This Brinjal Curry(bagara baingan) is popular from Hyderabadi region of India. This curry is incidentally vegan, healthy and made with everyday ingredients! Outrageously delicious when served with flatbread or rice.
Traditional Indian Brinjal Curry Recipe-
Bagara baingan is an authentic Hyderabadi dish that is robust in flavors but very easy to make. . It is usually served as a side dish for biryani. But it also goes perfect with rotis too.
This Indian brinjal curry as we call it is another addition to my curry collection! If you are a curry lover, you’ll appreciate the variety of curry popular in India.
I often get asked my few non-Indian friends, “aren’t all your curries the same? Do they all taste the same? Do they all have the same masala base?”
Well the answer to that is YES and NO.
Yes cause most or some of the curries have the same basic masala base, like the onion, tomato, ginger garlic paste with red chili powder and coriander powder.
That’s the basic curry masala base. But not all curries start and stop there. We make the base, add few more flavor packed spices, coconut milk, some has ground coconut chilies base, and there are some curries which has no onion, garlic at all in the masala.
Go figure if all Indian curries are the same!
Ingredients Needed
For Masala
- 2 tablespoon peanuts
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
- 6 dried red chilies (adjust the number of dried red chilies depending on how spicy it is)
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 3 tablespoon fresh grated coconut
For Curry
- 0.5 lb brinjal (250 grams, small purple brinjal)
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 1 inch ginger, minced fine
- 5 cloves garlic, minced fine
- 3 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 2 teaspoon tamarind paste
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- Salt to taste
How To Make Bagara Baingan (Brinjal Curry)?
The base of the curry is very different in this recipe. It has fresh grated coconut, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried red chilies and coriander seeds all ground together for masala base.
Sounds interesting?
Well it is an interesting curry. No false promises, but this curry makes you cheerful and it’s uber tasty. It happens vegan too!
And if you thought making curry is difficult to make, you should try this recipe. Just follow the instructions to T and you will be amazed how delicious this curry turns out to be.
I’m an eggplant convert, from a hater to lover!!! Now I love eggplant in any and all forms!!
How about you??
Even if you are a person who hates brinjals, you must try this Andhra style Indian eggplant curry. Chances are that you might develop a liking towards brinjals(aubergines).
Do I hear you say you love brinjal? (note- in countries like India eggplant is called brinjal).
This unique flavored Hyderabadi style Indian brinjal curry with poppy seed masala in it is a must try recipe.
Serve it with gluten-free jowar rotti (flatbread), bliss!
You must try these recipes as well.
OTHER INDIAN CURRY RECIPES YOU WOULD LOVE –
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Brinjal Curry (Bagara Baingan)
Ingredients
For Masala
- 2 tablespoon peanuts
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
- 6 dried red chilies adjust the number of dried red chilies depending on how spicy it is
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 3 tablespoon fresh grated coconut
For Curry
- 0.5 lb brinjal 250 grams, small purple brinjal
- 1 cup onion chopped
- 1 inch ginger minced fine
- 5 cloves garlic minced fine
- 3 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 2 teaspoon tamarind paste
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- Salt to taste
Instructions
Dry Roasting For Masala –
- Start roasting ingredients that takes longer time to roast. On low flame roast peanuts, dried red chilies, and coriander seeds first, until you can smell nice aroma from the spices.
- Add sesame seeds, poppy seeds, fresh grated coconut and roast for 2 to 3 minutes on low flame. You should be able to smell coconut roasting, but don’t brown the coconut.
- Remove from heat and allow it to cool.
- Grind into thick paste with just ½ teaspoon to 1 teaspoon water to help grind the masala. Do not add too much water and make the masala thin. It HAS to be thick paste.
For Curry-
- Wash brinjal and pat dry it in kitchen towel. Remove green part of the stem. Partially slit brinjal into 8 sections in the middle keeping them intact together at the stem.
- Heat oil in a wide pan.
- Fry brinjal in oil until the outer skin begin to wilt. Brinjal should be almost cooked. Drain it off from oil and set aside.
- In the same pan (add more oil if brinjal suck up all the oil) crackle mustard seeds and cumin seeds.
- Add onions and saute until translucent. Add curry leaves and kosher salt. Mix.
- Fry minced ginger garlic in the pan for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the masala paste along with red chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Pour ¼ cup water and bring it to boil.
- Add tamarind paste and stir.
- Once gravy starts to boil, add in fried brinjal. Let it cook for 3 to 5 minutes on medium flame until combined. If gravy is too thick add extra water accordingly to adjust the consistency of the curry.
- Brinjal will be wilted completely once fully cooked.
- Remove from heat. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with pulao, biryani, roti.
Notes
- Please adjust spice powder as per taste preference.
- Small baby brinjal works best for this dish.
- Poppy seeds is the main ingredient in this curry. There is no substitute for that.
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