Stuffed Brinjal Curry

 

Stuffed Brinjal Curry
(a.k.a. Enne badnekaayi, Gutthi vankaaya koora)

Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Servings: 5

Ingredients

• 15 small/medium brinjals (Indian eggplant)
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 tomatoes, diced

Stuffing 

• 3 tbsp dry roasted peanuts or white sesame seeds, finely processed
• 1 tbsp dried coconut, finely processed (optional)
• 1 1/2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp salt, or to taste
• 2 tsp red chilli powder, or to taste
• 1 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 3 tbsp oil

Preparation

1. Dry roast 3 tbsp peanuts in a skillet on low heat until evenly browned on all sides. Let cool, peel the skins and process to a fine powder. Transfer to a plate. (OR) If using white sesame seeds, dry roast them on low heat, let cool, and process them to a fine powder. 
2. Process the dried coconut (grated or cut into small pieces) to a  fine powder. Transfer to the plate.
3. Add the rest of the stuffing ingredients to the plate and mix thoroughly to form a smooth paste. 
4. Wash the brinjals (leave the stems on). Fill a large bowl with water, add a tsp of salt and mix to form a salt solution. Starting from the end opposite the stem, cut the brinjal 3/4th of the way to the stem. Make another cut perpendicular to the first one. The brinjal is now cut into quarters but the stem still holds the pieces together. One by one, drop the brinjals into the salt solution after cutting, to prevent them from turning brown and bitter.
5. Dice the onions and tomatoes. 
6. Squeeze the salt water out of the brinjals and stuff them with the paste, making sure that each brinjal gets the same amount of stuffing. Layer the brinjals in a single layer in a large non-stick pan.  
7. Add diced onion and tomatoes to the plate with any left-over stuffing, mix, and add to the non-stick pan.  
8. Alternately, you can add 1 tsp oil to the nonstick pan, add diced onion and cook until golden brown, then add the stuffed brinjals and diced tomatoes while the stove is on low heat.
9. Finally, add 1/4 cup of water to the pan and close the lid. Turn on the stove to medium heat. Mix the brinjals every few minutes by swirling the non-stick pan rather than by spoon to keep the brinjals intact.  
10. After about 5-7 minutes or when the stuffing starts to stick to the bottom, it's time to add more water. Add 1 cup of water (or more for a looser gravy), turn the heat to medium-low and cook for 20 minutes or until the brinjals are tender and cooked through. Swirl the pan occasionally to prevent the stuffing from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Serving suggestion: Serve hot/warm with Chapathi, Roti, Poori, Paratha, Plain pulav, Vegetable pulav, Lemon rice or Tamarind rice.