Bagara Baingan | Hyderabadi Style Brinjal Gravy

Bagara baingan recipe With step by step photos – Bagara baingan is a delicious dish made with small aubergines. A Vegan Dish.

It is a popular vegetarian recipe from the Hyderabadi cuisine and goes very well with biryani varieties or rotis or rice. This brinjal gravy is often made to serve as a side dish with biryani.

India is a country with multi cuisines. we all know that the North Indian cuisine is different from South Indian cuisine, but even the cuisines of the different parts of south India are different from each other. You see the cuisine of Karnataka is different from the Kerala cuisine.

Even amongst the same states there are many differences. One such state is Andhra Pradesh. And it has both the Andhra cuisine and the Hyderabadi cuisine and they both are very different from each other. Thanks to the nizams of Hyderabad who have invented this rich cuisine – the Hyderabadi cuisine is very popular in India as well as outside India too.

The faded memory of learning to make Bagara baingan in my home science course days – is just that – faded. I had forgotten the existence of this recipe till a few years back one of my Hyderabadi office colleagues told me about the recipe – again it disappeared into oblivion.

The bagara baingan recipe came to my head after a long long gap, when I had some fresh small aubergines with me and did not know which style to cook it. The Punjabi way or the Goan way.

Finally a book came to my help and I adapted this recipe from Chandra Padmanabhan’s cookbook “simply south: traditional vegetarian cooking”.

This book has many good recipes. Varieties of South Indian sambar, rasam and vegetable & rice recipes. It also covers our regulars idli, masala dosa and chutneys plus some South Indian snacks and sweets. A few recipes I tried from this book and they were very good.

The bagara baingan recipe was very good and came out very well. It goes well with biryani or rotis or rice. This Hyderabadi baingan recipe and the Goan/Konkani Recipe of stuffed brinjal has 3 of my favorite ingredients in them: coconut, sesame seeds, peanuts.

How to make bagara baingan

1. Rinse 250 grams small sized baingan (aubergines or brinjal) 2 to 3 times in water.

2. Quarter the baingans (aubergines or brinjal) and soak them in salted water for 15-20 minutes. drain the baingan after 15-20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile take the following spices – 2 tablespoons raw peanuts, 2 tablespoons white sesame seeds, 1 teaspoon poppy seeds, 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, 2 inch cinnamon stick, 2 to 3 cloves, 1 tejpatta (Indian bay leaf), ½ teaspoon whole peppercorns, ½ teaspoon caraway seeds (shahi jeera) and 1 to 2 black cardamoms.

4. Heat a pan and keep the flame to a low. Add all the spices. Stir and begin to saute them. Saute them till they become aromatic and light brown.

5. When the spices become light brown, add 2 tablespoon desiccated coconut to it.

6. Roast the spices with the coconut. A lovely aroma of the roasted spices and coconut will fill your kitchen. keep stirring non-stop.

7. Roast till the coconut becomes light golden.

8. Once the spices + coconut mixture cools down, then add this mixture to the grinder.

9. Also add 1 medium to large sized onion (or ½ cup chopped onion), 1 inch chopped ginger, 4 to 5 chopped garlic cloves, 2 to 3 chopped green chilies, 1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves and 1 tablespoon tightly packed seedless tamarind in the grinder. For less sourness, add ½ tbsp tightly packed tamarind. grind to a smooth paste with ½ to ⅔ cup water.

Cooking eggplant

10. In a pan heat 2 tablespoons oil and add the baingan (eggplant or aubergines).

11. Next add salt as required.

12. Saute on sim or low flame for 10 to 12 minutes.

13. This is how the baingan looks after 12 minutes. The baingan should become tender. With a knife check the doneness. The knife should slid easily through the baingan.

14. Remove the cooked baingan and place aside.

Making bagara baingan

15. In another pan or in the same pan heat 1 tablespoon oil.

16. Add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds and let them splutter.

17. Add ½ teaspoon turmeric powder. Mix well. Keep the flame to a low, so that the turmeric powder does not burn.

18. Now add the ground masala paste and begin to saute it.

19. Continue sauteing the masala paste.

20. This is how the masala paste looks after sauteing for 10 minutes.

21. Saute the paste for about 9 to 10 minutes or till the oil starts To release from the sides.

22. Now add 1.5 cups water.

23. Stir and mix well.

24. Add more salt as required.

25. Add the cooked baingan to the gravy.

26. Stir and mix well. Simmer for 6 to 7 minutes more or till the gravy thickens.

27. You should see oil floating on the top.

28. Check the taste of brinjal gravy and add more salt if required. Add 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves. Mix well.

29. Serve bagara baingan hot with rotis, phulkas, parathas, pooris or rice or biryani. this brinjal gravy goes very well as a side dish with biryani.

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Bagara Baingan

4.7 from 10 votes

By Dassana Amit

Bagara baingan is a delectable dish made with small aubergines in a medley of coconut, peanuts, sesame seeds, tamarind and Indian spices.

Save Pin Rate Print

Prep Time 25 mins

Cook Time 45 mins

Total Time 1 hr 10 mins

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Cuisine Hyderabadi, Indian

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Servings 4

Ingredients

for curry

• 250 grams small baingans (aubergines or eggplant)
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 1.5 cups water
• salt as required
• 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves

for masala paste

• 1 medium to large onion, chopped or ½ cup chopped onion
• 4 to 5 garlic cloves chopped - optional or 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
• 1 inch ginger, chopped or 2 teaspoons chopped ginger
• 2 tablespoons desiccated coconut
• 2 tablespoons raw peanuts
• 2 tablespoons white sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon poppy seeds (khus khus)
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2 inch sticks of cinnamon
• 2 to 3 cloves
• 1 tej patta (indian bay leaf)
• ½ teaspoon peppercorns
• ½ teaspoon caraway seeds (shah jeera)
• 1 to 2 black cardamom
• 1 tablespoon tightly packed seedless tamarind
• 2 to 3 green chillies, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves, chopped (cilantro leaves)
• ½ to ⅔ cup water, for grinding

Instructions

making masala paste

• Heat a tava and roast the following spices - 2 tablespoon raw peanuts, 2 tablespoon white sesame seeds, 1 teaspoon poppy seeds, 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, 2 inch cinnamon stick, 2 to 3 cloves, 1 tejpatta (indian bay leaf), ½ teaspoon whole peppercorns, ½ teaspoon caraway seeds (shahi jeera) and 1 to 2 black cardamoms.
• When the spices become a light brown, add dry coconut to it.
• Roast the spices with the coconut. A lovely aroma of the roasted spices and coconut will fill your kitchen.
• Roast till the coconut gets light golden.
• Once the spices + coconut mixture cools down, then add this mixture in a grinder. Also add chopped onion, ginger, garlic, green chilies, coriander leaves and tamarind .
• Grind to a smooth paste with some water.

cooking eggplant

• Quarter the baingan (eggplant) and soak them in salted water for 15-20 minutes.
• Drain after 15-20 minutes. In a pan heat 2 tbsp oil and add the baingan and 1 teaspoon salt. Saute over low fire for 8-10 minutes.
• The baingan should become tender.

making bagara baingan

• In another pan or in the same pan heat the remaining oil. Add cumin seeds and let them splutter.
• Add ½ teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi).
• Now add the masala paste and start to saute  it.
• Continue sauteing the masala paste.
• Saute the paste for about 9 to 10 minutes or till the oil starts to release from the sides. 
• Now add 1.5 cups water. Mix well and then add the cooked baingan. 
• Simmer for 6 to 7 minutes or till the gravy thickens and you see oil floating on top.
• Check the taste of the gravy and add more salt if required. Add coriander leaves and mix well.
• Serve bagara baingan hot with rotis, phulkas, parathas, pooris or rice or biryani. this brinjal gravy goes very well as a side dish with biryani.

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