Hyderabadi Baingan Bhartha

Our Blog. And how can it ever exist without a Brinjal dish??? We love and live on brinjals!! So here is our next recipe, Baingan Bhartha.We are not really sure of the authentic North Indian methods, but this is the Hyderabadi way of making Baingan Bhartha. Baingan is Brinjal, called as Vankaya in telugu, badnekay in kannada and katriga in tamil.

The preparation time is 30-45 mins and the recipe is as follows:

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:

Large brinjal (referred to as bhartha waala baingan in local shops) 1
Finely chopped Onion (ullipaya) 1
Finely chopped tomatoes 2
Finely chopped green chillies 2
Finely chopped ginger 1 tsp
Pinch of turmeric
Finely chopped coriander to garnish
Salt and red chilly powder to taste.
Refined cooking oil 4 tsp
Cumin (jeera/jeelakarra) 1tsp

Method:

Wash the brinjal and wipe it thoroughly. Apply oil to the brinjal and place it directly on the stove flame to fry. It can also be done on the grill if available. Keep turning the brinjal till the brinjal changes colour. Now set the brinjal aside to cool.

Once it is cooled, peel the brinjal, the peel wears off quite easily. Now chop the stem portion of the brinjal.

Take a kadai (bandli/mookudu) or a pan. Add 2 tsp of oil, add jeera and once it splutters, add a pinch of turmeric and the onions, green chillies and ginger. Fry until the onions are golden brown.

Now add the tomatoes and cook till they are soft.

Add the brinjal and mash thoroughly while mixing the curry. Cook on simmer flame so that the curry is not burnt.

Add salt and Red Chilly powder (optional) and mix .Once thoroughly cooked, which may normally take 3-5 mins, switch the stove off.

Garnish with coriander before serving.

Baingan bhartha goes well with any of the Indian breads and also flavoured rice of any kind. Left to ourselves, we can eat it just like that!!