Brinjal fry is a simple side dish made by stir frying eggplants with spices & curry leaves. This Andhra style brinjal fry tastes delicious and can be served with rice or roti.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 20 minutes
  • Total time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 3
  • Category: Side
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 250 grams brinjal ((vankaya, eggplants))
  • 1½ to 2 tablespoons Oil
  • 3 green chilies (slit (adjust to taste))
  • 1 sprig curry leaves ((optional, pat dry))
  • 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste (or 2 chopped garlic cloves)
  • ½ teaspoon salt ((divided + more to adjust))
  • 1½ teaspoon lemon juice ((refer notes))
  • ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
  • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • ⅛ teaspoon turmeric
  • ½ to ¾ teaspoon red chili powder ((optional, leave out if using green chilies))
  • ½ to ¾ teaspoon garam masala (or 1 to 2 teaspoons idli podi)
  • 3 tablespoons peanuts (or ½ cup fresh/ frozen green peas)

Method

Preparation

  1. Pour 2 cups water to a bowl and stir in ¼ teaspoon salt. Keep this aside.
  2. Rinse brinjals & slice them or cut to desired sizes. I chop them to ¾ to 1 inch pieces. Add them to salted water.

How to Make Brinjal Fry

  1. Heat oil in a wok or a pan. Add cumin & mustard. Let them splutter.
  2. Add ginger garlic paste & green chilies. Saute quickly until aromatic for a minute.
  3. Now add chopped brinjal, salt & turmeric. Stir fry on a medium high flame for 3 mins.
  4. Then cover and cook till soft on a low flame stirring in between. While these cook, proceed to the next step.
  5. Optional: This brinjal fry recipe can be made without peanuts too but they impart a nutty taste. So this step is optional. Dry roast or air fry them until golden and aromatic. Cool & crush them coarsely either in a mortar pestle or grinder. (check pics in the post)
  6. When the brinjals are completely cooked and soft, add curry leaves, crushed peanuts & garam masala (or idli podi).
  7. Stir fry on a medium heat until aromatic for 2 to 3 mins. Taste test and add red chilli powder & salt if you want.
  8. Turn off and when the brinjal fry cools down a bit, pour lemon juice if you want.
  9. Serve brinjal fry with rice, chapati or Rasam-rice or Sambar-rice.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.