A - Z Andhra Recipes ~ V for Vankaaya Kothimira Karam Koora (2024)

The first dish I cooked for this marathon has been for the alphabet 'V' but however that dish is not going to be featured today. I had prepared a traditional sweet dish called vennappalu in advance, planning to blog today. In fact, I cooked three varieties of appalu, five different times planning for my 'G', 'R' and 'V' alphabets and somehow other regional dishes took precedence like in today's case and none of those got published this month.

'V' stands for an important vegetable in Andhra cuisine which happens to be 'vankaya', the eggplants or brinjals. Along with the other local vegetables like dosakaya (yellow cucumber), gongura (sorrel greens), chukkakoora (sour greens native to the state), vankaya has a significant place in the native cooking. An eggplant preparation makes it appearance even on wedding menus in Andhra region, especially in brahmin households. Vankaya koora with koora podi (eggplant curry with spicy curry powder) was a common preparation during weddings in olden days. My A-Z Andhra recipe list would have been incomplete without including this most cherished vegetable among the locals. Several versions of pachadi (chutney), koora (curry) and pulusu / pappu (lentil based stews) are prepared using eggplants and many of them are posted on my blog. Today's post features a dry stuffed preparation of eggplants, using a spicy and flavorful cilantro based stuffing. This is a traditional dish and the recipe was shared to me years ago, by my husband's nieces.

Pantry ingredients that start with 'V' in Telugu language:
Vaamu - Ajwain , Carom seeds
Vadiyalu - Sundried crisps made with rice flour / tapioca pearls / lentils and such
Verusenaga pappu - Peanuts

Produce:
Vankaya - Eggplant / Brinjal
Velaga pandu - Wood apple
Vellulli - Garlic
Vellulli paaya - Garlic pod

Some 'V' dishes:
Vadalu / Garelu - Deep fried fritters
Vada pappu - Soaked moong dal made for RamaNavami
Vampoosa / Vampodi Kaaralu - Deep fried snack
Velaga pandu pachadi - wood apple chutney
Vellulli karam - Instant garlic pickle
Venna - Butter
Venna undalu & Vennappalu - Traditional sweet dishes
(And also Curries, Chutney & Dal made with eggplants)

Ingredients (2 servings)4 small eggplants (violet or green colored)
2 cups loosely packed cilantro leaves
1 inch piece of ginger
2 green chilies or as needed
1 to 2 tbsp. oil

Method:
* Wash cilantro leaves and pat dry. Grind cilantro leaves, ginger, green chillies and salt together to a paste, adding no water. This is used as stuffing.
* Wash eggplants, wipe them dry and chop off the stalks.
* Keeping the base intact, cut the eggplants twice vertically making a + shape. Fill eggplants with the above stuffing. You can fill as much as the eggplants can hold without spilling. If the filling gets spilled over the surface of the eggplant, wipe it clean.

* Heat oil in a pan and add the stuffed eggplants to it. Tilt the pan carefully so that the eggplants are coated well with the oil. Sprinkle a little salt over the eggplants.
* Cook covered on low flame, turning intermittently until browned on all sides and the eggplants are soft to touch.
* Remove and serve warm with warm rice and ghee, if serving as a part of Andhra meal.

So far on my 'A - Z' Andhra Cuisine,
A for Alasanda Vada
B for Bellam Garelu
C for Chiyali
D for Dondakaaya Kaarapu Kaaya
E for Endu Kobbari Podi
F for Fine Biscuits
G for Gongura - Mamidikaya Pappu
H for Halwa Holigalu
I for Idli Karam Podi
J for Janthikalu
K for Kobbari Koora

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