Gutti vankaya kura / Stuffed Eggplant

Ingredients

Brinjals - 1/2 kg
Onions - 3 nos. big
tamarind - 1 medium lemon size
Channa Dal (Senagapappu) - 5 tsp
Urad Dal (Minapa pappu) - 3 tsp
Coriander seeds (dhaniyalu) - 3 tsp
Cumin (jeera) - 1 tsp
mustard seeds (aavalu) - 2 tsp
red chilly powder - 2 tsp
Oil - 100 gms
salt to taste

- Heat 2 tsp oil in the frying pan.
- Add channa dal, urad dal, coriander seeds, cumins and mustard seeds.
- Once these are fried, add red chilli powder and a pinch of asafoetida towards the end.
- Grind this along with tamarind into a coarse powder. Add salt and chopped onions and grind again to make paste of all these.
- Slit brinjal on both sides (slit half on one side and similarly on the other side also so that the stuffing fills brinjal completely) or else in + shape with crown intact. Brinjal should be cooked as a whole and not in pieces
- Stuff the brinjal from both the sides or into the + shape. You should take care that the brinjal is not broken into pieces.
- Heat oil in the pan, use oil generously.
- Put the stuffed brinjals carefully into the heated oil in the pan carefully. Cover the pan with a lid for about 10 minutes.
- Cook them on medium flame first. Keep checking and turning the brinjals slowly. Once half cooked, then turn on to slow flame till the raw smell of the onion is completely gone and the oil leaves on the sides.

To make this curry slightly gravy:
Instead of grinding tamarind while making powder, take tamarind pulp (soak tamarind for 15 minutes in water and use its pulp) and add this when the curry is half cooked and complete the cooking.

Serves 6 to 8

Aditya Bhamidipati Upanayanam 2

Vinayakudiki meedu kattadam (Ganesh puja)


The muhurat has been fixed for Ganesh puja to start off the Upanayanam related activities.

The procedure I was told for 'meedu kattadam' is:

We'll need 1 white towel, 1.25 kgs rice, chennas (brown coloured), pasupu vinayakudu (made of turmeric powder), regular puja items like flowers, fruits, beetle leaves, etc.

We'll have to put the rice on the white towel and place the turmeric ganesha on tamalapaku (beetle leaf), do the puja.

Then take the chennas, if possible, put in tiragali (stone grinder) or grind them lightly.

Put the chenna dal in the rice (remove pasupu vinayakudu from the rice) and tie the rice and chenna dal in the towel and keep the 'meedu' aside.

This rice will be used to make undrallu (modak) after the upanayanam, in the function performed on 16th day (padahaaru rojula panduga).