Hyderabadi Bagara Baingan

Just like everyone i am also a huge fan of eggplants. Any eggplant curry or fry will be simply very delicious and the dish certainly would disappear in just minutes. eggplants are almost used in Thai foods, Italian, Chinese , Indian and many other cuisines. But when added to any type of dish, they will always do the right justice by giving an unique taste and thus does not alter the originality of the recipe too.

Coming to Bagara Baingan, I am trying this recipe for the first time. I was familiar with a name for many years now.but i never got a chance to try this one before. Also, many times i got confused with baingan bhartha and bagara baingan. May be because both sounding too much 'ba ba'. Fine.. Let me not confuse you anymore.

Ingredients

small eggplants/ brinjal 6no slit like a flower

For the stuffing and gravy

Big onion 1no

Roasted sesame seeds 2tbsp

Roasted peanuts 2tbsp

ginger garlic paste 2tbsp

jeera powder 1tbsp

dry methi leaves 1tbsp

coriander powder 2tbsp

red chilli powder 1tbsp

garam masala 1tsp

turmeric powder 1tsp

coconut shredded 2tbsp

tamarind water 1 small lemon size

jaggery 1tsp

salt to taste

olive oil

For seasoning

Mustard 1tsp

olive oil 1tbsp

Method

• Heat 1 drop of oil in a pan and roast sesame seeds in it and keep it aside.
• Heat 1 drop of oil again and roast peanuts in it and set it aside.
• Heat 1tbsp of oil in the same pan and roast the slit eggplants in all the sides and keep it aside.
• Now, once again heat 1tbsp of oil in the same pan and fry onions till it turns transparent. Add ginger garlic paste and fry well. Add jeera powder, dry methi leaves, garam masala powder, coriander powder and red chilli powder to it and fry well.
• Blend all the above items along with 2tbsp of shredded coconut in a mixer and grind it to a thick paste.
• stuff the roasted eggplants with blended gravy mixture and save the rest for gravy.
• And now heat oil in a pan and splutter some mustard seeds in it.
• Add the thick blended paste to it and fry for few minutes. Add tamarind water with jaggery and salt to taste. Add the stuffed brinjals to it. Allow the gravy to boil for ten minutes till the consistency of the gravy becomes very thick and the eggplants should be soft and well cooked. When the gravy is done, remove from the stove.
• Serve it with rotis or rice:)