Gutti Vankaya Curry | Stuffed Brinjal Curry
Updated: June 6, 2024, By Swasthi
Gutti Vankaya is a curried dish of stuffed eggplants from Andhra and Telangana cuisines. Small young brinjals are stuffed with a spicy ground peanut masala and simmered with onions, tomatoes, spices and curry leaves. It is a spectacular dish that’s made for a special meal and it tastes super delicious with a burst of flavors. It is eaten with hot rice and ghee or chapati.
About Gutti Vankaya Curry
It is a traditional dish and varies by region and family. There are versions made with only peanuts, or with an addition of raw coconut and sesame seeds. In this post I share my Mom’s Gutti Vankaya kura that’s super easy to make and tastes delicious with a blast of flavors.
Stuffed eggplant curry is a popular dish in many regional Indian cuisines. Karnataka’s ennegayi, Tamil Nadu’s enai kathirikai, North Indian Bharwa Baingan and Maharashtra’s bharli vangi are all similar stuffed brinjal curries. With plenty of similarities in the process, they all taste very different because the ingredients and the quantities used are unique to each version.
This Gutti Vankaya curry is not super-hot but is super flavorful from the spices, with a hint of tang from tamarind/lemon juice. The recipe is easily customizable to your preference. To make it extra hot, increase the amount of red chilies or green chilies. For more flavor use more spices. But in my opinion, gutti vankaya tastes best when the heat levels are moderate.
A lot of chilies and heat is going to mute the nutty aroma of peanuts and the natural flavor of the eggplants. I also have a dry version of this gutti vankaya here – stuffed brinjal fry
Ingredients you need
- Brinjals – You need very fresh, young, tender and small eggplants that have smooth skin and are devoid of seeds. They can be green or purple in color and round or oblong in shape. You may use baby eggplants as well. The best substitute are long tender green or purple eggplants.
- Aromatics – onions, green chilies (serrano peppers) and ginger garlic paste form the base for this curry. If you don’t have ginger garlic paste, use grated ginger and garlic in equal proportions.
- Tomatoes – My recipe uses a small amount of tomatoes for volume and flavor. If you want you may omit them and use more lemon juice or tamarind.
- Tempering Spices – Mustard seeds and cumin seeds are the 2 tempering spices used.
- Herbs – Fresh curry leaves are used during the tempering stage and they add a whole lot of flavor to the dish. If you don’t have you may omit or use a bay leaf. Coriander leaves are used to garnish but if you want you may add 2 sprigs to the stuffing mixture.
- Nuts & seeds – Peanuts, sesame seeds and raw coconut form the base of the curry. They add a nutty aroma and thicken the curry. If you want you may substitute peanuts with almond flour and raw coconut with unsweetened shredded coconut. You may omit the sesame seeds.
- Spices to stuff (whole or ground) – coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cloves, cardamoms, cinnamon and dried red chilies are used to spice and flavor the stuffing. If you do not have the whole spices, you may substitute them with ground.
Photo Guide
Step by step Photo Instructions
1. Dry roast 4 to 6 dried red chilies (as per your preference) and ¼ cup peanuts on a medium flame until the peanuts turn aromatic and deep golden. If your chilies begin to brown/burn too soon, remove them and keep aside. Tip : You can also use red chili powder or flakes if you don’t have chilies. Add directly to the grinder while grinding, you don’t need to toast.
2. Lower the flame completely. Add the following spices and toast until aromatic.
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 inch cinnamon piece
- 2 to 3 cloves
- 2 green cardamoms
3. Add 2 tablespoons grated or chopped coconut. Saute until aromatic, for 2 to 3 mins. Do not burn.
4. Cool them and add to a grinder with ½ teaspoon salt and 1½ tablespoons lemon juice or tamarind paste (or 1 tsp concentrate).
5. Grind as fine as possible. Slightly coarse powder is alright. Taste test and adjust salt or lemon to your preference. If your peanut masala lacks flavor, add some garam masala if you want. To up the heat level, you may add some chili powder.
6. Wash 4 to 6 brinjals under running water and slit them diagonally with the stalks intact. Check the picture below. Add them to a bowl of water with half teaspoon salt. This prevents discoloration and also hydrates the eggplants from inside. Stuff each brinjal with as much ground masala as possible.
Make the Curry
7. Heat a pan with 2 tablespoons oil. Add ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds, ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, 1 sprig curry leaves and a pinch of hing (optional). (Pat dry the curry leaves before adding to avoid splatters.)
8. When the seeds splutter and the curry leaves turn crisp, add ¾ cup chopped or sliced onions and 1 slit green chili. Saute until they turn light golden or transparent.
9. Add 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste (or use ¾ teaspoon grated ginger & ¾ teaspoon pressed garlic). Saute for a minute, until aromatic.
10. This step is optional. You can also omit tomatoes. Add 1 small tomato (about ½ cup chopped), ¼ teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon turmeric. You can also add a bit of chili powder if you want.
11. Saute until the tomatoes turn mushy and blend well with onions.
12. Add the stuffed brinjals. Saute them well for 2 to 3 mins.
13. Add ¾ cup water and the remaining peanut masala if any.
14. Bring to a rolling boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook covered until the eggplants are completely tender and cooked. Add more water as you cook if the pan dries out. Some of the stuffing will pop out and thicken the curry as you cook.
15. When done, brinjals wilt completely and the skin loosens. A good way to test is to pierce a knife deep inside, near the stalk. If it goes in easily without any resistance the eggplants are cooked. Taste test and adjust salt or lemon juice. Garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve gutti vankaya curry with rice, roti or plain biryani rice.
Related Recipes
Recipe Card
Gutti Vankaya Curry
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
- 4 to 6 brinjals (young eggplants)
- 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste (or ¾ teaspoon each grated)
- ¾ cup (1 small) onions thinly sliced or chopped
- ½ cup (1 small) tomato chopped, omit if you don't like
- 1 to 2 green chilies slit
- 1 to 1½ tablespoon lemon juice or tamarind paste as needed
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 to 3 tablespoons oil
- ¾ cup water (more if required)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon turmeric
- 2 tablespoons coriander leaves (chopped, to garnish)
To stuff
- 4 to 6 dried red chilies (as per choice or 1 tsp red chili powder)
- ¼ cup peanuts
- 2 tablespoons raw coconut (or use unsweetened shredded coconut)
- 1 to 2 tablespoons white sesame seeds (optional)
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds (or use ground)
- ¾ teaspoon cumin seeds (or use ground)
- 1 inch cinnamon piece
- 3 cloves
- 2 green cardamom
- ½ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
Instructions
- Roast the ingredients: Dry roast peanuts and red chilies until the peanuts turn aromatic and crunchy. Add the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cloves, cardamoms and cinnamon. Toast until the cumin seeds turn smell aromatic.
- Make the peanut masala: Add the coconut and toast for 2 mins, followed by sesame. When they begin to splutter, turn off. Cool them and add to a grinder along with salt and lemon juice or tamarind. Grind as fine as possible.
- Prepare the eggplants: Wash and cut brinjals with one end of the brinjal and the stalk leaving intact. Keep them immersed in salted water till you use.
- Temper: Heat oil in a pan and add mustard, cumin, curry leaves and hing if using.
- Make the curry: Once they begin to splutter, add onions and green chilies. Saute till they turn golden. Add ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute. Add chopped tomato, turmeric and salt. Cook until the tomato turns mushy.
- Stuff the eggplants: Meanwhile stuff the brinjals with as much masala as possible and add them to the pan. Saute just for 2 to 3 minutes. Pour water and the remaining stuffing if any. Cover and cook on a low to medium flame until eggplants are tender, adding more water if required.
- Taste test and adjust salt or lemon juice. Garnish Gutti Vankaya Curry with finely chopped coriander leaves. Serve with hot rice, ghee or chapati.
Notes
- Use young eggplants that do not have seeds.
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
About Swasthi
I’m Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills. More about me
Follow Swasthi’s Recipes
Comments
Just made this eggplant recipe yesterday. It was absolutely delicious and I will definitely be making it again. Thanks for a great recipe, Swasthi!
Glad you like it Swati. Thank you for sharing back!
Hi, what is quantity of tamarind, I should add for 4-6 small brinjals
Hi, Use 1 teaspoon paste (or 1/4 teaspoon concentrate). To use tamarind, I soak tamarind in hot water and squeeze it to extract the paste. Taste test the mixture and add more if required.
I used cashews instead of peanuts my dish is still cooking let’s see how it will turn out?
It should taste good. I use cashew or almond flour for this bharwa baingan. Turns out good.
I like it so much its yummmy thank you for the awesome recipe.
Welcome Ruqia
Glad you like it
You may help really, thank you.
You are welcome!
Hi,
The sesame seeds you say 1-2 tablespoons, just to confirm? Also its not shown in the pictures, so assuming its just you didn’t have any when cooking on that day Does adding it make a lot of difference? Thanks
Hi Tina,
No it does not make a lot of difference. You can check a similar recipe here where I have used sesame seeds – stuffed brinjal fry
The recipe works out and it tastes good. You may need 2/3 attempts to get it right. I use this site as a reference or to try something new. Thanks for sharing your hard work.
Glad to know Neol!
Thank you
Tried this delicious recipe today. Came out really well and my family enjoyed it 🙂 I been following your blog for many months now. I am huge fan of your blog. Keep it coming 🙂
Glad to know Vini,
Thank you so much!
Yes will keep sharing
🙂
I’ve been following Swathi’s recipes for sometime now.. Everytime they turned out good
and this one too.
Thank you for awesome recipes.
Hi Kala
You are welcome!
Thank you so much!
🙂
This is for the first time i happen to cook this recipe which turned to be a big success …thank u swathi garu. I do follow your recipes many a times. Keep up the work Mam..
Having tasted this in andhra many times I wanted to try this and was so glad you had posted this recipe. Fail proof recipes always! Loved it so much. Thank you!
Successfully cooked with white Brinjal. Used readymade coconut powder..fried slightly. Due to shortage of time cooked in the pressure cooker in low flame for two whistles. The result is excellent. And the combination next was Tomato rasam with the left over powder paste made for the gutti vankaay stuffing. Oh…it is too good. Thank you Madam.
Hi Srinivas Garu,
You are welcome! So glad it turned out good. Thank you very much
Sooo yummy! This is my first ever recipe comment, I had to leave a word.
I doubled the recipe and roasted a bit of tamarind with the spice mix. Added a couple of tomatoes (pureed) as I wanted a thicker gravy.. Also squeezed a bit of lemon at the end.
It turned out beautifully, this recipe is a keeper!! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
Hi Swathi,
Glad you liked the curry.Yes tamarind is a good addition. Thank you!
Swathi mam, I tried your recipe today. It tasted great.thank you .
Welcome Tanushree
Hey u didn’t mention tomatoes in ingredients. How many should I use?
Hi Radha,
The recipe needs 1 small tomato (optional)
Thanks very much for the recipe, I’ve tried it a few time and it’s a hit every single time.
I have a question though, when we make roasted spice powder for this recipe and a few others, can I use dried coconut powder instead of fresh coconut?
Thanks again.
Hi Harsha
You are welcome. It actually depends on the recipe. Some recipes actually taste much better with dried coconut – copra (not desiccated coconut). But the dried coconut should not have even little oily or rancid smell.Yes for this recipe you can use. Here is a brief info
Fresh coconut lends a milky taste.
dried coconut – copra lends a more intense nutty flavor with sweet tones.
desiccated coconut lends volume and is tasteless since it is processed heavily. Hope this helps
Thank you
Welcome Prasanthi
Tried the recipe today n it came out so delicious… Thank you very much.
Hi Annapurna,
You are welcome. Thank you so much. Happy to know your gutti vankaya turned out good.
Where was the tamarind used in stuffed gutti vankaya curry?
Add the tamarind paste or lemon juice to the roasted & powdered ingredients.
Tried this at home. Very nice. The whole family like this. Thank you.
Welcome Kushlani
I love u r recipe
Hi Tj
Thank you so much!