more for extra heat
- 3 teaspoon cooking oil
- ¾ teaspoon urad dal skinned, half or whole doesn't matter
- ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
- A pinch asafoetida
- 1 dry red chilli optional but recommended, omit if you prefer less heat
- ½ teaspoon tamarind paste or a 1 tablespoon ball of fresh tamarind
- 3 shallots minced, or use 2 tablespoon minced onions
- A few curry leaves
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Chop the eggplant into one inch cubes and set aside in a bowl of water. This is to prevent the eggplant turning brown and potentially going bitter
- Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds
- When the mustard seeds start to pop, add the eggplant pieces, making sure to squeeze out the water as much as possible
- Saute until the brinjal pieces soften and turn a light brown.
- Remove to a plate and set aside to cool.
- In the same pan, add one more teaspoon oil, slice and add the green chilli, dry red chilli (if using) and ½ teaspoon urad dal.
- Saute until the dal turns golden brown.
- Place this and the cooled eggplant, tamarind, and some salt in a mixie jar and blend to an almost smooth paste. The moisture from the eggplant should be enough to get it going.
- Heat another teaspoon of oil in the same pan as before (this is clearly a one-pan chutney recipe) and add the sliced shallots/onions, asafoetida, and the remaining ¼ teaspoon urad dal
- When the dal turns golden brown, add the curry leaves and the blended brinjal chutney paste
- Mix well and add more salt if needed. Let it cook for a minute or so until everything heats up nicely and remove from fire
- Serve with rice, dosa, or chapati
Notes
- You can grill the eggplant in an open flame or in the oven instead of pan frying like I did. This gives the brinjal chutney a smokey flavour
- You can add the mustard seeds while tempering (along with the onions, etc) instead of with the eggplant. I wanted to grind the mustard which is why I added it in the first time, but this is entirely up to you
- You can pan fry and extra ½ cup sliced onions after the eggplant and grind along with the chutney. This will make it super delicious too!
- Adding a pinch of sugar to the chutney will elevate the flavour, try it.