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Hyderabadi Bagara Baingan (Eggplant Curry)
5 from 15 votes

Hyderabadi Bagara Baingan (Eggplant Curry)

Hyderabadi Bagara Baingan is a flavorful eggplant curry featuring baby eggplants cooked in a spiced blend of toasted coconut, peanuts, sesame, and cumin seeds with tamarind water and browned onions. The curry has a rich, tangy, and nutty profile balanced with mild spices, resulting in tender eggplants absorbing the thick sauce. This dish showcases traditional South Indian flavors and textures.

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
45 mins
Total Time
1 hr 15 mins
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 286 kcal
Course: Side Dish, Main Course
Cuisine: Indian, Pakistani

Ingredients

  • 6 baby eggplant see notes
  • 1 ¼ cup neutral cooking oil see notes, generic cooking oil
  • ½ cup tamarind water (see notes)
  • 1 onion (see notes)
  • 1 tablespoon garlic paste
  • 1 tablespoon ginger paste
  • 3 cups water (see notes)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon red chili powder
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 12 curry leaves
Dry Ingredients To Roast And Grind
  • ½ cup dessicated coconut (see notes)
  • ¼ cup peanut see notes, raw, unsalted
  • 2 teaspoon sesame seeds
  • 2 teaspoon white cumin seeds
  • 2 tablespoon coriander seeds

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Wash and dry the eggplants and cut slits at the base to make a cross.
  2. Fry the eggplants in the cooking oil till the skin softens slightly and then set them aside. (see notes)
  3. Soak the tamarind in hot water and set it aside.
  4. Dry roast the peanuts, place them on a clean dish towel and rub between the folds to remove as much of the skin as you can and then grind them to a powder. (see notes)
  5. Dry roast and grind the remaining ingredients on the list, one at a time, till they are lightly toasted, mix them with the ground peanuts and set the mixture aside.
  6. Dice the onions and brown them till they are a medium brown.
  7. Once the onions are brown, add and saute the garlic and ginger paste for about 30 seconds.
  8. Then add 1 cup of water, reduce the heat cover and cook for 10 minutes so the onions can soften more.
  9. After the 10 minutes, uncover, add in the salt, red chili powder and turmeric, along with the roasted and ground ingredients.
  10. Add 2 cups of water, bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and cook for 10 minutes.
  11. Uncover, add in the tamarind water and curry leaves. Add more water and adjust the spices, if necessary, cover and cook another 10 minutes (see notes)
  12. Next, layer the eggplants on top of the curry and cook on low heat for 10 minutes to allow the eggplants to fully cook.

Notes

  • Use baby eggplants for best texture; if unavailable, thin long varieties or small pieces of larger eggplant can be used with extra steaming or frying.
  • Neutral oils with high smoke points such as canola or peanut oil work well for frying the eggplants.
  • Homemade tamarind water from soaked pulp is preferred, but ready-made tamarind paste can be substituted.
  • Brown the onions to a medium golden color to develop the characteristic caramelized flavor in the curry.
  • Adjust red chili powder to taste if a spicier curry is desired.
  • Desiccated coconut can replace fresh coconut for convenience.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1person Calories 286kcal (14%) Carbohydrates 10g (3%) Protein 3g (6%) Fat 27g (42%) Saturated Fat 6g (30%) Polyunsaturated Fat 6g (35%) Monounsaturated Fat 14g (70%) Trans Fat 0.1g (5%) Sodium 403mg (17%) Potassium 167mg (4%) Fiber 3g (12%) Sugar 4g (8%) Vitamin A 184IU (4%) Vitamin C 44mg (49%) Calcium 52mg (5%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6 people

Amount Per Serving

Calories 286

% Daily Value*

Serving 1person
Calories 286kcal 14%
Carbohydrates 10g 3%
Protein 3g 6%
Fat 27g 42%
Saturated Fat 6g 30%
Polyunsaturated Fat 6g 35%
Monounsaturated Fat 14g 70%
Trans Fat 0.1g 5%
Sodium 403mg 17%
Potassium 167mg 4%
Fiber 3g 12%
Sugar 4g 8%
Vitamin A 184IU 4%
Vitamin C 44mg 49%
Calcium 52mg 5%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.