Vankaaya (Aubergine) Thokku


Tried my hands at Andhra Cuisine, got this recipe from an Iyer mami who lives in Hyderabad, she's an amazing cook and flawless in whatever she does. A great response from my hubby who is an ardent Andhra foodie and brinjal is his favourite. I learnt that "Generous" use of chili powder and tamarind make the dishes tangy and hot.

Vankaya, in telugu means Brinjal (Eggplant/Aubergine) and usually any pickle form/thokku are referred to as PACHADI. My hubby calls this as Vankaya-Chinthapandu Pachadi :D 

I like the the telugu Version of the name as it sounds authentic & nice. But I named it in the usual manner. 


Ingredients : 

Aubergine - 1 (Medium sized) Finely Chopped
Red chillies - 4 to 5 (i used equal amounts of spicy & Kashmiri chillies)
Garlic - 2 pods 
Mustard - 1 tsp 
Chana Dal - 1 tsp 
Curry Leaves - 1 sprig 
Jeera - 1/4 tsp 
Turmeric - 1 tsp 
Chilly pdr - 2 tsps
Coriander pdr - 1 tsp
Tamarind paste - 1 tsp (you can soak tamarind in 2 tbsp of warm water to get a concentrated paste, else use the ready made paste)
Hing - 1 pinch
Oil - 5 tbsp (i have restricted the use of generous oil here, but if you want it like pickle you may add oil acc to your preference & cook it a little longer than mentioned in this recipe) 
Salt - to taste

Method : 
  1. Chop a medium sized aubergine into half inch cubes & Soak it in water such that it doesn't change colour. 
  2. In a non stick pan, add oil, to it add mustard, chana dal, dry red chillies (adjust acc to ur spice levels), add curry leaves, and jeera. 
  3. Allow it to splutter in a low flame. 
  4. Add the chopped aubergine, garlic & give it a quick mix. 
  5. Add hing & turmeric & close it with a lid & let it cook for 12-16 mins until soft in med flame. In between 5-7 mins give it a quick stir. 
  6. Add 2 tsps of chilli pdr, Salt & close the lid again. 
  7. After 3 mins add 1 tsp of coriander pdr & keep stirring. Now add 1 tbsp of tamarind paste. At this point the aubergine would have shrunk in its size & will start sticking to the base, so keep stirring continuously on a med flame. 
  8. It will look like pickle & oil will start oozing, this is an indication that its done. 
  9. Switch off & serve with idli, Dosa, dal chawal (Pappu buua) or even mix in hot rice with Desi ghee.
NOTE : You Can store this for 2-3 days in an airtight container and refrigerate it. 
See you with yet another interesting recipe soon !

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DIVI !! 

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