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    Home » Pakistani Recipes

    Hyderabadi Bagara Baingan {Eggplant Curry}

    August 4, 2022 by untoldrecipesbynosheen Leave a Comment

    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    Hyderabadi Bagara Baingan {Eggplant Curry} is a delicious dish made with baby eggplants. The small purple eggplants are fried and added to a curry made with raw peanuts, dry coconut, white sesame seeds and a few other spices.

    Add some tangy tamarind water and aromatic curry leaves next to complete the curry also known by the name Nune Vankaya Kura in the language Telegu of Andhra Pardesh.

    hyderabadi bagara baingan

    The Hyderabadi Bagara Baingan Origins

    We can thank Hyderabadi cuisine for this popular dish called Baghare Baingan. The most apt description I've ever read of the dish was on saffronstreaks.com which refers to them as an amalgam of Nizami and Andhara Cuisine.

    In Indian cuisine, Hyderabadi Baingan are often served as a side with Hyderabadi Biryani. But in Pakistan, we typically eat them with Naan or plain steamed rice.

    As is typical of most Hyderabadi cuisine, such as their Biryani Recipes and the ever-famous Mirchi ka salan, the taste of tamarind pulp, coconut and peanuts dominates. These flavors, when paired with the unique taste of the vegetable in question create an unforgettable dish.

    eggplants for bagara baingan

    How To Make The Delicious Bagara Baingan

    The secret to really delicious Bagare Baingan is to use young brinjals (another name for eggplants). If you can’t source these then you can buy bigger ones and cut them into smaller pieces, but for the best brinjal curry, baby eggplants are the best.

    The Hyderabadi Bagara Baingan Curry Ingredients

    Whereas you will find many recipes for bagara baingan, often with lists of complex ingredients, this particular recipe is relatively simple. All you mainly need are the following two groups of ingredients:

    ingredients for bagara baingan

    The Whole Spices & Ingredients:

    ·     Cumin Seeds

    ·     Coriander Seeds

    ·     Raw Peanuts

    ·     Desiccated Coconut

    ·     Sesame Seeds

    Spice Powders:

    ·     Turmeric Powder

    ·     Red Chili Powder

    ·     Salt

    As always, any curry begins with a base of onions and ginger garlic paste. This curry has that and an addition of tamarind paste and curry leaves.

    The end result is a curry with an explosion of flavor that pairs beautifully with the velvety smooth fried eggplants.

    Cooking The Baingan

    The technique for this recipe is really simple, just follow the step-by-step photos for added assistance.

    Frying The Baingan

    To begin with, score the eggplants at the base, making diagonal slits. This helps them cook faster when deep frying and also absorb the ground masala paste.

    frying the eggplant

    Next, take a cup oil in a deep wok and fry the baingan, a few at a time. Use an oil that has a high heat index, such as peanut oil, avocado oil or sunflower oil. Fry just till the skin is translucent and the flesh inside the slits starts to brown. Once done, remove the fried brinjals and set them aside while you prepare the curry.

    Preparing the Dry Masala

    For the next step, prep the dry whole ingredients for roasting and grinding. If you can find raw peanuts without the skin then you can save yourself some time at this stage. If not, then dry roast peanuts with the skin on and remove them to a clean kitchen towel. Gently rub the peanuts between the folds of the towel till the skin falls off and then grind them.

    peal the peanuts for bagara baingan

    In any old original recipe for bagara baingan you’ll probably see a mention of fresh coconut. But in my recipe, I’ve used desiccated coconut for years since real coconut is difficult to source in the USA. It's a great substitute, but due to it’s dry texture it has to be roasted gently over a medium flame to prevent it from burning. In addition, you will need more than a cup of water to get the right consistency for the curry as the coconut will absorb a lot of water.

    The other ingredients are easy to roast and grind, but I would recommend roasting each one separately, to achieve a perfect roast. Once everything is roasted, grind and mix it all together and set the mixture aside while you move on to the next and final step.

    roasting and grinding the baingan spices

    Preparing The Curry

    Now it’s time to put everything together and make the actual curry. As with any curry, you start with an onion. For this curry, you need one medium onion, which is approximately one cup onions. Sauté it in some vegetable oil till it’s golden brown and then add the ginger garlic paste.

    eggplant curry base

    As soon as this turns light brown, add a little water, cover the pot and cook the mixture on a low flame. This is done in order to soften the small pieces of onions so that the curry can be a smooth paste.

    After about 15 minutes, remove the lid, turn up the flame and add in all the dry powders. Stir, let cook for a few minutes and then add the ground paste you made and set aside earlier. At this point you will need to add another cup water, possibly more, as the coconut and nut paste will absorb a lot of liquid.

    add tamarind to bagara baingan

    If possible, use hot water, or at a minimum, warm water, so the cooking process continues. Once your wet masala has a good consistency, add in the tamarind water and stir. This will turn the curry paste a light brown color which will deepen a little as it cooks.

    cook the baingan

    Next, gently layer the fried eggplant in this fine paste, add in the curry leaves, cover and steam for 10 minutes to finish cooking. This allows all the flavors to blend in and the eggplant to fully cook. Now you’re ready to serve your Bagara Baingan with plain rice, Biryani or Roti!

    Other Recipes To Try From The Blog

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    • acorn-squash-curry
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    • achari-turai-sabzi
    • hyderabadi-style-chicken-curry
    • hyderabadi-khatti-daal

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    hyderabadi bagara baingan

    Hyderabadi Bagara Baingan {Eggplant Curry}

    Nosheen Babar
    Hyderabadi Bagara Baingan {Eggplant Curry} is made with baby eggplants cooked in a gravy made with peanuts, coconut, cumin and sesame seeds.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe
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    Prep Time 30 mins
    Cook Time 1 hr
    Total Time 1 hr 30 mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Indian, Pakistani
    Servings 6 people
    Calories 121 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 6 baby eggplants {SEE NOTES}
    • 1 onion
    • 1 tbsp garlic paste
    • 1 tbsp ginger paste
    • 1 cups water
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 1 tsp red chili powder
    • ¼ tsp turmeric powder
    • ½ cup tamarind water
    • 12 curry leaves

    Dry Ingredients To Roast And Grind

    • ½ cup dessicated coconut
    • ¼ cup raw unsalted peanuts
    • 2 tsp sesame seeds
    • 2 tsp white cumin seeds
    • 2 tbsp coriander seeds

    Instructions
     

    • Wash and dry the eggplants and cut slits at the base to make a cross.
    • Fry the eggplants in the cooking oil of your choice {I use avocado oil} till the skin softens slightly {SEE NOTES} and set them aside.
    • Dry roast the peanuts and place them on a dry towel. Rub them inside the towel to help remove the skin and gring them to a powder.
    • Dry roast the remaining ingredients on the list one at a time till they are lightly toasted {be careful not to burn}, grind them all and mix with the ground peanuts.
    • Dice the onions and brown them till they are a medium brown.
    • Once the onions are brown, add and saute the garlic and ginger paste for about 30 seconds.
    • Add the water and the powdered spices, and bring the mixture to a boil.
    • Then reduce the heat and cook the mixture, covered, to cook the onions till they are soft.
    • Uncover, and add in the powdered dry mix {add in more water if required-SEE NOTES}
    • Add the tamarind water and adjust the spices if necessary {SEE NOTES}
    • Layer the eggplants gently on top of the curry, along with the curry leaves and steam them for 10 minutes on low heat.

    Notes

    Baby Eggplants - For best results use baby eggplants. If you can't access them, the next best variety to use is the long thin variety available at Asian markets. If all else fails, just cut a regular large eggplant into small pieces and fry them.
    Frying The EggPlants - The eggplants need to be fried till the skin softens and the part where you made the slits starts to turn brown. The skin on the smaller eggplants softens very easily but not so much on the bigger variety if you use those. Don't over fry them though, just let the skin cook through steam at the later stage.
    Adding In Water - Due to the dessicated coconut and nuts being so dry and in a powder form, you will likely need a lot of water. The mentioned amount is approximate and how much you decide to add also depends on how thick or thin you want the curry paste to be. My curry is usually on the thicker side but some people like theirs to be thinner.
    Adjust Spices - This curry is not usually very spicy, instead relying on it's taste from the coconut, nuts, tamarind and other aromatic spices. Ofcourse, there is some red chili powder in the recipe. If you prefer it to be spicier taste a little bit after you have added in all the ingredients and adjust the chilies and also the salt if needed.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1personCalories: 121kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 3gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 401mgPotassium: 167mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 184IUVitamin C: 44mgCalcium: 51mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword baingan ka salan, bhagaray baingan, brinjal recipe, hyderabadi baingan, khattay baingan, nune vankaya kura
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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