Stuffed Brinjal in Peanut Coconut Curry

Stuffed Brinjal in Peanut Coconut Curry sounds like it’s very similar to bagara baingan. It is very similar. Although, I stuffed the little brinjals with a dried coconut mixture, shallow fried it and then simmered in a peanut and coconut base sauce. I definitely winged this one and put up a picture on my Instagram stories. Turns out quite a few of you love your baingans and asked me for a the recipe. So, without giving you all some spiel about how lightening and inspiration struck me when I saw some peanuts in my kitchen, I’ll just tell you how I made it.

Make sure you get the small brinjal so it can be stuffed easily and cooked fast. The stuffing is a mixture of dried coconut, chilli, channa dal and spices. I got this recipes from Five Morsels of Love by Archana Pidathala. It was originally for a raw banana stir fry. I had some of the mixture leftover and thought I’d stuff them in brinjals. Simple.

Ingredients:

Small brinjals – 1/2 kilo

Fresh coconut – 2 tbsp

Peanuts – 2 tbsp, roasted

Onion – 1 medium, chopped

Sesame seeds – 1 tsp

Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Garlic – 4 big cloves (I love me some garlic)

Dried red chillies – 5-6 (or more if you like it hot)

Tamarind extract – 2 tbsp

Oil – 2 tbsp

Curry leaves – 2 sprigs

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Salt – 2 tsp

For the stuffing:

Dried coconut – 1 tbsp grated

Chilli powder – 1 tsp

Channa dal – 1/2 tsp

Urad dal – 1/2 tsp

Coriander seeds – 1/2 tsp

Salt – 1 tsp

Method:

Slit the brinjal in quarters upto its stem. Don’t go all the way. You want it whole.

Dry roast the channa dal, ural dal and coriander seeds.

Now blitz the stuffing ingredients together to form a coarse powder.

Stuff the brinjals and keep aside.

Blend the onion, coconut, garlic, cumin, sesame seeds, dried chillies and peanuts together with a splash of water to form a thick paste.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a nonstick pan and place the brinjals in it. Let it cook on two sides for about 3 mins. Keep aside.

Bring the rest of the oil up to heat and add the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Let them splutter.

Now add the peanut and coconut mixture along with the tamarind extract. Cook on low flame for 5 mins.

Add 1 tsp salt and mix. Now add 1/2 cup water.

Gently drop the partially cooked brinjals into the sauce and cover. Let it cook for about 15 mins or till the brinjals are soft but not falling apart.