One of my favourite recipes to order at restaurants (if they have them) is stuffed eggplant or stuffed okra. I love the stuffed eggplant recipe from my home state and when I saw this recipe on Facebook, I saved it for making one day. That one day was a couple of weeks back. The chef who posted the recipe promised it was an easy one. Well, it was easy, but she didn’t mention that it took so long. The recipe took me two hours to make, start to end. But it was so worth it, it was so tasty that even GG, who does not like eggplant, had some of the gravy and pronounced it delicious!

Bharvan Baingan or Stuffed Eggplant

Ingredients:

• 12-15 medium sized baby eggplants

For the stuffing:

• 1 tbsp besan or chickpea flour
• 3 tbsp coriander powder
• 1 tbsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp red chilli powder
• 1 tbsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
• 1 tbsp amchur powder
• 1 tsp asafoetida podwer
• 1 tbsp fennel seed powder
• 1 tsp garam masala powder
• 2 tbsp kauri methi
• 4 tbsp oil (any oil, but mustard oil will be the best)

For the Gravy:

• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp mustard seeds
• 3-4 finely chopped green chillies
• 2 medium-sized finely minced onions
• 2-3 medium-sized finely minced tomatoes
• Salt to taste
• 5 tbsp yoghurt, whisked
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• The balance masala
• 1 tsp ginger garlic paste

Method:

• If the stalk of the eggplant is more than 1 inch, cut it off and also remove the excess crown. Keep aside.
• Make a cross on the bottom of the brinjal (opposite the crown), check and see inside for any worms and discard any unsightly ones. Put the cut brinjals in water for a while to avoid oxidation.

For the Masala:

• Heat a pan and when warm, take the chickpea flour and lightly roast it till it starts to emit an aroma. This should take about 3-4 mins.
• At this point switch off the flame and add the dry masalas –coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder, Kashmiri red chilli powder, red chilli powder, amchur powder, asafoetida, fennel powder, garam masala and kasuri methi. Toss the masalas with the chickpea flour and keep them aside on a plate. Add 2 tbsp oil to it and mix well.
• Fill the masalas into the brinjal, filling it tightly. The masala should show up as a nice thick line. Remove the extra masala and drop it into the masala plate.
• In a pan, take 2 tbsp oil and shallow fry the stuffed brinjals for about 3-4 mins. Remove and keep aside.

For the Gravy:

• In another pan, take 2 tbsp oil and when it heats, add the cumin seeds, mustard seeds and finely chopped green chillies.
• Then add the finely chopped onions and fry until they become translucent.
• At this point, add the finely chopped tomatoes and let it cook.
• Add salt to taste and let the tomatoes cook well until the gravy starts to ooze oil.  
• In a bowl, add the yoghurt and whisk it well. To this, add ½ tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste and the balance masala. Whisk everything well and keep it aside.
• Once the tomatoes are cooked, add 2-3 tsp water, switch off the gas and add in the yoghurt mixture.
• Mix well and switch on the gas again. Add water if needed.

To assemble:

• Gently add the stuffed eggplants and garnish with coriander leaves. Cover and cook on a low flame for 5 mins.
• Serve with rotis or Indian flatbreads or rice.