Gutti Vankaya Kura is a show stopper! It is a popular Andhra dish made with small brinjals in a peanut – coconut – sesame spice mixture. This is delicious with plain rice, any kind of mild pulao, and even with Biriyani. I have shared a very homestyle version of this dish. It will take about 40 minutes to prepare, but is worth the effort and time spent.
There are stuffed versions, however, the one here is not stuffed but is served in a spicy gravy. I have also not deep-fried the brinjals in this version ( what does one do with the leftover oil, anyway). This recipe is from my old neighbor here in Canberra, who is from Coastal Andhra. I’d made some eggless marble cake when she moved in and she returned the box with this curry. Yum!
What is in this Gutti Vankaya Kura?
- Brinjals, obviously.
- A spice mix made with raw peanuts, sesame seeds, desiccated coconut ( ideally kopra, but this is easier for most of us to access), coriander seeds, cumin, whole spices and cashews.
- Tamarind/tomato to add some tang
- Onions, ginger, garlic, curry leaves and chillies for flavour
- Oil, of course.
Gutti Vankaya Kura | Andhra Brinjal Curry
Ingredients
Dry Roast – A
- ¼ cup peanuts
- 2 tbsp dry coconut I use dessicated coconut as it is easily available, If you have access, try with kopra aka dried coconut.
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds I used white sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- ¼ tsp medi seeds
Dry Roast – B
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 small piece cinnamon about ½ inch
- 2 cloves
- 2 cardamom pods
- 4 cashews
For frying brinjals
- 4-5 tbsp oil
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp salt
- 8-10 small brinjals slit half way through, but not fully
For Masala
- 2 tbsp oil
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 slit green chillies
- Few curry leaves
- 1 tsp ginger paste/finely grated
- 1 tsp garlic paste/finely chopped
- ⅓ cup onion chopped about 1 medium sized onion
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 2 tsp chilli powder I use Kashmiri chilli powder which is not spicy. If you are using a spicy chilli powder, please reduce.
- 1 tbsp thick tamarind water about 1 tsp paste diluted OR 2 tsp raw tamarind soaked in water
- ¼ cup tomato chopped
- 1 cup water
- coriander leaves to garnish
Instructions
- Add all ingredients under Dry Roast – A to a pan and fry for 3-4 minutes on a low flame. Remove and let it cool
- Add all ingredients under Dry Roast – B to a pan and fry for 1-2 minutes on a low flame. Remove and let it cool
- Grind both A and B ingredients into a powder first, then add about 1/2 cup of water and grind to a smooth paste. Set aside.
- Remove the green stem from brinjals and slit until 3/4 from the bottom. It must not be fully chopped into pieces and must remain whole. Add these brinjals to salted water.
- To a pan, add generous oil ( about 4-5 tbsp), add the brinjals followed by some turmeric and salt. Let it cook until mostly done ( about 4-5 minutes on low flame, cover and cook if required). Remove and set aside.
- From the same pan, remove all except 2 tbsp oil and add mustard, cumin, bay leaf, green chillies, ginger, garlic, curry leaves one after another and saute well. then, add onions and cook till golden brown.
- After the onions are done, add the tomatoes and tamarind water. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Now, add the ground paste from earlier, followed by turmeric and chilli powder. Add water to correct consistency of a gravy and salt to taste.
- Cook this gravy for 5 minutes on a low to medium flame. It will thicken as it contains peanuts, cashews so add water accordingly.
- Finally, add the fried brinjals and close and cook for 2-3 minutes. Garnish with corainder leaves and serve.
Notes
- This dish is vegan and gluten free on its own!
- If you are not a big fan of brinjals, try this with bajji chillies or even jalapenos for a change.
I paired this with some Vegetable Brinji rice. The combination was amazing! I highly recommend you to try with gravy with a rice dish than a roti! Any mild pulao, brinji or even plain rice will go well with it.
Want more comforting recipes?
Please leave a comment below if you made this recipe, have any questions or thoughts! Your comment will help me learn more about your preferences and will help other readers.
Love this post? Here are some links if you would like to share it with your friends:
No Comments