Baghare Baingan
‘Baghare Baingan’ (in Urdu) when translated into english language means ‘Tempered Eggplants’. Baghaar or tempering is an Indian process of flavoring the oil with spices which is used in the preperation of a curry to impart added taste and aroma.
Aubergines, Peanuts and a large sized Onion (One of the Aubergines has an ‘X’ shaped incision at its base)
This is a lovely and delicious brinjal side dish, a hallmark and peculiar to the state of Hyderabad, usually seen being served at Daawat – weddings, parties and large gatherings. It is generally had as a side dish along with Biryanis or some people even enjoy it along with a Roti/Paratha.
Baghare Baingan – Tempered Aubergines in a rich Sauce
The eggplants are cooked twice, once they are shallow fried and then later simmered in a fragrant sweet and spicy sauce of sauteed onions and roasted spices. The tamarind imparts a tangy kick to the sauce consisting of roasted nutty and buttery peanuts, poppy seeds and coconut, a range of aromatic spices and caramelized onions.
Only Indian eggplants that are small, shiny deep purple and fresh are used for this curry. These are easily available at many Indian stores. Brinjal/Eggplant/Aubergines or Baingan are not a favorite of many people, but I suggest you all try this dish once and you will definitely love it. It is one of the best aubergine dishes I have ever had.
The procedure to prepare Mirchi Ka Salan or Tamatar ka Salan is also almost the same as this curry. Also, you can also add any firm fish fillets (Red snapper, Haddock, Cod, etc) to the gravy instead of brinjal to make it a fish curry/Machli ka Salan; or halved tomatoes to the gravy to make it Tamatar ka Salan. There is no difference, except for the fact that in Mirchi ka Salan, green chillies are used; in tomato curry, tomatoes are used; in fish curry, fish fillets are used; and in this curry, the brinjals are used.
Baghare Baingan – Tempered Aubergines in a Spicy Nutty Tangy Sauce
Cooking time: around 45 minutes; Serves: 6
Ingredients:
Eggplants/Baingan – 6-8, indian variety~small sized, fresh, and deep purple in colour
For dry masala paste:
Khus Khus/White Poppy seeds – 1 tbsp
Till/Sesame Seeds – 1/2 cup/50 gms
Peanuts/Groundnuts/MoomPhalli – 1/2 cup/50 gms
Dry Desiccated Coconut – 3/4 cup/50 gms
Coriander seeds/Dhania – 1 tsp
Cumin seeds/ Zeera – 1 1/2 tsp
For baghaar/tempering:
Cumin seeds/ Zeera – 1 tsp
Curry leaves/ Kariyapaak – 2 sprigs
Mustard seeds/ Rai – 1/2 tsp
Nigella seeds/ Kalaunji – 1/3 tsp
Fenugreek seeds/ Methi dana – 1/8 tsp
For gravy:
Canola oil
Yellow Onions – 4, large, sliced slightly thick into semi circular rings
Ginger garlic paste – 2 tsp
Salt – 1 tbsp
Red Chilli Powder – 2 tsp
Turmeric/ Haldi – 1/4 tsp
Cilantro/ Kothmir – 2 tbsp, finely chopped
Thick tamarind pulp – 4 tbsp
Method:
1. Wash the eggplants and make four incisions, perpendicular cuts (an X) from the base of each eggplant, taking care the stem end is intact. Soak them in a bowl of cold water with 1tbsp salt to prevent discoloration. Keep aside. In a kadai pour oil to deep fry. When the oil is hot, drain the brinjals. Deep fry the brinjals for about 10-15 minutes until they are tender and well cooked. Gently remove them in a platter and keep aside.
2. Heat a small non-stick frying pan or a cast iron skillet at medium high heat and once it is hot, dry roast the desiccated coconut, sesame seeds, khus khus, peanuts, coriander seeds and cumin seeds, all one by one separately for just 2-3 minutes until they are a few shades darker and remove them into separate bowls. Do not burn the spices. Once cool, rub off the skins of the peanuts. Grind them all separately in a spice grinder to a fine powder or a smooth paste without adding any water and keep aside.
3. Heat a large non-stick frying pan or a cast iron skillet at medium high heat, and as soon as it warms up add the sliced onions. Let the onions sweat and keep stirring them until they are just starting to brown up. Once the onions are soft and lightly browned in color, remove them to a platter and keep aside. Once the dry roasted onions are cool, puree them in a grinder until smooth. Keep aside.
4. Heat 1/4 cup oil in a heavy non-stick pan at medium heat and as soon as it is warm, add the ingredients under the heading ‘for baghaar’ – cumin seeds, mustard seeds, curry leaves, nigella seeds and fenugreek seeds. Let the spices splutter for a minute. Then add the pureed roasted onion paste and immediately cover the pan with a lid for a minute. Lower the heat to medium low and shake the pan to thoroughly mix. This is done for the mixture to absorb all the flavour from the baghaar(tempering). Uncover, lower the heat and add ginger garlic paste and fry for 3-4 minutes. Add the desiccated coconut paste, sesame seed paste, khus-khus paste and peanut paste and stir fry it for 2-5 minutes or until you see that the mixture comes together and starts leaving oil. Add the red chilli powder, salt and turmeric. Mix well and keep stir frying it for a further 2 minutes on medium low heat. Once the raw odor of the peanuts, ginger-garlic paste and coconut is no longer coming, add the dry roasted coriander and cumin seed powder and chopped cilantro and mix well. Pour in 3 1/2 cups warm water and the tamarind pulp. Mix well. Add the fried brinjals and stir. Cover the lid and let cook on simmer for 20-25 minutes while stirring frequently, until the oil has all separated and the brinjals are soft and completely done in the masala gravy. Remove from heat and serve the curry along with Pulao or Biryani or Naan.
Suggested Accompaniments: Biryani, Roti, Paratha
This goes to the Monthy Mingle event currently being hosted by Ruth. The theme this time is Sensational Sides, and Baghare Baingan fits perfectly for the title of the event.
Inshallah my next post is going to be the round up for RCI:Authentic Hyderabadi Cuisine which I will publish in just a few days from now. So keep checking on it. Take care of yourselves everyone and Have a good weekend!
Luv,
Mona
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September 19th, 2008 at 10:55 am
Mona- As salaam Alikum , hope the fasting is going well. This dish looks so royal and rich … yum ! i wish i could get my hubby to eat this … I only recently started appreciating baigan. I used to hate it as a kid, but now i’m in love with it. your gravy looks so yumm !
September 19th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
Indeed a sensational side. Bagare baingan is the shaan of hyderabadi cuisine. Lovely presentation , a feast for eyes.
September 19th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Lovely pic…its mouth watering.,i never used gud it must b tasting g8..will try it!!!
September 19th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
great pic mona…even i tried baingan bhartha and poasted recently in my blog. i love both these versions of eggplant…thanks for sharing. But couldnt make it to RCI …i feel bad for that 🙁
September 19th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
That is indeed a sensational side.
September 19th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
looks so yum,..nice click,..;-)
September 19th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
I’m drooling on your baingans, Mona! Bagara Baingan is my all time favorite.. Bookmarked 🙂
September 19th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
That is such a delicious recipe…I love the ingredients! I’ll be trying this out soon!
September 19th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
Oh how I wish I could eat this dish. Unfortunately, I know that I would only end up eating the gravy with rice. I just can’t bring myself to eat eggplant unless it is fire-roasted and mashed. I don’t know what the heck is wrong with me 🙂
September 19th, 2008 at 5:33 pm
Looks so yummy mona.
September 19th, 2008 at 8:00 pm
ramadhan mubarak, dear mona. i’m too lazy to make this, but it sure sounds delicious.
September 19th, 2008 at 10:24 pm
Now this one is the true hyderabadi bagare baingan ! Just perfect.. Yum !
September 19th, 2008 at 11:04 pm
looks so yummy!! lovely pic… paradise briyani n bagare baingan wow…. mouth drooling combho!
September 20th, 2008 at 9:50 am
What a great way to eat egg plant. I do love the last photo it is so tasty!
September 21st, 2008 at 9:22 am
Hi,
I am a silent reader of ur blog and when u posted the above recipe, I just could not resist. I tried the recipe and let me tell u, it’s absolutley delicious. Thank you for the great recipe.
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:42 am
Looks lovely, Mona.
I actually made this last week for dinner with rotis, and managed to get it right for the first time!
Using peanuts in the masala is a new to me. I’m sure it would be good. Will use this next time.
September 22nd, 2008 at 7:04 am
ooh! mona Baghare Baingan looks yummy and mouth watering
September 22nd, 2008 at 9:30 am
Dear Mona,
Please give us some Iftar snack receipes from Hyderabad.
Nazneen
September 22nd, 2008 at 11:49 am
How do I say a thousand thanks for the recipe!.. I always mess this dish up thanks to my guess work.. A post card for you dear at:
http://threemangoes.blogspot.com/2008/09/peruvian-food-note-of-appreciation-and.html
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:48 pm
I just don’t understand how people can dislike baingan. I can’t live without it. This recipe looks lovely, thanks!
September 24th, 2008 at 4:57 am
Wow thnks for reminding me of this….it has been ages i haven’t made this…we call it nut baingan(coz peanuts are used ..i guess so)the way we make doesnt have much of gravy..but the idea is superb……
September 24th, 2008 at 11:06 am
Brilliant blog. 🙂
And lovely recipe. Will try it with capsicum..mom doesn’t like baingan too much. Hope it tastes great.
September 25th, 2008 at 9:16 am
I love anything with poppy. Baigan with poppy is a real delicacy. Thanks for the recipe.
September 27th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
This looks excellent! I am definitely bookmarking this to try soon 🙂
October 8th, 2008 at 4:57 am
Mona, this looks so grand. I just love that thick gravy. thank you for the entry!
October 13th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
This looks delicious!!!! A great entry to the mingle, thank you!
October 20th, 2008 at 7:40 am
Wow – that is such a delicious dish and beautiful entry!! thanks:)
October 21st, 2008 at 12:30 pm
lovely, some time back i had tried this recipes and today i realised where i was wrong. what was my mistake? now i corrected it and will try again as per ur authentic method. thanks
November 12th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
Dear Mona,
Thanks a zillion for sharing this wonderful recipe with us. I had made this for dinner tonight. I have always known this dish as stuffing brinjal with the masala. Here the brinjal gets stuffed by itself;) joking…
It’s an amazing gravy, not difficult to make even though the recipe has frying, grinding. And the proportion listed is precise… truly authentic!
November 16th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
Dear Mona,
Writing just to thank u.Thanks a lot for the fab recipes u have posted.Have tried ur Baghare Baingan and Amchur wale kofte. Both have been delicious to say the least.Thanks for the wonderful blog. Allah hafiz
February 26th, 2009 at 12:48 pm
recently made ur recipe
was so good
thanks
u have a great collection
of recipes
keep it coming
June 14th, 2010 at 5:51 am
Im not sure if you know, but your content has been copied here – facebook.com/photo.php?pid=231308&id=114185471940556
Madhuri, thanks for letting me know.
August 15th, 2010 at 11:14 pm
Wow, lady, I finally tried your version and it was AMAZING! I will surely be sharing the link and suggesting to everyone to try it! Delicious and perfect! Thanks for the suggestion 🙂
November 7th, 2010 at 3:10 am
Dear Mona,
Walekum as salam…
Thanks for your wonderful recipe which was a great hit with my guests.
Just wanted to check with you about the gravy… the gravy solidifed after cooling down. Can it make it more watery as it is easy to eat with roti n rice.
Waiting for your clarification/suggestions.
many thanks
Jaya
Jaya, you can adjust the consistency according to your likes.
November 13th, 2010 at 12:38 am
Dear Mona,
How does one make coconut cream? Can I use fresh / dessicated coconut instead?
Aseem
Aseem, coconut cream is avaible ready made in stores. You can use 50 gms of dry roasted fresh/dessicated coconut instead.
July 5th, 2011 at 8:16 am
Dear Mona,
Is there any gud in the recipe for baghare baingan. How can i get the poppy seeds ground very fine?
kalyani
Kalyani, there is no gud (jaggery) in the recipe. When roasted and a little warm the poppy seeds grind into a nice paste.
February 27th, 2014 at 9:32 pm
Can I make this dish a day ahead and reheat for a party?
Love your blog!
Kim, yes you can store it in the refrigerator for upto a week..
November 8th, 2016 at 3:17 am
Hi Mona,
What is the substitute of popyseed(khashkhaas)??
I live in Qatar and no popy seed here 🙁
p.s Your dish looks so yummy, i am going to tty it tonight. thank you.