Vankaya Pakodi Koora Recipe – Andhra Style Brinjal Pakora Curry

Vankaya Pakodi Koora Recipe is essentially a Brinjal Pakora Curry tossed in an onion - tomato base flavoured with sambar masala. This delicious Andhra style vegetable is has pakoras which are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside made healthy in the paniyaram pan. Course : Dinner Ingridients : 8 Small Brinjal (Baingan / Eggplant) , cut into wedges 1/2 teaspoon Mustard seeds (Rai/ Kadugu) 2 tablespoons Oil 1 Onion , finely chopped 2 Green Chillies , finely chopped 6 cloves Garlic , finely chopped 2 sprig Curry leaves , roughly torn 3 Tomatoes , finely chopped 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric powder (Haldi) 1/2 teaspoon Red Chilli powder 1 teaspoon Sambar Powder Salt , to taste 6 sprig Coriander (Dhania) Leaves For the pakoda 1 cup Gram flour (besan) 2 tablespoon Rice flour Salt , to taste 1/4 teaspoon Turmeric powder (Haldi) 1/2 teaspoon Red Chilli powder 2 cloves Garlic , finely chopped 1 Green Chilli , finely chopped 1 Onion , finely chopped Oil , to fry Instructions To begin making the Vankaya Pakodi Koora Recipe, prep all the ingredients and keep them ready.Cut the brinjal into wedges and place it in water to prevent discolouration.First step is to make the pakora; into a mixing bowl add the gram flour, rice flour, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, green chillies, garlic, onion and salt. Add little water at a time to make a thick batter.Heat oil in a paniyaram pan over medium heat; add a tablespoon of the pakoda batter into the cavities of the paniyaram pan and pan fry on both sides until golden brown and crisp.You can drizzle additional oil into the cavities in case it is needed to make the pakoras crisp.Once the pakoras are pan fried, keep them to the side.Next step is to cook the brinjal/ venkaya.Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan over medium heat; add the mustard seeds and allow it to crackle. Add the onion, garlic and green chillies and saute until the onions softens and turns light brown.Add the cut brinjal (drain out the water), sprinkle salt and a little turmeric powder and roast the brinjal on low medium heat until it is cooked through. Stir in the curry leaves, chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, sambar powder and saute until the tomatoes are mushy and soft. Add 1/4 cup of water and stir to combine to make a semi thick mixture.Stir in the pakoras to the above Vankaya tomato onion mixture. Cover the pan and simmer the Vankaya Pakodi Koora for about 3 to 4 minutes until the eggplant and the pakora are well coated with the masala.Check the salt and spices and adjust to suit your taste. Once done, turn off the heat, stir in the chopped coriander leaves and transfer the Vankaya Pakodi Koora to as serving bowl and serve hot.Serve Vankaya Pakodi Koora Recipe along with piping hot steamed rice and Jeera Milagu Rasam Recipe for a simple meal.