Stuffed Brinjal – Instant Pot
Eggplant/Brinjalis generally thought as a vegetable but is technically a fruit. Eggplants are a nutrient-dense food, meaning they contain a good amount of vitamins, minerals, and fiber in a few calories. They are an incredibly versatile ingredient, that can be prepared and enjoyed in a variety of different ways. Not only gives every dish, a unique texture, and mild flavor, but also tons of health benefits.
Stuffed Brinjal or Ennegayi is a popular, delicious side dish from North Karnataka, served with Jowar/Joladha Rotti. It is usually prepared by stuffing small brinjals with a spice paste and cooking on a low flame. It is not only a famous dish from Karnataka, but also from other parts of India with many variations. Also called as, Gutti vankaya kura in Andhra, Bharli Vangi in Maharashtra, Badanekayi Ennegayi in Karnataka. No matter, the place and different ways of preparing it, stuffed Brinjal curry is super delicious and definitely the dish to please your tastebuds.
Let’s take advantage of the Instant Pot and make this dish as delicious as prepared on stove-top but without babysitting the dish and worrying about burning spices and save the cooking time. Stuffed Brinjal prepared in Instant Pot is perfectly tender and cooked to perfection each time and every time. The authentic recipe calls for peanuts, sesame powder along with spices in the stuffing masala. This recipe of stuffed Brinjal is very simple, with fewer ingredients, easily available at home and so flavorful and tasty. This could be a quick lunch box recipe too. Make sure to choose purple-colored, baby eggplants/brinjals, and is best to use within one day of purchase. Serve hot as a side dish for roti or chapathi or steamed rice with rasam.
Stuffed Brinjal | ಬದನೇಕಾಯಿ ಎಣ್ಣೆಗಾಯಿ | Eggplant Curry | Instant Pot Recipe
Ingredients
- 7-8 baby Brinjals / Eggplants
- ½ small Onion (finely chopped)
- 1 Tbsp Oil
- ¼ tsp Mustard Seeds
- few Curry Leaves
- ½ cup Water
For Masala Paste :
- ½ small Onion (roughly chopped)
- ¼ cup Coconut
- Tamarind (a small ball sized)
- 1 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
- 2 Tbsp Water
- 1 tsp Chili Powder
- ½ tsp Dhania/Coriander Powder
- ½ tsp Jeera/Cumin Powder
- ½ tsp Garam Masala
- ¼ tsp Turmeric
- ¼ tsp Jaggery
- Salt (as needed)
Instructions
Preparation :
- Rinse brinjals, do not remove the stalk. Make cross slits on each brinjal and immerse in water until use, to avoid discoloration.
- Take 1 small onion, roughly chop half the onion and finely chop the rest and keep aside.
- In a mixer add in roughly chopped onion, ginger-garlic paste, tamarind, and coconut. Grind to a coarse paste.
- Transfer masala to a plate and add chili powder, dhania powder, jeera powder, garam masala, turmeric, salt, and jaggery. Mix well.
- Stuff this masala into the slit brinjals and save the remaining masala.
INSTANT POT METHOD :
- Turn on InstaPot to SAUTE mode. Once hot, add oil, mustard, curry leaves, onion, and saute until onions are translucent.
- Add in the stuffed brinjals and saute for 5 mins.
- Next, add the remaining stuffing masala and saute for about 2 mins. Scrape the masala sticking to the bottom, on each stir.
- Add a ½ cup of water. Mix well.
- Close Lid of InstaPot and turn the valve to SEALING.
- Press CANCEL button, turn on MANUAL mode, change the pressure to LOW, Set timer to 5 minutes.
- Wait for Natural Pressure Release(NPR) and open lid. **BE CAREFUL OF THE HOT STEAM**
- Garnish with Cilantro and serve the curry with Roti/Chapathi.
- Stuffed Eggplant Curry is Ready to Relish!!
Video
Notes
- Replace the ginger-garlic paste with 2-3 garlic and 1-inch fresh ginger while grinding masala paste.
- Prepare stuffing masala in your own way, by making variations in spices of your choice.
- You could also add roasted sesame seeds and peanuts powder to the stuffing for the authentic version of stuffed brinjal.
- Cooking time might vary on the size of brinjals used. Make sure not to set more time to avoid overcooking of brinjals.
- If Brinjals are still uncooked after pressure cook, you could on the saute and cook for few more mins.
You might be interested to try out these side dishes…
- Vegetable Stir-Fry
- Carrot Beans Stir Fry
- Salmon-Asparagus Packet
- Onion Tomato Cucumber RAITA
- Guacamole with Indian twist
- Garlic Asparagus
- Ridge Gourd Curry
- Oven Roasted Cauliflower
- Oven Roasted Okra
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