Broad Beans with Baby Green Brinjals (Vankaya Chikkudu)
This is another dish I prepared with my winter broad bean harvest. In this recipe, I have paired the plump, proteinaceous broad beans with delicious baby green brinjals. Green brinjals should be small, with firm texture and barely-there white seeds. Recognizing these qualities in green brinjals will make this a tasty, successful dish.
Baby Green Brinjals and Broad Beans
(for four, for one meal)
Prepare the Ingredients:
- Take 10 small green brinjals. Wash and trim the ends off and cut lengthwise into thin slices. Add them to salted water to prevent the onset of bitterness. Shell broad beans from plump pods. We need a cup of broad beans (Chikkudu Vittanaalu or Papdi Lilva).
- Ginger-green chilli paste: Take 1×1 inch piece of fresh ginger. Peel the skin. Take it in a mortar or mixer. Add 4 green chillies and pinch of salt. Pound or grind to smooth paste.
Prepare the Kura:
- Heat a tablespoon of peanut oil in a cast-iron pan over moderate heat.
- When the oil is hot, do the hing tadka: Add a pinch each – cumin, mustard seeds and hing (asafetida) and toast for couple of seconds.
- Add brinjal pieces and broad beans. Saute until two-thirds cooked, for about ten minutes.
- Stir in the ginger-green chilli paste, quarter teaspoon of turmeric and salt to taste. Mix well and continue to cook for another five minutes. If desired, sprinkle a tablespoon of sesame powder or fresh grated coconut for some extra taste.
- Serve hot over rice or with chapati.
Vankaya Chikkudu Kura ~ for Meal Today
looks tempting and also healthy recipe …
Thanks, Kalyani.
-Indira
Never tried this combo ..moreover not a gr8 fan of vankaya (owing to allergy)..but p’bly shld try it out for my husband!
Vankaya is not that people-friendly, and it’s vankaya loss to not have you as a fan, Harini-Jaya.:)
-Indira
I love green brinjals. It’s great how you pair your veggies in unusual ways, Indira. Will surely try this.
So glad to meet a fellow green brinjal fan.:)
Thanks, N. Looking forward to reading your feedback.
-Indira
Would love to make this broad beans and brinjal combo!
Thanks all for your lovely comments, Sanjeeta KK.
-Indira
Looks very comforting Indira! I do not have the beans so I am going to try with the brinjal and red beans or channa.
Good idea, Cilantro.
-Indira
lovely vankaya kura!!!
Thanks, Kalva.
-Indira
Indira,
Looks so yummy…
Mouthwatering…
You still have some…
I can come down for taste…
Sailaja
Hi Sailaja, you know you are always welcome to my home. Love to have you here.:)
-Indira
Indira, I tried to grow chikkudu kaya for several years here in Atlanta. My kids love that vegetable. But I have never been successful because the first couple of years by the time my ‘pandiri’ was in full bloom frost came in killing it in October. Next I tried short growing season variety but the each and every pod was filled with bugs. I was so disappointed. This year the Rabbits ate the young plants like salad. Do you use pesticide? what kind? Just curious. Thanks.
Sorry to read about your chikkudu troubles, Padma. Mine was in full bloom, growing and producing healthy pods vigorously, then the frost came and killed the entire chikkudu vines, last December. Nothing is in our hands, Mother nature rules.
About pesticides for vegetable plants – absolutely No. For tomatoes, I use homemade red chilli-salt liquid spray. That’s about it.
-Indira
Like to try this curry ,Indira.
Broadbeans with Potato also will be nice for rice.
Thanks for sharing.
Will try the alu-chikkudu, Vineela. Thanks.
-Indira
Just curious…If we add the ginger garlic paste without frying it for some time, wouldn’t it leave a raw taste of ginger?
Hi Reshma: It’s not ginger-garlic paste.
Five minutes is more than enough to cook ginger paste. We add ginger not only for health benefits but also for it’s sweet fragrance. That’s we add it near the end for Brinjal preparations.
-Indira
Indira- Looks scrumptious. We make it very often just like our regular vankaya kura but we add a few fried kura vadiyalu (made out of urad dal) and regular gummadi vadiyalu on top of the curry before serving it. It adds crunchyness to it. Thanks for sharing…Feels so close to home following your website…
Hi Aruna, look what you did. Serious cravings for that vankaya-vadiyam combo now.:)
-Indira
Hey, I just had an idea! Rename can be used instead of the broad beans! Will try it and let you know.
Oops… Typed edmame and my spellchecker changed it to rename 🙁
Edamame to rename, that’s funny.:) Let me know how it was, when you try this combo. Thanks, Anu.
-Indira
Wow.. What a delicious combination of vankaya and chikkudu.. Awesome preparation.. Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Thanks, Hari Chandana.
-Indira
Hi Indira, another wonderful curry. I wanted to add that you can make the same kura with Romano beans and it tastes very much like chikudukaya. They are a little thicker, but when you can’t get chikudu, Romano beans are a nice substitute. This kura reminds me of home. I hope my kids will feel that way too.
Hi Padmaja, Romano beans are good substitute for chikkudu pods. I used to make curries with romano when we were in Seattle. I haven’t seen them here in Houston so far.
-Indira
I was wondering what new dish I can try with green brinjals because they are always look fresher than the regular brinjals in the grocery stores. Thanks to you, I have something to try now.
How are you, Kay? Hope you like this combo.
-Indira
This is an interesting way of making the beans. Had gone today for a family lunch with Father, In Laws and family… The Gujju Undhiyo was served with lots of these beans.
Undhiyo is another good recipe with these beans.
Lunch with whole family, What a happy experience!
-Indira
Indira, getting your response to my comment made me feel so special. Though we have never met, I really look forward to your posts to see your creativity in cooking and homemaking. It inspires me to do my best also. With love,
Padmaja
Indira,
Your blog is very inspirational as it combines the traditional cooking with an international flair. Recently, I launched my blog with authentic Indian recipes at kanthirecipes.blogspot.com and am looking for ways to publicize it. Can you share some tips based on your success?
Thank you
Hi Indira, I came across your blog everytime I searched for chikkudu. I’m such a big fan of that vegetable and want to plant it this year. Becoming a big fan your blog…totally!Its been the only place that provides information I have been seeking.
I live in North Carolina and Spring starts in March/April and the first frost is usually in November. What is a good time to start sowing the seeds? Summers are pretty hot and dry in Cary,NC . How long does the seed take to sprout?
Also, your tip for using red-chilli and salt spray is brilliant. I’m against pesticides as well and have used similar home-made concoctions to keep rabbits and young deer away from the garden.
again such a joy to see your blog!
Hi Indira,
Combination is superb.I’ll try it.Could you please tell what is cast iron wok in telugu. I want to buy it.