Brinjal Chutney
Brinjal Chutney (Eggplant Chutney), a spicy and tempting condiment made from brinjal, peanuts, garlic and tamarind with many other spices, is indispensable south Indian relish. The south Indian chutney prepared with this recipe is household item in Andhra and can simply be served with rice, roti, chapatti, idli, dosa, vada, etc. for scrumptious meal.
| Ingredients: |
| 4-5 small or 1 big Brinjal (eggplant) |
| 1 pinch Asafoetida (hing), optional |
| 1/2 teaspoon Cumin Seeds |
| 2 Dry Red Chilli |
| 4-5 Curry Leaves |
| 1 tablespoon Peanuts |
| 2-3 Garlic cloves, chopped |
| 1/2 teaspoon chopped or grated Ginger |
| 1 teaspoon seedless Tamarind (or 1 teaspoon Tamarind paste) |
| 1 small Tomato, finely chopped, optional |
| 1 teaspoon grated Jaggery |
| 1 tablespoon Cooking Oil |
| Salt to taste |
| For Tempering: |
| 1/2 teaspoon Mustard Seeds |
| 1/4 teaspoon Urad dal (Split Black Gram) |
| 1/2 Dry Red Chilli |
| 3-4 Curry Leaves |
| 2 teaspoons Cooking Oil |
Directions:
- Wash brinjals in running water and pat them dry. Remove stems and cut into small pieces. Add brinjal pieces into a bowl filled with water to prevent them from turning brown.
- Heat 1-tablespoon oil in a pan over medium flame. Add asafoetida, cumin seeds, dry red chilli and peanuts and sauté for a minute. Add chopped garlic, chopped ginger and tamarind.
- Sauté until garlic turns light brown.
- Add chopped brinjal and salt.
- Mix well and cook covered until brinjal turns soft, it will take around 5-7 minutes.
- Add chopped tomato and mix well.
- Sauté until tomatoes turn soft. Turn off the flame and add grated jaggery. Mix well and let the mixture cool at room temperature for few minutes.
- Transfer mixture to a grinder jar and grind until smooth paste. Transfer prepared paste to a serving bowl.
- To prepare the tempering, heat 2-teaspoons oil in the same pan. Add mustard seeds. When they begin to crackle, add urad dal and sauté until dal turns light brown. Add dry red chillies and curry leaves. Sauté for 20-30 seconds.
- Remove tempering pan from the flame and immediately pour it over prepared chutney paste. Brinjal Chutney is ready for serving. Serve it with plain dosa.
Tips and Variations:
- You can use 1 teaspoon lemon juice as a substitute of tamarind. Add lemon juice while grinding (in step-8).
- Choose the brinjals that have less seeds and more flesh (those that look bigger in size but lighter in weight are ideal).
Taste: Soft and smooth taste of mashed brinjal having aroma of sautéed spices
Serving Ideas: Serve Indian brinjal chutney as an accompaniment with rice, curry and roti. It goes well with set dosa or uttapam too.