Masala Baingan (Eggplant)

I have never been too fond of Brinjals - eggplant if that is how you know it. Not that I dislike it, but yes its not one of my favourite vegetables. But yes when its made nicely there is no skipping relishing it. 

In India people know this as Brinjal in English and Baingan in Hindi. Globally it is more commonly known as Eggplant. To add a joke to this Eggplant - Brinjal thing, here is an episode from my life, from long back probably when I was in junior college. I had ordered some Eggplant dish in one of posh Chinese restaurants in India. I was happily waiting for it thinking it to be some nice dish made out of EGGS!!! But after it was served  and when I tasted it, it was nothing like the egg I was used to eating :(

Till then I had not asked anyone (the server or my companions), but now after eating it and being confused as if something wrong was served to me, I finally asked and got the clarification that Eggplant is nothing but our very own Baingan and of course not eggs!!

And yes since then I know what an Eggplant is :):)

Other that the most popular Brinjal dish 'Baingan bharta' I also like the curry I have eaten so many times where tiny Brinjals are dipped in thick red gravy. It is a rich and spicy dish and I believe it is primarily a North Indian dish.

These tiny vegetables are available in the market almost almost annually. And here too in USA, the Indian grocery stores have plentiful of them all the time. So yesterday I picked up little less than a pound of them, about 10 pieces. I made a plan to make that gorgeous red curry with tiny Brinjlas floating in it. I had somewhat an idea how I would make it, and it came out really well. Just exactly how I wanted it - the colour, the gravy, the taste!! This was one successful project.

What I used :

(Serves 5)

• Brinjal (small ones) - 10 pieces (about 1 lb)

• Onion - 1 large

• Tomato - 1 large

• Ginger garlic paste - 4 Tbsp

• Coriander powder - 2 tsp

• Cumin powder - 1 tsp

• Aamchoor powder - 1 tsp

• Chat masala powder - 1 tsp

• Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

• Red chilly powder - 2 rsp

• Oil - 4 Tbsp, and also fro deep frying

• Salt - to taste

• Water - about 1/2 cup

How I made it :

• Make sure you pick small brinjals, and the ones with their stem tips on (green cap and a little twig).

• Carefully just try and remove the ugly / bad parts off from the stem tip (teh flowery portion and the tip) - check picture below to see what I have done.

• Wash the brinjals and pat them dry. Make a cut in each of them length - almost to the stem tip end, making sure not to cut them fully.

• Heat oil in a deep kadhai (pan) as we will deep fry the brinjals now.

• Once the oil is heated up, put the brinjals into it and fry them on high heat for about 2 minutes. Since these are tiny vegetables and oil is very hot, in about 2 minutes they should be done. We don't want them overly cooked. Take them out now and keep aside.

• Chop the large onion into tiny pieces - I used a food processor.

• Heat about 3-4 Tbsp of oil in a kadhai. Or you can use the same kadhai we just used for frying, after you take the oil out in a separate container.

• Fry the super-finely chopped onions till they are golden brownish.

 

• Add the ginger garlic paste now. Keep it on medium heat and let the ginger garlic lose their pungent smell.

• Now add the masalas / powders - coriander, cumin, turmeric, chilly, aamchoor and chat masala.

• Mix well and give it about 2 minutes on the gas.

• Put in the tomato purée now.

•  Add little water (about 1/4th cup) to this now. The gravy is completely ready now to take in the brinjals.

• So put the brinjals into the kadhai and lightly try to dip them in the gravy.

• Keep it covered. Don't mix, just lightly try to turn the brinjals upside down after about 3-4 minutes of simmering.

• Let them simmer in the gravy for about a total of 5-7 minutes, keeping the heat at medium.

• Remember that the brinjals are already almost cooked (when we fried them), now all we need is the gravy and flavours to seep into them.

• If you think the gravy is very dry just add the remaining water. This curry as such is not meant to have a thin gravy.

Once it is ready, savour it with steaming plain white rice!!