Bagara Baingan/Stuffed Brinjals

Bagara baingan/Stuffed Eggplants is indeed a deliccacy where young and fresh brinjals are stuffed with grounded peanut-coconut mixture and cooked in a pungent,rich and creamy sauce.The following recipe is from Indira of Mahanandi,I followed her recipe mostly from A to Z ,and i must say it was outstanding. Thanks again, Indira.

Ingredients:-

Fresh and young baby brinjals – 10 (i’ve used purple ones)
Finely chopped red onion – 1 medium sized
Fresh or dried coconut – 1/2 cup
Ginger-Garlic paste – 1 tbsp
Jaggery – 1 tbsp(Optional)
Tamarind juice – 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Red Chilli powder – 1 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp
Minced garlic – 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves – a few
Salt – to taste
Oil – as needed

For Roasting :
Chana dal – 1/4 cup
Urad Dal – 1/4 cup
Coriander seeds – 1 tsp
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Cloves – 4-6
Black pepper corns – 4-6
Fenugreek seeds – 1 tsp
Dried red chillies – 8
Cashews – 1/4 cup (Optional)

Take them in a pan or an iron skillet and dry roast them,without burning.Allow it to cool.

Method:-

Heat little oil in a pan and saute the onions till translucent,remove from heat and allow it to cool.Grind together the roasted ingredients,coconut,ginger-garlic paste,jaggery,tamarind juice and roasted onions to make a smooth paste without adding any water.Divide the mixture into two ,one for gravy and one for stuffing.Keep it aside.

Clean and remove the stem of brinjals.Cut each brinjal horizontally first,and then vertically towards the stem side,without seperating it into pieces.Gently fill in the brinjals with the ground mixture.Check out Indira’s recipe for the pic.

Now heat oil in a pan and allow mustard seeds and cumin seeds to splutter.Throw in minced garlic and curry leaves and fry for a while.Arrange the brinjals neatly in the pan,with stuffing side up,cover and cook them in medium heat for 15-20 minutes,or until they turn soft.When they are done,remove them carefully from the pan to a dish.Add the remaining ground mixture to the pan,pour half glass of water to dilute the gravy,add red chilly powder ,turmeric powder and salt and mix well.Check for sourness and sweetness,and if needed you can add little tamarind juice or sugar accordingly.Heat the gravy for 10-15 mts on low heat,until the gravy thickens.Again add the brinjals back to the gravy,and cook for few more minutes.

Serve with rice or roti garnished with coriander leaves.

Recipe Coutesy : Indira of Mahanandi

Other recipes :

Sailus Gutti Vankaya Kura

Pavani’s

Hyderabadi’s

Seema’s

Daagh’s

Also check out more baingan recipes from Indira here