Andhra Special - Stuffed Eggplant and Potato Masala

One of my favorite vegetables to cook with is Eggplant. It's slightly sweet and pairs well with the spice mixtures (or masalas) we cook with. In addition, there are so many varieties to choose from and can make dishes: small round ones, Chinese eggplants that are long and slender; both purple and white, Italian Eggplants, fat eggplants that I use to make bharta, etc.

Last week we went to our local Indian grocer and we found these lovely small round eggplants perfect for making Guthi Vankaya.

Guthi Vankaya in English means stuffed eggplant. This dish is popular in Andhra Pradesh. The stuffing is made with a variety of spices, onion and fresh coriander.

Most of our family likes this dish, the only person who doesn't like it is my sister. She truly, deeply dislikes EGGPLANT. We trick her now and then by camouflaging the vegetable but she can see right through us.  

Guthi Vankaya - Stuffed Eggplant and Potato Curry

She's totally missing out. I mean who doesn't like Eggplant? I asked my sister many times but all she tells me is "I don't like the taste of it".

Since my mother is making this dish for all of us, she throws in a potato so my sister can still appreciate the dish without eating the eggplant. The masala and vegetable combination is really delicious.

It's not difficult to make; you just have to make the stuffing and stuff the eggplant and cook it together with the potato to the right consistency. Let's check out more details on how to make it.

Ingredients and Prep Work

1-1/2 lb or about 10 Eggplant (small round type) 

1 to 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" cubes

1 large onion, chopped finely or grated coarsely

1/3 cup chutney powder

1/4 cup dry coconut powder

2 Tbsp Dhan-jeera powder (coriander and cumin powder)

1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 cup fresh coriander, chopped (optional)

1 tsp tamarind pulp 

3 to 4 Tbsp vegetable oil

1/4 tsp or 2 pinches turmeric powder

1 tsp salt or as needed

Procedure
Cut the stalks of each eggplant and make a + slit at the bottom (as shown in the picture below).

Mix in a bowl all the dry ingredients: chutney powder, dhan-jeera powder, dry coconut powder, chili powder, onion, fresh coriander, and tamarind paste. 

Then sprinkle two tablespoons of water to bring the mixture together.

Now it's time to stuff the eggplants. Rub a pinch of salt inside each of the slit eggplant.

And then take about a tablespoon of the mixture and stuff each of the eggplants and keep them aside.

Heat oil in a skillet on low-medium flame; then add turmeric.

Stir and immediately add the stuffed eggplant and potato and sprinkle a couple of pinches of salt.

Mix well and cook under a closed lid for  15 to 20 minutes, depending on the size of the eggplants.

Add in remaining onion and masala mixture (if any) and stir and continue to cook for another 3 to 4 minutes or until the eggplant is browned. Transfer into a serving dish and garnish with freshly chopped coriander. Serve hot with rotis or rice.

If you liked this recipe, also check out our Stuffed Karela dish. For more dish ideas, also check out our recipes page. 

Hot and Spicy Yellow Cucumber Pickle

We're celebrating International Hot and Spicy Food Day with Dosaavakaya or Spicy Yellow Cucumber Pickle.

Dosaavakaya 

Pickling vegetables is very common in South India with its origin in Andhra Pradesh. We pickle our vegetables using a variety of spices including mustard seeds, powdered red chilies and oil. The most popular type is mango pickle made with green mangoes called Aavakaya. Other vegetables and/or fruits we pickle are lemon, lime, garlic, ginger, Indian gooseberry and yellow cucumber (Dosakaya) etc.

                                                                  

Below is an easy recipe for making Dosavakai or Spicy Yellow Cucumber Pickle. This pickle goes well with warm plain rice. 

Ingredients

- 1 medium Dosakaya (pictured above), chopped with peel into 1/2" cubes

- 1 lime, juiced

- 1 tsp salt

- 5 Tbsp Vijay Pickle Masala Mix* (as shown in picture above)

Ingredients for seasoning

- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil

- 1/4 tsp mustard seeds

- 1/4 tsp Methi seeds (also known as Fenugreek seeds)

- a pinch of hing (asafoetida)

Procedure

Mix together yellow cucumber, pickle masala powder, lime juice, and salt in a small mixing bowl.

Scoop out the mixed ingredients into a mason jar and let it cure under closed lid for 3 to 4 days in a cool place. Make sure to mix the mixture at least one time each day. After a few days, you will see that water has accumulated in the jar to make a sauce with the other ingredients.

 

In a small saucepan, heat oil on low-medium flame. Once it is warm, add mustard seeds and when they start spluttering, add methi seeds and hing. Fry this mixture for about 30 seconds, turn off stove and add to the pickled yellow cucumber mixture in the mason jar. Mix it well and serve with plain rice and some oil or ghee (clarified butter).

Dosaavakaya mixed with plain white rice and oil

Quick Tips

- Vijay Pickle Masala Mix is made with Chili powder, Turmeric, Mustard powder, Fenugreek, Asafoetida, and salt. It can be found at most Indian grocers like Patel Brothers, Subji Mandi or Delight Bazaar. 

Pappuchekkalu - Rice and Lentil Crisps

Happy New Year Everyone!! It's a new year filled with new dishes and experiences. We're starting it off with one of our favorite snacks, Pappuchekkalu. We enjoy eating these savory lentil crisps on their own or with a hot beverage like tea. 

Although they are fried, Pappuchekkalu are gluten free and made with healthy ingredients. With so many benefits, they are hard to resist. Let's get to it then...  

To make the dough, you need

• 4-1/2 cups Rice flour
• 2-1/2 cups Urad dal flour (White lentil flour)
• 1-1/2 cups Soy flour
• 1/2 cup Moong dal, soaked and drained (also known as Mung bean)
• 1 cup peanuts, soaked, drained and coarsely crushed
• 3 Tbsp chili powder
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 6 Tbsp Vegetable oil
• 8 cups water
• 2 to 2-1/2 Tbsp Salt

You also need the following for frying

• 3 to 4 cups Vegetable Oil

Here's what you need to do

Sieve together all the flours in a large bowl and set aside. In a 6 quart pan, combine water, moong dal, peanuts, chili powder, and sesame seeds. Bring it to a boil. Then, turn the heat down to simmer and stir in the flour mixture until the water is absorbed. Turn off the heat and set aside to cool down.

When the mixture has cooled down, mix it well to form into uniform dough. Take portions of the dough (size of walnut) and place it in between a small piece of wax paper (or greased plastic sheet) and press it flat into a circle. Watch the demo below for clarification.

Next, prepare the flat patties or chekkalu in batches and keep them covered so they do not dry out. Heat oil in a skillet or frying pan. Drop a tiny ball of dough (size of pea) to test the temperature. Please Note: When the tiny ball of dough bubbles and rises to the oil surface, the oil is ready for frying.

Now slowly add the patties into the oil and fry them until they turn golden brown; you need to flip them over one or two times to get that color (as shown above).  Transfer all the crackers or pappuchekkalu from the frying pan with a wire skimmer and allow the oil to continue to drain by holding it into a bowl. 

Later, put the crisps on a paper towel or tray to cool down. Store them in an air tight container so you can enjoy for 2 to 3 weeks. 

I love snacking on these between my breaks at work; I pack myself a few in a ziplock bag and take it with me.

If you have any questions about this recipe, please let us know. We love hearing from you. If you liked this recipe, check out other snack recipes on our blog: Picante Peanut Poppers, Crunchy Crackling Cashews, Corn Flakes Mixture (Chivda), and Karapappalu.