Barvan Achari Baigan – Baked Creamy Spicy Eggplant

Achari Dum EggplantToday’s recipe for a baked pickle spiced eggplant is pure genius. This recipe takes a stove top technique for slow cooked eggplants and converts it into an effortless baked variety. And just like that you get a baked creamy spicy eggplant.

Baked Creamy Spicy Eggplant and a Simpler Recipe

When it comes to fix and forget cooking the oven does a much better job for most Indian cooking than the slow cooker. The reason being that the oven offers a slightly higher but still consistent temperature. This allows the spices and seasonings to actually cook to a caramelized texture that is essential for deep Indian flavors.

Now, this recipe is a happy marriage of two traditional recipes and luckily for all of us, it is much simpler than either of the recipes and then some.

Baby Eggplants

The Original Recipe and more about it

The original inspiration comes from my mother-in-law’s stuffed achari (pickled) eggplant, that she marinates and then cooks on the stove top over very low heat in a sealed pot.  So, I have used her spicing as a base, and then added in some ground nuts, coconut and lime inspired by a traditional recipe from Hyderabad which is rich and indulgent and of course very involved.

Eggplant_650

The Details

Add the peanut and coconut to the basic marinade, gives this eggplant some soft and saucy action falling just a little short of it becoming saucy gravy.  I had actually worked over this recipe in summer, when there were these small fairy tale eggplants out and about and today I remade this with some supplies from H-Mart. I know, I know, they are out of season, but one does get a little tired of roots and squashes. The interesting thing about this recipe is that it actually combines influences from two very different parts of India ending up with a dish that had its own yet very Indian identity.

Nuanced with spicy attitude and mellowed all at the same time, the best part of it all is that it cooks unattended, while you go off doing all kinds of other good stuff.

For more pickle spiced flavors, check out this achari chicken and for a vegetarian version you can try this pickle spiced turnips with crispy lentils.

Print
Achari Dum Shahi Baigan – Baked Creamy Spicy Eggplant

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

A simple and flavorful recipe for baked stuffed Indian eggplants that gets done in an oven.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound of small baby eggplants or small Japanese eggplants
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 11/2 teaspoons cumin powder
  • 11/2 teaspoons fennel seeds
  • 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
  • ½ teaspoon red cayenne pepper
  • ½ cup raw unsalted blanched peanuts
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
  • 1/4 cup buttermilk or whipped low fat yogurt
  • ½ cup pureed tomatoes
  • Chopped cilantro to garnish

Instructions

  1. Cut the eggplants into halves lengthwise and rub with the kosher salt while you prep the remaining stuff.
  2. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a square 8 inch glass casserole pan.
  3. Place the cumin, fennel and black peppercorns into the spice grinder and grind until smooth. Add in the cayenne powder and the peanuts and grind until smooth.
  4. Place in a mixing bowl and add in the sugar and ginger.
  5. Use half of this mixture and fill the eggplants.
  6. Place the eggplants carefully in the casserole.
  7. Mix the buttermilk, tomatoes and the remaining spice mixture and pour over the eggplants.
  8. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes until the eggplants are soft and the sauce is thick and bubbly.
  9. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy with rice or chapatis.
https://spicechronicles.com/dum-baigan-baked-creamy-spicy-eggplant/

 

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