Hyderabadi Bagara Baingan - Baby Eggplant Curry

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Bagara Baingan or baby eggplant curry is a traditional dish from Hyderabad served with Biriyani. Ground peanut, coconut and sesame seeds slow cooked in tamarind water and spices gives it a very rich texture. It tastes delicious with chapathi and rice too.

Ingredients:

Baby Brinjal: 8-10
Peanuts: 1 cup
Dry Coconut: 2 Tbsp
Sesame Seeds: 3 Tbsp
Cinnamon : 1 small stick
Cardamom: 3
Cloves: 3
Mustard Seeds: 1 tsp
Cumin Seeds: 1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds : 1/4 tsp

Onion: 1 medium
Green chilli : 1
Curry leaves:  1 spring
Asafoetida/ Hing: 1 pinch
Turmeric : 1/2 tsp
Ginger Garlic Paste: 1 tsp 
Coriander Powder: 1 tbsp
Cumin powder: 1 tbsp
Red Chilli Powder: 1 tsp
Jaggery : 1 tsp
Tamarind juice : 1/4 cup
Salt
Oil : 2 tbsp + for frying eggplants 

Method:
1. Dry roast peanuts on low flame for 2-3 mins then add sesame seeds and dry coconut and roast until sesame n coconut turn golden in color. 

2. Put it in a blender and add 1/2 cup water and grind to a slight coarse paste.

3. Slit the baby eggplants in the centre to ¾ th keeping the stems. Make another slit making + mark.

4. Heat oil in a frying pan and deep fry the eggplants until they turn soft. Keep aside until needed.

5. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok, add cinnamon, cardamom and cloves.

6. Then add mustard seeds once it splutters add cumin seeds and fenugreek seeds and sauté for 30 seconds.

7. Add chopped onion, hing, curry leaves and green chilli and fry until onions are cooked well.

8. Next add ginger garlic paste and sauté until the raw smell disappears.

9. Add turmeric, coriander powder, cumin powder and red chilli powder and mix well.

10. Add 1/2 cup water and salt and bring to boil.

11. Now add the ground peanut,coconut and sesame seeds paste and mix well.

12. Cook it covered on low flame until the oil separates, keep stirring the gravy so that it doesnt stick to the bottom

13. Add tamarind water and jaggery and cook on a very low flame until the gravy is thickned to the desired consistency.

14. Add fried eggplants to the gravy and mix gently.

15. Close the lid and cook for another 5 minutes and turn off the gas.

16. Serve hot with chapathi or any flavored rice of your choice. 

Notes:

1. Do not grind peanut, coconut and sesame to fine paste, it will take longer to cook.

2. Keep the flame low and keep stirring otherwise the gravy will stick to the bottom and burn.

3. Cover with the lid as the gravy will splutter once it starts boiling.

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Coconut Stuffed Capcisum | Bellpeppers stuffed with coconut mixture

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Stuffed Capsicum or Bharwan Shimla Mirch as called in North India is an interesting dish. You can use pretty much anything as filling from Paneer (cottage cheese), potato to onion masala. I have tried to replicate my mother's way of making it with spicy coconut filling. She uses small spicy variety of capsicum. It tastes heavenly with Chapathi or Jawar roti. It's very difficult to find them in Singapore so I have used the regular capsicum, I tried hard to pick the smaller ones :-) You can make it with any color or size of capsicum.

Ingredients:

Small capsicum/bell peppers: 4

Onion: 2

Garlic: 4-5 cloves

Fresh coconut: 1/2 cup

Sesame seeds: 1 tbsp

Red chilli powder: 1 tsp

Cumin powder: 1 tsp

Coriander powder: 1 tsp

Dry mango powder: 1/2 tsp

Sugar : 1/2 tsp (optional)

Salt to taste

Oil: 2 tbsp

Coriander leaves: 2 tbsp

Method:

1. Wash and dry the bell peppers and carefully remove the seeds and pith and empty the peppers.

2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a deep pan and sauté the bell peppers until the skin withers and peppers turn soft for 3-4 minutes. Keep turning the peppers.

3. Remove the peppers and add another tbsp of oil in the same pan and add mustard seeds, when it splutters add cumin seeds and asafoetida. Sauté for 30 seconds.

4. Add finely chopped garlic and onion and sauté until onions turn translucent.

5. Mix in grated fresh coconut and sesame seeds and sauté until it turns golden brown in color.

6. Next add in all spice powders - red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, dry mango powder, garam masala powder and stir well.

7. Mix in salt and freshly chopped coriander leaves and let it cool for a minute.

8. Fill this mixture into the peppers and arrange them in a microwave/oven safe dish and cook them in microwave for 3-5 minutes on high or grill in oven for 10 minutes 

9. Alternatively you can saute them in a nonstick pan and cook on all sides for 7-8 minutes.

10. Serve hot with chapathi or any Indian flat breads. It also be served as a side dish.

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Hot and Spicy Green Chillies - Chillies stuffed with Spicy Coconut and Peanut Mixture.

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Long Green chillies made super delicious by stuffing coconut, peanut and other spice mixture. This can be a tasty starter and also can be served as a side dish with dal rice. I have used mild variety chillies and added pepper powder and red chilli powder to make it hot and spicy. You can adjust the amount of chilli and pepper powder according to your taste.

Ingredients

Large green chillies : 6

Dry / desiccated coconut: 5 tbsp

Roasted ground nut: 2-3 tbsp

White Sesame seeds: 1 tsp

Garlic: 3 big cloves

Red chilli powder: 1/2 tsp

Black pepper powder : 1/2 tsp

Cumin powder: 1 tsp

Dry mango powder: 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Coriander leaves : 1 tbsp

Oil : 1+2 tbsp

Method:

1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan, add coconut and roast it. When the coconut is warm add coarsely crushed ground nuts and sauté for a minute.

2. Add finely chopped garlic and white sesame seeds and saute until the mixture is aromatic.

3. Next add in black pepper powder, red chilli powder, Cumin powder, dry mango powder and salt and give a quick stir.

4. Turn off the flame and mix in chopped fresh coriander leaves and the stuffing for the chillies is ready.

5. Make a vertical slit on the chilli, be careful not to break it. and remove the seeds with the help of a spoon. (You can skip this if you like more spice)

6. Stuff the coconut peanut mixture into all the chillies carefully.

7. Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a pan and arrange the chillies in a line so that all the chillies are touching the pan. Leave it for a minute on medium flame and flip the chillies and fry on all sides. Do not over cook as the chillies will turn soggy.

8. Remove on a paper towel and serve hot as a starter or a side dish with rice curry. 

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