Today for the Andhra Dish starting with the letter "V", I have the classic "Vankaya Ninchudukaya" which is slightly different from the popular "Gutti Vankaya". Vankaya is eggplant, and Ninchudukaya means stuffed vegetable.
When I was asking my husband for suggestions for dishes starting with the letter V, he asked me why I never tried Stuffed Vankaya. He really wanted me to make Vankaya for V. So I set the process in motion by calling my mom and getting the recipe from her.
My mom was surprised when I asked her for this recipe as she is aware of my eggplant allergy, and also knew that it is an unpopular veggie at my place. But she was happy that I was willing to try it, thanks to blogging. :) She also shared a tip and advised me to apply coconut oil generously to my palms before I start handling the eggplants, to avoid an allergic reaction.
Happy to report that I didn't have any itching after I applied coconut oil to my palms and handled the eggplants.
The biggest win for me in all this was that when the eggplants were cooking in the pan, my little one peeped into the kitchen during the middle of a break from her virtual school and goes "Ooh, Amma that looks so good, can I have it for my lunch?".
That was a first for her. She asked me what the podi contains and she decided she would like to try it. This is the first time she even attempted to taste eggplant and she was super impressed. She is now an eggplant lover as far as this dish is concerned.
Recipe Source: Amma
Ingredients -
Vankaya or Eggplants 8 nos
Oil 3 Tbsp
Turmeric as needed
Red Chili Powder as needed
Salt as needed
Roast and Grind - Koora Podi
Chana Dal 3 Tbsp
Urad Dal 3 Tbsp
Coriander Seeds 6 Tbsp
Coconut Powder 1/4 cup
Peanuts 1/4 cup
Sesame Seeds 2 Tbsp
Dry Red Chilies 3-4 (or as needed)
*Notes from Amma -
1.Apply oil (preferably coconut oil) generously to the palms and massage well before handling eggplants. Prevents itching.
2.Choose slightly smaller eggplants which are tender and similar in size and shape.
3.Make sure to add adequate salt and turmeric to the Koora Podi as it is known. If done correctly, there is no need to add salt elsewhere.
4. Adjust the salt and spice in the Koora Podi before starting the Ninchudukaya preparation.
5.It can be prepared in a pressure cooker as well. (I just adopted the stove top method).
Method Of Preparation -
To make the Koora Podi -
Dry roast all the ingredients listed under 'Roast and Grind' separately. Allow them to cool and grind into a coarse powder.
Sprinkle salt and red chili powder as needed to make a spicy powder. Set aside.
To make the Vankaya Ninchudukaya -
Choose similar sized eggplants which are medium sized. Wash well and pat them dry.
Keeping the stem intact, make an X shaped slit from the bottom of the eggplant making sure the stem holds the shape of the eggplant. Repeat for each eggplant.
Keeping the eggplant intact, gently stuff the Koora Podi between the slits as much as the eggplant can accommodate. I used about 1 and a half tablespoons of podi for each eggplant.
Make sure the podi doesn't fall out.
Heat a heavy bottomed pan, add about 2-3 tablespoons of oil and gently arrange the stuffed eggplants in the hot oil.
Cook the eggplants well under cover turning them gently until the eggplants are cooked through. I sprinkled about 2 tablespoons of water twice when I felt the undersides of the eggplants were burning.
After the eggplants have been cooked through, sprinkle the remaining podi (I had about 3 tablespoons of podi left) on the eggplants and toss them gently.
Remove from heat and serve them warm with steaming rice.
Preparation Time 30 minutes
Makes 8
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