Stuffed brinjal / Eggplant / Vankaya with peanut powder / pallilu podi

Stuffed Brinjal / Eggplant / Vankaya with Peanut powder / Pallilu podi

Stuffed anything sounds interesting and tastes nice. Its intriguing to find what is stuffed inside and to find its tastes yummy.
I like these stuffed veggies, tho I don't frequently make them. I had the powder in my pantry so I decided to do it today. I had previously made it for another curry. The powder has peanuts and other lentils ground to a coarse powder with some dry garam masala.

 Peanut Powder recipe:

1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts
1/4 cup channa daal
1/4 cup urad daal
1/3 cup dhaniya seeds / coriander seeds
1 tbsp jeera
6-8 dry red chillies
2-3 one inch pieces of cinamon
5-6 cloves
4 cardamom pods
1 tsp gus gus (poppy seeds)
3 tsp coconut powder
1 tbsp amchoor powder
Salt to taste

Grind everything into a coarse powder.

Ingredients needed for stuffed vankayi:

10-13 small baby brinjals
4 tbsp oil for shallow frying
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp chilli powder
Salt to taste
1 tbsp chopped coriander

Method:

Wash and cut the brinjals on the opposite end (not all the way to the end) like a plus.
Heat oil in a frying pan. Before stuffing I check to see if there is enough salt in the podi. Stuff the vankayi with the podi or powder and drop it into the oil. Sprinkle some salt over it. Cover and cook on medium to low heat turning them every 5 minutes. Sprinkle the turmeric and chilli powder over them when they are half cooked. Since the eggplant are small, they will get cooked very quickly. Don't worry about some powder coming out, that will taste yummy too. Garnish with chopped coriander. Serve with rice or roti as a side dish. Enjoy!!!

Tip: Be careful of adding too much salt!!

Another Stuffed Eggplant Recipe here