I love brinjal, or baingan as we call it in Hindi. Both my grandmother and my mom have mastered cooking with this humble vegetable. As a year-round staple, baingan stands out during my vegetable shopping. While shopping for vegetables is a calming activity for me, I sometimes miss out on fresh seasonal produce. Yet, baingan never escapes my attention, and I ensure to stock up on it every week.
During my hotel management days in Kolkata, I savoured plenty of begun bhaja, the quintessential Bengali delicacy served with every meal. This period ignited my fascination with baingan and inspired me to explore various recipes. A few weeks ago, on a ride to Lonavla, I tasted a delicious baingan masala at a roadside dhaba that awakened my taste buds. Motivated by that experience, I resolved to create a new recipe over the weekend: chatpata baingan masala. Although it requires some effort, I promise it’s worth the journey!
Prep Time – 25 minutes
Cook Time – 20 minutes
Serves – 3
Ingredients:
Brinjal – 250 gms
Onions – 100 gms
Tomato – 50 gms
Coriander leaves – 20 gms
Green chillies – 5 gm
For the masala:
Cinnamon – 1 small stick
Coriander seeds – 1 tbsp
Star anise – 1 pcs
Black Cardamom – 1 pc
Cumin seeds – 1 tbsp
Black Pepper – 1 tbsp
Cloves – 3 to 4 pcs
Ginger-garlic paste – 1 tbsp
Amchur / Mango Powder – 1 tbsp
Red Chilli powder – 1 tbsp
Coriander powder – 1 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1 tbsp
Garam Masala – a pinch
Oil – 50 ml
Butter – 2 tbsp
Salt – to taste
Sugar – 1 tbsp
Vegetable stock – 1 cup
Instructions:
1 ) Make diagonal lengthwise slits on the Baingan till the base. Marinate the Baingan with ginger-garlic paste, Amchur powder and a few drops of oil. Set aside.
2 ) Roast the spices for the masala for a minute on a Tawa and let it cool.
3 ) Grind the onion, tomato and coriander leaves to a coarse paste. Grind the roasted spices into powder and set aside.
4 ) In a pan, take 20 ml of oil and roast the coarse paste nicely till golden brown. Set it aside.
5 ) In another pan, heat butter and saute the baingan for a minute, turning sides till its partly cooked. Remove from heat and set aside.
6 ) In the same pan, add the remaining oil. Add the onion-tomato, coriander paste and saute for a minute, add red chilli, turmeric & coriander powder and saute lightly along with the remaining ginger-garlic paste and green chillies.
7 ) Add the ground spices and saute on a medium flame for two minutes. Add the baingan and mix well. Add, salt, sugar, garam masala and vegetable stock. Cover and cook till done. Make sure the gravy is thick and reduced. Remove from flame. Serve hot garnished with chopped coriander.
