As my experiments with Andhra food continue, I tried out the Stuffed brinjal (Gutti Vankaya) from their cuisine. The recipe was given to me by a friend’s mother and I’m definitely looking forward to more. One distinctive feature of Andhra food is the combination of the sweet- tangy flavor provided by jaggery and tamarind respectively. It is so with this recipe as well. Even when I was been given the recipe, I could conjure up an image of it that seemed as irresistible as the dish itself turned out to be later.
Ingredients:
- 1/4 kg purple brinjals/eggplant
- 1 small lemon sized tamarind
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 2-3 garlic cloves
- 1″ cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp red chili powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1/2 grated jaggery
- Salt to taste
- 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
- A sprig of curry leaves
Method:
- Wash the brinjals, keep the stalk intact and slit it vertically to make 4 quarters
- Extract the pulp of the tamarind and keep it aside
- In a pan, heat some oil; add garlic and cinnamon stick and sauté for a few seconds.
- Add the sliced onions and sauté till the onions turn pink
- After the onions cool, grind the mixture with salt, red chili powder, coriander powder, and jaggery to a paste
- Stuff the brinjals with this paste
- Heat a pan with some oil, add the fenugreek seeds and curry leaves and stir till the fenugreek turns brown
- Place the stuffed brinjals in the oil and cover the pan with a lid and let them cook on medium low flame for 12-14 minutes
- Keep turning the brinjals every 5 minutes so that all sides get cooked
- In the tamarind pulp, mix some salt and water and pour it on the brinjals
- Bring it to a boil, reduce the flame and place a lid over the pan and cook for 13-15 minutes till the brinjals are thoroughly cooked and the water content dries up
- Serve hot with rotis/ rice
Preparation time: ½ hour
Serves: 3