An exotic Andhra-style rich celebration dish with smooth, warm and rich flavors. No onions or tomatoes go into its making, the main player being poppy seeds which lend the dish its body and a subtle sweet flavor. As you bite into the eggplant, you can savor layers of roasted sweet, tangy and savory flavors.

Brinjals play an important role in a typical Andhra vegetarian meal. Its the revered vegetable of Andhra cuisine and a family favorite. I tried Dahi Baingan, a North Indian style preparation to go with rotis and it didn’t disappoint. There are a couple of versions of Dahi Baingan one of which is this particular recipe that I noted in my recipe files. A creamy style sabji that makes for a lovely side with rotis. Goes well with plain rice too. Next on my to-try list is another yogurt based curry, Kashmiri Dahi Baingan.

Raw mango not only adds a tangy punch to this earthy pachadi but enhances the taste of sauteed brinjals that are blended in roasted cumin, red chillis and garlic and tempered with mustard seeds and aromatic curry leaves.

The key to this stir fry recipe is a roasted and powdered magic spice blend that sets everything off, taking the quartered eggplants to their full glory. Don’t miss out on the asafoetida, just a pinch gives a whole new perspective to this easy stir fry that goes well with rotis and rice. Not to [...]

Vankaya Pachadi recipe is similar to the Punjabi dish Baigan ka Burtha. In Andhra, we dont use any of the spice powders which are used in preparing burtha. To prepare the pachadi, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and black gram are used for tempering and the egg plant is grilled or placed directly over the gas burner so that the insides of the egg plant is cooked.

Gutti Vankaayi Kura or Stuffed Eggplant/Brinjal curry is Andhra traditional special curry. A simple Indian food recipe that can be made with tender purple brinjals or small round green eggplants.