Sindhi Tarial Wangan (Eggplant Fry with South Indian flavour)

 

               Tarial Wangan is a traditonal Sindhi cuisine where the eggplants are scored, stuffed with spices and shallow fried. All eggplant lovers will simply love this classic dish. It is a very easy and a quick recipe that has minimum of ingredients. You can enjoy it either with steamed rice, jeera rice, pulao or as a side dish with dal-chawal or any type of Indian bread. It is a great party recipe and can be served during special occasions. So check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare it. 

• 3-4 medium size eggplant
• 1 tbsp. salt
• 3 tbsp. idli podi
• 1 tsp. red chili powder
• 1 tsp. tamarind pulp
• oil to shallow fry
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1 tsp. coriander leaves, chopped

           Cut the eggplants into half keeping the stalk intact. Make crisscross lines with a knife and immediately dip them in salted water.

           Now mix together the idli podi, red chili powder, tamarind pulp and a sprinkle of some water. Set aside.

          Spread a little of the spice mix over the scored eggplants and keep aside. 

          Heat oil in a pan and fry the marinated eggplants on both sides on a low flame till well browned and tender. Halfway through add the curry leaves. 

          Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with rice or any Indian flat bread. 

Cut the eggplants into half keeping the stalk intact. Make crisscross lines with a knife & immediately dip them in salted water.

 Mix together the idli podi, red chili powder, tamarind pulp and a sprinkle of some water. Set aside.

Spread a little of the spice mix over the scored eggplants & keep aside. 

                  Heat oil in a pan & fry the marinated eggplants.....

            on both sides on a low flame till well browned and tender. 

                   Halfway through add the curry leaves. 

    Garnish with coriander leaves & serve with rice or any Indian flat bread. 

Begun Sundari (Fried Eggplant - Bong style)

 

          Begun Sundari is a Bong style flavorful eggplant fry that appears to look beautified with few basic seasonings. Hence the name - Begun Sundari. The eggplants are sliced into half and then marinated with a pinch of salt, turmeric powder. red chili powder and mustard oil. 

          They are then shallow fried and garnished with butter, sesame seeds, roasted cumin powder, pepper powder, green chilies and chopped coriander leaves. For more variation, you can drizzle some kasundi over them. It tastes awesome and can be served with either rice or chapatti. So check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare my version of this popular Bong delicacy.

• 4-5 long eggplants
• 1/4 tsp. salt or to taste
• 1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1/4 tsp. red chili powder
• 3 tbsp. mustard oil
• 1 tsp. butter
• 1 tbsp. roasted sesame seeds
• 1/4 tsp. roasted cumin powder
• pinch of pepper powder
• 1 tbsp. coriander leaves, chopped
• 1 tsp. green chilies, chopped

          Wash the eggplants and rinse them well. Cut them into half and score them with the tip of a knife so that they are evenly fried. 

          Marinate them with turmeric powder, red chili powder, salt and 1 tsp. mustard oil for 5 minutes. 

          Heat remaining oil in a pan and shallow fry the marinated eggplants, in batches on both sides till golden in color. 

          Transfer them to a plate. Apply some butter over them and garnish with roasted sesame seeds, roasted cumin powder, pepper powder, coriander leaves and chopped green chilies. Enjoy with rice or chapattis for a comforting meal. 

Note - 

          Typically roasted poppy seeds are sprinkled over the fried eggplants. However, I had to substitute it with sesame seeds as the former is unavailable at my place of residence.

Cut the eggplants into half & score them with the tip of a knife. Marinate them with turmeric powder, red chili powder, salt & 1 tsp. mustard oil for 5 minutes. 

Heat remaining oil in a pan & shallow fry them on both sides till golden in color. 

                  Transfer them to a plate. Apply some butter over them.

Garnish with roasted sesame seeds, roasted cumin powder, pepper powder, coriander leaves & chopped green chilies. 

                   Enjoy with rice or chapattis for a comforting meal. 

Vankaya Vepudu (Eggplant Fry - Andhra style)

 

            Vankaya Vepudu or in simple terms Eggplant Fry is an Andhra style spicy and tangy stir fry dish made of eggplants / brinjal. It is best enjoyed with hot steamed rice or as a side dish with curd rice, sambar rice or rasam rice. However, you may also enjoy with paratha or chapatti. 

          In fact, eggplants tastes better if prepared in this way. In this recipe I opted for baby eggplants. But you can also use any other variety of your choice. To enhance the flavor you may also drizzle some ghee while serving. So check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare this classic and lip smacking regional delicacy.

           This Vankaya Vepudu is very popular dish in many regions of Andhra, where it is enjoyed by the local folk and found in every Andhra household and restaurants. Each family and restaurant has their own unique style of preparing it. 

           Basic ingredients, available in the kitchen goes into the preparation. However, peanuts, sesame seeds and coconut are the main spices used in the recipe besides others. It simply tastes awesome with just hot steamed rice with some ghee and you don't need anything else to satiate your hunger. A simple meal like this brings a deep satisfaction beyond compare. 

Ingredients - 

• 8-10 baby eggplants, sliced into 4 pieces
• 2-3 tbsp. oil
• 1 tbsp. chana dal
• 1 tsp. urad dal
• 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1/4 tsp. asafoetida
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• salt to taste 
• 1-2 sprigs curry leaves
• 1 tbsp. coriander leaves, chopped

To grind - 

• 2 tbsp. peanuts, dry roasted
• 2 tbsp. sesame seeds, dry roasted
• 2 tbsp. fresh grated coconut, dry roasted
• 5-6 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 3 tbsp. red chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. tamarind paste

           Grind all the mentioned ingredients into a coarse powder and keep aside.

          Heat oil in a pan and temper with chana dal, urad dal, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and asafoetida. Sauté for a few seconds or till it stops spluttering.

          Add the onion and sauté till it turns translucent. Now add the eggplants, curry leaves, salt to taste and turmeric powder. Mix everything well and cook, covered till it turns soft. Keep stirring at intervals. 

          When done, add the coarsely ground spice mix and give it a stir so that the eggplants are well coated. 

          Now switch off the flame and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with hot steamed rice, curd rice or chapatti. 

Notes - 

1.  Immerse the chopped eggplants in salt water to avoid discoloration. 

2.  Adjust the red chili powder according to your preference. However, this dish tastes yummy when it is spicy.

3.  I added tamarind paste in this recipe. You may use a small lime size ball of tamarind. 

4.  You may also serve vankaya vepudu with a drizzle of some ghee to enhance the flavor.

                                  Dry roast the peanuts, sesame seeds and grated coconut.

                                  Grind all the mentioned ingredients 

                                  into a coarse powder and keep aside.

                       Heat oil in a pan & temper with chana dal, urad dal, mustard seeds, 

                       cumin seeds & asafoetida. Sauté till it stops spluttering.

                                  Add the onion and sauté till it turns translucent. 

                      Add the eggplants, curry leaves, salt to taste & turmeric powder. Mix 

                      well & cook, covered till it turns soft. Keep stirring at intervals. 

                            When done, add the ground spice mix & give it a stir so that the 

                            eggplants are well coated.

                                 Garnish with coriander leaves. 

                                 Serve with hot steamed rice, curd rice or chapatti. 

Beguni (Batter Fried Eggplant - Bengali Style)

          These batter fried Beguni or Eggplant Fry are very commonly prepared in most of the Bengali homes and is also a very popular street food in Kolkata. They go very well as a side dish with khichdi, pulao or dal-rice. 

          They can also be relished as a tea-time snack or as appetizers with tomato sauce, mayo or any chutney. The options are plenty. So here is my version of this yummy and crispy fritters that tastes simply divine on any rainy day in particular with your loved ones. So check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare it.

• 3-4 long & broad eggplants, sliced to 1/2 " thickness
• salt to taste
• 1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
• 3/4 cup besan (gram flour)
• 1/2 tsp. kalonji (nigella seeds)
• 1 tsp. ginger, grated
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1-2 green chilies, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp. onion, finely chopped (opt)
• oil to deep fry

          Marinate the eggplants with salt and half the turmeric powder for 10 minutes. Make a batter of pouring consistency with the besan and all the other ingredients (except oil) with required quantity of water.

          Heat oil in a pan. Dip the eggplants in the batter few at a time and deep fry till golden in colour. Drain on a kitchen towel and serve hot along with khichuri (khichdi), tomato sauce or chutney.

                     Marinate eggplants with salt & half the turmeric powder for 10 minutes.
                     Make batter of pouring consistency with besan and all ingredients (except 
                     oil) with required quantity of water.

                      Heat oil. Dip eggplants in batter & deep fry till golden in colour. Drain 
                      on a kitchen towel.

Serve hot along with khichuri (khichdi), tomato sauce or chutney.

Eggplant & Green Peas Curry

          A simple and an easy side dish with an unusual combination of eggplants and green peas. During season, fresh peas can be added. I used Nalla karam podi, a popular Andhra spice to add some flavour to the dish. But sambar powder or any idli podi can be substituted. This delicious side dish can be enjoyed with both chapattis or rice.

• 5-6 long eggplants, chopped
• 1/2 cup green peas (frozen)
• 2 tbsp. oil
• 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1/ 4 tsp. asafoetida
• 1 tsp. garlic, chopped
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1-2 fresh red / green chilies
• 1 tsp. nalla karam podi / sambar powder
• coriander leaves to garnish

          Heat oil in a non-stick pan and temper with mustard seeds. After it stops spluttering, add the asafoetida and garlic and sauté till the garlic changes colour.

          Add the eggplants, peas, salt, turmeric powder and chilies. Sauté, covered on low flame till the eggplants turns soft. Sprinkle some water if needed.

          When done, add the nalla karam podi and mix well. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve as a side dish with either chapattis or rice.

Eggplant & Chickpeas Stir Fry

         A simple and a nutritious side dish to go with your chapatti or rice. I have combined eggplants along with some boiled kabuli chana (white chickpeas) and simply stir fried. The tempering is done with mustard seeds and cumin seeds. I added some urad dal for the crunchiness and amchur powder to give it a tangy flavour. 

          Eggplants generally have low calorie benefits as it contains vitamin k and iron. Kabuli chana too contains fibre, vitamins and proteins. So the combination of these two makes for a very healthy side dish.

• 4 long eggplant, cubes
• 1/2 cup kabuli chana (white chickpeas), soaked overnight & boiled
• 2 tbsp. oil
• 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 tsp. urad dal (split black gram lentil)
• 1 tbsp. garlic, finely chopped
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. red chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. amchur powder (dry mango powder)
• coriander leaves & fresh chilies to garnish 

         Heat oil in a non-stick pan and temper with mustard seeds and cumin seeds. After it stops spluttering, add the asafoetida and urad dal. 

          Sauté till it changes colour, then add the eggplants, salt and turmeric powder. Sauté on low flame.

         When halfway done, add the garlic and onion. Continue to fry on a low flame till the eggplants are soft. 

          Add the boiled chickpeas, red chili powder and amchur. Give it a stir to combine well. Serve, garnished with coriander leaves and fresh chilies.