Vaangi masala is a popular Maharashtrian recipe. Brinjal being pretty bland naturally, tastes good when cooked with masala made from coconut and a mix of spices. This spicy and sweet brinjal curry tastes best with chapatis or bhakris.
The purple and white streaked small brinjals called kateri vaangi are used for this recipe but you can use any variety of tiny brinjals.
You can prepare the masala paste in this recipe in advance and refrigerate. This will make it very easy and fast to make this curry even on a busy week day. So do try it out, you will like it. Happy Cooking!
Ingredients:
- Small Brinjals 6
- Onions 2
- Haldi / Tumeric powder 1 tsp
- Kashmiri Chilli powder 1 tbsp.
- Tikhalal Chilli powder 1 tsp
- Hing/ Asafetida powder 2 pinches
- Besan 1 tsp
- Garam Masala 1 tbsp
- Dhania Jeera powder 1 tbsp.
- Jaggery 1 tbsp
- Half cup water
- Peanut oil 3 tbsp
For Grinding
- Dried coconut- grated 1/3 cup
- Ginger 1 inch
- Garlic flakes 5-6
- Corriander leaves chopped 2 tbsp
- Sesame seeds 1 tsp
- Peanuts roasted 1 tbsp
- Tamarind 1 tsp
Method:
Heat a pan and dry roast dried coconut, sesame seeds, ginger and garlic. Once roasted cool a bit and then grind to a fine paste along with the peanuts and tamarind. Add little water for grinding if required.
Heat oil in the same pan add the finely chopped onions, haldi powder, kashmiri chilli powder, tikhalal chilli powder, hing, besan, garam masala powder, dhania jeera powder and saute this mixture well for 4-5 minutes.
Add the ground paste. Add half a cup of water and cook for 2-3 minutes and let the spices blend together for.
And jaggery. Take small brinjals and give a cross slit vertically. Place them in the pan in which we have prepared the masala. Add half cup water and cover and cook for 3-4 mins. Then turn the brinjals and cover and cook for another 5-7 mins checking intermittently. Add ½ cup water if you feel the masala has dried out. Brinjals don’t take much time to cook. Pierce a fork, if the brinjal feels soft then it’s cooked. Cover and cook for another 2-3 mins till oil floats on top. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.
Serve hot with hot chapati or bhakri.
