Vankaya Menthi Karam - Eggplant Curry

I am a fan of Brinjals. My mom used to make many varieties of Brinjal curries. One of her recipe and my favorite one is Vakaya Menthi Karam. (Eggplant curry with tamarind sauce and indian spices). I love this curry because it is spicy and tangy.:)

Ingredients:

5-6 small brinjals(Can be substituted with 1 big Eggplant cut into small pieces)
1 tomato chopped
1 small lemon sized tamarind . (Soak the tamarind in small amount of water and remove the juice)
Salt to taste
1tbsp of oil.


Powder:

1tbsp of chana dal/split bengal gram
1/2tbsp of urad dal. (Black Gram beans)
1/4tsp of fenugreek seeds
1 tbsp of coriander seeds
6-7 red chilies (Adjust as per your taste)


Roast the above ingredients and make a fine powder. My mom makes this powder and stores it for 3-4 months.

Preparation:


1. Cut the brinjals in length wise.
2. Heat a pan/vessel add 1tbsp of oil . Once the oil is hot add chopped tomatoes and let it cook for 5 mts. Once the tomatoes are cooked add the cut brinjals and stir it for 5 mts.
3. Add the spice powder, salt. Cover it with a lid and cook it on medium heat. (Stir Occasionally.) If the curry is becoming too dry add very little water and mix it.
4. Once the brinjals are cooked add the tamarind juice and cook for 5 mts.

Note: If you want the curry to have more gravy add more water while cooking.

The spicy, tangy brinjal curry is ready to be served. You can serve this with hot rice or chapathis/rotis.