Healthy Gutti Vankaya Fry/ Brinjla Fry/ Egg Plant Fry

Today my kitchen is filled with all Indian veggies aroma. Yesterday we went to Indian grocery store n bought lots of veggies. Guthi vankaya is one of my favorite vegetable's. This dish is prepared with either small purple brinjal's or the green ones. The key to this dish is fresh tender brinjal's. You have to select tender fresh eggplants. The stem of the brinjal should be in thick green color. To be honest, i never made Guthi vankaya fry  with fresh tender brinjal's. I never saw fresh one's here, but i cant resist myself when i saw small brinjal's.

The original recipe calls for deep frying of brinjal's. But i don't like deep frying brinjal's, as they absorbs lots of oil. To avoid deep frying, i boiled brinjal's. You will save lot of calories by doing this without scarifying the taste of deep frying. After boiling brinjal's , i slightly roasted them for deep frying taste.
Guthi vankaya fry is made with  a variety of stuffings which varies from region to region. Today, i made this dish with Dry powder/Gun powder-which is made from  a variety of spices n dal's.

So, here is the recipe for healthy tasty Guthi Vankaya Fry:

Ingredients:
Small Brinjal's/Egg plants: 8
Onion: 2 big, finely chopped
Green chili's: 3-4,chopped
Cilantro: 1 bunch, finely chopped
Dry Powder/Gun powder/Pappu la podi: 1 cup
F, ennel seeds: 2 tsp
Ginger garlic paste: 1tsp
Lemon juice: 1tsp
Oil: 1tbsp
Red Chili: 2
Channa Dal: 1 tsp
Cumin Seeds: 1tsp
Mustard seeds: 1tsp
Red chili Powder: 1tsp
Coriander powder: 1tsp
Salt: to taste


Preparation:
1) Fill water up to 3/4 of a deep vessel. Bring to a boil.
2) Mean while, wash eggplants and cut them in a plus shape, keep the ends intact. Starting from the round base make a slit towards the stem. Cut up to 3/4 length of the brinjal. Dont cut the brinjal all the way to stem.

3) Once water comes to a boil, add 1tsp salt n drop brinjal's carefully. Cover n cook for 8-10 mins or until brinjal's are fork tender. Don't over boil brinjal's.

4) Remove them onto a plate. Place them upside down, like round base down. So that if any water is there, it comes out.

5) Wipe the brinjal's with paper towel n stuff them with Dry powder.Pappu la podi/gun powder

6) For stuffing: In a bowl, mix powder n lemon juice. Don't make it watery.

7) You need to hold brinjal's carefully in your left hand. 

Now take a spoon n stuff the slitted brinjal.  Stuff two quarters of each slit at a time ( horizontal slit n vertical slit). Repeat the same process for remaining brinjal's. Don't break them,be careful with slits.

8) In a pan heat oil n add red chili,channa dal. Fry for 30 secs.
9) Add Mustard n cumin seeds. Fry for 30 secs.
10) Add onion n fry for 6 mins or until onions are tender. Fry them, until they got little bit crunchy.

11) Add ginger garlic paste, turmeric, chili's n fry for  2 mins.
12) Add the remaining dry powder,red chili powder,salt,coriander powder, fennel seeds n mix well. Fry for 2 mins on medium heat. Adding fennel seeds to the fry gives a unique taste n little bit sweet taste in middle. Dnt add fennel seeds before, as spices n oil may change the taste of seeds.
13) Push all the onion gravy to a side. Place stuffed brinjal's carefully in center of the pan. Now cover brinjal's with onion gravy n cilantro.
14) Cook n cook for 5min son medium -low heat.

Enjoy this authentic Andhra Guthi vankaya fry with hot rice..

Tip:U can fry green chili's in little oil for extra taste.

This is going to be a part of Siri's JFI-Fennel, event by Indira and to my own event Vegetable marathon-Egg Plant