Hyderabadi Bagara Baingan (Eggplant Curry)
Hyderabadi Bagara Baingan (Eggplant Curry) is made with tender baby eggplants cooked in peanut and coconut-flavored gravy.
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Ingredients
- 6 baby eggplants (see notes)
- 1 ¼ cup cooking oil (see notes)
- ½ cup tamarind water (see notes)
- 1 onion (see notes)
- 1 tablespoon garlic paste
- 1 tablespoon ginger paste
- 3 cups water (see notes)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 12 curry leaves
Dry Ingredients To Roast And Grind
- ½ cup dessicated coconut (see notes)
- ¼ cup raw unsalted peanuts (see notes)
- 2 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 2 teaspoon white cumin seeds
- 2 tablespoon 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 till the skin softens slightly and then set them aside. (see notes)
- Soak the tamarind in hot water and set it aside.
- Dry roast the peanuts, place them on a clean dish towel and rub between the folds to remove as much of the skin as you can and then grind them to a powder. (see notes)
- Dry roast and grind the remaining ingredients on the list, one at a time, till they are lightly toasted, mix them with the ground peanuts and set the mixture aside.
- 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.
- Then add 1 cup of water, reduce the heat cover and cook for 10 minutes so the onions can soften more.
- After the 10 minutes, uncover, add in the salt, red chili powder and turmeric, along with the roasted and ground ingredients.
- Add 2 cups of water, bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and cook for 10 minutes.
- Uncover, add in the tamarind water and curry leaves. Add more water and adjust the spices, if necessary, cover and cook another 10 minutes (see notes)
- Next, layer the eggplants on top of the curry and cook on low heat for 10 minutes to allow the eggplants to fully cook.
Notes
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 until the skin softens and the white flesh turns brown. The skin on the smaller eggplants softens very easily, but the larger varieties have thicker skin so that you may get different results. Steam them for longer at the later stage rather than overfrying them.
Cooking Oil - I use Canola oil due to its high heat index and affordable price. Other options are Peanut oil, sunflower oil, and avocado oil.
Tamarind Water - I make my tamarind water by soaking some tamarind pulp. If you want a shortcut, substitute with ready-made tamarind paste or concentrate.
Onion - Browning the onions is the most important part of any curry. They must be a medium golden brown for the caramelized taste, color, and texture in the curry to be perfect. As a substitute, if you're short on time, you can use pre-fried crispy onions. Use three tablespoons in place of 1 medium onion.
Adding In Water - The desiccated coconut and ground nuts are dry, absorbing much water. The three cups mentioned above may need to be adjusted as you cook the curry. I like my curry on the thicker side, but if you like yours to be thinner, then feel free to adjust the water accordingly.
Desiccated Coconut - The traditional curry is made with fresh coconut, but I find sourcing and using desiccated coconut much easier for this recipe.
Raw unsalted peanuts - Peanuts without skin are preferred, but if you can't source those, leave the skin on.
Adjust Spices - This curry is not usually very spicy, instead relying on its taste from the coconut, nuts, tamarind, and other aromatic spices. Adjust the red chili powder according to taste if you prefer your curry spicier.
Nutrition
Serving: 1personCalories: 286kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 3gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 0.1gSodium: 403mgPotassium: 167mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 184IUVitamin C: 44mgCalcium: 52mgIron: 1mg
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