Spicy Eggplant ( Masala Baigan)

There are so many varieties of Eggplants ( Aubergine /Baigan ) available. The big variety of Aubergines / eggplants are great for roasting and making Bharta, or just a Bengali style salad ( Begoon Pora) with sliced onions, chopped green chilies , mustard oil, and salt. The small round variety of eggplants / aubergines / baigans are great to make Bharwa Baigan (Stuffed Eggplants) with.

To make the Spicy Baigan I like to use the long Eggplants, also known as the Japanese Eggplants, as these have fewer seeds and tastes better.

Spicy Baigan / Masala Baigan, is a tangy and spicy dish and goes very well with Rotis and Parathas.

How to cook

Gather all the ingredients. Wash and cut the eggplants. Heat the oil in a pan or wok or Kadaai. Add the Ingredients for tadka/ seasoning, stir till the Chillies brown slightly. Add the eggplants and stir a little. Add the rest of the dry spices again stir fry till the raw smell goes. Add water and cover and reduce the flame. When the Eggplants are cooked and soft, boil off the extra water, it should have a little gravy but not watery. Sprinkle some chopped Cilantro before serving.

ingredients

• Eggplant / Baigan /Begoon/Aubergine 350 gms
• Dried Mango powder / Amchoor 1 tsp ( You can use 2 teaspoons of lemon or lime juice instead of amchoor.)
• Turmeric powder / Haldi 1/4 tsp
• Chilli powder / Mirchi powder 1/2 tsp
• Salt /Namak 1/2 tsp
• Coriander powder / Dhania powder 1 tsp
• Cumin Powder / Jeera Powder 1 tsp
• Mustard oil, or any other Oil. 2 tablespoon
• Green chilies slit in the middle. 2
• Water 1/2 cup

For the Seasoning /Tarka

Asafetida / Hing 1/4 teaspoon

Cumin seeds?/ Jeera sabut 1/4 teaspoon

Red dry chilli/ Shukha Mirch 2 pieces

Prepping

• Wash and cut the Eggplant into 2inch pieces, keep aside
• Gather all the spices, keep the seasoning spices in 1 plate and the other spices on another plate.
• Chop some cilantro / Coriander leaves, about 1 tablespoon.
• slit 2 green chillies

Method

• Heat a pan or wok or kadai, add the oil and wait a bit
• Add the Hing, red chilli, and then the Jeera seeds,
• Once the Jeera seeds turn brownish, add the cut eggplant pieces and stir fry till the edges are a bit brown
• In a small bowl mix 1 tsp of Amchoor, 1/2 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1/4 tsp Haldi powder, 1 tsp Dhania powder, 1 tsp Jeera powder with some water. Keep the rest of the water for later.
• Once the eggplant pieces are slightly brown add the spices paste to the wok and stir well
• When the raw small of the spices go away add the remaining water to the pan stir, and cover with a lid, lower the flame.
• Let the eggplants simmer till they are soft and cooked.
• The water will dry, need a little gravy but not much.
• Take it off the flame and transfer the eggplant to a serving dish and garnish with chopped cilantro before serving.