BARVA BAINGAN / BHARLI VAANGI

Eggplants/ Baingan / Brinjal are used in lots of curries like Baingan Bharta, Vaangi Batata Bhaji, Vaangi Tomato Bhaji and all are favourites of my hubby. I have shared few recipes with eggplant earlier and today I am sharing a bharwa/ stuffed baingan recipe which needs small baby eggplants. This is one of my personal favourite recipe which goes well with phulkas and rice for lunch. This is simple, easy and semi dry vegetable dish. It is probably the most delicious recipe made with eggplant. The key with eggplant is always the preparation as many people don’t like their taste although eggplant have many health benefits. So expose your taste buds to some real excitement! This bharwa baingan is a super tasty dish with baby brinjals with an intensely flavoured stuffing of onion, coconut, peanuts and sesame seeds along with spices. The stuffed brinjals are cooked slowly and carefully in a kadai, with a flavourful tempering, till they get cooked soft and aromatic. So let’s get started with the step-by-step picture recipe of bharwa baingan.

INGREDIENTS:

6-7 Baby Brinjal

2 Onions, chopped

1 Big Tomato , pureed

6-8 Garlic Cloves

1 Inch Ginger

1-2 Green Chillies

4-5 tablespoon Dry Roasted Peanut Powder

2 tablespoon Dry Coconut, grated

1 tablespoon Roasted Sesame Seeds Powder

1 tablespoon Goda / Kala Masala

1 tablespoon Red Chilli Powder [adjust]

½ teaspoon Coriander Powder

½ teaspoon Tamarind Water

Small size Jaggery ball [optional] [see notes]

4 + 1 tablespoon Fresh Coriander, chopped

3-4 tablespoon Oil

Salt as per taste
METHOD:

STEP 1 – Wash the brinjals and pat dry. Let them slit into a cross keeping the stem part intact as shown in the picture below.

STEP 2 – Apply little bit of salt on them or keep them in salt water to avoid turn black. Keep them aside.

STEP 3 – In a pan dry roast the desiccated coconut and keep it aside.

STEP 4 - In a pan, heat oil and add chopped onion in it and roast it well till it turns translucent and get soften. Take out to a plate and let it cool for some time.

STEP 5 - Now add roasted onion to mixer jar with, roasted desiccated coconut, chopped ginger, garlic and green chillies and grind it a fine paste.

 STEP 6 – Transfer this paste in a mixing bowl, add peanuts powder, sesame seed powder, chopped coriander,  goda masala, red chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and salt. 

STEP 7 – Mix it well and your stuffing is ready.

STEP 8 – Now stuff the mixture in slited brinjals as shown in the picture.

STEP 9 – Pan fry the stuffed brinjals for few minutes. Swicth off the flame and keep them aside.

STEP 10 – Heat the rest of the oil in a wide pan. Add the left over masala in it and fry it a bit till the raw smell vanish.

STEP 11 – Add pureed tomato in it and mix well. Cook it well till the mixture starts to leave oil from the sides .

STEP 12 - Add stuffed and lightly fried brinjals in it and give a nice mix so that the brinjals get coated well with the masala.

Do it with very light hands so that the filling doesn’t comes out.

STEP 13 – Cover the pan and cook the brinjals for 5 minutes on each side.

STEP 14 – Add ½ cup of water and mix it well. Simmer the gravy checking in between till the brinjals are fully cooked.

STEP 15 – Once the brinjals fully cooked, add tamarind water and jaggery in it as per your liking to create the balance tasting gravy. Mix it and cook it for few minutes. 

STEP 16 – Check out the seasonings and adjust if needed. Only take a precaution that the brinjals are still holding their shapes. Cook them till they get cooked perfectly soft and tender.

Serve it with chapatti, parantha or rice.

NOTES: Jaggery helps to balance the spices