Hyderabadi Baingan Receipe

Step 1 - Dry roast each of the following ingredients separately and cool them on a shallow
plate. Then grind them into a fine powder (in a coffee grinder, if you have one like I did). 

1/4 cup peanuts***

2 tbsp sesame seeds***
2 tsp poppy seeds**
1 tsp coriander seeds**
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp dried coconut*** (if using frozen shredded coconut, plan to use the whole thing in one-
go. It not good for refrigeration.)
1 inch cinnamon stick**
5-6 black cloves
1 tsp black peppercorns

The ones which have 3 stars (***) are a must-haves & with 2 stars (**) are good-to-have
ingredients.

Store this powder in an air tight container & refrigerate. It will stay good for several
weeks. Remember to use dried coconut if you want to use it later.

Now that we have our masala powder ready to go, the process is much more simple than you
think.

Step 2. Wash and pat dry about 10 tender baby eggplants. Don't make slits as of now.

Step 3. Heat a tsp of oil and add 2 cups of finely chopped onions & little salt. Saute for
about 8 mins on medium-low flame until golden brown. Add 1 tsp of ginger-garlic paste. Cook
for 2 more mins. Remove from heat and cool down a bit.

Step 4. In a mixing bowl, add the fried onions, about 6-7 tbsp of the above masala
powder, little salt, 2 tsp of tamarind pulp, 1/2 tsp of turmeric. Mix well.

Step 5. Slit the eggplants into fours. keep the stem in tact. Stuff half of the above onion-
masala mixture.

Step 6. Heat a tsp of oil in a wide, shallow pan and add these stuffed eggplants. Make sure the
pan is wide-enough to fit all of the eggplants in one single layer. Rotate and shake the
pan occasionally so that the eggplants cook evenly, until tender - on medium flame. Cover. Let
it take as long as it takes for the eggplants to cook completely. It took me about 15-20 mins. 

Step 7. Turn the flame to LOW and add the rest of the masala paste with 1.5 cups of water.
Check for salt one last time. Donot use any spatula, just shake so that the eggplants are
coated well. Cook on low heat until the oil start to separate at the edges.