Romancing the baingan!

Yesterday after a long time I visited the local vegetable vendor and bought fresh vegetables in plenty. Amongst my colourful and fresh buy were a kilo of baby brinjals (Eggplant/baingan, if you may), which at first I didn’t have a heart to cook as they looked oh, so adorable! But then a girl must do, what a girl must do. 😉

So here’s detailing it out for all of you, the dish which I’d like to call ‘Baghare Baingan.’ You can pair this with hot chapatis and a raita for a full fledged meal.

It is a simple recipe and it takes hardly 30 minutes to prepare and cook.

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 kilo sliced baingan/egglplant
• 2 tomatoes
• 2 onions
• 2 garlic pods
• 1 pc ginger
• 1 green chilli
• 1 handful of peanuts
• 1 spoon salt
• 1 spoon sugar
• 1 spoon dhaniya powder
• 1 spoon red chilli powder
• 1/2 spoon haldi
• Jeera
• curry leaves
• Mustard Oil

Procedure:

• Dry roast peanuts in a pan, keep aside
• In a mixer grinder, add chopped tomatoes, onions, garlic, ginger, chilli, peanuts and grind till it makes a fine paste
• Heat a pan and add 1 spoon oil, add jeera and curry leaves
• Add the paste to the pan
• Add salt, sugar, dhaniya powder, red chilli powder, haldi
• Let the gravy cook and keep reducing it water at least 3-4 times, till the oil starts leaving the gravy.
• Add the chopped brinjals once gravy is half cooked
• Simmer and let it all come together
• Serve with hot chapatis and raita

Share your inputs about this dish with me, I’d love to hear from you!