Bagara baingan

This recipe was shared with me by my Pakistani neighbor when in Saudi Arabia. It is her family recipe handed down for generations.

Ingredients :

Brinjal – small ,purple colored ,long ones

Onions- 4-5

Tomatoes – 3 chopped

Cumin seeds- 1.5 tablespoons

Sesame seeds white( till) – 1.5 tablespoons

Fenugreek seeds ( methi) – a pinch

Black pepper- 1 tsp

Coconut grated- 1 fistful

Garlic – 7

Curry leaves – a small bunch

Mint leaves – a little

Ginger garlic paste – 1 Tablespoon

Red chilli powder – 1 tsp

Coriander powder – 2 tsp

Turmeric powder -1/2 tsp

Green chillies big ones slit partially- 3-4

Tamarind – a big lemon size dissolved in some water

Method:

Roast the cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, sesame seeds and coconut separately in a frying pan and powder them .

Add these to the chopped tomatoes. Also add the ginger garlic paste, red chilli powder , coriander powder and turmeric.

Peel and chop the onions roughly and fry them in some oil and then grind it coarsely.

Slit the brinjals vertically and keep in salted water.

Heat 2-3 tablespoons of oil in a big pan and add curry leaves, whole black pepper and whole garlic to it.

Drain the brinjal and put them in along with whole slit green chillies and fry till skin is shiny and the brinjals are well cooked.

Now add the onion paste and cook well. Now add the chopped tomatoes and again cook till tomatoes done.

Now add the ginger slices and mint leaves. Cover the vessel with a lid and allow to cook on slow flame for a few minutes. The thick tamarind juice is now added and cooked till the raw smell goes off. Cook further till the oil floats to the surface.

The curry is ready to be eaten with hot rotis or rice.

By Meera Sridhar