Hyderabadi Bagara Baingan -- Eggplant in tangy masala Curry

Todays dish is from my home town Hyderabad. If you ever visit Hyderabad a capital city of telangana and andhra pradesh , you will come across the rich heritage,  delicious food and of course friendly people all around. There is lot to tell about the city, but i feel telling everything at one shot would make it boring, so every time i a post a recipe from hyderabad you will know little bit more about the city , how does it sound ??? 
Today its turn for Charminar, which is global icon of hyderabad. If translated to english its called "Four Towers". It was built in 1591 by Quli Qutab Shah. In that period it was center of the city and  in each direction there is some thing to see and shop.Towards the north of Charminar is the Char Kaman, or four gateways, constructed in the cardinal directions.It is situated on the east bank of Musi river.To the west lies the Laad Bazar, and to the southwest lies the richly ornamented granite Makkah Majid. If you are shopoholic person then don't forget to buy world famous pearls and bangles. Laad Baazar is known for its jewellery, especially exquisite bangles, and the Pather Gatti is famous for pearls. If you are visiting this place during Ramadaan, ooo my god its too busy and also be careful about the monthly budget as the streets are full of stalls for food and sales...with huge collection of everything..Shops opens at noon and closes early in morning(ramadaan timings ..sigh..). For more info about the place google it......

Hyderabadi people are very choosy for good food, they adapt new food very easily and mould it in hyderabadi style. Hyderabad is not only famous for its dum biryani's but also has lot to name for, like hyderabadi haleem, dabal ka meetha, Kubani ka meetha and so on...

Comming back to the recipe, Bagara baingan is a yummy delicious vegetarian dish which perfectly goes with Biryani's, bagara khaana, paratha's and naan's. If you are fan of eggplant/brinjal or not, you will fall in love with it , if you cook it right. Small sized eggplants/brinjals are cooked in spicy tangy gravy. Its easy to make, but little work to do.... but don't worry I always find ways to make things easier and tastier. 

Level: Easy

Preparation time: 20 min
Cook Time: 30 min
Serves: 4

Ingredients

Baby Eggplant/brinjals : 8

White sesame seeds (til) : 2 tablespoons

Peanuts/Ground nuts: 2 tablespoons

Grated coconut: 4 tablespoons

Coriander powder: 1 tablespoon
Ginger garlic paste: 1 tablespoon
Sugar: 2 tablespoons
Fenugreek (methi) seeds : 1/2 teaspoon
Onion: 1 medium 
Oil : 4 tablespoons

Turmeric powder: 1/2 teaspoon

Cumin Powder: 1/2 teaspoon

A small lemon sized ball of tamarind

Red chilli powder (or to taste)

Salt to taste
Fresh coriander leaves for garnish

Directions

Preparations:

Soak tamarind in 1 cup hot water.
Dry roast Groundnuts, Sesame seeds, Coconut and fenugreek seeds one by one for a minute. Make sure not to burn. 

Chop the onion in to small pieces and fry for a 2-3 minutes until it is tender, in one teaspoon of oil.

Let all the ingredients cool down and blend them all with little water to a fine paste. 

Cut the eggplant in 4 quarters with stem attached.
You are half way now... :)..2 more steps you are done..

Method:

In a pan add 1 tablespoon of oil. Add eggplants and roast until it is soft and should hold the shape, it will take approximately 3-5 mins on medium flame. Turn the eggplants time to time for even cooking on all sides. 

While the eggplants are frying in another pan add 3 tablespoons of oil and add blend mixture, turmeric,chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, salt and ginger garlic paste, fry until the raw smell is gone on medium flame. 

When the mixture comes together and leaves oil on sides, add squeezed tamarind water, sugar . Cook for a minute on high flame.
Add the eggplants to the mixture and add 1/2 cup more water. Cover with lid and cook for 10-15 minutes on medium flame.Stir in between occasionally. Do the taste test... adjust salt, spice.
Garnish with chopped coriander and serve with roti's or any kind of rice.

Tips

Make sure that you don't burn while dry roasting the ingredients, as it is the base of the curry.
Don't add too much of peanuts or fenugreek seeds, as it will spoil the taste.
Check for consistency of the gravy.... add more water if required. If you want thick consistency, remove the lid and cook for few more minutes on high flame.

Wanna try....let set go....

Check other Hyderabadi Recipes here...