Gutti Vankaya/ Stuffed Brinjal Curry

There are so many versions of this dish. I was tempted to try this after I had this in our local restaurant and seeing it in so many blogs. This is my first trial and I must say that I was perfectly satisfied the way it turned out. So, check out this recipe and give it a try.

Ingredients:

Brinjals- 15

onion- 1/4 (finely chopped)

curry leaves-few

tomato-1(small,finely chopped)

tamarind paste-1 tsp

jaggery-1/2 tsp

salt- 1 tsp

roast and grind:

urad dal- 1 tbsp

chana dal-1 tbsp

shredded coconut-2 tbsp

cumin-1 tbsp

corriander seeds- 3/4 tbsp

peanuts- 11/2tbsp
sesame seeds- 1tbsp

cloves- 3

cinnamon- 1" piece

peppercorns- 1/4 tsp

methi seeds- 1/4 tsp

red chillies- 12

Procedure:

Dry roast all the ingredients from urad dal to red chillies until golden brown. Cool and grind it to fine paste adding very little water, tamarind paste, jaggery and some salt.

Make slits in the brinjal like a plus sign. Do not remove the top off. This will keep the brinjal intact. Stuff the ground paste into the brinjals. Set them aside.

Heat 2 tbsps of oil in a kadai and fry some mustard seeds. Then fry onions,curry leaves with some turmeric. Now add the stuffed brinjals and the remaining ground masala. Fry for about 5 mins. Then add tomatoes and fry for another 3 mins. Add 2 1/2 cups of water and some salt. Cover and cook on medium heat for 3o mins stirring in-between. Careful not to break the brinjals. If the gravy is too thick, you can add water to make it thinner. When done, serve it with hot plain rice and appalam.

Note: Not all the stuffed masala will stay inside the brinjal during the cooking process. Don't worry about it. The gravy will turn perfectly fine. Another look at the dish....