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Bhagara Baingan

Sep 23rd, 2009 | By | Category: All Recipes, Curries & Gravies, Veg - Recipes

bhagara baingan

Another popular hyderabadi dish that you would surely fall in love with is “bhagara baingan”. Fresh baby  brinjals cooked in a sesame, peanut and tamarind based gravy is sure to leave your guests licking their fingers.I choose to make this delicious dish with tiny purple brinjals because they not only taste good but also consume less oil. Serve it with plain rice or as an accompaniment to hyderabadi biryani, its gonna be a sure hit at your parties.

Ingredients:

8-10 small purple brinjals (vankaya) – Wash and with stem intact make slits in a + shape

3 medium onions (about 2 cups finely chopped)

2 green chilies (slit lenghtwise) – adjust according to your spice levels

1 tsp ginger & garlic paste

1 tsp Turmeric powder

 2 tsp Chilli powder (adjust according to your spice levels)

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp coriander powder

½ tsp garam masala powder

2 tbsps oil

salt to taste

small lime sized tamarind (soak in 1 cup of water and extract pulp out of it)

1 cup of water

freshly chopped coriander leaves for garnish

For the popu/tadka:

1 tsp  Mustrad seeds (Avalu)

1 tsp Cumin seeds/Jeera

½ tsp fenugreek seeds/menthulu

 1 pinch Asafoetida/Hing (optional)

2 dried red chillies

 1 sprig Curry leaves

 3 – 4 Tbsp Cooking Oil (for cooking brinjals)

1 tbsp (for tadka)

Make into slightly coarse powder:

2 tbsps sesame seeds (roast on low flame, cool and grind along with peanuts)

2 tbsps roasted peanuts

How To:

  • In a wide bottomed vessel, heat 3-4 tbsps oil. On medium high heat, fry the slit brinjals along with the stem for 2 mts. Now on medium low flame cook the brinjals till tender (about 10-15 mts). Keep checking in between so they don’t get burnt or stick to the pan but do not over stir. I normally turn them over using thongs. Once tender, remove and set aside the brinjals while you prepare the gravy.
  • In the same pan, heat 2 tbsps of oil, throw in the chopped onions,green chillies and on medium flame, fry till the onions turn soft  and light golden brown. Then add ginger – garlic paste and fry for 2 mts. Turn of the flame, allow to cool and grind to a smooth paste.
  • Now lets, bring the curry together. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds and let them crackle. Add hing, dried red chillies, curry leaves and toss them for a few seconds.
  • Add the onion paste, turmeric powder, chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder, sesame and peanut powder, salt, tamarind extract, and water. Bring it to boil.
  • When the water starts boiling, slowly add the sauted egg plants, and on low flame cook it covered till the brinjals are soft and the gravy is thick. Adjust the spices if required. Do not stir too much. The brinjals might break and turn mushy.
  • Garnish with freshly chopped coriander and serve hot with steamed rice, biryani or rotis.

 Note:  Alternatively, after step 3, sometimes I transfer all the contents to an electric cooker and turn it on, so you can leave the guess work out of cooking the brinjals. But be careful to carefully remove the brinjals while serving because they are tender and break easily.

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5 comments
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  1. yummm i feel like grabbing the plate right away!

  2. Thanks,
    a great curry for the biryani,

    Rick

  3. Soujanya, it looks delicious & tempting ……….

  4. Dear Sowjanya,

    We tried it… came out wonderfully…

    Can I replace baingan with mirchi to make mirchi ka salan?

    Also… I was told that one uses dessicated coconut too along with peanuts and sesame…. is that a different recipe?

    Thanks,

    Aseem

  5. Hi Aseem,

    Yes you may replace mirchi in this recipe but its not mirchi ka salan. Yoghurt is used in making mirchi ka salan. I’ve been promising my visitors to post that recipe soon but still could’nt make it 🙂 due to my busy schedules.

    Yes you may add coconut to this recipe too but I like it this way. Will post the coconut version too when I find sometime.

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