By Jehan Yusoof  |  Updated September 11, 2026  |  ★ 4.6 (18 reviews)  |  12 Comments

Brinjal pahi is a dish with fried eggplant simmered down to a sweet, sour, spiced tamarind sauce until glossy and coating every piece.
The traditional Sri Lankan vegetarian curry, also known as wambatu pahi or vambotu pahi, is cooked the same way no matter what you call it. The name simply changes depending on which part of Sri Lanka your family is from.

If you try this, I’d love to know how it turned out; a quick rating or comment really helps other readers decide what to cook.

What is Sri Lankan brinjal pahi?

It is a traditional and popular Sri Lankan eggplant dish served with a rice and curry menu.
The word “Pahi” is used for cooking curries without the gravy, giving the dish the ability to be preserved longer.
This Sri Lankan vegetarian, vegan curry has a sour, sweet and creamy taste that makes this brinjal dish unique in its flavour.
The authentic curry is made with fried brinjals combined with a sauce that includes tamarind, vinegar, coconut milk and spice powders.

Ingredients to make the Sri Lankan brinjal pahi

• Fresh brinjals(these can be large eggplants or medium-sized ones)
• Turmeric powder
• Salt to season. Use as needed to season the eggplant slices)
• Oil
• Ground mustard seeds
• Coriander powder
• Cumin powder
• Fennel seed powder(the fennel seeds can also be ground in a grinder at home for this purpose)
• A sprig of curry leaves
• Pandan Leaf
• Medium-sized onion, sliced fine
• Minced ginger(1-inch piece crushed)
• A tablespoon of minced garlic(3-4 pods)
• Green chillies split in the middle
• A piece of cinnamon(2-inch)
• Coconut vinegar. Substitute with any white vinegar, not apple cider vinegar
• Tamarind juice(see notes above)
• Salt to season
• Red chilli powder
• Thick coconut milk(see notes above)
• Sugar

Ingredient notes and substitutions.

Tips to make the best brinjal(eggplant) pahi curry.

• Brinjals.
  • Use fresh brinjals so they don’t turn out bitter once they are fried.
  • While frying the eggplant, make sure to maintain a steady medium fire.
  • Make sure you fry them in small batches; the smaller brinjal slices tend to fry quicker than the large pieces, so batch and fry them separately.
  • If you live in an apartment, make sure the air vents of your stove are on.
  • Despite the brinjal pahi not having any unpleasant smell, the frying odour tends to cling. I realised this when I had to make the brinjal fry for my husband working overseas; I also had the doors to the bedrooms closed at all times.
  • Avoid stacking the fried brinjals on top of each other; instead, spread them over the paper towels to remove any excess oil.
• Tamarind and vinegar.
  • The use of too much tamarind and vinegar can cause the brinjal fry curry to really taste sour, so please do taste the curry sauce as you make it. You want a perfect balance of sweet and sour coming through.
• Vinegar.
  • Coconut vinegar for the most authentic flavour.
• How to make tamarind juice.
  • If you are using tamarind pods.
    • Warm 1/4 cup water. soak a few Tamarind pods(3-4) in warm water for 10 minutes.
    • Once it thickens, squeeze the solids through a strainer to obtain the juice. Use as per recipe instructions.
  • If you are using tamarind pulp or paste.
  • This is highly concentrated, so use just half a teaspoon of tamarind paste or pulp with 1/4 cup water and use as per the recipe instructions.

What you will need in the kitchen

• Chopping board & knife.
• Plate to hold the dry ingredients.
• 3 medium-sized bowls to hold the wet ingredients.
• Colander with kitchen paper towels to absorb excess oil.
• Frying Pan and a slotted spoon
• A cooking pan to cook the eggplant curry.
• Serving bowl or platter and spoon.

How to make Sri Lankan eggplant curry(brinjal pahi).

Step 1: Have all the ingredients cut and ready for the brinjal fry.

Have the liquid ingredients ready as well; these will be tamarind juice, coconut milk, and vinegar. Preferably natural coconut vinegar.

Step 2: Cutting the eggplant and seasoning it.

Wash the eggplants and remove the stem. First, cut the eggplant into round slices that are Half an inch thick.

Once you cut them into circular slices, stack them into four and then cut them into thick strips.

Season the eggplant strips with turmeric and salt, and make sure all the strips are covered in turmeric and salt.

Step 3: How to fry the eggplant.

Have a plate ready with paper kitchen towels spread over it.
Place a deep frying pan over low to medium heat and pour in the oil. Heat the oil over medium fire for 2-3 minutes.
Maintain heat and fry the eggplant in small batches.
Fry until they are golden brown and crispy; drain any excess oil from the fried brinjals and place them on paper towels.
Make sure not to pile up the fried brinjal batches on top of each other, but spread them over the plate.
Set aside.

Step 4: Making the brinjal pahi gravy.

Into a large frying pan,
Add ground mustard powder, curry leaves, pandan leaf, sliced onions, cinnamon piece, minced ginger, minced garlic, green chillies, coriander powder, cumin powder, red chilli powder, fennel powder, tamarind juice and vinegar.

Place the pan over low fire and heat for 3-5 minutes or just until you see the onions turn soft.

Pour in the coconut milk and cook over a low-medium fire for 3 minutes; season with salt. 
Add sugar and cook until the coconut gravy for the brinjal pahi thickens and changes colour.
Slow simmer until you have enough thick gravy that will coat the brinjals(aubergines).

Make sure to taste the brinjal pahi coconut gravy.
The sourness of both tamarind and vinegar should come through, but be balanced by the sugar, coconut milk and the spices.
Once the brinjal gravy is thick and changes colour, add the brinjal to this gravy, maintaining very low heat.

Step 5: The final steps of cooking the brinjal pahi.

Avoid using a spoon to mix; shake the pan with the handle for the fried eggplant to spread out.
Use a fork or large spoon to combine the brinjals and the thick sauce while cooking over low heat for another 2 minutes.
Do the final tasting; you may have to season the brinjal pahi with salt and sugar(1 tsp) to balance the sour-sweet combo in the brinjal pahi curry.
Remove from the stove, gently transfer to a bowl and serve.

What to serve with this eggplant(brinjal pahi curry).

• Rice dishes you can pair with this eggplant(brinjal pahi)curry.
  • How to cook rice on the stove.
  • Sri Lankan Yellow Rice(turmeric rice)
  • garlic and egg fried rice(in 30 minutes).
  • Indian fragrant ghee rice(nei choru).

• Other vegetarian curries to pair with brinjal pahi.
  • Butternut squash curry
  • sweet potato curry(Sri Lankan, bathala curry).
  • Sri Lankan Potato curry(ala kiri hodi).
  • Sri Lankan spicy Dry Potato curry(ala theldala)
  • Spicy green beans stir-fry(bonchi thel dala).
  • gotu kola(pennywort salad)sambol.
  • Spicy pineapple curry | Sri Lankan, Sinhalese style.

• Meat and seafood dishes to pair with this aubergine curry.
  • chicken pasanda(Indian almond-badam chicken curry).
  • kalupol-Sri Lankan chicken curry(spicy black chicken curry).
  • Slow-cooked beef curry(like my grandmother makes).
  • Sri Lankan red chilli fish curry(Thalapath malu mirisata).
  • Sri Lankan Jaffna curry powder prawn curry.

Explore the recipe website for more options.

Storage, Freezing, and Reheating Guide.

• Storing.
  • Once you make the brinjal pahi, let it cool, separate it into small portions and refrigerate. Use within 2-3 weeks.
• Freezing.
  • Can be frozen for 3 weeks.
• Reheating.
  • Remove the brinjal pahi container from the freezer.
  • Set it out to reach room temperature; this may take a couple of hours. The brinjal pahi is not usually warmed, but you can microwave it for 10-20 seconds.
  • Stop food waste-since the brinjal pahi has a longer storage life, I would recommend storing them in small batches. An individual can consume only 2-3 servings.

More Brinjal/eggplant recipes

• eggplant fries in air fryer(no breading)
• Easy eggplant stir-fry
• Sri Lankan brinjal pickle/wambotu moju.
• Sri Lankan creamy eggplant curry.
• Spicy fried eggplant salad.

Join me on ISLANDSMILE YOUTUBE CHANNEL

Continue to Content

Sri Lankan brinjal pahi(Eggplant sweet and sour curry)

Yield: 5

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Brinjal pahi is a dish with fried eggplant simmered down to a sweet, sour, spiced tamarind sauce until glossy and coating every piece.
The traditional Sri Lankan vegetarian curry, also known as wambatu pahi or vambotu pahi, is cooked the same way no matter what you call it.
The name simply changes depending on which part of Sri Lanka your family is from.

4.6 Stars (18 Reviews)

Print

Ingredients

• Ingredients mentioned below use standard measuring cups and spoons.
• 500g of brinjals(these can be large eggplants or medium-sized ones)
• 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder
• Salt to season the eggplant fries and then flavoring the curry
• 2 to 3 cups of oil to fry the brinjal fries
• 1 teaspoon of ground mustard seeds(substitute with store bought black mustard powder
• 1 tablespoon of coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon of cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon of fennel seed powder(1 teaspoon of fennel seeds can also be ground in a grinder at home for this purpose)
• A sprig of curry leaves
• 2-inch pandan piece
• 1 medium-sized onion sliced fine
• 1 tablespoon of minced ginger(1-inch piece minced)
• 1 tablespoon of minced garlic(3 to 4 pods)
• 3 green chillies split in the middle
• A piece of cinnamon(2-inch)
• 1/3 cup coconut vinegar
• 2 tablespoons of tamarind juice(see notes under ingredient notes and substitution)
• Salt to season
• 1 tablespoon of red chillie powder
• 1/2 cup thick coconut milk(see notes above)
• 1 tablespoon of sugar

Instructions

Step 1: Prep work before making the Brinjal pahi.

• Have all the ingredients cut and ready for the brinjal fry.
• Have the liquid ingredients ready as well; these will be tamarind juice, coconut milk, and vinegar. Preferably natural coconut vinegar.

Step 2: Cutting the eggplant and seasoning it.

• Wash the eggplants and remove the stem. First, cut the eggplant into round slices that are Half an inch thick.
• Once you cut them into circular slices, stack them into four and then cut them into thick strips.
• Season the eggplant strips with turmeric and salt, and make sure all the strips are covered in turmeric and salt.

Step 3: How to fry the eggplant.

• Have a plate ready with paper kitchen towels spread over it.
• Place a deep frying pan over low to medium heat and pour in the oil.
• Heat the oil over medium fire for 2-3 minutes. maintain this heat and fry the eggplant in small batches.
• Fry until they are golden brown and crispy; drain any excess oil from the fried brinjals and place them on paper towels.
• Make sure not to pile up the fried brinjal batches on top of eathech other, but spread them over the plate.Set aside.

Step 4: Making the brinjal pahi gravy.

• Into a large frying pan,Add ground mustard powder, curry leaves, pandan leaf, sliced onions, cinnamon piece, minced ginger, minced garlic, green chillies, coriander powder, cumin powder, red chilli powder, fennel powder, tamarind juice and vinegar.
• Place the pan over low fire and heat for 3-5 minutes or just until you see the onions turn soft.
• Pour in the coconut milk and cook over a low-medium fire for 3 minutes; season with salt. Add sugar and cook until the coconut gravy for the brinjal pahi thickens and changes colour.
• Slow simmer until you have enough thick gravy that will coat the brinjals(aubergines).
• Make sure to taste the brinjal pahi coconut gravy.The sourness of both tamarind and vinegar should come through, but be balanced by the sugar, coconut milk and the spices.
• nce the brinjal gravy is thick and changes colour, add the brinjal to this gravy, maintaining very low heat.

Step 5: cooking the brinjal pahi.

• Avoid using a spoon to mix; shake the pan with the handle for the fried eggplant to spread out.
• Use a fork or large spoon to combine the brinjals and the thick sauce while cooking over low heat for another 2 minutes.
• Do the final tasting; you may have to season the brinjal pahi with salt and sugar(1 tsp) to balance the sour-sweet combo in the brinjal pahi curry.
• Remove from the stove, gently transfer to a bowl and serve.

Notes

Tips to make the best eggplant/brinjal pahi curry.

• Have all the ingredients ready and prepared for the brinjal curry.
• While frying the eggplant, make sure to maintain a steady medium fire.
• Make sure you fry them in small batches, the smaller brinjal slices tend to fry quicker than the large pieces so batch and fry them separately.
• If you live in an apartment make sure the air vents of your stove is on.
• Despite the brinjal pahi not having any unpleasant smell, the frying odour tends to cling, I realized this when I had to make the brinjal fry for my husband working overseas, I also had the doors to the bedrooms closed at all times
• Avoid stacking the fried brinjals on top of each other instead, spread them over the paper towels to remove any excess oil.
• The use of too much tamarind and vinegar can cause the brinjal fry curry to really taste sour so please do taste the curry sauce as you make it. you want a perfect balance of sweet and sour coming through.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate, I earn a percentage from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Fullstar 9-in-1 Deluxe Vegetable Chopper Kitchen Gifts | Onion Chopper & Dicer | Peeler, Spiralizer, Zoodle Maker, Lemon Squeezer, Egg Slicer & Seperator- Ultimate Kitchen Gadget
• 
  Mueller HyperGrind Precision Electric Spice/Coffee Grinder Mill with Large Grinding Capacity and HD Motor also for Spices, Herbs, Nuts, Grains, White
• 
  EZ Off Jar Opener - Under Cabinet Jar Lid & Bottle Opener - Opens Any Size Jar - Great for Arthritis - Perfect for Seniors & Weak Hands
• 
  WISELIFE Kitchen Mat and Rugs Cushioned Anti-Fatigue Kitchen mats ,17.3"x 28",Non Slip Waterproof Kitchen Mats and Rugs Ergonomic Comfort Mat for Kitchen, Floor Home, Office, Sink, Laundry , Grey
• 
  Bamboo Cutting Board Set with Juice Groove (3 Pieces) - Wood Cutting Boards for Kitchen, Wood Cutting Board Set, Kitchen Chopping Board for Meat (Butcher Block) Cheese and Vegetables
• 
  The Original Popco Tongs for Cooking - Set of 3 (7, 9, 12 inches) - Heavy Duty, 304 Stainless Steel BBQ and Kitchen Tongs with Silicone Tips (3 COLORS AVAILABLE)
• 
  Kitchen Shears, iBayam Kitchen Scissors Heavy Duty Meat Scissors Poultry Shears, Dishwasher Safe Food Cooking Scissors All Purpose Stainless Steel Utility Scissors, 2-Pack (Black Red, Black Gray)
• 
  Spice Container - Masala Dabba - 7 Compartments, masala box,steel masala dabba,Spice container box,stainless steel spice box indian masala dabba with 7 spice containers with size 8 X 8 inches (1)
• 
  Pandanus Leaves, Dried | Aromatic and Delicious Blade-like Leaf | Popular Ingredient in Southeast Asian and South Asian Delicacies 0.5 oz.
• 
  Naturally Grown Curry Leaves (0.7 oz)
• 
  Tamicon Tamarind Paste 200 Grams (7 Ounces)
• 
  Simply Organic - Coriander - 2.29 oz.
• 
  Jiva USDA Organic Mustard Seeds Black 7 Ounce - Nearly 1/2 Pound
• 
  Chef Knife PAUDIN N1 8 inch Kitchen Knife, German High Carbon Stainless Steel Sharp Knife, Professional Meat Knife with Ergonomic Handle and Gift Box for Family & Restaurant

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 5 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 229Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 9gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 71mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 8gSugar: 15gProtein: 4g

Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietitian for special diet advice.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JEHAN
Recipe creator. Food Blogger. Video creator
I’ve been cooking and sharing Sri Lankan recipes, along with other dishes I love making at home on Island Smile since 2015. I’ve tested every recipe on this site more than once in my own kitchen before it goes on the blog.
I grew up eating this food, and I still cook it the same way my family taught me, just written down clearly enough that you can follow it too.
If a recipe doesn’t work the way I say it will, tell me in the comments; I read every one, and I’ll help you fix it.