Instant Pot Stuffed Baby Eggplant Curry

Small tender egg plants are stuffed with ground masala and cooked to tender in the instant pot. This is a easy version of the popular gravy dish from Andhra called Gutti Vankaya Kura. This Instant Pot stuffed baby eggplant curry is vegan, gluten free and soy free too.

Eggplants are also called brinjal In India. In North India they are called as baingan and in Andhra we call it Vankaya. Recipes with eggplant are quite popular in India. We make many curries, sabzi (stir fry) and rice dishes with them. One such popular recipe from the cuisine of Andhra is this Gutti Vankaya Kura, which translates to Stuffed Baby Eggplant Curry.

What is Stuffed Eggplant Curry?

The baby eggplants are slit in the center and are stuffed with a mixture of peanuts,coconut, sesame and spices and cooked in a onion tomato masala gravy. The combination of ground masala with the cooked tender eggplants makes for a delicious curry. Lip smacking good and tastes best with rice or roti.

Traditionally, making Gutti Vankaya Kura takes time and patience. But I am sharing the easy method by using ground spices and cooking it in the instant pot. You can also make the recipe in pressure cooker or stove top. Please check the recipe card in the bottom for full detailed instructions.

I love making Indian curries in the Instant Pot. Some of my favorite Indian Insatnt Pot recipes are Instant Pot Green Moong Dal and Millet Lemon rice.

Making the gutti vankaya kura in the instant pot is a breeze. After the initial frying, we just need to place the stuffed eggplants in the instant pot and pressure cook them for four minutes. The stove top method takes atleast 40 minutes to make, with constant monitoring. So, its definitely a time saver making the curry in the Instant Pot. Instant pot recipes come in handy specially on those busy weeknights.

This Stuffed Baby Eggplant Curry

• is a delicious South Indian stuffed eggplant curry

• spicy, tangy and nutty curry

• vegan and gluten free cury

• pairs well with steamed rice or roti

• made easily in the instant pot or pressure cooker

How to make Instant Pot Masala Stuffed Eggplant (Gutti Vankaya Kura)-

Step 1- Dry roast quarter cup of peanuts and two teaspoons of sesame seeds separately. Let them cool. Remove the skin of the peanuts and transfer the peanuts, sesame seeds, 2 tablespoons of desiccated coconut, ginger, garlic, red chilly powder, garam masala, coriander powder, cumin powder and half tea spoon of salt to a grinder jar.

Step 2- Add a cup of water and make smooth masala paste.

Step 3 – Wash the baby eggplant and slit by making a deep plus cut, making sure you do not cut the eggplant to half.

Step 4 – Stuff the eggplants with masala paste and set a side. We will have plenty of masala paste left, which will be used to make the gravy.

Step 5 – Turn on the instant pot on saute mode and add two table spoons of oil. When the oil gets hot, add quarter teaspoon of mustard seeds. Let them pop and then add half teaspoon of cumin seeds. Once the cumin sizzles, add the chopped onion and curry leaves cook for three minutes till onion gets soft. If the pot is browning while cooking onions, add splashes of water to avoid burning.

Step 6 – Add turmeric and one large tomato and cook for a minute.

Step 7- Now add the left over masala paste to the onion tomato mixture. Add some water in the grinder jar to get every bit of the masala paste out and add it to the pot.

Step 8 – Now cook the masala for two to three minutes and add the tamarind water. Give a mix. At any point if you feel the things are sticking to the bottom of the pan – you can cook in the low pressure or add splashes of water or just cancel the saute mode for a minute before you go to the next step.

Step 9 – Cancel the saute mode and add salt and 1.5 cups of water and de glaze the pot. It is very important that we de glaze properly to avoid BURN sign. Add the stuffed eggplants, give a mix and pour some gravy on top of the egg plants and close the lid.

Step 10 – Press the manual or pressure cooker mode and adjust the time to 4 minutes on low pressure. I used small eggplants, if your eggplants are bigger you may want to increase another minute or two of cooking time.

Step 11 – Once the time is up, release pressure after seven to eight minutes.

Step 12 – If the gravy is too thick add some water and cook for couple of minutes in saute mode. But if the gravy is too thin you can thicken it by cooking for few minutes in the saute mode. Remember that the gravy thickens when it cools. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy this gutti vankaya kura with rice or roti and salad.

What kind of eggplant do we use?

We are looking for small purple baby eggplants.

Can I make the eggplant curry with regular eggplant?

Yes, you can use one large eggplants, cut them to large pieces

Can I skip peanuts or sesame?

You can substitute with cashew or roasted chickpeas (roasted chana dal).

Serving Suggestions:

Serve the baby eggplant curry with white rice, brown rice, millets or roti. You can also add lite refreshing salad made of onion, tomato, cucumber, coriander leaves, salt, pepper and lemon juice.

More Instant Pot Recipes-

Instant Pot Paneer Butter Masala

Instant Pot Vegan Jackfruit Curry

Instant Pot Rajma Curry

Instant Pot Amaranth Dal

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