Baghare baigan (brinjal masala)

• Servings: 6
• Preparation time: 20 minutes.
• Deep frying time: 10 minutes.
• Cooking time: 20 minutes.
• Total time: 50 minutes.

Today, as I was taking a stroll through the veggie market trying to find something unusual for a vegetarian menu I thought of preparing this particular variety of Small eggplant/brinjal(baigan)which was available as a fresh vegetable kind instead of the usual big  variety. This is a winter food and despite being heavy it is easily digestible in this season.

Tomatoes and tamarind pulp are sparingly used to give it that tangy taste. The taste and texture of this small egg plant recipe is completely thrilling due to nutty taste of peanut, sesame seed, and very different from the big egg plant preparation.

Have this delicious Baghare baigan with either rice or some paratha, chapati to satiate your stomach’s craving delightfully.

Ingredients:

• Brinjal(egg plant): 500 gm (10-12 no.small size)
• Ground nut: 1 cup
• Fresh coconut: one forth cup
• Sesame seed (white): one forth cup
• Cumin: 3 teaspoon
• Curry leaves: 2 twig (12-15 leaves)
• Green chilli: 2-3 no.
• Coriander leaves: 50 gm
• Chilli powder: 2 teaspoon
• Salt: 2 teaspoon, as per your taste
• Turmeric powder: half teaspoon
• Ginger: 2” pieces (crushed)
• Garlic: 3-4 cloves (crushed)
• Tamarind pulp: 2 table spoon
• Tomato: 2-4 no. (Medium size)
• Mustard oil/cooking oil: 3 serving spoon
• Mustard seed: 1 teaspoon
• Kalongi: half teaspoon

1. Wash the brinjal, and trim the end; carefully cut the brinjal into length wise so that it joined with one end and put it in a bowl filled with water (other wise it will turn dark brown as it contains lot of iron)
2. Slit the green chilli.
3. Chop the coriander leaves.
4. Cut each tomato into 4 pieces.
5. Light roast ground nut on low flame and keep aside; let it be cool then remove the upper layer or skin.
6. Roast coconut and sesame seed separately and keep aside.
7. Roast 2 teaspoon cumin seed.
8. Grind the ground nut, coconut, sesame seed and cumin seed with the help of water and make fine paste.
9. Keep aside in a big bowl. Put curry leaves, green chilli, coriander leaves, turmeric and chilli powder
10. Mix all ingredients well. Now wet masala is ready.

Method:

1. Take a non stick fry pan; deep fry the brinjal and keep aside( about 5 minutes each batch).
2. Take another pan and Pour 2- 3 serving spoon mustard oil/cooking oil, when oil becomes hot and smoke starts coming from it; add mustard seed, cumin and Kalongi one by one. Allow to sputter few seconds.
3. Add crushed ginger and garlic and stir it for a minute; add wet masala and fry 8-10 minutes on low flame( Stir continuously the masala).
4. Add tamarind pulp and again fry till oil separate from the masala; add salt, fried brinjal and tomatoes, let it boil for 2-3 minutes.
   Enjoy hot Baghare baigan is ready to serve with steamed rice  chapatti.

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

Baghare baigan (brinjal masala) by Nag Ratna Sahu is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.