Vazhuthananga Masala | Brinjal Stir Fry with a Special Spice Mix ~ Step by Step Pics

Vazhuthananga was never my piece of cake and I think mentioned it in my previous posts about my dislike towards this nutrient rich veggie as a kid. The only veggie that I disliked was these purple cuties. Gone are the days and tastes but as I reached college and hostel life, I started having this veggie in the form of bajji and as brinjal potato masala side for chapathis. Slowly did I develop a liking this veggie as thee were times when their were no choices left in mess food and so had to have. But am happy that I started having atleast then as my H is a die hard fan of this veggie. 

After marriage, I did start trying out different recipes with this veggie. Some were instant hit, some were flops and few made to the blog space too(list below). However this special brinjal masala is a tried and tested version of my experiments. Our maid once made this brinjal masala by adding raw mangoes at home, she being a native of Koorg had a few classic recipes and we were hooked by the tangy flavors added with mashed brinjal. Later I tried recreating the masala at home and then added coarsely powdered roasted coconut which balanced the tangy flavors and added a nutty flavor. Then I again modified this masala with dry mango pieces which worked more better than raw pieces though you can use raw mango slices too. This masala is good to be served with rice and chapathis. Do give this a try and enjoy.

You may also like-

* Vazhuthananga Potato Masala

* Vazhuthananga Mezhukuparetti

* Vazhuthananga Bajji

* Vazhuthananga Curry (Tamil Style)

* Nithya Vazhuthananga Mezhukuparetti

Preparation time~ 10 minutes

Cooking time ~ 15 minutes

Serves ~ 4

Author ~ Julie

Ingredients

brinjal 300 gms

turmeric powder 1/2 tsp

salt to taste

onion 1 sliced

garlic cloves 3-4

curry leaves a sprig

oil 2tbsp

for spice mix

coconut grated 3tbsp

chilli powder 1 tsp

dry mango pieces 5-6

Method

• Wash the brinjal and cut the pieces as shown in the pic. Slice and add this in a bowl of water to prevent discoloration. Cut the onion, garlic and keep the cury leaves ready.

                                       

                                 

• In the meantime, roast the grated coconut until brown by stirring frequently. Add in the chilli powder on low flame(I used kashmiri chilli powder). Then switch off flame and add the dry mango pieces. Wait till the roasted spices cools down and then grind to a coarse powder without adding any water.

• Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan and add the sliced onion, garlic and curry leaves. Wait till onions are slightly translucent. Remove the brinjal pieces from water and add to the pan. To this add turmeric powder and salt. Cook covered for two mins.

• Add the coarsely powdered spice mix and mix well. Cook covered for 5 mins by stirring in between till the brinjal pieces cooks well and mashes with the masala. Adjust salt and mix well.
• On high flame, dry up any moisture left in the masala and switch off flame. 

 NOTES

* You can add fresh sliced mango pieces too, in that case add along with brinjal pieces. it gets cooked along with brinjal pieces.

* Adding roasted coconut adds a special flavor to the masala.