Gutti Vankaya Curry (Stuffed Brinjal Curry)

Ingredients

• 4 young brinjals (eggplants) (Use 4 to 6 small, tender eggplants; leave one end and the stalk intact when cutting.)
• 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste (Or use ¾ teaspoon each grated ginger and garlic.)
• 0.75 cup onion (1 small onion, thinly sliced or chopped.)
• 0.5 cup tomato (1 small tomato, chopped; optional and may be omitted.)
• 1 green chilies (Use 1 to 2 chilies, slit.)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice (Use 1 to 1½ tablespoons, or substitute tamarind paste as needed.)
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 0.25 tsp mustard seeds (For tempering.)
• 0.5 tsp cumin seeds (For tempering.)
• 2 tbsp oil (Use 2 to 3 tablespoons.)
• 0.75 cup water (Add more if required.)
• 0.25 tsp salt (For the curry; adjust to taste.)
• 0.125 tsp turmeric
• 2 tbsp coriander leaves (Chopped, for garnish.)
• 1 tsp dried red chilies (Use 4 to 6, according to preference, or substitute 1 teaspoon red chili powder.)
• 0.25 cup peanuts
• 2 tbsp raw coconut (Or use unsweetened shredded coconut.)
• 1 tbsp white sesame seeds (Use 1 to 2 tablespoons; optional.)
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds (Or use ground coriander.)
• 0.75 tsp cumin seeds (For the masala, or use ground cumin.)
• 1 inch cinnamon (1 cinnamon piece.)
• 3 cloves
• 2 green cardamom
• 0.5 tsp salt (For the peanut masala; adjust to taste.)
• asafoetida (hing) (Use if desired, as mentioned in the tempering instructions.)

Steps

1. 1

   Dry-roast the peanuts and dried red chilies in a pan over medium heat until the peanuts are aromatic and crunchy. If the chilies begin to brown too quickly, remove them and set them aside.

2. 2

   Add the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cloves, green cardamom, and cinnamon. Toast until the cumin seeds smell aromatic.

3. 3

   Add the raw coconut and toast for 2 minutes. Add the sesame seeds and continue until they begin to splutter, then turn off the heat.

4. 4

   Cool the roasted ingredients. Transfer them to a grinder with the masala salt and lemon juice, or tamarind paste, and grind as finely as possible.

5. 5

   Wash the brinjals. Cut each one from the base toward the stalk, leaving one end and the stalk intact. Keep the prepared brinjals immersed in salted water until needed.

6. 6

   Heat the oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds, tempering cumin seeds, curry leaves, and asafoetida if using.

7. 7

   When the seeds and leaves begin to splutter, add the onions and slit green chilies. Sauté until the onions turn golden.

8. 8

   Add the ginger-garlic paste and sauté for 1 minute.

9. 9

   Add the chopped tomato, turmeric, and curry salt. Cook until the tomato turns mushy and blends well with the onions.

10. 10

    Meanwhile, stuff the brinjals with as much peanut masala as possible.

11. 11

    Add the stuffed brinjals to the pan and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.

12. 12

    Pour in the water and add any remaining peanut masala. Bring the curry to a rolling boil.

13. 13

    Reduce the heat to medium, cover the pan, and cook until the eggplants are completely tender and cooked. Add more water if the pan dries out; some stuffing will come out and thicken the curry.

14. 14

    Taste and adjust the salt or lemon juice. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.

15. 15

    Serve hot with rice, ghee, or chapati.

Notes

The source notes that young, tender, small eggplants with smooth skin are best. Tomatoes may be omitted and replaced with additional lemon juice or tamarind. The recipe does not specify an exact amount of additional water if the pan dries out.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• side dish
• vegetarian
• vegan
• gluten-free
• stovetop
• spicy
• Andhra cuisine