Bagara Baingan is a flavorful, tasty curry made with small aubergines in a medley of coconut, peanuts, sesame seeds, tamarind and spices. This vegan and gluten-free eggplant dish is a specialty of Hyderabadi cuisine and is often served with Biryani.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 20 minutes
  • Cook time: 40 minutes
  • Total time: 60 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Hyderabadi, South Indian

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 250 grams brinjals (- small-sized)
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1 teaspoon kashmiri chilli powder (or ½ teaspoon red chilli powder, optional)
  • 8 to 9 curry leaves (- optional)
  • 1.5 cups water (or as needed)
  • salt (as required)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves
  • ½ cup onions ((chopped) or 1 medium-sized)
  • 1 teaspoon garlic ((peeled & chopped) or 4 to 5 medium-sized garlic cloves, optional)
  • 2 teaspoons ginger ((peeled & chopped) or 1 inch ginger)
  • 2 tablespoons desiccated coconut
  • 2 tablespoons raw peanuts
  • 2 tablespoons white sesame seeds
  • 1 teaspoon poppy seeds ((khus khus))
  • 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
  • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 2 inch cinnamon stick (or 1 inch cassia cinnamon stick)
  • 2 to 3 cloves
  • 1 tej patta ((Indian bay leaf))
  • ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
  • ½ teaspoon caraway seeds ((shahi jeera))
  • 1 black cardamom (- optional)
  • 1 tablespoon tamarind (- tightly packed and seedless)
  • 2 to 3 green chillies (- chopped)
  • 1 tablespoon coriander leaves (- chopped (cilantro))
  • ½ to ⅔ cup water (or as needed for grinding)

Method

Making masala paste

  1. Heat a frying pan or skillet or tawa and roast the following ingredients on low to medium-low heat - peanuts, white sesame seeds, poppy seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cinnamon, cloves, tej patta, black peppercorns, caraway seeds and black cardamom.
  2. When the spices become a light brown and are fragrant, add desiccated coconut.
  3. Mix and continue to roast the spices with the coconut. A lovely aroma of the roasted spices and coconut will fill your kitchen.
  4. Roast till the coconut gets light golden.
  5. Transfer to a plate and let the mixture cool.
  6. Once the spices + seeds + coconut mixture cools, add it to a high-speed blender or grinder. Also add chopped onions, ginger, garlic, green chilies, coriander leaves and tamarind.
  7. Grind to a fine and smooth paste with ½ to ⅔ cups of water.

Cooking brinjal

  1. Rinse the brinjals first a few times in water. Quarter them and soak them in salted water for 15 to 20 minutes.
  2. Drain water after 15 to 20 minutes. In a pan heat 2 tablespoons oil and add the chopped eggplants and 1 teaspoon salt. Sauté over low heat for 8 to 10 minutes.
  3. The brinjals should become fork tender. Set them aside.

Making bagara baingan

  1. In another pan or in the same pan heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Add cumin seeds and let them splutter.At this step you can opt to add ½ teaspoon nigella seeds (kalonji) and 10 to 12 fenugreek seeds.
  2. Add the ground masala paste. Also add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and curry leaves.
  3. Mix thoroughly and sauté the masala.
  4. Saute the paste stirring often for about 9 to 10 minutes or till the oil starts to release from the sides.
  5. Next add 1.5 cups water. Mix thoroughly to get an even consistency. Add salt as required and the cooked sautéed eggplants.
  6. Simmer for 6 to 7 minutes or till the curry thickens and you see oil floating on top.
  7. Check the taste of the curry and add more salt if needed. Add coriander leaves and mix well.
  8. Serve Bagara Baingan hot with roti, phulka, paratha, poori or rice or biryani. This brinjal curry pairs very well as a side dish with Biryani.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.