karadekoolaid
Head Chef
Last week I commented on an Indian eggplant/aubergine dish which is to die for! It´s called Baingan ka Salaan (Eggplant with a Sauce!) and is typical of the region around Hyderabad. This dish is HOT, so unless you´re a chile freak like me, you may want to cut down on the chile peppers.
It also looks like a very long, complicated recipe; it´s not. There are just a lot of ingredients, so the key to making it easy is mise en place - get everything ready before you start cooking.
2-3 medium eggplants, cut into wedges
4-5 tbsps oil
2-3 dry red chiles
2 tbsps sesame seeds
2 tbsps freshly grated coconut
3 tbsps unsalted peanuts
1/2 cup ( about 75 gms) onion, finely diced
1/2 tsp garlic, minced
1/2 tsp ginger, minced
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp fenugreek
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp hot red chile powder
A few curry leaves
1 tbsp tamarind paste
1 tbsp jaggery ( palm sugar - or use brown sugar)
Water
Salt to taste
Heat the oil in a frying pan/skillet and gently fry the eggplant wedges on all sides until they are nicely browned and cooked through. (You may need a bit more oil...). Remove from the pan and set aside.
In a dry pan, toast the chiles, sesame seeds, coconut and peanuts until they begin to change colour. Remove and grind to a paste. set aside.
In the same pan you used for the eggplants, fry the onion until it softens. Now add the garlic & ginger and cook for a minute or so, stirring frequently.
Next, add the mustard seeds and fenugreek and fry until the seeds pop - about 30 seconds. Add the coriander, cumin, turmeric, hot chile powder and curry leaves and stir once or twice.
Add a cup of water to the mixture and the coconut/peanut paste. Mix well together and bring to a boil. Cook for about 5 minutes , or until the sauce begins to thicken; add more water if necessary. Now add the tamarind and the sugar and mix well. Add salt! Taste the sauce : you should have a balance of sweet, sour, and hot.
Finally, place the eggplant wedges in the sauce and heat through.
It also looks like a very long, complicated recipe; it´s not. There are just a lot of ingredients, so the key to making it easy is mise en place - get everything ready before you start cooking.
2-3 medium eggplants, cut into wedges
4-5 tbsps oil
2-3 dry red chiles
2 tbsps sesame seeds
2 tbsps freshly grated coconut
3 tbsps unsalted peanuts
1/2 cup ( about 75 gms) onion, finely diced
1/2 tsp garlic, minced
1/2 tsp ginger, minced
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp fenugreek
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp hot red chile powder
A few curry leaves
1 tbsp tamarind paste
1 tbsp jaggery ( palm sugar - or use brown sugar)
Water
Salt to taste
Heat the oil in a frying pan/skillet and gently fry the eggplant wedges on all sides until they are nicely browned and cooked through. (You may need a bit more oil...). Remove from the pan and set aside.
In a dry pan, toast the chiles, sesame seeds, coconut and peanuts until they begin to change colour. Remove and grind to a paste. set aside.
In the same pan you used for the eggplants, fry the onion until it softens. Now add the garlic & ginger and cook for a minute or so, stirring frequently.
Next, add the mustard seeds and fenugreek and fry until the seeds pop - about 30 seconds. Add the coriander, cumin, turmeric, hot chile powder and curry leaves and stir once or twice.
Add a cup of water to the mixture and the coconut/peanut paste. Mix well together and bring to a boil. Cook for about 5 minutes , or until the sauce begins to thicken; add more water if necessary. Now add the tamarind and the sugar and mix well. Add salt! Taste the sauce : you should have a balance of sweet, sour, and hot.
Finally, place the eggplant wedges in the sauce and heat through.
