Sookhe bharwan baingan is a delicious side dish of spice-stuffed baby eggplants. It uses few ingredients – no onion, garlic or tomatoes – and can be put together easily with basic Indian spices.
Eggplant
Dhansak: Parsi Dal and Vegetable Medley
Dhansak – in which legumes, vegetables and aromatic spices come together in a celebration of Persian and Gujarati flavors. The name tells us as much: “dhansak” comes from dhan (Persian for “seed” – legumes) and sak (Gujarati “shaak” – vegetables).
This recipe is a meatless take on the dhansak template, with plenty of vegetables and a freshly prepared dhansak masala.
Baingan Mooli Patta Sabzi: Eggplant Radish Leaves Curry
The onset of winter brings with it fresh white radish (mooli) topped with lush green leaves. Here’s a curry that puts those radish greens to excellent use: baingan mooli patta sabzi.
Baingan Masala: Baby Eggplant Curry
Baingan masala – an easy and delicious curry to make with baby eggplant. Unlike the more intricate recipes that involve stuffing the eggplant or dry-roasting the spices, this baingan masala recipe is beginner-friendly and relies on accessible ingredients. Try it!
Spicy Long Green Eggplant and Onion Sabzi
In this green eggplant (brinjal/baingan) and onion sabzi, the long and slender green eggplant is combined with the heat of green chilies, the earthiness of coriander and the sweetness of browned onions.
Baingan Bharta: Smoky Eggplant Mash
For a really good baingan bharta, getting the eggplant perfectly roasted is half the battle won. And for a perfectly roasted eggplant, the ingredients you need most are patience and balance – patience in cooking the eggplant on a low, open flame through till the core, balancing the heat all around without charring, leaving no spot raw or burnt.
The proportion of other ingredients and spices, the duration of post-roasting sautéing, can vary, but if the heart of the dish – the mashed eggplant – is nicely done, baingan bharta turns out delicious.
With that thought, on to my baingan bharta recipe in all its smoky splendor…
Spice-Lined Long Green Eggplant Curry
When you have really fresh long green eggplant on hand, capitalize on the goodness of its insides. Cook it in a way that retains its juices. Ditch chopping and cubing, go for slitting and spicing. This recipe of spice-lined long green eggplant curry shows how.