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bagara baingan recipe, hyderabad bagara baingan recipe

Bagara Baingan

nags
Bagara baingan recipe, Hyderabad style bagara baingan, a delicious curry with eggplant cooked in a sesame peanut onion paste.
5 from 69 votes
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Indian
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 6 purple baby eggplant or 1 cup cubed eggplant
  • 2 tbsp white sesame seeds
  • 2 tbsp raw peanuts with skin on
  • 2 tbsp grated coconut fresh or frozen
  • 1 cup onion chopped fine
  • 1 inch piece of ginger
  • 2 garlic pods
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds jeera
  • 2 tsp coriander powder
  • 1/2 tsp red chilli powder or to taste
  • 1 small lemon sized ball of tamarind
  • 2 tbsp oil gingelly or sesame oil works best
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 tbsp Fresh coriander leaves for garnish

Instructions
 

  • Dry roast the peanuts and sesame seeds separately until golden brown and fragrant
  • Set aside until completely cool
  • Grind together with the coconut and water to form a smooth paste. Set this aside.
  • Extract the tamarind paste in 1 cup warm water. Set aside.
  • Grind or pound the ginger and garlic together to form a smooth paste. Set aside.
  • Heat a pan and add oil.
  • Wash and pat dry the eggplant. Make small slits on them vertically, without cutting through the eggplant
  • Light saute the eggplant in the oil until soft but still holds its shape.
  • Drain and set aside.
  • In the same pan, fry the onions and ginger garlic paste until golden.
  • Then add the ground peanut-sesame-coconut paste and fry for 3 minutes or so.
  • To this, add turmeric powder, chilli powder, cumin, coriander powder and salt.
  • Mix well and fry for another minute or two
  • Add the tamarind water, mix, then add the eggplant
  • Bring to boil on a low flame, adjust water if the gravy is too thick and cook covered for 5-10 mins.
  • Garnish with fresh coriander leaves before serving.

Notes

  • Use fresh, firm eggplant to make this dish, otherwise they may taste bitter
  • When frying the peanuts and sesame, take care not to burn them. It's important to do them separately because the sesame will roast a lot faster than the peanuts. Use raw versions of both before frying in the dry pan
  • The thickness of the gravy can be adjusted by adding more water along with the tamarind pulp. I like bagara baingan on the thicker side
  • You can add curry leaves to the gravy, in which case, omit the coriander leaves (cilantro)
  • Increase oil to 3 tablespoons if you are planning to keep this curry in the refrigerator for a couple of days
Keyword bagara baingan