Guthi Vankaya Pulusu or Gutti Vankaya Pulusu is a very traditional Andhra dish.
Tender violet brinjals are stuffed with masala and cooked in tamarind extract.
Few days back, my school junior and my sweet friend Deepika, shared a very interesting recipe of stuffed brinjal curry with me. She was very excited and told me in detail about it and said that it comes out very well, every time that she makes it.
The recipe was simple, but certainly different from those that I have made.
Today, when I wanted to make brinjal, I remembered her recipe. But hers was a dry curry recipe, where as I wanted to make it as a semi gravy so that it can be served with rice. I called her and had a quick discussion to make the required changes. She told me that when it is cooked with tamarind extract, it will be a semi gravy and that it is called as Guthi Vankaya Pulusu:)
Guthi Vankaya Pulusu is easy to make, spicy tangy and absolutely delicious. All of us enjoyed having it hot, steamed rice drizzled with little melted ghee:)

Ingredients
Violet brinjals – 1/2 kg
Onions – 2
Tamarind – lemon sized
Sambar powder – 3 tbsps
Jaggery – 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Sesame oil – 3 tbsps
Mustard – 1 tsp
Split Urad dal ( black gram/ ullundhu)- 1 tsp
Fenugreek ( methi/ vendhayam)/ – 1 tsp
Hing ( asafoetida/ perungayam)- 1/4th tsp
Curry leaves – 2 sprigs
Method
Soak tamarind in a cup of water for 30 mins. Squeeze well and take the extract. Keep it aside.
Wash the brinjals well. Remove the stems and make 2 slits in the centre half way through, so that brinjal remains whole.
Keep it immersed in salted water till required.
Peel, wash and chop the onions finely.
Add 2 tbsps of sambar powder and little salt and mix well.
Stuff this onions mixture into the slit brinjals.
Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard. When it starts spluttering, add the urad dal, fenugreek, curry leaves and hing. Sauté for few seconds and arrange the stuffed brinjals on the pan. Reduce the flame, close the pan with a lid and cook for few mins.
Add the tamarind extract, salt to taste, remaining sambar powder and jaggery. Mix very gently. Close the pan again and continued to cook till the brinjal becomes soft and the gravy thickens.

Serve it hot along with steamed rice drizzled with melted ghee:)