Brinjal Masala Curry

Brinjal Masala Curry ( Translation in Telugu "Gutti Vankaya Kura" and in Tamil "kathirikai masala kuzhambu") is a very famous Andhra recipe. This dish can be made with small purple  or green brinjal. But we need to ensure that the brinjal's are absolutely fresh and tender (i.e. the seeds should not be black). The one I am posting today is made with the small purple brinjal.

Brinjal Masala Curry

Ingredients: Serve- 4

• Red chillies - 7
• Channa dhal - hand full
• Peanuts - hand full
• Cumin seeds - 1/2tspn
• Dry coconut - 3 small piece
• Tamarind juice - 2 glass
• Tomato - 1 (medium size)
• Onion - 1 (medium size)
• Mustared seeds - 1/2tspn
• Urad dhal - 1/2tspn
• Curry leaf - as required
• Coriander leaves - as required
• Red chili powder -1 & 1/2tspn (adjust to taste)
• Turmeric powder - a pinch
• Salt - 2tspn (adjust to taste)
• Brinjal - 10

The following picture shows the step by step process for Brinjal Curry:

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Figure 13

Figure 14

Figure 15

Method:

1. Take a pan, roast red chillies in medium flame for 2 minutes and keep a side. (figure 1)
2. Take a pan, roast channa dhal, peanuts, cumin seeds and dry coconut in medium flame for few minutes until peanut color changes light red. Let it cool for 5 minutes.(figure  2)
3. In a mixer, add all roasted items and make a fine powder.(figure 3 & 7)
4. Take 2 glass of tamarind juice (little thicker), add 1/2 tomato and mash it. (figure 4 & 5)
5. In tamarind juice, add red chili powder, turmeric powder, salt and mix well. Taste the juice and if you feel like the taste is not as expected then add necessary ingredients to suit your taste and mix well.  (figure 6)
6. Take a plate, add the powder prepared in 3rd step, add 2tspn tamarind juice and mix the powder well. (figure 7)
7. Take a brinjal, cut as 4 direction and fill with mixture prepared in above step. Do the same for all brinjal's. (figure 8)
8. Take pan, heat oil in medium flame, add mustared seeds wait for crackle and then add urad dhal, curry leaf saute for 2 seconds. (figure 9)
9. Add onion and continue sauteing until onion become soft. Add tomatoes saute until tomatoes become soft. (figure 10)
10. Add Brinjal, saute for 3 seconds and close with lid & cook until brinjal gets soft. (figure 11 & 12)
11. Now add tamarind juice and again close with lid & cook until tamarind juice becomes like gravy.(figure 13 & 14)
12. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve in bowl. (figure 15)

Spicy and tasty Brinjal Curry is ready to serve !

Additional Tips:-

• In step 6, If masala is taken as powder and placed inside the brinjal, then during cooking powder will come out easily. That's why we are adding little tamarind juice so that powder will get wet and solid in nature.
• In step 4, tamarind juice should be little thicker not very thicker and not very losser.
• In step 10, saute the brinjal slowly for 3 seconds without mixture coming out.
• In step11, cook the gravy until brinjal gets cooked well.