Brinjal chutney is a simple, flavourful South Indian side dish made with pan-roasted brinjal, small onions, garlic and dried red chillies. It has a lovely combination of roasted chilli flavour, sweetness from the onions and the mild, earthy taste of cooked brinjal.
What makes this brinjal chutney special is the way each ingredient is prepared and crushed separately before combining. Instead of grinding everything into a smooth paste, the ingredients are crushed coarsely, giving the chutney a slightly chunky texture with all the flavours coming together beautifully.
This eggplant chutney goes really well with idli and dosa. It can also be served with rice. For the rice version, adding a little tamarind gives the chutney a nice tangy flavour.
Recipe Video
Why You Will Love This Brinjal Chutney
- Simple ingredients: Made with everyday ingredients like brinjal, small onions, garlic and dried red chillies.
- Rich roasted flavour: The separately roasted ingredients give the chutney a wonderful depth of flavour.
- Unique texture: Coarsely crushing the ingredients gives it a lovely texture instead of the usual smooth chutney consistency.
- Versatile side dish: Tastes delicious with idli, dosa and rice.
- Easy preparation: Each ingredient is cooked separately in the same pan, making the preparation simple.
Ingredients Required
- 6 brinjals (eggplant), thinly sliced
- 12–15 small onions
- 4 garlic cloves
- 4 regular dried red chillies
- 8 Kashmiri dried red chillies
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- 2 tsp Oil
- Salt as required
For the rice variation:
- A little tamarind
How to Make Brinjal Chutney
Step 1: Roast the Red Chillies
Heat oil in a pan and add 4 regular dried red chillies and 8 Kashmiri dried red chillies.
Roast them until they turn crisp, taking care not to burn them. Remove from the pan and keep aside.
Using both regular and Kashmiri red chillies gives the chutney a good balance of heat and colour.
Step 2: Fry the Small Onions and Garlic
In the same pan, add 12–15 small onions, 4 garlic cloves and 1 sprig of curry leaves.
Fry until the onions soften and turn slightly brown. Once done, remove the onion mixture from the pan and keep aside.
Step 3: Cook the Brinjal
Wash and thinly slice 6 brinjals. Heat 1 teaspoon of coconut oil in the same pan and arrange the sliced brinjal.
Add salt and cook on one side until it starts to soften. Toss the slices and cook the other side as well. Continue cooking until both sides are softened and develop a slight brown colour. Remove from the pan and keep aside.
Step 4: Coarsely Crush the Roasted Red Chillies
Break the roasted red chillies into smaller pieces and transfer them to a mixer jar.
Pulse a few times until they are coarsely crushed. Avoid grinding them into a fine powder.
Transfer the crushed chillies to a bowl.
Step 5: Crush the Onion Mixture
Add the fried small onions, garlic and curry leaves to the mixer jar. Pulse until coarsely crushed.
Transfer this mixture to the same bowl containing the crushed red chillies.
Step 6: Crush the Cooked Brinjal
Finally, add the cooked brinjal to the mixer jar and crush it coarsely.
Transfer the crushed brinjal to the same bowl.
Step 7: Combine Everything
Now combine the three crushed ingredients – roasted red chillies, fried onion mixture and cooked brinjal.
Mix everything well until all the ingredients are evenly combined.
Taste and adjust salt and oil as required.
Your delicious South Indian brinjal chutney is ready to serve!
Important Tips for Making Brinjal Chutney
- Roast the red chillies carefully: Roast until crisp, but do not allow them to burn, as burnt chillies can make the chutney bitter.
- Fry the onions until slightly brown: This brings out their natural sweetness and adds flavour to the chutney.
- Cook the brinjal evenly: Make sure both sides are softened and slightly browned before removing them from the pan.
- Crush the ingredients separately: This is an important step in this recipe. Crushing each ingredient separately helps retain its individual flavour and texture.
- Do not grind into a smooth paste: The chutney tastes best when it has a coarse, slightly chunky consistency.
- Adjust salt and oil at the end: Once everything is combined, taste and adjust as needed.
How to Serve Brinjal Chutney
This brinjal chutney is a versatile side dish that pairs well with different South Indian meals.
With Idli: Serve with soft, hot idlis for a flavourful breakfast.
With Dosa: It tastes delicious with crispy dosa as well as soft dosa.
With Rice: This chutney can also be served with rice. For this variation, add a little tamarind to give it a tangy flavour that pairs well with rice.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can I serve brinjal chutney with idli and dosa?
Yes. This brinjal chutney is a delicious accompaniment for both idli and dosa. Its roasted chilli flavour and coarse texture make it a nice alternative to regular coconut chutney.
2. Can I serve eggplant chutney with rice?
Yes. You can serve this chutney with rice by adding a little tamarind. The tangy flavour of tamarind complements the roasted brinjal and onion mixture.
3. Should I grind all the ingredients together?
No. For this particular recipe, it is better to crush the roasted chillies, fried onion mixture and cooked brinjal separately before combining them. This gives the chutney its characteristic coarse texture.
4. Why are two varieties of red chillies used?
Regular dried red chillies provide heat, while Kashmiri red chillies add colour and a milder chilli flavour.
5. Should brinjal chutney have a smooth consistency?
No. This preparation is meant to be slightly coarse and chunky. Avoid grinding the ingredients into a smooth paste.
Brinjal Chutney Recipe – Recipe Summary
- Preparation: Wash and slice the brinjal. Peel the small onions and garlic.
- Cooking: Roast the red chillies, fry the onions with garlic and curry leaves, and cook the sliced brinjal until softened and slightly brown.
- Grinding: Coarsely crush each of the three cooked mixtures separately.
- Final step: Combine everything in a bowl, adjust salt and oil, and serve.
- Enjoy this simple and flavourful brinjal chutney with idli, dosa or rice!
Recipe Card:
Brinjal Chutney Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 brinjals thinly sliced
- 12-15 small onions
- 4 garlic cloves
- 4 regular dried red chillies
- 8 Kashmiri dried red chillies
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 2 tsp Oil
- – Salt as required
- – A little tamarind optional, for the rice version
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pan. Add 4 regular dried red chillies and 8 Kashmiri red chillies. Roast until crisp and remove from the pan.
- In the same pan, add 12–15 small onions, 4 garlic cloves and 1 sprig of curry leaves. Fry until slightly brown and remove.
- Heat 1 teaspoon coconut oil in the same pan. Add 6 thinly sliced brinjals and salt. Cook on both sides until softened and slightly brown.
- Break the roasted chillies into smaller pieces and pulse in a mixer until coarsely crushed. Transfer to a bowl.
- Add the fried onion, garlic and curry leaf mixture to the mixer. For the rice variation, add a little tamarind at this stage. Coarsely crush and transfer to the same bowl.
- Add the cooked brinjal to the mixer and crush coarsely.
- Transfer to the bowl and combine all three mixtures.
- Adjust salt and oil as required. Serve with idli, dosa or rice.
Video
Notes
– Do not grind into a smooth paste.
– Add tamarind to the onion mixture while grinding only when preparing the rice variation.
– Adjust salt and oil after combining everything.
