Bharva Bhaingan (Stuffed Brinjal)
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Not a fan of eggplant/brinjal? Try Bharva Bhaingan – a stuffed eggplant dish, and you might just change your mind.
Bharva Bhaingan (Stuffed Brinjal) or Stuffed Eggplants is a delectable dish made by stuffing baby brinjals with spices and cooking them for approximately 30 minutes.
There are many variations to this dish such as making them into a curry with tomatoes or stuffing them with potatoes and onions.
The recipe I follow makes use of spices, besan (chickpea or Bengal gram flour) and crushed peanuts as stuffing. This recipe has been taught to me by a friend who makes this dish so well that it is finger licking good. This is my humble attempt to recreate it. Enjoy this Bharva Bhaingan (Stuffed Brinjal) with warm rotis!
If you love eggplants, this easy baingan bharta is right up your alley. We love to eat it with warm rotis. Here are other side dishes that go well with rotis –
- Aloo matar – Potatoes and peas curry cooked in less than 30 minutes in an electric pressure cooker.
- Aloo methi – delicious potatoes combined with fresh methi leaves
- Chana masala – a chickpea curry with a hint of spice and tang
- Chowli (lobia) – a delectable black eyed peas curry.
Bharva Bhaingan (Stuffed Brinjal) Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup besan/chickpea flour gram flour or chickpea flour
- ¼ cup roasted peanuts coarsely crushed
- 3-4 garlic cloves
- 2- inch piece of ginger
- 2 Indian or Thai green chilies (Bird's eye) coarsely chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon carom ajwain seeds
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder jeera powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder dhania powder
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons divided
- 6 baby brinjals or eggplants
- finely chopped cilantro / coriander leaves for garnishing
Instructions
- Mix besan and the crushed peanuts well and microwave them in a microwave-safe bowl for 15 seconds. Set it aside.
- Meanwhile, grind the garlic cloves, ginger, and green chilies to a fine paste. Add this paste to the besan - peanut mixture along with salt, carom seeds (ajwain), sugar, turmeric, coriander, and cumin powder. Add a teaspoon of oil and mix well.
- Rinse the brinjals and pat them dry. Make 4 equidistant slits in each brinjal starting from the bottom of the brinjal towards the stem. Stop when you have reached the 3/4th mark.[ Note: Don't slit all the way to the stem, the brinjal may fall apart].
- Stuff the brinjal with the besan and peanut mixture and set it aside. Repeat this process for the remaining brinjals.
- Heat the remaining oil in a medium-sized non-stick pan kept on medium heat.
- Arrange the stuffed brinjals in the pan and stir gently to coat the brinjals with oil. Add the remaining besan-peanut mixture to the oil and toss the brinjals gently.
- Reduce the heat to low and cover to cook the brinjals. After every 5-6 minutes, turn the brinjal so that all sides get cooked evenly. This step takes about 20-25 minutes.
- Switch off heat and garnish the brinjals with chopped coriander leaves and serve with warm rotis.
Disclaimer: Approximate nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and can vary depending on the exact ingredients/brands used. If you have health issues, please work with a registered dietician or nutritionist.
