Baigan Masale Dar

An authentic recipe from Hyderabad (a Metropolis in South India) with Eggplants cooked in peanut, tamarind and sesame gravy. It's great with Parathas, Rotis (Indian flatbread) or steamed plain Rice.

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Hyderabadi, Indian

Keyword: dairy-free, eggplant, Gluten-free, peanut, tamarind, traditional, vegan, vegetarian

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 25

Total Time: 45

Servings: Servings

Calories: 258kcal

Author: Aakruti Mahendra

Ingredients

6 baby Eggplants also called as "Indian" Eggplants
1/2 Red Onion sliced large, yellow onion can also be used
1/2 Red onion diced large, yellow onion can also be used
2 tbsp Peanuts
1 tbsp Sesame seeds
1/4 cup coconut shredded/ decicated/ fresh
1 tsp Poppy seeds or "Khus"
1 1/2 tsp Ginger garlic paste
1 1/2 tsp Red chili powder adjust to taste
1/4 tsp Turmeric
2 Green chilis or 1 jalapeno, slit
8-10 Curry leaves can omit if unavailable
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
1/4 tsp Fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1/4 tsp Nigella sativa seeds referred to as "Kalonji" in India
3 whole dried red chili
2 tbsp tamarind paste
1/2 tsp Coriander
2 tbsp Cilantro for garnish
Salt to taste
Coconut oil or any cooking oil of your preference (as required)

Instructions

Prepping and cooking Eggplants

Wash Eggplants in running water and pat dry on an absorbent paper/ cloth.
Trim the stalks. Slit each of them into 2 halves without cutting them completely.
Soak them in salted water for 30 minutes.
In a frying pan/ pot, heat enough oil to fry the eggplants. (Ensure that they are nicely drained). Cover the pan while frying eggplants to prevent spattering. Once evenly cooked on all sides, remove them and let excess oil drain by placing them on an absorbent.
Remove excess oil and keep the pan/ pot aside.

Peanut and Sesame Sauce

Heat sufficient oil in a non stick pan for frying onion slices until they turn golden brown.
Strain them out and dab out extra oil by placing them on an absorbent tissue.
In a separate sauce pan roast peanuts, sesame seeds, poppy seeds & coconut.
In a blender/ food processor add the fried onions, peanuts, sesame seeds, poppy seeds & coconut. Add a little water if required and obtain a smooth paste.

Bringing the curry together

Use the pan/ pot (withsufficient oil for cooking) that was for frying eggplants to make the sauce.
Once the oil is heated, add curry leaves, dried red chillies, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and Nigella sativa seeds. Fry them for a minute.
Add the diced onions and cook for 5 minutes or until the onions turns pink and translucent.
Now add ginger garlic paste and slit green chilis and cook for a minute or until the raw aroma of ginger and garlic is gone (about 1 minute).
Next add red chill powder and turmeric and cook for 1/2 a minute.
Now add the Peanut sesame paste paste and water to get a semi gravy consistency and bring it to a boil.
Add tamarind paste and let it simmer for 10 minutes before adding fried eggplants.
Next add coriander, green chillies and salt and let it simmer for additional 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. (Water can be added to maintain the gravy consistency).
Transfer the pan contents into a serving dish and garnish with chopped cilantro leaves.
Serve with "Parathas", "Rotis" or plain steamed white rice. Enjoy!

Notes

Salting eggplants before cooking, draws off its bitter juices and improves its flavor.

Curry leaves can be easily purchased from Indian groceries. If you don't have them, please omit it from the recipe.

Most of the spices are available in Indian groceries, well stocked regular grocery stores or speciality spice stores.

Remember to always balance salt and water. Adding excess water will always reduce the saltiness.

Cooking the sauce and eggplants for 10 mins would enable the flavors and spices of sauce to penetrate into eggplants.

The nutritional value is for 1 serving. Please keep in mind that the nutrition value is a rough estimate and can vary based on the product used.

Nutrition

Tried this recipe?Mention @aakruma or tag #heartycooksroom!