Bhagara Baigan

             

Contributed By Dr Kripa Narayan

About Bhagara Baigan:

This popular Hyderabadi?Andhra  recipe, has the tiny eggplants slit and stuffed with spiced sesame and coconut mixture cooked in a tangy tamarind gravy. For all those vegetarian lovers ,this goes well the Hyderabadi Biriyani.

Ingredients (for stuffing)

Stuffing

• 400 gms small purple Brinjal or eggplant (slit length wise into 4 parts leaving the base intact)
• (¼ cup) 50 gms chanadal
• (2/3 cup) 100 gms ground nuts
• (1/3 cup) 50 gms sesame seeds
• (1 cup) 120 gms grated coconut
• (1/3 cup) 20 gms coriander seeds
• 1 tsp. Jeera
• ½ tsp Fenugreek Seeds (methi)
• 8 red chillies
• Salt (according to your taste)
• 50 ml oil

 

Steps

• Roast all ingredients separately until a nice aroma arises.
• Grind ingredients together.
• Stuff the Brinjals with the masala.
• Fry Brinjals on low heat until they are soft.

Ingredients (for gravy)

Gravy

•  1 tsp mustard
• Few curry leaves
• 1 lime sized ball  of a tamarind, make juice from that
• ¾ cup chopped onion
•  1 ½ tsp ginger garlic paste 
•  Pinch of turmeric
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 2 tsp Coriander powder
• Salt (according to your taste)
•  ½ tsp jaggery
• Fresh Dhaniya/Coriander leaves

Steps for gravy

• Heat oil in a pan and add mustard.  
• Add curry leaves & fry them. 
• Add ginger paste, garlic ginger paste, chopped onions. 
• Fry until golden brown.
• Add tamarind juice & all 3 powders. 
• Mix the remaining ground masala. 
• Boil water until the oil is separated or gravy consistency is reached. 
• Add fried Brinjals/eggplant and let them simmer on low heat. 
• Turning the Brinjals until they are cooked. 
• Garnish with coriander.