Brinjal Fry (Vankaya Fry)

Brinjal fry is a simple side dish made by stir frying eggplants with spices & curry leaves. This Andhra style brinjal fry tastes delicious and can be served with rice or roti.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Servings:

Author: Swasthi Shreekanth

Ingredients

250 grams brinjal (vankaya, eggplants)
1½ to 2 tablespoons Oil
3 green chilies slit (adjust to taste)
1 sprig curry leaves (optional, pat dry)
1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste or 2 chopped garlic cloves
½ teaspoon salt (divided + more to adjust)
1½ teaspoon lemon juice (refer notes)

Spices

½ teaspoon mustard seeds
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
⅛ teaspoon turmeric
½ to ¾ teaspoon red chili powder (optional, leave out if using green chilies)
½ to ¾ teaspoon garam masala or 1 to 2 teaspoons idli podi

Optional

3 tablespoons peanuts or ½ cup fresh/ frozen green peas

Instructions

Preparation

Pour 2 cups water to a bowl and stir in ¼ teaspoon salt. Keep this aside.
Rinse brinjals & slice them or cut to desired sizes. I chop them to ¾ to 1 inch pieces. Add them to salted water.

How to Make Brinjal Fry

Heat oil in a wok or a pan. Add cumin & mustard. Let them splutter.
Add ginger garlic paste & green chilies. Saute quickly until aromatic for a minute.
Now add chopped brinjal, salt & turmeric. Stir fry on a medium high flame for 3 mins.
Then cover and cook till soft on a low flame stirring in between. While these cook, proceed to the next step.
Optional: This brinjal fry recipe can be made without peanuts too but they impart a nutty taste. So this step is optional. Dry roast or air fry them until golden and aromatic. Cool & crush them coarsely either in a mortar pestle or grinder. (check pics in the post)
When the brinjals are completely cooked and soft, add curry leaves, crushed peanuts & garam masala (or idli podi).
Stir fry on a medium heat until aromatic for 2 to 3 mins. Taste test and add red chilli powder & salt if you want.
Turn off and when the brinjal fry cools down a bit, pour lemon juice if you want.
Serve brinjal fry with rice, chapati or Rasam-rice or Sambar-rice.

Nutrition