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.
© Swasthi's Recipes
Servings: 3
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
Calories: 167kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 198mg | Potassium: 242mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 180IU | Vitamin C: 21.5mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 0.6mg
