Hyderabadi Bagare Baigan/ Spicy Brinjal cooked in Hyderabadi style

Baghara baingan or the Bagara Baingan is a very popular dish which is also extremely popular in our neighbouring country Pakistan. Bagar literally means to temper spices in oil. It is a much loved side dish in Hyderabad and is often served along with Biryani, although I haven’t done that ever (we like to enjoy the two separately, in their own merits). The gravy has a nutty flavour due to the presence of peanuts while tamarind lends the gravy a tangy taste. In my family, it is enjoyed with roti/ paratha; but you may even try it with steamed rice.
Ingredients:

• 500 gms of Brinjals
• 4 medium sized Onions
• 5 gms of Ginger
• 2 cloves of Garlic
• 12 gms of Coriander seeds
• 40 gms of Sesame seeds
• 70 gms of Peanuts
• 5 gms of Cumin seeds
• 3 gms of Poppy seeds
• 20 gms of Desiccated coconut
• 2 gms of Fenugreek seeds
• 2 gms of Turmeric powder
• 5 gms of Red chilli powder
• 6 gms of Jaggery
• 75 gms of Tamarind
• 4 gms of Curry leaves
• Salt according to taste
• 120 ml of Oil

Preparation:

• In a cup of water, soak the tamarind and use a sieve to mash it and get tamarind water and keep it aside
• After washing the brinjals cut 2 inch slits along the brinjal’s length (make sure the ends are intact)
• Roast the medium-sized onions till they become soft and turn to a light golden brown colour
• In a dry pan on a medium heat roast the poppy seeds, peanuts, sesame seeds, fenugreek seeds
, coriander seeds, desiccated coconut and the cumin seeds till they get slightly
darkened and start to emit an aroma
• Grind the onions along with the roasted spices, garlic, ginger, salt, red chilli powder, turmeric
powder and jaggery to make a fine paste.
• Mix in tamarind water with the paste.
• Stuff the brinjals with this
mixture after keeping some of it aside.
• Sauté curry leaves on a pan in hot oil for some time and add in the stuffed brinjals. Fry the brinjals for about 10 minutes and mix in the remaining paste that you kept aside.
• Cover the pan after adding some water and continue to cook on a medium heat while gently stirring occasionally.
• Once the oil leaves the side of the pan and the brinjals have cooked through, serve it hot with rice or parathas.