Bagara Baingan

I’ve made this Hyderabadi dish from Mona’s website. My family enjoyed this dish and thanks mona for this tasty dish. Bagara Baingan means ‘tempered brinjals’. This side dish is PREPARED IN MARRIAGES and big gatherings. I followed her recipe with only one change that is instead of coconut cream I used coconut milk.


Ingredients:
Brinjal/Baigan - 6 (small, round & purple)
Onion - 2 (sliced)
Sesame seeds - 1½ tbsp.
Poppy seeds - 1 tbsp.
Peanuts - ½ cup
Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp.
Turmeric - ½ tsp.
Coconut milk/Cream - 2 tbsp.
Cashew nuts - ½ cup (soaked in warm water for 30 min.)
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tbsp.
Jaggery - 30 g
Red chili powder - 2 tsp.
Small green chilies - 6
Salt (to taste)
Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp.
Kalonji - 1 tsp.
Dry red chili - 2
Black mustard seeds - 1 tsp.
Fenugreek seeds - ¼ tsp.
Tamarind concentrate - 2 to 3 tbsp.
Oil


Method:
Make four incisions perpendicular (X) from the base of each brinjal and the stem end should be intact.

Soak them in water with 1 tbsp. of salt. Keep aside.

In a frying pan, add 1 tbsp. of oil and sauté the onion till light brown color in medium heat. Remove them and cool.

In the same pan add poppy seeds, sesame seeds, peanuts and coriander seeds separately and roast them till an aroma rises without burning. Cool it. Remove the skin of peanuts. Now powder the poppy seeds, peanuts, coriander, sesame seeds.

Add the roasted onions, ground spices, thick coconut milk, ginger-garlic paste, jaggery, red chili powder, green chilies, cashew nuts and salt in a blender. Blend them into a smooth paste (if required add little water).

Drain the brinjals (make sure there’s no water in the brinjals) and add oil in a pan and shallow fry. Stir frequently and cover with a lid until they are tender. Gently remove them in a platter.

In a pan add ¼ cup of oil in medium heat and add the cumin seeds, dry red chili, fenugreek, kalonji and mustard seeds.

When mustard seeds start to splutter, lower the heat and add the blended smooth paste and cover for a minute (it’s essential as the paste combines with the tempering for a good flavor).

Open the lid and mix it all.

Cook uncovered for 8 minutes. If required, add little water and keep stirring the mixture occasionally.

Now add the shallow-fried brinjals and half cup water (or more if needed).

After some time when the brinjals are tender (after 10-15 minutes), add the tamarind concentrate and gently fold it in the curry.

Let it cook covered for at least 3 minutes.

Remove from heat and garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve hot or cold. Do not reheat the dish.

Coconut cream and coconut milk:
This is for Mr. Ushnish Gosh.

1) For coconut cream, grate one whole coconut on the insides (not the coir). Add the grated coconut in 1 cup of warm water and soak them for 20 minutes. Now blend them along with the water into a thick paste. Now strain through a muslin cloth or through a small hole strainer. Keep this in a fridge for few hours and then you get a coconut cream. This can be used in fruit salsa and some baking. But I never tried this in home. If any leftover coconut cream dilute by adding water and convert into coconut milk.

2) Coconut milk: Grate one whole coconut i.e., the white flesh and soak them in 2 cups of warm water. Blend them and strain them. This is the thick milk or the first extract.

3) Now add 1 cup of water to the left over coconut gratings (which we used for first extract) and blend, strain. This is second extract or thin coconut milk.

4) Again add 1 cup of water to the same left over coconut gratings and blend & strain. This third extract or very thin coconut milk.

5) Thin and very thin coconut milk can be used for boiling process. But thick coconut milk is mostly added in the end of the cooking and immediately remove from the heat. Or else the milk will curdle.

Actually, I never soak in water and I directly prepare the milk. Increase and decrease the quantity of water and coconut gratings according to your use in the dishes. If you don’t have any grater, just remove the flesh from the shell and chop it into small pieces. Pulse them in the blender you get a grated or shredded coconut.

Sent off to "Think Spice: Think Poppy Seeds" event hosted by RV. Think Spice is originally started by Sunita Bhuyan.

Posted in: Brinjal, Coconut milk, side dish