Bagara Baingan is a flavorful, tasty curry made with small eggplants in a tangy, creamy gravy made with coconut, peanuts, sesame seeds, tamarind, and Indian spices. This vegan and gluten-free eggplant dish is a specialty of Hyderabadi delicacies and is usually served with any variety of totally different Biryani recipes.

About Bagara Baingan
Bagara is the Hyderabadi phrase for tempering or “tadka,” which is just blooming spices in scorching oil. Whereas Baingan is the Hindi phrase for brinjal (a.okay.a. aubergine or eggplant). As such, Bagara Baingan roughly interprets to “eggplant that’s tempered.”
This in style vegetarian recipe from the Hyderabadi delicacies is usually made to function a aspect dish with Biryani, Roti, and even plain rice. This Hyderabadi Bagara Baingan recipe has 3 of my favourite elements in them: coconut, sesame seeds, and peanuts.
To make this preparation, roasted spices, nuts and seeds are floor to a creamy effective consistency which is then cooked additional with sautéed eggplants.
This recipe is tailored from Chandra Padmanabhan’s cookbook Merely South: Conventional Vegetarian Cooking. This guide has many good recipes together with types of sambar, rasam, greens and rice recipes.
India is a rustic with a number of cuisines which might be separated by regional variations in local weather, topography, in addition to cultures and traditions.
Everyone knows that the North Indian delicacies is totally different from South Indian delicacies, however even the cuisines of the totally different components of a area can fluctuate broadly, like how the delicacies of Karnataka is totally different from Kerala delicacies.
Variations in culinary traditions may even fluctuate amongst the identical state, like Andhra Pradesh which has each the Andhra Delicacies and the Hyderabadi Delicacies, that are completely totally different from each other.
Due to the Nizams of Hyderabad who invented the wealthy and elaborate Hyderabadi delicacies, this type of cooking could be very in style each inside India in addition to on the planet at giant. The Bagara Baingan recipe is one such gem from this delicacies.
Step-by-Step Information
The best way to Make Bagara Baingan
As you possibly can think about, a dish like Bagara Baingan wants some prep work to get a couple of parts prepared earlier than you lastly assemble all of them. I’m certain you’ll have the ability to grasp the recipe, particularly if you happen to comply with together with my step-by-step directions and images beneath. Right here’s the way it’s carried out:
Prep Elements
1. Rinse 250 grams small-sized baingan (a.okay.a. small aubergines or eggplants) 2 to three occasions in water. Drain the water.
Guarantee to make the recipe with solely the smaller number of eggplants. Bigger-sized eggplants that we use to make baingan bharta or baba ganoush, don’t work properly on this recipe.

2. Quarter the brinjals and soak them in salted water for 15 to twenty minutes. Drain after 15 to twenty minutes, discarding the salted water.
Soaking them in salted water eliminates any bitterness and likewise prevents discoloration.
I normally chop the eggplants, however you possibly can hold them entire (with the stems) – reduce them on 4 sides from the bottom until you attain the highest half. Pull aside the reduce sides and test for worms or any bugs. Soak the brinjals that aren’t infested within the salted water.

3. In the meantime, measure out the next spices and set them apart:
- 2 tablespoons uncooked peanuts
- 2 tablespoons white sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon poppy seeds – skip if you happen to shouldn’t have
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 inch cinnamon stick
- 2 to three cloves
- 1 tej patta (Indian bay leaf)
- ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
- ½ teaspoon caraway seeds (shahi jeera)
- 1 black cardamom

Roast and Make Masala
4. Warmth a frying pan or skillet and hold the flame to a low. Add the entire above spices, nuts and seeds.
Stir and start to roast them until they turn into fragrant and light-weight brown.

5. When the spices turn into gentle brown, add 2 tablespoons of desiccated coconut to the identical pan.

6. Roast the spices with the coconut. A stunning aroma of roasted spices and coconut will fill your kitchen. Hold stirring continuous.

7. Roast until the coconut turns into gentle golden. Switch to a plate and let this combination cool.

8. As soon as the spices, nuts, seeds and coconut combination cools down, then add this combination to a grinder or a high-speed blender.

9. Additionally add the next elements (along with the roasted combination) to the grinder or the high-speed blender:
- ½ cup chopped onions
- 2 teaspoons chopped ginger or 1 inch ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon chopped garlic or 4 to five medium-sized garlic cloves
- 2 to three inexperienced chilies, chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves
- 1 tablespoon tightly packed seedless tamarind
Grind to a effective and easy paste with ½ to ⅔ cup water. Be certain that there aren’t any chunks of any of the elements within the masala paste.
Notice: In the event you choose your gravy be much less bitter, add solely ½ tablespoon tightly packed tamarind.

Prepare dinner Eggplant
10. In a pan warmth 2 tablespoons oil over medium warmth. When the oil is shimmering, add the quartered brinjals.

11. Subsequent add salt as required.

12. Sauté on a low warmth for 10 to 12 minutes stirring as wanted.

13. That is how the brinjal takes care of 12 minutes. They need to turn into tender. Use a knife or fork to test for doneness; the knife ought to slide simply by means of them.

14. Take away the cooked eggplant and put aside.

Make Bagara Baingan
15. In one other pan (or in the identical pan, if you wish to reduce down on dishes) warmth 2 tablespoons oil.

16. Decrease the warmth. Add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds and allow them to splutter.
At this level it’s also possible to add ½ teaspoon nigella seeds (kalonji) and 10 to 12 fenugreek seeds.

17. Now add the bottom coconut masala paste. Additionally add ¼ teaspoon turmeric, 1 teaspoon kashmiri crimson chilli powder or ½ teaspoon crimson chilli powder and eight to 9 curry leaves.
Notice that the including crimson chilli powder and curry leaves are non-obligatory.

19. Combine properly and start to sauté the masala paste on low to medium-low warmth.

20. That is how the masala paste takes care of sautéing for 10 minutes. As you possibly can see, it has thickened. The oil may also start to separate.

21. Sauté the paste stirring typically till the oil begins to launch from the edges of the masala. Sautéing the masala paste takes a few complete of 9 to 10 minutes.

22. Now add 1.5 cups water.

23. Stir and blend totally.

24. Add salt as required.

25. Add the cooked brinjals to the curry.

26. Stir and blend properly. Simmer for six to 7 minutes extra, or until the curry thickens.

27. It’s best to see some specks of oil floating on the highest.

28. Examine the style of eggplant curry and add extra salt if required. Add 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves. Combine properly.

29. Serve Bagara Baingan scorching with Roti, Paratha, Poori, rice, or, extra historically, with Hyderabadi Biryani.
You can even pair it with Jeera Rice or Veg Pulao or Ghee Rice.

FAQs
You might be welcome to skip the step of sautéing the eggplant individually, and as an alternative simmer it within the gravy. Nonetheless, please notice that the brinjals will want time to prepare dinner during, so you need to add extra water to the gravy if you happen to plan on cooking it this manner.
Add the brinjals to the gravy, cowl, and prepare dinner till knife-tender. You should definitely stir each 3 to 4 minutes to maintain the masala from sticking to the pan and burning.
Positive! Use the identical quantity of contemporary coconut, however notice that the flavour will likely be barely totally different.
Sadly, peanuts are a necessary piece of this recipe. In the event you should, you possibly can swap peanuts for uncooked cashews, however the taste will likely be totally different.
Completely. Merely cut back the quantity of tamarind used to about ½ tablespoon.
Extra Brinjal Recipes To Strive!
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Bagara Baingan (Eggplant Curry For Biryani)
Bagara Baingan is a flavorful, tasty curry made with small aubergines in a medley of coconut, peanuts, sesame seeds, tamarind and spices. This vegan and gluten-free eggplant dish is a specialty of Hyderabadi delicacies and is usually served with Biryani.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Prepare dinner Time 40 minutes
Whole Time 1 hr
Forestall your display screen from going darkish whereas making the recipe
Making masala paste
Warmth a frying pan or skillet or tawa and roast the next elements on low to medium-low warmth – peanuts, white sesame seeds, poppy seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cinnamon, cloves, tej patta, black peppercorns, caraway seeds and black cardamom.
When the spices turn into a lightweight brown and are aromatic, add desiccated coconut.
Combine and proceed to roast the spices with the coconut. A stunning aroma of the roasted spices and coconut will fill your kitchen.
Roast until the coconut will get gentle golden.
Switch to a plate and let the combination cool.
As soon as the spices + seeds + coconut combination cools, add it to a high-speed blender or grinder. Additionally add chopped onions, ginger, garlic, inexperienced chilies, coriander leaves and tamarind .
Grind to a effective and easy paste with ½ to ⅔ cups of water.
Cooking brinjal
Rinse the brinjals first a couple of occasions in water. Quarter them and soak them in salted water for 15 to twenty minutes.
Drain water after 15 to twenty minutes. In a pan warmth 2 tablespoons oil and add the chopped eggplants and 1 teaspoon salt. Sauté over low warmth for 8 to 10 minutes.
The brinjals ought to turn into fork tender. Set them apart.
Making bagara baingan
- In one other pan or in the identical pan warmth the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Add cumin seeds and allow them to splutter.At this step you possibly can choose so as to add ½ teaspoon nigella seeds (kalonji) and 10 to 12 fenugreek seeds.
Add the bottom masala paste. Additionally add turmeric powder, crimson chilli powder and curry leaves.
Combine totally and sauté the masala.
Saute the paste stirring typically for about 9 to 10 minutes or until the oil begins to launch from the edges.
Subsequent add 1.5 cups water. Combine totally to get a good consistency. Add salt as required and the cooked sautéed eggplants.
Simmer for six to 7 minutes or until the curry thickens and also you see oil floating on high.
Examine the style of the curry and add extra salt if wanted. Add coriander leaves and blend properly.
- Serve Bagara Baingan scorching with roti, phulka, paratha, poori or rice or biryani. This brinjal curry pairs very properly as a aspect dish with Biryani.
- Make certain to make use of smaller number of brinjals to make Bagara Baingan. You may simply use the small number of brinjals which has small thorns on the stem. Don’t make the recipe with giant sized eggplants.
- The nuts, seeds and coconut must be contemporary and never rancid.
- For a much less spicy style, cut back the variety of inexperienced chillies and omit including crimson chilli powder.
- To make a much less tangy curry, cut back the quantity of tamarind to ½ tablespoon. You would additionally choose to interchange tamarind with 2 medium-sized tomatoes. Notice that with tomatoes, the style will change.
Vitamin Info
Bagara Baingan (Eggplant Curry For Biryani)
Quantity Per Serving
Energy 218 Energy from Fats 153
% Day by day Worth*
Fats 17g26%
Saturated Fats 3g19%
Polyunsaturated Fats 2g
Monounsaturated Fats 11g
Sodium 380mg17%
Potassium 327mg9%
Carbohydrates 15g5%
Fiber 6g25%
Sugar 6g7%
Protein 4g8%
Vitamin A 50IU1%
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) 1mg67%
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 1mg59%
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 2mg10%
Vitamin B6 1mg50%
Vitamin C 7mg8%
Vitamin E 5mg33%
Vitamin Ok 5µg5%
Calcium 99mg10%
Vitamin B9 (Folate) 35µg9%
Iron 2mg11%
Magnesium 52mg13%
Phosphorus 95mg10%
Zinc 1mg7%
* % Day by day Values are based mostly on a 2000 calorie food regimen.
This Bagara Baingan recipe from the archives first printed in April 2011 has been republished and up to date on November 2022.