Masala Chawli Vanga (Black Eyed peas and Eggplant in spicy Curry sauce)

Hello Friends, this Covid 19 lock down has created unique challenges for everyone. Hope you and your loved ones are doing good and everyone is safe. Shopping for groceries is a nightmare and we are mostly trying to limit our visits and shopping remotely as far as possible. Well, that also means that we have to put on creative hats, mix a bit of this and a bit of that and try to maximize our purchases to last through the week.

Masala Chawli Vanga recipe is the result of this exact situation. I had few eggplants and a packet of frozen black eyed peas left in the refrigerator. So decided to combine the 2 in a unique masala/curry sauce. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

Eggplants/Vanga - 2-3 small, Black eyed peas/Chawli - 1 cup, Onion - chopped 1 medium, oil - 5-6 tbsp, dry shredded coconut - 1/4th cup, peanuts - 1/4th cup, sesame seeds - 5-6 tsp, poppy seeds - 2-3 tsp, coriander seeds - 4-5 tsp, cumin seeds - 4-5 tsp, garlic - 4-5 pods, ginger - 1 inch crushed, green chillies - 2-3 (depending on spice level), turmeric powder - 1 tsp, coriander powder - 1 tsp, red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp, garam masala - 1-2 tsp, jaggery - 4-5 tsp, kokum - 3-4 pieces crushed, salt to taste and cilantro (chopped) to garnish.

Method:

Cut the Eggplants/Vanga into quarters. Cook the Black eyed peas/Chawli in microwave for 12-15 mins with a pinch of salt. Chop onion into pieces. Take a pan and dry roast dry shredded coconut, peanuts, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, coriander seeds and cumin seeds. Take oil in same pan and saute chopped onion till light brown. Grind it along with roasted ingredients. Also make paste of ginger, garlic and green chillies. Once more take oil in a pan and add this paste. Saute it for a min and add the ground paste and saute for 4-5 mins till oil separates. Add turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chilli powder and saute. Then add cut eggplants and a bit of water and cook for 3-4 mins till eggplants are a bit soft. Then add the cooked chawli and jaggery and crushed kokum. You can add water to make the curry thinner if you prefer but I did not add much water. Cover and cook for 4-5 mins till everything is soft and cooked but not mushy. Add garam masala and salt to taste and cook for 1 min. Garnish with cilantro and chopped green chillies (optional) and serve with hot roti or as side dish with rice. Enjoy!!

Till my next post, take care everyone!! #staysafe