Vankaya Pachadi Recipe, Spicy South Indian-Style Eggplant Chutney

North Indians love their Baingan Ka Bharta, and East Indians love their Baingan Chokha and Begun Poda. But did you know that these aren’t the only smokey, mashed eggplant dishes from around the country? Vankaya Pachadi, a dish originating in the state of Andhra Pradesh, is South India’s delicious answer to North India’s Baingan Ka Bharta. Spicy, smokey and packed with typical Andhra flavours, this one is named a chutney but actually works brilliantly as a side dish with chapatis and rotis. What’s more, the dish is super-easy to whip up on any given day! Here’s more. 

Anybody from Andhra will tell you that their meals are incomplete without Pachadi, those veggie-based chutneys that ooze flavour and aroma despite being very simple when it comes to their cooking method. Most Pachadis are simple mashes that have spices and a delicious tempering on top, and Vankaya Pachadi is no exception. Quite like the Bharta, Chokha and Poda, the eggplants are roasted over an open flame for this Pachadi.  

Among the other ingredients used, onions, tomatoes, chillies and garlic rank high. These are also given the same treatment as the eggplant, i.e. they are placed on a stove top using a wire rack and roasted until the skin is charred and the inside is cooked. This cooking method not only slow cooks the vegetables but also adds a smokey flavour that adds to the profile of the dish. The veggies are then mashed and select spices are added to them. The tempering, as with any Andhra dish, includes mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida and curry leaves crackled in oil.  

Making Vankaya Pachadi at home is the easiest thing, ever, and it makes for a brilliant dinner dish too. Here’s the recipe for you to try out for dinner tonight. 

Ingredients: 

1 large eggplant 

1 tomato 

1 onion 

3 green chillies 

4 garlic cloves 

1 tsp oil 

½ tsp cumin powder 

½ tsp garam masala powder 

Salt, to taste 

2 tbsp coriander leaves, finely chopped 

For tempering:- 

2 tbsp oil 

1 tsp mustard seeds 

½ tsp cumin seeds 

¼ tsp asafoetida 

1 sprig curry leaves 

Image used for representative purpose only. Image courtesy: Facebook/Blend With Spices

Method: 

1. Wash, clean and dry the eggplant, then make small slits using a sharp knife. 

2. Stuff the garlic cloves and chillies into the slits. 

3. Drizzle the oil over the eggplant, tomato and onion and roast them over a stove one by one. 

4. Make sure you roast the veggies uniformly until the skin is charred and they are cooked on the inside too. 

5. Once the veggies are cooked over a low to medium flame, place them in a large bowl. 

6. Let the veggies cool down a bit, then remove the skin. 

7. Mash the veggies together using a fork or a masher for a uniform texture. 

8. Add the cumin powder, garam masala powder, salt and coriander leaves, and mix well. 

9. To make the tempering, heat oil in a small pan. 

10. Add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and asafoetida. 

11. Once they stop crackling, add the curry leaves and let them crackle too. 

12. Pour the tempering over the eggplant mash, mix well and serve with hot chapatis.