Vankaya Nilava Pachadi | Andhra Style Brinjal Pickle | Baingan ka Achar
Vankaya Nilava Pachadi is a traditional brinjal pickle made in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. This eggplant pickle or Baingan ka Achar is very easy to make and has a long shelf-life. You can enjoy it with rice and ghee or then serve it as a side to dal-chawal or curd rice.
Ingredients
- 250 gms Baby Brinjals
Spices
- 3 tbsp Chilli Powder (~15 gms)
- 1 tsp Salt (~15 gms)
- 2 tbsp Mustard Seeds (~20 gms)
- 1 tsp Fenugreek Seeds (~4 gms)
- 1.5" Ball of Tamarind (~20 gms)
Other Ingredients
- 1/4 Cup Oil (Groundnut or Sesame Oil preferred)
- 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
Instructions
Getting the Bitter Gourd Ready
- Wipe 250 gms of baby brinjals with a soft cotton cloth and ensure they are completely dry. If needed, let them air-dry for 30 minutes or so.
- Cut each baby brinjal into 4 pieces vertically. Do not cut them into very small pieces.
Getting the Spices Ready
- Dry roast 1 tsp of fenugreek seeds till they start to change colour.
- Turn off the heat and to the same pan add 2 tbsp mustard seeds and mix well.
- Transfer the mustard and fenugreek seeds to a plate to cool.
- Grind the cooled roasted fenugreek and mustard seeds to a coarse powder.
Prepping the Tamarind
- Break part a 1.5" inch ball of tamarind and dry roast it on a pan till it is a bit dry.
- Let the tamarind cool and then grind it with 1 tsp salt.
Frying the Brinjal
- In a kadhai or frying pan, over medium flame, heat 1/4 cup of oil.
- Add mustard seeds and wait till they crackle.
- Add the brinjal pieces and stir-fry till they start to change colour.
- Using a slotted ladle, remove the brinjal pieces from the oil and transfer them to a plate to cool.
- Let the oil in which the brinjal was fried cool completely to room temperature.
Making the Brinjal Pickle
- Mix together the cooled tempered oil, salt-tamarind powder, mustard-fenugreek powder, and chilli powder.
- Add the cooled, fried brinjal pieces and mix well.
- Add 2 to 3 tbsp oil, and mix well.
- Transfer the Vankaya Nilava Pachadi to an air-tight bottle and let it pickle for 2-3 days. You can also serve this Brinjal Pickle immediately, but I like it better after it has pickled for 2 or 3 days.
- Serve the pickle as a side to dal chawal or curd rice.
Nutrition
Calories: 119 kcalCarbohydrates: 5 gProtein: 2 gFat: 11 gSaturated Fat: 1 gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3 gMonounsaturated Fat: 7 gTrans Fat: 1 gSodium: 342 mgPotassium: 165 mgFiber: 3 gSugar: 2 gVitamin A: 898 IUVitamin C: 1 mgCalcium: 23 mgIron: 1 mg