Gutti Vankaya Curry | Stuffed Brinjal Curry

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.

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