Vankaya Ullikaram Kura Recipe

Vankaya ulli karam is a spicy and delicious Andhra style eggplant dish. It is made with a savory onion and red chili spice paste.

The best part about this dish is that this recipe is versatile and you can make it with just about any vegetable. A perfect side to rice or roti.

About the Recipe

Onions are quintessential ingredient in Indian cooking. Most recipes start with sautéing onions and add their sweet flavor to any dish.

But in this Andhra style ulli karam recipe, onions are front and center. Ulli/ ullipaya means onion and karam means chili or hot spicy in Telugu. It is made by grinding either raw or cooked onions and red chili powder into a coarse paste.

It is a great as a base for a number of dishes or even to serve as a chutney. Eggplant, potato, bittergourd, ridgegourd or basically any veggie can be used to make a ulli karam kura. Being an eggplant lover, this vankaya ulli karam is my favorite.

This is an easy to make side dish that is perfect to serve with rice and dal. It also tastes great with roti.

Ingredients

For the details of the exact quantities of each ingredient and the list of ingredients needed, check the printable recipe card below.

Here are the ingredients you need to make this vankaya ulli karam recipe.

• To make the ullipaya karam:
  • Onion - I prefer using red onion because they are sweet and spicy at the same time. But you can use any variety of onion - yellow, onion or even shallots.
  • Ginger & garlic
  • Red chili powder
  • Tamarind paste

Here are the other ingredients you need:

• Eggplant - Baby eggplants would be perfect to make gutti vankaya ulli karam. But feel free to use any variety of eggplants. Like here I used slender green ones.
• Cumin seeds
• Curry leaves, cilantro
• Salt

Instructions

For the detailed instructions on how to make the recipe with exact timings, check the printable recipe card below.

Here's how to make the brinjal onion curry/ vankaya ullikaram kura:

Heat oil in a large saute pan on medium flame; add chopped onions, ginger and garlic. Cook until onions turn translucent and slightly browned around the edges, about 6-8 minutes.

Remove into a plate to cool. Once it's slightly cooled, grind into a smooth paste along with salt, red chili powder and tamarind paste.

In the same pan, heat oil to make the curry on medium heat. Add cumin seeds and cook for 30 seconds or until the seeds splutter. Add curry leaves and cook for 30 seconds. Next add the eggplants; cover and cook on medium-low flame until almost cooked through, about 8~12 minutes.

Add the ground onion paste and mix gently with the veggies. Cover and cook until eggplant is completely cooked through, about 3~4 minutes. Add some water if the mixture looks dried out. Check the seasonings and adjust accordingly. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot with rice or roti.

Expert Tips

• I prefer using red onion because they are sweet and spicy at the same time. But you can use any variety of onion - yellow, onion or even shallots.
• Use 8-10 Indian or Thai style baby eggplants.
• Adjust the quantity of chili powder. Start with 1 teaspoon of chili powder for a mild tasting curry and add more if you can handle some heat.
• Ullipaya karam can be made up to 2 days in advance. Store it in a airtight container in the fridge.
• Use Ulli karam as a spread on dosa or served as a chutney.
• Instead of vankaya, you can also use potato, bittergourd, ridgegourd or ivy gourd.

You might also like

Here are few side dishes that you can serve with ulli karam kura to make a wholesome meal:

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Recipe Card