Vankaya Pulusu Pachadi (Andhra Sweet and Sour Eggplant Stew)

This is a classic Andhra dish consisting of roasted eggplant (brinjal) in a sweet and sour stew. The sweetness is from jaggery and the sourness is from tamarind. This pulusu is an excellent accompaniment to patholi, or mudda pappu (plain hard-cooked dal). I also like it just by itself with plain rice and ghee.

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 45 mins
• Total Time: 60 mins
• Calories: 191 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups water
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• salt to taste
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon mustard seed
• 1 pinch asafoetida powder
• 1 eggplant
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 3 green chile peppers, chopped
• 2 large onions, chopped
• ½ teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1 tablespoon tamarind paste
• 2 dried red chile peppers, broken into pieces
• 2 sprigs fresh curry leaves
• ¼ cup jaggery (palm sugar)

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat an oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C).

Step 2

Coat the outside of the eggplant with 1 teaspoon vegetable oil. Place on a baking sheet and bake in the oven until soft, 20 to 30 minutes. Allow to cool before coarsely mashing; set aside.

Step 3

Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large skillet. Fry the dried red chile peppers, cumin seeds, mustard seed, and asafoetida powder in the hot oil until the seeds start to splutter. Add the onions, green chile peppers, and curry leaves; cook and stir until the onions are soft and begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir the mashed eggplant, water, tamarind paste, jaggery, white sugar, turmeric, ground red pepper, and salt into the mixture; bring to a boil and cook until the mixture begins to thicken, 5 to 10 minutes.