Vankaya Pachadi

Ingredients

• - 1 cup roasted brinjal
• - 2 tbsp oil
• - 2 green chillies
• - 2 garlic cloves
• - Small piece tamarind
• - 1 tsp mustard seeds
• - 1/2 tsp urad dal
• - 2 dried red chillies
• - Salt to taste

Method

1. Prepare brinjal: Wash 2-3 small purple brinjals. Place directly over a gas flame and roast on all sides until completely charred and collapsed — about 10-12 minutes.
2. Peel and mash: Cool, peel off all the charred skin. Mash the roasted flesh to a coarse paste.
3. Dry roast spices: Dry roast 1 tbsp chana dal, 3-4 dried red chillies and 1 tsp cumin seeds 3-4 minutes. Cool.
4. Fry onion and garlic: Heat 1 tbsp oil. Fry half a chopped onion and 4 garlic cloves until golden. Cool.
5. Blend: Add mashed roasted brinjal, fried onion and garlic, roasted dals and chillies, a tiny piece of tamarind and salt to a blender. Blend to a coarse paste.
6. Taste: Vankaya pachadi should be smoky and complex from the flame-roasted brinjal.
7. Make tempering: Heat 2 tbsp sesame oil. Add 1 tsp mustard seeds. When they pop add 2 dried red chillies, a pinch of asafoetida and curry leaves.
8. Pour tempering: Pour tempering over the brinjal pachadi. Mix well.
9. Adjust: Taste and add salt.
10. Serve: Vankaya pachadi is Andhra's smoky brinjal relish. Serve with hot rice and ghee.