Stuffed Aubergines in Tangy Tamarind Gravy
I am so thrilled to tell you about some more awards I received from my bloggy friends recently! The first one came from the beautiful Sabrina who has a great blog called LouLou Sucre and she honoured Cosmopolitan Currymania with The Versatile Blogger award! Although this is not the first time I am receiving this award, still I am happy as a child when someone so lovingly and thoughtfully passes on an award like this to me. Thank you, Sabrina!
The next three awards came from Savitha Raj, who maintains a tempting blog called SavithaRaj’s Spice Land. She passed me The Cutest Blog award, The Circle of Friends award and Kreativ Blogger award. Savitha, thank you so much!
I love aubergines. I am never tired of tasting the multitude of flavours this simple vegetable provides with different permutation and combination of ingredients! In India, this is one of those vegetarian dishes (called bharwan baingan in Hindi) which the home cooks as well as the professional chefs are proud to talk about. For those who didn’t like the taste of aubergines till now, this dish is for them. This makes a great Indian vegetarian party dish too!
An iron skillet is never used to cook dishes which have tamarind (or any sour ingredient) in them because the acid in the tamarind reacts with the iron in the skillet, changing the colour of the food to black. Like biryani, the traditional way to cook this is in a baked-clay-pot. I do not find terracotta pots here in Hong Kong, so I use a good-quality non-stick pan conveniently for this stuffed dish.
Every state of India has its own variation for this recipe. I have also tried out a couple of recipes for an Indian-style stuffed aubergine dish, gathered from different sources and from different parts of India, till I bookmarked this recipe, where I found that the amounts of ingredients going into the stuffing (shown in the recipe here) yield a magical and unforgettable flavour!
If you are a dare-devil foodie, explore this spicy delicacy of South-Indian vegetarian cuisine and feel the celebration of careful assortment of spices in this dish, perfected over generations! Chillies are an essential part of the dish, so please don’t omit them in the recipe. The amounts of the ingredients have been carefully analysed and experimented with. I have cooked this dish without adding the poppy seeds too, but those really provide a further boost to the taste of this stuffed aubergine dish! Since every ingredient plays a significant role in the final flavor of this delicacy, so for best results, please do not omit any ingredient in this recipe.
Stuffed Aubergines in Tangy Tamarind Gravy
Ingredients:
- Baby aubergines (or eggplants): 10
- Onion (finely chopped): ¾ cup
- Ginger (grated): 3 tsp
- Garlic (crushed): 3 tsp
- Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
- Coriander seeds: 1tsp
- White poppy seeds (optional): 1 tsp
- Sesame seeds: 2 tsp
- Desiccated and shredded coconut (unsweetened): 2 tsp
- Peanuts (dry-roasted with the skin, then cooled and skin removed): 1 tbsp
- Red chilli powder: 1.5 tsp
- Fresh curry leaves: 10
- Dried, whole red chillies: 2
- Mustard seeds: ½ tsp
- Tamarind (lime-sized) soaked in warm water (6 tbsp) for 20 min and the juice strained
- Oil: 4 tbsp
- Salt (divided): 1.5 tsp
- Sugar: ¼ tsp
- Water: ½ cup
Method:
Make a deep slit on each aubergine lengthwise, till the end (do not cut through the aubergines completely). Rub the inside parts with salt. Keep aside for 15 min.
Meanwhile, heat half the oil in a pan and sauté the onion for 5 min. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for five more minutes. Add the coriander and cumin seeds and sauté for 1 min, till fragrant. Add the poppy seeds, sesame seeds and coconut. Sauté continuously, till the mixture is dry.
Let this mixture come to the room temperature. Now, grind this coarsely in a food processor. Mix the peanuts (dry-roasted and de-skinned), sugar, salt and chilli powder to this paste and mix evenly. This is the spicy stuffing for the aubergines.
Heat the remaining oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat and wait till the oil starts to smoke. Add the mustard seeds, curry leaves and the whole dry, red chillies (taking care that you don’t burn the curry leaves and the red chillies completely). Add the aubergines one-by-one, so that the slits with the stuffing should not touch the pan. Cover for 10 min (under medium heat).
After 10 min, flip the aubergines carefully with two spoons and cover once again for 10 min. Now add the tamarind paste, the remaining spice paste and water. Cook covered for 10 min. Flipping the aubergines once more, cook for ten more minutes.
These taste heavenly with chapattis, parathas (flatbreads) or rice.
September 19, 2011 @ 4:30 pm
I’ve never used these small eggplant before but they look so cute and perfect for stuffing. I need to find these eggplants. I’m so used to long or big eggplant but we can be really creative with this one. Your dishes always have wonderful flavors and it must go with rice…I’m new to using spices and your recipes is a very good read for me Purabi. It’s fun learning new dishes from you!
September 19, 2011 @ 8:55 pm
Well you must have received quite a few Versatile Blogger Awards because I just sent you one last week as well. Popular gal!
I love eggplant so this is right up my alley. Looking forward to trying the recipe.
September 19, 2011 @ 9:38 pm
awesome love this recipe…my hubby never used to like eggplants..now he loves it!
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September 20, 2011 @ 12:55 am
Purabi, this dish looks absolutely gorgeous and delicious!
I can only imagine how yummy it must taste – the intricate spices
and flavours. Thanks for sharing!
September 20, 2011 @ 2:07 am
Delicious and flavourful looking gravy. Amazing preparation.
Deepa
Hamaree Rasoi
September 20, 2011 @ 2:18 am
Congrats on your award. Great recipe.
September 20, 2011 @ 5:49 am
Tamarind sauce new idea for em.Stuffed aubergines..I know are yummy:)
September 20, 2011 @ 6:24 am
That looks delicious! I love those little baby aubergine, but I never see them in the shops!
September 20, 2011 @ 10:17 am
Congrats on your awards! Totally deserved 🙂 Love LOVE this eggplant dish 🙂 I have buzzed and bookmarked it and I can’t wait to try it out. Eggplant is my favorite vegetable!
September 20, 2011 @ 10:36 am
Purabi, this is wonderful! I LOVE aubergines (eggplants in America). One of my favorite vegetables. They take the flavor of the food and spices around them so beautifully! Thanks…as always – and amazing post!
September 20, 2011 @ 11:23 am
What a wonderful use for some small aubergines I have growing on my balcony – They are really very small, and I don’t think they will ever reach full size – hopefully I can turn them into something delicious like this – thanks for the idea!
September 20, 2011 @ 11:52 am
What a lovely combo:-)I love eggplants in any form:-)
September 20, 2011 @ 12:32 pm
Tempting recipe, looks absolutely fantastic.
September 20, 2011 @ 1:49 pm
I love the idea of stuffed eggplant – sounds really good =)
September 20, 2011 @ 4:45 pm
The stuffed eggplants look like loaded with deliciousness and flavours! Yummy!
September 20, 2011 @ 8:25 pm
Those mini eggplants are CUTE! I love how you use all kinds of spices in your dishes. It makes everything taste so much better.
September 21, 2011 @ 3:02 am
Congrats on the awards! These small eggplants are so cute. I love that you stuffed them too.
September 21, 2011 @ 1:54 pm
mini baby eggplants are so cute! love how you stuffed them and made them savory!
September 21, 2011 @ 5:42 pm
Wow…this looks absolutely delicious and wonderful….looks tempting.
September 21, 2011 @ 11:58 pm
Purabi, congratulations on your well-deserved honors! I love how you “layer” the beautiful flavors in your dishes, and now you have a layer of beautiful awards to add to them! 🙂
September 23, 2011 @ 1:08 am
congrast on your awards, loving this dish. tamarind is on of my fav flavors!!
September 23, 2011 @ 1:11 am
I love eggplant, especially those little ones; though, they are hard to find in my area. Your dish looks wonderful. I have never had them served this way but would love to try it:)
September 23, 2011 @ 2:45 am
These sound delicious! Congrats on your award!
September 23, 2011 @ 7:17 pm
wow, an awesome recipe, the eggplants are looking so beautiful..Congrats on ur awards, so hop onto my space to collect one more award 🙂
September 24, 2011 @ 11:49 am
Oh, baby eggplants. I have to say, I had a culinary moment of cluelessness as to what this recipe was about. It looks fantastic. I will have to try it. Congrats on your award.
September 24, 2011 @ 12:20 pm
I have seen the small eggplant at my Asian market but could never think of a way to use them. Well now I know these look amazing and so buzzed…
September 24, 2011 @ 5:42 pm
I love aubergine, I wonder why I have never tried stuffing them!! yum yum Diane
September 24, 2011 @ 8:23 pm
Love the dish! Great stuffing with wonderful seasoning as always! Congrats on the the award!
September 25, 2011 @ 3:43 pm
I have tamarind paste, didn’t know what to do with it! I Aldo live aubergines, a very versatile vegetable.
September 26, 2011 @ 12:18 am
delicious looking stuffed eggplant looks wonderful
September 27, 2011 @ 7:33 am
u have a lovely blog too..happy to follow ur blog dear..
September 27, 2011 @ 7:34 am
Hi Purab 🙂 thanks a tom for taking time and dropping at my space :).. u too have wonderful space and not to mention about this stuffed auberinges… hhhmmmmmm tasty!!! plz do add yourself to my friend list 🙂 i would love you to be there 🙂 so dont forget to click the follow button 🙂
September 27, 2011 @ 8:30 am
Hi Purabi, thanks for stopping by my blog and for the comment on the same name different recipe ”Stuffed Brinjal”!!!
You have a great page as well! Happy to follow you for all the fusion fun!
http://rajdeepscookery.blogspot.com
September 27, 2011 @ 3:23 pm
Wow, Purabi! I could never find all these ingredients, including these yummy baby eggplants at our market. White poppy seeds, fresh curry leaves are ingredients, that would be hard for me to find.
Love your eggplant, so tasty, spicy, and unique:DDD
September 30, 2011 @ 5:43 am
My first time here…u have an amazing space…interesting vegetarian recipes!! Informative write-ups about spices…stuffed aubergines looks YUM..inviting!!
September 30, 2011 @ 7:01 am
Wow. Next time I see aubergines at the market I’m going to think again. What a wonderful looking recipe – full of unique flavours. Congratulations on the awards – well deserved, Purabi. Enjoy your weekend!
September 30, 2011 @ 6:09 pm
Great recipe! I love eggplant, and don’t have enough recipes. This looks wonderful – thanks.
October 4, 2011 @ 9:27 am
Hello beautiful girl! So glad we found each other in the blogsphere! Take care and happy cooking~ Foivi
October 7, 2011 @ 6:45 pm
I love using small eggplants to stuff. This recipe sounds amazing and I can’t wait to try it.
October 8, 2011 @ 1:04 am
I love this dish…sounds very authentic and delicious! Thanks for sharing and have a wonderful weekend sweetie!:)
October 8, 2011 @ 3:44 pm
Love your dishes and I thought of you yesterday when I decided to try and research a recipes that locally has been called hobotee but may have at one time been called bobotee. It is a curried meat custard served in the 1800s…. Do you or your readers have any knowledge of this?
October 8, 2011 @ 3:51 pm
Thanks for your response, dear friends! I am really elated to know that you all liked the recipe so much!
Carolina heartstrings, I guess it is not an Indian dish. But I would be interested to know more about this dish! Do let me know.
December 15, 2011 @ 10:17 am
I would like this.
May 1, 2013 @ 3:02 pm
Oh WOW! These look delicious!