Vankai Pachdi...

Vankai is also known as brinjal, eggplant or badanekayi. This is one the traditional recipes that my ajji used to make, especially on dwadasi day (the day after ekadasi).

So far I have eaten this pachdi with rice, rotti, chapaties & ragi mudde.

All we need is:

4 Fresh brinjals, either round or long ones or green or purple. Preferably, green ones.
1/2 ltr sour curd
1/2 tspn ginger paste
1 tspn mustard seeds
1 tspn jeera
2 dry red chillies, half crushed
4-5 curry leaves

1 tspn salt
1 tspn ginger paste
1/4 tspn chilli pwdr
1/4 tspn corriander pwdr
1 tbspn oil

First let's mix chilli pwdr, coriander pwdr, salt and 1/2 tspn oil.  Meanwhile, slit the fresh green brinjals into two. Smear or brush the oil mixture completely on the brinjals and keep it aside for a while.

Take a non stick pan and once it's hot, keep these slit brinjals and see to it that the brinjals is cooked completely. It's ok if it gets brunt, but not completely.

Next step is to complete the tempering process. For this we need to take a kadai. Pour remaining oil and once it's hot, add mustard seeds. After it crackles, add jeera, hing, crushed red chillies and curry leaves.We need to mix the above tempering mixture with curd and ginger paste.

Soaked the cooked brinjals into the curd and dont hesitate to smash it with your fingers for a tasty vankai pachdi.