Bagara Baingan

Bagara Baingan is stuffed Brinjals/Eggplants, a delicacy from Hyderabad. Brinjals are stuffed with grounded peanut-coconut mixture & cooked in a rich & creamy paste.

Learnt it from my husband, an expert in cooking & my teacher! :)

Ingredients:-
5 medium sized round brinjals/eggplants
1 medium sized onion
1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic paste
4 tbsp groundnuts (if possible peeled)
2 tbsp grated coconut
1/2 tsp Tamarind paste
Coriander, mint/pudhina & Kasoori methi leaves.
1 tbsp sesame/yellu/til seeds
1 tbsp of dania (seeds)
1 tsp cumin/jeera seeds
1 clove (optional)
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder or a small cinnamon stick
3-4 green chillies or depending upon the taste
2 tsp turmeric/haldi
Salt & Oil

Preparation of the Masala: -
1. Heat a pan & put little oil in it. Add cumin seeds.
2. When the seeds begin to splatter, add ground nuts, dhania, clove & Cinnamon. Fry on medium flame till the ground nuts turn slightly brown.
3. Remove from fire & wait till the mixture cools down.
4. Grind the mixture into powder without adding any water.

Pre-cooking of Brinjals: -
1. When the masala mixture is cooling down, the brinjals can be pre-cooked.
2. Slit the brinjals midway in a way they don't break. Add little salt in each of them.
3. Arrange them on the microwave plate in a way that the stalks are pointing outwards.
4. Microwave for 4 minutes or depending on the softness you wish to acquire.
5. After cooking, remove them from the microwave & cool them.

Preparation of the Gravy: -
1. Heat the pan, add little oil & put mustard & jeera seeds.
2. When the mustard begins to splatter, add the chilies & fry for few seconds.
3. Add the onion & turmeric.
4. Fry till the onion becomes transparent & starts leaving water.
5. To this add ginger-garlic paste, pudhina/mint leaves & mix well. Allow it to cool.
6. Add coconut to this mixture & grind them into a smooth paste. Add water if necessary.
7. To this smooth paste add the powder which was prepared earlier & grind together to prepare the gravy.

Stuffing of the Brinjals: -
1. Heat the pan & put little oil in it. Add the cooked brinjals & fry it on all sides.
2. Take each brinjal & pour some amount of gravy into it & put it back in the pan. Repeat the same for all the brinjals. Care should be taken while stuffing. Brinjals shouldn't break.
3. Pour the extra gravy over all the brinjals. Add tamarind paste.
4. Add salt if necessary & mix well.
5. Add very little water & close the pan with a lid. Allow it to cook on medium flame for 4-5 minutes.
6. Add kasoori methi & coriander leaves.
7. Serve with chapatis or with rice.