Stuffed Eggplant (Bharwa Baingan)

If you have been following my blog and feed, you would know my fondness for fresh veggies and fruits. Love fresh produce and my trips to farmers markets. I had a chance to visit one such market in Sambalkha recently and was amazed by such gorgeousness and freshness. All the veggies looked so fresh and lovely. The best part was that the veggies were much cheaper than what we get them for in Delhi. So wasn’t that a double bargain!

Just look at these gorgeous beauties, I loved them so much that I decided to buy a few and celebrate them by making this quick yet beautiful dish.

PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes
COOKING TIME: 15 minutes
SERVINGS: 4-5 people
DIFFICULTY SCALE: Medium

INGREDIENTS:
1. Baby eggplants (baingan) – 6-7
2. Onion (Pyaz) – 1, large
3. Cumin seeds (Zeera) – 1 teaspoon
4. Turmeric powder (haldi) – 1 teaspoon
5. Red chilli powder (Lal mirch powder) – 1 teaspoon
6. Corriander powder (Dhaniya powder) – 5 tablespoons
7. Dry mango powder(Amchur) – 1 tablespoon
8. White Sesame seeds – 2 tablespoons
9. Vegetable oil – 2 tablespoons
10. Salt – to taste

UTENSILS/EQUIPMENT:
1. Kitchen Towels
2. Nonstick pan

RECIPE:
1. Nicely wash all the eggplants and dry them with kitchen towels.
2. Take a pan and add white sesame seeds to it and dry roast them for 2-3 minutes until they turn fragrant. Keep the pan on low flame and take care so that the sesame seeds don’t burn.
3. In a bowl, add in the turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder and raw mango powder.
4. Add in salt and toasted sesame seeds and mix well.
5. Add in a tablespoon of vegetable oil and mix everything well.
6. Now slit the dried eggplants diagonally and start adding in the masala mix into the eggplants.

7. Remember to place the masala inside the eggplants carefully. Wipe the eggplants clean if any spices stick outside since they might get burn in the pan.
8. Take the same non-stick pan from earlier and add a little oil to it.
9. Add some cumin seeds to it and allow them to crackle.
10. Add in the eggplants to the pan and keep it on low flame. Keep tossing and rotating them so that they cook evenly on all the sides.
11. Roughly chop a big onion and add them to the pan once the eggplants are almost cooked.
12. Once the eggplants are thoroughly cooked, remove them from heat and serve hot with chapattis.