Restaurant style Gutti Vankaya Pulao Recipe

Restaurant style Gutti Vankaya Pulao Recipe with step-by-step pictures. This unique pulao is scrumptious and a very flavorful pulao from the Andhra cuisine. This flavorful pulao can be eaten as it is or with a raita (perugu pachidi) or plain yogurt for a delicious and filling meal.

Well, if people had to describe pulao in just one sentence, they simply say that it would be rice cooked with meat or vegetables, aromatics, herbs, and spices. But there are many different types of pulao across India, each one varying in spices, flavorings, and preparation.

Andhra specialty restaurants in Hyderabad, have an array of pulaos on the menu made with vegetables, herbs, and leafy vegetables. Gutti Vankaya Pulao, Mushroom Pulao, Pachimirchi Pulao, Veg Gongura Mirchi Pulao, Gongura Paneer Pulao, Ghee Kaju Pulao are a few of the immensely popular pulaos.

Ever since I had this brinjal pulao in one of the Andhra specialty restaurants in Hyderabad, I wanted to recreate the same at home. I made my own masala base gravy inspired by the original gutti vankaya kura, tweaking it as I liked, and surprisingly the taste of pulao was close to the restaurant.

What is Gutti Vankaya Pulao?

Gutti vankaya pulao is a unique rice preparation from the Andhra cuisine. In the Telugu language, the word ‘gutti‘ means ‘stuffed‘ and ‘vankaya‘ is ‘brinjal’. It is also a popular and one of the signature dishes in restaurants.

In the restaurants, the eggplant and rice are cooked separately, then layered and served. Dig through the tender eggplants loaded with thick masala sauce layered on fragrant long-grain basmati rice. It is one of the ultimate comfort foods for vegetarians.

The pulao has unique flavors because of the freshly ground spice paste added to the brinjal curry.

In a few restaurants, this dish is also called Gutti Vankaya Biryani. The only difference is, gutti vankaya curry is layered on plain biryani rice from the vegetable biryani.

About Restaurant style Gutti Vankaya Pulao Recipe

Restaurant style Gutti Vankaya Pulao recipe is a delicious amalgamation of the 2 popular dishes – gutti vankaya masala and bagara rice.

To make this special brinjal pulao, brinjal curry is prepared separately and then layered with already cooked basmati rice in the whole spices.

The baby eggplants are sauteed 50 percent before being cooked in the masala gravy. Later, eggplants are slow-cooked until they become soft and all sorts of spices are coated properly to the vegetable to obtain the ideal taste.

The most important part of gutti vankaya masala recipe is the freshly ground masala paste. The masala that is used is peanuts, coconut, sesame, cashews, coriander seeds, cumin, and onion which are all roasted in a bit of oil and ground into a fine thick paste.

The gutti vankaya masala made for this pulao is slightly different from the traditional recipe because it uses cashews. The brinjal curry is neither too dry nor too liquidy. Though the ingredients are almost similar, the method of preparation is a bit different. That’s where the actual taste and texture come from.

These slow-cooked tender eggplants coated with masala not only taste delicious but also melt in the mouth.

To make gutti vankaya pulao, there is a bit of preparation work, which does require specific ingredients and attention to detail. The recipe has many steps but it’s actually not that difficult. With a bit of simple multitasking, you can take it from scratch to the dining table in about 45 minutes.

Trust me, the oohs and aahs from the aroma of preparing rice and brinjal curry and a mouth full of flavors while eating are well worth the hours of effort. I guarantee that you and your family members will fall in love with this pulao.

Reasons to try

Burst of flavors.

Comfort food.

Delicious.

No special masalas (spice mix) are needed.

A complete meal in itself.

It needs less than an hour to put together.

Pro Tips

Multitasking: Wash and soak the rice in water before you begin cooking. Meanwhile, roast the ingredients for masala paste. While it cools, saute the brinjals and keep them aside. Start with preparing the bagara rice. Grind the ingredients to a smooth paste and proceed with gutti vankaya curry.

Buy fresh young brinjals which are oval in shape from the market and use them as early as possible. Choose small to medium-sized brinjals that have bright green stalks and look fresh with no blemishes or marks.

The basmati rice should be perfectly cooked but the grains should not stick together. To get such a result, you can check my bagara rice post which has all the details.

Ingredients

For Gutti Vankaya Masala

Eggplants/Brinjals: They are also called vankaya and baingan. In the restaurants, purple brinjals are used.

For the paste: oil, raw peanuts, dry coconut, sesame seeds, cashews, coriander seeds, cumin, and onion.

Tempering: oil, cumin, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, dry red chilies, and curry leaves.

For Bagara Rice

Rice: Pulao is all about the quality of rice. Therefore, use aged and premium quality long-grain basmati rice for this recipe which will give you the best results.

Fat: I have used vegetable oil. Use a neutral and flavorless oil.

Whole spices: Bay leaf, cumin, cloves, cinnamon, star anise, green cardamom.

Herbs & seasoning: Coriander leaves, mint leaves, and salt.

Onion and green chilies.

How to make Gutti Vankaya Pulao

Steps for Bagara Rice

1. Measure 1 cup of rice in a bowl.

2 & 3. Rinse it well 2-3 times, or until the water runs clear (as seen in pic below).

4. Add 3 cups of fresh water and soak for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile make the masala paste.

5. Heat oil in a heavy bottom pot/kadhai over medium flame. When hot add sliced onions and saute till they turn soft.

6. Add whole spices and saute until they are aromatic.

7. Add green chilies, coriander leaves, and mint leaves. Saute until the leaves wilt.

Break the green chilies or slit them before adding them to the oil as they can burst.

8. Add 2 cups of water and let it come to a rolling boil.

9. Add the soaked and drained rice to the water and give a good mix.

10. Continue to cook on a high flame until the water level decreases and rice grains are visible.

11. Turn the flame to low and cover the kadai. Cook for 10-12 minutes. Turn off the flame and rest for at least 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the gutti vankaya curry.

12. Open the lid and gently fluff the rice from the sides.

Bagara rice is ready. Keep it aside.

Steps for Gutti Vanakaya Curry

13 & 14. Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan over low flame. Add peanuts and saute stirring frequently until they start to change color.

15 & 16. Add grated dry coconut, cashews, coriander seeds, cumin, and sesame seeds. Saute for 10 seconds.

17 & 18. Add thinly sliced onions and saute for 2 minutes or until the onion softens.

can add 1 tsp oil if needed.

19. Add the roasted ingredients to a blender jar and keep aside to cool.

Whilst, cook the brinjals.

20. Blend to a smooth thick paste by adding minimum water.

21. With a knife, cut the brinjals in X shape without cutting the stalk.

22. Put them into a bowl of salt water as soon as they are slit.

The salted water will prevent them from turning black and also get rid of the bitterness if any.

23. Heat 3-4 tbsps of oil in a pan. When hot, carefully add the slit brinjals. Saute them until they are 50% cooked.

You’ll notice that the brinjals will wilt off, change colour, and the skin looks loose.

24. Remove them on a plate and keep aside.

25. Reheat the oil over medium flame. When hot, add fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, and cumin. Let them crackle. Next, add curry leaves and dry red chilies. Saute until the leaves turn crisp.

26 & 27. Add the ground paste and 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste. Saute until the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away and the oil separates from the sides.

For a slightly tangy taste, you can add 2 tbsp curd and saute well until the oil separates.

28. Add 1/4 cup of water and mix well.

29. Add 1 tsp garam masala powder and mix well.

30. Add the half-cooked brinjals and mix well with the base gravy.

31 & 32. Add 1/4 cup of water and give a good mix. Cover with lid and cook until brinjals are cooked completely.

Just add enough water for the brinjals to cook (do not add more water).

33. Open the lid and continue cooking over a low flame until you reach the consistency of semi-thick consistency and the oil separates (see the picture).

34. Finally sprinkle fresh coriander leaves and switch off the stove.

Gutti Vankaya Curry is ready.

Layering

Take bagara rice in a large bowl or serving plate and spread it. Add gutti vanakay curry on top of the rice.

Serving Suggestions

Gutti Vankaya Pulao, on its own, is a complete meal and doesn’t need any accompaniments.

You can serve it with a raita on the side for an exquisite South Indian themed meal.

Storage Suggestions

Refrigerate: Store leftovers in the fridge for up to three days in an air-tight container.

Reheat: Before serving, reheat in the microwave or in a covered, oven-safe pot or bowl in an oven set to 350 degrees.

More Related Recipes

Bagara Baingan

Baingan Masala

Veg Pulao

Tomato Pulao

Tawa Pulao

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