Achari Baingan (Eggplant curry with pickle spices)

aingan or eggplant, might not be the favorite of all, but is definitely a favorite of few and in that category comes my dearest hubby... both are thick pals :) He just loves them (I call him eggplantaholic - lol..:)) and can't get enough. He can eat it every single day and in all its forms. Before we got married I didn't detest this vegetable but it was definitely not my favorite. Now, I always try different ways to make eggplant and this was one of the few dishes I made for him after we got married. He was mighty impressed and was hooked big time. Now he ALWAYS makes me buy the baby eggplants from the store and to make this :)
It is basically a tangy and spicy dry curry flavored with traditional indian pickle masalas.  The panch phoran is the secret behind  the unique flavor in this dish as it imparts the awesome achari flavor to the oil when heated and infuses a very distinct aroma and taste to the dish. Panch Phoran is a spice mix used in Eastern Indian cuisine (Bengali cuisine) and is a mix of the five whole spices – nigella seeds, fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds and cumin seeds all in equal quantities. Panch is Five in hindi and Phoran is Spice seasoning, so it literally means five spice seasoning. This spice mix can be used with any kind of vegetable stir fry/roasted vegetables. Just put them in hot oil till the mustard seeds splutter, so as to release the aroma of the spices. Add any vegetables you want, stir fry, serve. It really is as simple as that. I have already posted Achari Aloo and Achari Paneer so here is the eggplant version.

This is one dish which is always hit with guests, great for potlucks and picnics too, as it tastes great both hot and cold. Goes with almost anything but we like it best with pooris... mmmm! This is ridiculously easy and super fast to make.Also I don't deep fry the eggplants, to make it a little healthier to be eaten on a regular basis.

This dish tastes like Indian pickle :) so all the pickle and baingan lovers here's a real treat!

Ingredients:

Indian violet baby eggplants ................. 8-10

Tomato ......................................... 1 cup chopped

Coriander powder ............................ 1 tsp

Red chilli powder ............................. 1/2 tsp or to taste

Garam masala .................................. 1/2 tsp

Ginger garlic paste ............................ 1 tsp

Amchur/Dry mango powder ................. 1 tsp

Turmeric powder ............................. 1/2 tsp

Salt .............................................. to taste

Tamarind concentrate ........................ 1/2 tsp

Panch phoran .................................. 1 tbsp (a mix of fennel, cumin, mustard, fenugreek and nigella seeds)

Asafoetida ...................................... a pinch

Oil ............................................... 2 tbsp divided

Cilantro leaves ................................. 1 tbsp chopped for garnishing

Method:

1. Wash the eggplants, don't remove the stem, slit them vertically and horizontally without breaking them into halves.

2. Heat 1 tblsp of oil in a medium non stick pan, add the eggplants, little salt and stir. Cover and let it cook till they get tender and evenly colored, stirring in between. You can alternatively cook them in microwave on high till tender, about 10-11 minutes.

3. Take it out, in the same pan add the remaining oil asafoetida, panch phoran let them crackle. Add the tomatoes and salt and turmeric and give a mix. Cook for 2-3 minutes

4. Add the ginger garlic paste and saute for 5 minutes.

5. Add all the remaining masala except the tamarind and mix. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the eggplants and tamarind and mix till they get evenly coated with the tamato masala about 3-4 min. It should be semi dry.

6. Garnish with cilantro and serve. ENJOY!

Notes:
1. You can also use big eggplant cut into chunks.

Pin It