I have used in this recipe the “varikatri” brinjal which is in season locally – this has a pretty purple-and-white striped skin and a mild tasting fleshy interior.

I tried looking for its English name – couldn’t find an authoritative translation but from its appearance, I guess it is the fairy tale eggplant. Can my learned readers confirm?

You Need:

• Baby eggplant – 300 grams (6-7 pieces)
• Coriander powder – 2 teaspoons
• Cumin powder – 1 teaspoon
• Red chili powder – 1 teaspoon
• Amchoor powder – 1/3 teaspoon
• Turmeric powder – 1/3 teaspoon
• Salt – to taste
• Salt – 1/3 teaspoon
• Peanut oil – 1 tablespoon

How To Make Sookhe Bharwan Baingan:

1. Quarter and soak

Slice each eggplant into quarters, without cutting all the way through – let the joint at the head remain intact.

Keep a bowlful of salted water nearby. As soon as you slice each eggplant, drop it into the salted water. This is to prevent the browning of eggplant on being cut.

Let the quartered eggplant stand in salted water for 20 minutes.

Drain and wash.

3. Spice and stuff

In an dry bowl, measure out the spices: coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder, red chili powder, amchoor powder.

Add salt to taste to the spice powders. Stir and mix.

Pat the eggplant with a kitchen towel to dry out excess moisture. We are now ready to stuff the eggplant.

Pry each eggplant slit open and stuff in some of the spice powder – fit the powder near the head of the eggplant and clamp the open ends shut. Remember to divide the spice powder evenly across all the eggplants – don’t overstuff to start with and then have nothing for the last ones!

3. Cook

Take a flat non-stick pan, just large enough to hold all the stuffed eggplants in a single file – a pan with 8-9 inch diameter works best for 7 small eggplants.

Heat the pan on medium heat. Pour half a tablespoon of oil into the pan, give it a swirl to coat the base evenly and place the eggplants in the pan close to the source of heat.

Cook the eggplants covered and undisturbed for five minutes.

Shake the covered pan gently to move eggplants around. When you start hearing crackling sounds (~2-3 minutes), uncover and turn the eggplants over using a wooden spatula or tongs.

From this point on, uncover every 2-3 minutes to check for doneness. Keep moving the positions of the eggplants to roast them from all sides evenly. Drizzle a few drops of oil whenever some part looks dry.

When all sides are roasted well, switch off the heat. Let the eggplant stand for another ten minutes, covered.

Sookhe bharwan baingan (dry spice-stuffed eggplant) is ready.

Serve on the side with an Indian meal of rice/chapatis, curries/dal, raita.

Meal below: sookhe bharwan baingan with coconut rice, vegetable red lentil soup, pineapple raita.

Notes:

Looking for more stuffed vegetable dishes? You must try:

The post Sookhe Bharwan Baingan: Dry Spice Stuffed Eggplant appeared first on The Steaming Pot.

This recipe is a meatless take on the dhansak template, with plenty of vegetables and a freshly prepared dhansak masala.

Before I made my own, I had only had dhansak in Parsi restaurants. The dish was consistently delicious (standouts: Soda Bottle Openerwala and the now-closed Daddy’s Deli Bangalore) – but no two offerings tasted alike. So in my first attempt at preparing dhansak, I searched earnestly for a solid recipe. Youtube videos, blogs, old books. The challenge compounded. I found as many variations as the number of recipes. There were pretty wide differences in

With a few trials and adaptations, based partially on what I usually have in stock (sorry, patthar ke phool), I have finally settled for the recipe as I lay out below.

Note: I am fairly flexible about the dals as well as the vegetables that go into dhansak – whatever is in season or in my pantry is fair game. The main consideration is that the quantity totals should tally. For example, if the only dal I have on hand is toor, I would put in enough of it so that the overall quantity of dals remains the same. If I skip the potato or eggplant, I would add more pumpkin or chayote. If going beyond the listed ingredients, I would pick substitutes from a similar flavor profile – for example, masoor would be swapped with yellow moong, not rajma; pumpkin with butternut squash, not capsicum.

Some of the links below are amazon.com affiliate links. The Steaming Pot will earn a small commission if you buy via the links, at no additional cost to you.

You Need:

[For 4-6 people]

To boil together:

• Toor dal – 3/4 cup [buy here]
• Masoor dal – 1/4 cup [buy here]
• Chana dal – 1/4 cup [buy here]
• Pumpkin – 2 cups, cubed
• Bottle gourd or chayote (chow chow) – 1/2 cup, cubed
• Eggplant – 1/2 cup, cubed
• Potato – 1/2 cup, cubed
• Tomatoes – 1 cup, cubed
• Turmeric powder – 1 teaspoon [buy here]
• Bay leaves – 2

For the dry dhansak masala powder:

• Coriander seeds – 1 tablespoon
• Cumin seeds – 1 teaspoon [buy here]
• Fenugreek seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
• Peppercorns – 8
• Dry red chilies – 1 or 2
• Cinnamon stick – 1-inch stick [buy here]
• Cloves – 2 [buy here]

For the tempering:

• Salt – to taste
• Tamarind – coin-sized ball
• Tomatoes – 1
• Onions – 2 medium
• Green chili – 1 (optional)
• Garlic – 8 small cloves / 3 big cloves
• Ginger – 1-inch stick
• Cinnamon stick – 1 small
• Ghee – 2 tablespoons

Garnishing:

Kasoori methi, coriander leaves

How To Make Vegetarian Dhansak:

1. Boil the dal and veggies

Wash the dals (toor + masoor + chana) together in several changes of water till the water runs clear. Soak the dals in three cups of water for 30 minutes.

While the dals soak, chop the veggies (pumpkin + eggplant + potatoes (peeled) + chow chow / bottle gourd + tomatoes) into bite-sized chunks.

Tip: Place the eggplant and potatoes in salted water till ready to use, to prevent discoloration.

Drain the soaking dals and place them in a pressure cooker, along with all the chopped vegetables. Pour in three cups of water. Add a teaspoon of turmeric powder and a couple of bay leaves.

Give it all a stir. Lock the lid of the pressure cooker and boil till the dals and vegetables have softened to mashable consistency. In an Indian-style cooker, this takes boiling on high heat till the first whistle, and then further simmering on low heat till the cooker lets out two more whistles.

Let the cooker stand till it has let out its steam naturally. Unlock the lid.

Blend the dals to the consistency you like: use a whisk for coarse texture, a blender for fine texture. Or, do what I do: blend a fourth of the boiled dal and veggies in a blender and mash the rest using the back of a ladle.

2. Make the dry dhansak powder

Dry roast these whole spices on low heat, one by one, in a thick-bottomed pan or tava: a tablespoon of coriander seeds, a teaspoon of cumin seeds, half a teaspoon each of fenugreek and mustard seeds, a few pepper corns, a dry red chili or two, a small cinnamon stick and two cloves.

Let the spices cool.

Dry grind them in a spice grinder.

Dhansak masala powder is ready. Keep aside till it’s time to use.

3. Make the tempering

Soak a coin-sized ball of tamarind in half a cup of hot water. After twenty minutes, mash the tamarind into the water, discard the roughage and seeds if any.

Grind together an inch stick of ginger, garlic cloves and half an onion.

Slice the remaining onion finely.

Heat two tablespoons of ghee in a thick-bottomed pan. When the ghee is hot, set the heat to medium and slide in the sliced onions along with a cinnamon stick.

Fry the onions for five minutes.

Then add to the pan the ginger-garlic-onion paste.

Stir continuously while the onion paste browns and becomes fragrant.

Add a tomato, either chopped or pureed, and a slit green chili if using.

Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring things around, or till the tomato turned a deeper hue.

Now is the time to put in our freshly made dhansak masala powder.

Give a final stir take the pan off the heat.

4. Put it all together

Mix together the boiled dal and vegetables (step 1) with the tempering (step 3).

Pour tamarind water into the dhansak.

Tip: If the tempering is stuck to the pan it was prepared in, use tamarind water to deglaze that pan first and then pour that into the dhansak.

Bring to a boil. Add water to thin it out if you like, and adjust salt.

Dhansak is ready.

Serve dhansak hot, garnished with fresh coriander leaves / kasoori methi.

Dhansak is typically paired with Parsi brown rice and kachumber salad.

Meal below (clockwise from left): berry pulao, aloo stir-fry, kachumber salad, dhansak, grape chutney.

Notes:

Like the idea of vegetables and dal boiled together? Then you will also enjoy poi saag toor dal, mooli sambar, pumpkin masoor dal with chili garlic relish.

The post Dhansak: Parsi Dal and Vegetable Medley appeared first on The Steaming Pot.

Radish leaves have a sharp, peppery taste that’s balanced out by mildness of eggplant and the sweet-tartness of tomatoes. Here’s how to make baingan mooli patta sabzi (eggplant radish leaves curry).

You Need:

• Fat purple eggplant – 1
• Tomato – 1
• Radish leaves – 2 cups, chopped
• Radish – 1 small (~15 thin slices)
• Salt – to taste
• Red chili powder – 1/2 teaspoon
• Pepper powder – 1/2 teaspoon
• Cumin powder – 1/2 teaspoon
• Coriander powder – 1/2 teaspoon
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 teaspoon
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
• Fenugreek seeds – 1/4 teaspoon
• Asafoetida powder – a pinch
• Mustard oil – 2 tablespoons

How To Make Baingan Mooli Patta Sabzi:

1. Prep the veggies

Chop the eggplant into large (~3cm) chunks.

Wash, scrape and slice the radish into thin disks.

Wash and chop radish leaves roughly.

Chop tomatoes.

2. Cook

Heat two tablespoons of mustard oil in a kadhai or thick-bottomed pan.

When the oil is hot, add to it mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and asafoetida powder.

After the seeds have spluttered, follow with radish slices.

Let the radish sizzle in the oil for a minute.

Add chopped radish greens and tomatoes.

Mix and cook for a minute.

Tip the chopped eggplant into the pan. Mix.

Add the spice powders: turmeric, cumin, coriander, red chili and pepper. Sprinkle salt to taste.

Stir around to get the spices to coat the vegetables. Add half a cup of water.

Cover the pan and cook on medium heat till the water dries up and the vegetables are cooked. Stir once in between. This would take around 10 minutes in all.

Eggplant radish leaves curry is ready.

Serve hot with chapatis/rice and dal.

Meal below: rice, masoor dal, baingan mooli patta sabzi, pickle.

Notes:

Want more eggplant recipes? Check out baingan ka bhaja, green eggplant with onions and chilies, eggplant ginger chutney.

Also try out other winter vegetable recipes: khad ki sabzi, bathua ka raita, aloo methi.

The post Baingan Mooli Patta Sabzi: Eggplant Radish Leaves Curry appeared first on The Steaming Pot.

I have used here the graffiti eggplant, which is purple with pale stripes – more specifically called Purple Rain. You could use the all-purple baby eggplant too. Just pick a variety that’s low on seeds.

You Need:

• Baby eggplant* – 6
• Onions – 2
• Tomatoes – 2
• Turmeric powder – 1/2 teaspoon
• Salt – to taste
• Ginger – 1 inch piece
• Garlic – 4 small cloves
• Pepper corns – 6-8
• Dry red chilies – 4
• Bay leaf – 1 (skip if you don’t have it)
• Cloves – 3
• Cardamom – 2
• Cinnamon stick – 1/2 inch
• Cumin seeds – 1 teaspoon
• Oil – 2 tablespoons

*Pick even-sized eggplant with smooth skin.

How To Make Baingan Masala:

1. Prep the eggplant

Chop off the stalk from each eggplant.

Make cuts into each eggplant, starting from the head towards the tip but not all the way through. For small eggplant, make two perpendicular cuts to form quarters. For larger ones, make three or four equidistant cuts to form sectors.

Follow the soaking steps to prevent discoloration of the cut eggplant.

In a wide, flat thick-bottomed pan, spread a tablespoon of oil and heat. Place the eggplants, slit-side down, into the hot oil. Arrange them so that the comparitively larger ones are towards the center of the heat.

Cook on medium-low heat, covered, till the side facing down is golden-brown.

Turn sideways, and let the sides cook all around.

Keep turning and cooking till evenly done.

This will take around 15 minutes in all.

While the eggplant cooks, you can go on to steps 2 and 3 for the curry.

2. Make the spice paste

In a grinder, place the bay leaf, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon stick, dry red chilies, pepper corns, ginger, garlic and a chopped onion.

Grind to paste. Add a few teaspoons of water while grinding, only if you must.

3. Make the curry

Slice an onion finely.

In another pan or skillet, heat a tablespoon of oil. Set heat to medium and add the sliced onions to the hot oil.

Sauté the onions, stirring periodically, till they are golden (around 7-8 minutes).

Add the ground spice paste to the pan.

Mix well, and continue to cook till the spice paste turns a deep brown.

Puree the tomatoes.

Add the pureed tomatoes to the cooking spices.

Mix well. Add turmeric powder.

Continue to cook till the onions and tomatoes have browned well and taken on a paste-like consistency.

Add two cups of water and salt to taste. Bring to a boil.

Reduce and simmer for five minutes.

4. Put it all together

Pour the curry over the cooked eggplants.

Cook for another five minutes, turning the eggplant once in between.

Baingan masala is ready.

Serve hot.

Meal below: baingan masala with chapatis, homemade yogurt, carrot sticks.

Notes:

Also try eggplant in non-curried versions: baingan bhaja, bittersweet green eggplant, eggplant in mustard-fenugreek masala.

Looking for more ways to use bay leaf? Try out pumpkin masoor dal or this sweet rice preparation flavored with bay leaf.

The post Baingan Masala: Baby Eggplant Curry appeared first on The Steaming Pot.

Long green eggplant is milder in taste and quicker to cook than the purple eggplant, which makes it eminently suitable for quick meals.

Ingredients:

The links below are amazon.com affiliate links. The Steaming Pot will earn a small commission if you buy via the links, at no additional cost to you.

• Long green eggplant – 3 (250 grams)
• Onions – 2
• Green chilies – 2 or 3 (adjust to taste)
• Ginger – 1/2 inch piece
• Garlic – 4 small cloves
• Salt – to taste
• Coriander powder – 1 heaped teaspoon [buy here]
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 teaspoon [buy here]
• Coriander seeds – 1/2 teaspoon [buy here]
• Oil – 1/2 tablespoon
• Fresh coriander leaves – for garnish

Equipment: kadhai or thick-bottomed pan

How To Make Long Green Eggplant and Onion Sabzi with Green Chilies:

1. Before you cook, slice and pound

Peel and slice the onions: cut into half vertically, then slice from head to tip.

Slit the green chilies vertically into quarters, horizontally if the chilies are long. Deseed if you want the dish less hot.

Slit the long green eggplant into half vertically. Then slice into sticks about 2-inches long. [I put each eggplant half flat side down, cut it vertically into 3-4 parts and then make equal-sized cuts horizontally.]

Fill a wide bowl with salted water (about 1 teaspoon for 500 ml water) and soak the eggplant slices in it for at least 20 minutes. This reduces the bitterness and also prevents the eggplant from discoloring. Drain and wash the eggplant well, then pat dry.

2. Cook!

In a kadhai or skillet, heat two teaspoons of oil (I use mustard oil for this dish, you can use any other of your choice). 

Add coriander seeds to hot oil, and the moment the seeds sizzle, add the slit green chilies followed by onion slices. Cook on medium heat for 4-5 minutes, or till the onions are translucent.

Add turmeric powder, coriander powder, crushed ginger and garlic, and cook for another minute.

Add the slender green eggplant slices, salt to taste. Mix everything well and cook covered on low heat. Stir every other minute. Continue to cook till the eggplant is done.

Long green eggplant and onion sabzi is ready to eat.

Garnish with fresh coriander leaves. Serve warm with Indian breads or rice.

My meal today: long green eggplant and onion sabzi with amaranth gooseberry dal and chapatis.

FAQ:

Can I use purple eggplant instead of long green eggplant?

You can substitute long green eggplant with long purple eggplant (the variety used in this masala eggplant fry recipe): bear in mind that with the long purple eggplant, the taste will be comparatively “deeper”, the texture softer and the cooking time a couple of minutes longer. If you substitute it with any other kind of purple eggplant, such as the small round baingan or the fat bharta baingan, you would be making a pretty different dish.

Is this green eggplant sabzi very spicy?

The spiciness depends on how many and what kind of green chilies you use. I like to make this dish spicy, and add up to 3 chilies. For a milder sabzi, reduce the number of chilies or deseed them before cooking.

Can I make this recipe without onions or garlic?

Onions and garlic are a core ingredient of this green eggplant and onion sabzi! You cannot skip those ingredients here. If looking for a no-onion-no-garlic preparation of eggplant, here are a couple of recommendations: bittersweet green baingan with cashews, spice-stuffed long green eggplant.

How do I store leftover sabzi?

Store leftover sabzi in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat in a skillet or microwave before serving. Pro tip: The flavors tend to deepen after a day in the fridge!

Related Recipes:

Try other recipes with varieties of eggplant:

Print

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.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Indian

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword dry sabzi, eggplant

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author The Steaming Pot

Equipment

• kadhai or thick-bottomed pan

Ingredients

• 3 Long green eggplant 250 grams
• 2 Onions (medium)
• 2 Green chilies (adjust to taste)
• 1/2 inch Ginger
• 4 Garlic cloves
• Salt (to taste)
• 1 tsp Coriander powder
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp Coriander seeds
• 1/2 tbsp Oil
• Fresh coriander leaves (for garnish)

Instructions

Before you cook, slice and pound

• Peel and slice the onions: cut into half vertically, then slice from head to tip.
• Slit the green chilies vertically into quarters, horizontally if the chilies are long. Deseed if you want the dish less hot.
• Slit the long green eggplant into half vertically. Then slice into sticks about 2-inches long.
• Fill a wide bowl with salted water (about 1 teaspoon for 500 ml water) and soak the eggplant slices in it for at least 20 minutes. This reduces the bitterness and also prevents the eggplant from discoloring. Drain and wash the eggplant well, then pat dry.

Cook!

• In a kadhai or skillet, heat two teaspoons of oil (I use mustard oil for this dish, you can use any other of your choice).
• Add coriander seeds to hot oil, and the moment the seeds sizzle, add the slit green chilies followed by onion slices. Cook on medium heat for 4-5 minutes, or till the onions are translucent.
• Add turmeric powder, coriander powder, crushed ginger and garlic, and cook for another minute.
• Add the long green eggplant slices, salt to taste. Mix everything well and cook covered on low heat. Stir every other minute. Continue to cook till the eggplant is done.
• Spicy hreen eggplant and onion sabzi is ready to eat. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves. Serve warm with Indian breads or rice.

The post Spicy Long Green Eggplant and Onion Sabzi appeared first on The Steaming Pot.

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…

You Need:

• Eggplant (fat, large, purple) – 1
• Tomatoes – 3
• Onions – 2
• Ginger – 1/2 inch stick
• Garlic – 6 cloves
• Green chilies – 1 or 2
• Garam masala – 1/2 teaspoon
• Red chili flakes – 1/2 teaspoon
• Coriander powder – 1 teaspoon
• Cumin powder – 1/2 teaspoon
• Salt – to taste
• Cumin seeds – 1 teaspoon
• Oil – 2 teaspoons
• Fresh coriander leaves – 1 tablespoon, finely chopped

How To Make Baingan Bharta:

Two broad steps – preparing the ingredients before sautéing, and putting it all together with seasoning while sautéing.

1. Roast, peel, mash, chop

Roast the whole eggplant evenly till the skin is crackly and crumbles and falls off when touched. I do this by placing the eggplant on the gas burner on low flame, turning it at an angle every other minute till it is cooked through.

Let the roasted eggplant cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, finely chop ginger, garlic, green chilies, onions and tomatoes.

Moisten your palms with water and gently press the surface of the eggplant. The skin would crack open and fall apart and you’d be able to take all the skin off easily. No sweat if bits of stubborn skin remain stuck to the eggplant, they tend to add a nice smoked taste to the bharta.

You can now mash the roasted eggplant.

To Deseed Or Not? Sometimes the seeds of a large eggplant can alter the taste and appearance of the baingan bharta. If you do not mind the seeds, mash away without care. If you want to do away with the seeds, pry apart the roasted flesh carefully. You will find that the flesh separates in layers, with the seeds clinging to sections of the eggplant insides in bunches. Scoop out the seed-laden sections and discard. 

I remove the seeds if they look biggish and hard, else I let them be in the bharta.

Mashed eggplant:

2. Put it all together

Heat oil in a non-stick pan. When hot, add cumin seeds and let them crackle. Follow with chopped ginger and garlic, fry till the garlic turns golden. Now add onions and chopped green chilies. Fry till the onions turn translucent.

Add coriander powder, cumin powder, red chili flakes and cook till the spices and onions are an even brown. Tip in the chopped tomatoes and sprinkle salt.

Cook on medium-high flame till the tomatoes have turned mushy and blended well with the onions.

Add the mashed eggplant and garam masala to the pan.

Stir around, and using a kitchen masher or the back of a wooden spoon/spatula, mash the eggplant into the masala till all the ingredients and flavors have fused.

Cook for 8-10 minutes after adding the mashed eggplant.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve baingan bharta with chapatis, dal and yogurt.

Notes

For a no-onion-no-garlic variant of this recipe, check out bharta with aloo baingan.

The post Baingan Bharta: Smoky Eggplant Mash appeared first on The Steaming Pot.

You Need:

• Long green eggplant – 3*
• Tomatoes – 2, small
• Cumin powder – 1/2 teaspoon
• Coriander powder – 1 teaspoon
• Pepper powder – 1/3 teaspoon
• Red chili powder – 1/2 teaspoon
• Salt – to taste
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
• Mustard oil – 1 tablespoon

*I used eggplant that was about 8-inches long. Adjust quantity as you need.

How To Make Spice-Lined Long Green Eggplant:

Cut the long green eggplant into pieces about 2.5 inches long. Slit them into 4 lengthwise, without slitting them all the way through. Let the joint remain at one end.

Take a wide bowl of water with a teaspoon of salt in it. Transfer the slit eggplant as soon as cut.

Let the slit eggplant stand in salted water for 30 minutes. The water would have taken on a brown tint by this time. Drain the water and wash the eggplant well.

Mix together cumin powder, coriander powder, pepper powder, red chili powder and salt. Keep half a teaspoon of the spice mix aside to add during cooking, use the rest for lining the eggplant. Gently pry apart each slit eggplant and smear some of the spice mix evenly inside. Close.

Cut tomatoes into four quarters lengthwise.

In a non-stick pan, heat a tablespoon of mustard oil. When hot, add mustard seeds and let them splutter. Place the spice-lined green eggplant pieces evenly in the pan, interspersed with tomatoes. Sprinkle the remaining spice mix and a pinch of salt if needed.  Cook covered on medium heat. Every other minute, turn around so that the eggplant is cooked evenly.

Take it off the heat when the eggplant is done from all sides. This should take 10-15mins.

Serve spice-lined long hot with an Indian meal. My dinner of spice-lined long green eggplant with vegetable pulao:

Notes:

Looking for more dry eggplant recipes? Check out:

The post Spice-Lined Long Green Eggplant Curry appeared first on The Steaming Pot.