Vankaya Chikkudi Kura

A quick and very tasty side dish of eggplant and fresh broad beans
Ingredients - Serves 4
  • 300 g eggplant, cut into 1" pieces
  • 300 g fresh broad beans (chikkudikaya), snapped in half
  • 1 tbsp ginger, chopped
  • 3-4 green chillies (adjust according to your tastes)
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 2 tsp split chickpeas (chana dal)
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 2-3 dried red chillies, broken into small pieces
  • 8-10 curry leaves, optional
  • Salt, to taste
Steps
  1. Grind the ginger and green chillies together to make a coarse paste
  2. Use a {mortar and pestle} if you are making small quantities. Otherwise, use a {spice mill}, {Indian mixie grinder} or {magic bullet} or something similar. Regular blenders are too large, so they will just toss the contents around instead of grinding them
  3. Heat oil in a large pan and fry the split chickpeas till they start to brown
  4. Add mustard seeds, dried red chillies and curry leaves
  5. Let the mustard seeds splutter and add the eggplant, broad beans and turmeric
  6. Cook on low heat till they are both soft
  7. Season well with salt and serve hot with plain rice and a bit of ghee
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