Baghare Baingan – Eggplant Curry With Coconut & Peanuts
Oct 07, 2014, Updated Jan 02, 2018
Baby eggplants cooked in a peanut-coconut curry. [Vegan]
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Baghare Baingan, let me first explain you the literal meaning of these terms. “Baghar” means tempering or tadka and baingan is eggplant so if you combine the two terms this recipe would be of tempered eggplants. I mention the word temper/tadka often in my Indian recipes, so what actually is tempering? In Indian cooking tempering or tadka is the process of heating oil and adding spices and other flavorings to it and then transferring that oil to your dish.
This eggplant recipe has it’s origin from the city of Hyderabad in India and is also popular in Pakistan. Baby eggplants are deep fried and then cooked with a paste made from fresh coconut, peanuts and sesame seeds. Isn’t that a wonderful combination? The fact that it is Vegan is a bonus!
Even though eggplants are deep fried for baghare baingan, I shallow fried them in 2 tablespoons of oil. Looking at the amount of sweets/desserts I make people might find it hard to believe that I actually also care about calories! Hey I do that’s why I shallow fried my eggplants 😛 But no seriously, I am addicted to fitness as well, maybe not as much as baking but I love it nonetheless and while I love my desserts I try to keep my everyday food as healthy as possible.
Coming to this recipe, I have been wanting to make these for so long! The last time I got baby eggplants, I made this > Borani Banjan, which by the way is one of my favorite ways to eat eggplant. If you love eggplants, you must try this amazing Afghan recipe! Anyway this time when I got these eggplants from the grocery store, I was very sure that I was going to make Baghare Baingan and I’m so glad I did because they turned out wonderful.
There is a lot going on here in terms of spices but don’t be intimidated by the long list. The most important part of this recipe is to roast peanuts, sesame seeds, coconut and poppy seeds and then grind it to a fine paste. You need to roast till you start getting a nice aroma, around 4-5 minutes on medium heat. While grinding do not add a lot of water, add 1/2 tablespoon at first and add more only if required to grind it all together. When you add this paste to the curry, look on medium heat for 4-5 minutes till it’s well cooked. Like with any curry, you get the best taste only when you cook slowly on medium-low heat.
Little sugar and some tamarind pulp is added to give the curry a sweet-tangy flavor. Peanuts, sesame seeds give it a nutty flavor and make this one appetizing recipe! This is one amazing way to eat eggplants and even those who dislike eggplants otherwise would like this.
Method
Wash and pat dry all the eggplants.
Take 1 eggplant and make one slit horizontally and one vertically, but be careful not to cut through the entire length. We don’t want to cut the eggplants into pieces, it should remain attached with the stalk.
Repeat the same with all the eggplants.
In a pan heat 2 tablespoons of oil on medium heat.
Add the eggplants and cook on medium heat. Traditionally eggplants are deep fried in this recipe so you can go ahead and add a whole lot of oil and deep fry them if you want to.
Cook till eggplants are little soft, around 10-12 minutes. You don’t want them to be too soft. Remove the eggplants from pan and place on a kitchen towel.
In a pan dry roast coconut, peanuts, sesame seeds and poppy seeds (khus khus). Roast for 5-6 minutes till you get a nice aroma.
Transfer the roasted mix to a blender.
Add little water and blend it to a fine paste. I added around 2-3 tablespoons of water. Set aside.
In the same pan in which you had fried the eggplant, add 1 tablespoon of oil on medium heat. Once the oil is hot add mustard seeds and let them crackle. Then add onion seeds (kalonji) and fennel seeds (saunf). Saute till they sizzle.
Add chopped green chilli and curry leaves and mix.
Add chopped onions and cook till they are translucent. Then add ginger-garlic paste and cook till the raw smell goes away, around 2-3 minutes.
Once the ginger-garlic is cooked, add the dry spices – cumin powder, coriander powder and red chilli powder. Also add the salt.
Add around 1/2 of water and cook the spices for 2-3 minutes. The water is added to make sure the spices don’t burn.
Add the coconut-peanut paste that we had earlier made to the pan.
Add turmeric powder and paprika powder and cook the paste for 5-6 minutes on medium-low flame. You can add little water again if you think the paste will get burnt.
Add the fried eggplants to the masala and mix.
Now add 2 cups of water, this might look like a lot of water but the curry will eventually be quite thick.
Cover and cook on medium-low flame for 15-20 minutes. Stir 2-3 times in between.
Open the pan and add garam masala, tamarind pulp, sugar and mix.
Switch off the flame and add some fresh coriander leaves to the curry.
Serve hot with any Indian bread.
* Use fresh coconut for best taste and results. I didn’t have access to fresh coconut and hence had to use whatever was available.
Baghare Baingan
Ingredients
- 6 baby eggplants
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 1 onion small, chopped fine
- 1.25 teaspoons ginger-garlic paste
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ¼ teaspoon onion seeds [kalonji]
- ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
- 5-6 curry leaves
- 2 green chili chopped
- ¼ teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika powder
- ¼ teaspoon red chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon tamarind pulp
- water
- salt to taste
- coriander leaves to garnish
To be roasted and grind to a fine paste
- 4 tablespoons peanuts
- 3 tablespoons coconut [use fresh for best result]
- 2 teaspoons sesame seeds [till]
- 1 teaspoon poppy seeds [khus khus]
Instructions
Make the paste
- In a pan dry roast coconut, peanuts, sesame seeds and poppy seeds (khus khus).
- Roast for 5-6 minutes till you get a nice aroma and then transfer to a blender.
- Add little water [if required] and blend it to a fine paste. Set aside.
Curry
- In a pan heat 2 tablespoons of oil on medium heat.
- Add the eggplants and cook on medium heat till eggplants are little soft, around 10-12 minutes. Remember you don't want them to be too soft.
- Remove the eggplants from pan and place on a kitchen towel.
- In the same pan add 1 tablespoon of oil on medium heat. Once the oil is hot add mustard seeds and let them crackle. Then add onion seeds and fennel seeds.
- Add chopped green chilli and curry leaves and mix.
- Add chopped onions and cook till they are translucent. Then add ginger-garlic paste and cook till the raw smell goes away, around 2-3 minutes.
- Once the ginger-garlic is cooked, add the dry spices - cumin powder, coriander powder and red chilli powder. Also add the salt and mix.
- Cook the spices for 2-3 minutes, add around 1/2 cup of water to make sure spices don't burn.
- Now add the coconut-peanut paste to the pan.
- Add turmeric powder and paprika powder and cook the paste for 5-6 minutes on medium-low flame.
- Add the fried eggplants to the masala and mix.
- Now add 2 cups of water, cover and cook the curry on medium-low flame for 15-20 minutes.
- Add garam masala, tamarind pulp, sugar and mix.
- Switch off the flame, add some fresh coriander leaves and serve immediately.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi can I use cashew nuts instead of peanuts?
for the authentic taste I wouldn’t recommend it since peanuts are an essential ingredient in this recipe
Hi Manali, I’m an American vegetarian who loves theItalian version of eggplant (typical Ferenzi- ‘If it’s large, it’s GOOD’ HAha) but i know I’d like these delicate tasting ‘small’ eggplants too– if I could just get to my Indian grocer before their suply runs out! Anyway, I just wanted to know: if I used the Italian eggplant for this recipe, and just cut it into similar size pieces though I understand the basic taste would be different, do you think the flavor profile would stay just as delicious? I’m already salivating over the amazing-sounding masala above, and just cannot wait to try this, even if it’ll be not as delicate textured as your recipe with the Desi beggplant! I’ll let you know how it goes.
yes you can definitely try with Italian eggplant, let me know how it turns out!
Help, when I made this it didn’t seem to thicken up. I used 2 cups of water as directed.
hmm I don’t know why that happened, the peanut and coconut paste will thicken it up.
I have followed you recipe a couple of times and it is a hit in my family. I just cut the egg plants into quarters and cook in the same masala.
I tried this, absolutely delicious. There are great layers of flavour with this recipe. I didn’t have fresh coconut so added 200ml of coconut milk at the end, which worked out wonderfully.
I tried your recipe. I ended up making it a bit more saucy. Super delicious.
A wonderful dish!
I had never cooked with eggplants until I started following your recipes, now they’re always in my fridge.
Thanks for sharing these wonderful recipes 🙂
glad to know! 🙂
Hi, I am going to make this recipe as it looks and sounds amazing but I would just like clarification with one ingredient – you refer to onion seeds as kalonji whereas I’ve only heard of Nigella seeds as kalonji
If I get kalonji at my local Ingham grocers I will be buying nigella seeds, is this what I jut ordered I should specifically look for onion seeds?
Your reply will be greatly appreciated
nigella seed is fine
I just made this tonight, it was absolutely incredible! It has such a beautiful, complex flavor profile and the spice level is perfect with the 2 green chilis! Thanks for such a great recipe 🙂
welcome 🙂
There are whole red chillies in the photo but you have not included them in the recipe, when do you add the whole red chillies?
It is just for the photo, not used in the recipe
Such a fantastic recipe, thank you. I tripled the recipe to make a big batch for visitors and it came out perfectly, everyone loved it.
glad to know 🙂
Hi Manali, I tried your recipe today and we just loved it ❤ The flavours are so harmonious!! I just used regular sized aubergines cut up in pieces and instead of frying them apart I just sautéed them after the onions turned translucent. So that’s even lesser oil ? I think it’s the first time I made a Hyderabadi dish.
Glad it worked even with less oil, yay! 🙂
धन्यवाद! This recipe looks fantastic. The little brinjal is so delicious looking I can never pass them up when they are in season. I always look for some new way to cook. Baingan ki bharta is very good, but it cannot be eaten every time!!! I cannot wait to purchase the खसखस and try this recipe…
Welcome..hope you enjoy it!
Hi…can I try this without tamarind? Have some allergic members in home.
You may..but then add something else for sourness..like lime juice or amchur (dried mango powder)
My cooking abilities are mediocre at best. My family loves this with biryani and I have made it a few times. Comes out great even if you don’t have kalonji or poppyseeds which I usually don’t.
yay! it’s perfect with biryani 🙂
This recipe is fantastic. The second time I made it, I had to sub cashews for peanuts, and tahini for sesame seeds. I also had no poppy seeds or kalonji. But it definitely retained its special and unique mix of flavors. Thanks for this wonderful recipe!
Welcome Marina, I am glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
I followed your recipe and the dish turned out delicious! Thanks for sharing it 🙂
Glad to know Rangoli! 🙂
I order this at a local Indian restaurant. It is my favorite go to dish. I am so excited to have found the recipe.
This combines some of my favorite things: eggplant, coconut, peanuts, and of course curry! This may be a silly question, but when you eat this, do you need to take out the skin of the eggplant? I always take off the skin when I cook eggplant, but I have also never used these baby eggplants!
Hi Cara, no question is silly 🙂 We do not take out the skin off the eggplant in this recipe but sometimes we do like in this baingan bharta https://www.cookwithmanali.com/baingan-bharta/ So it depends! But if you are not comfortable with eating the skin, cook the eggplant as given in the recipe and then remove the skin before eating, it should be okay. I hope that helps! Btw if you love eggplant, you should give this dish a try https://www.cookwithmanali.com/borani-banjan-afghan-eggplant-yogurt-sauce/ it’s one of my personal favorites!
Thanks for such a fast reply! Baingan bharta is one of my favorite dishes, and I saw this as a related dish on your website and knew I had to give it a try. I will try the borani banjan as soon as I can, as well!
you are welcome Cara! Happy cooking!
Thank you Ceara! I hope you give this curry a try, it’s one of my favorites!
Thanks Karishma! Yes it does take some time but like you said it’s worth it! 🙂
Thanks Jen! 🙂
You can find these baby eggplants in Indian grocery stores Mira 🙂
Thanks Thalia, glad you liked it!
Thanks Ami, I love bharwan baingan 🙂
I have eggplants!!! Yay! I picked up some of those little eggplants at the farmers market because they were so cute and now I’m super excited I did! Pinned!
Thanks for pinning Lindsey! Can’t wait to see what you do with your baby eggplants, they are really cute!
That eggplant dish sounds delicious! Beautiful photos 🙂
Thanks Ashley!
Thanks Dannii 🙂
Thanks Angie! We get them here in the Indian grocery stores!
The flavors in this sound amazing! I love eggplant!
Thanks Natalie!