Eggcellent Eggplant recipes:Ratatouille pasta,Kashmiri Baigan, Stuffed Baby Eggplants ,Bagara Baigan and more


Nick named "Baigan Raja"(the king of vegetables),the plump,crowned head Eggplant\Aubergine\Brinjal\Baigan with shiny attractive suit ,never appealed to me as a kid,I didn't care to finish the plate whenever it was served.I still find it challenging to eat unless cooked with lots of spices.It so happened ,hubby dear bought a generous batch of them last week.Since these don't store for more than a week,we had to chow down before they spoil in the fridge.Of all the different shapes and sizes,I personally like the smaller round Asian variety eggplants.Here are the 3 interesting dishes I made all in the same week;and believe me, we were not bored and mostly importantly I finished my plate.

Ratatouille Pasta

Ratatouille is a classic French side dish made with fresh vegetables and herbs,including egg plants,zucchini,squash and tomatoes.Tossed with pasta,the dish makes a wholesome entrée.
Ingredients
1 pound Whole grain pasta,cooked al dente as per the package directions
Half a big or 2 medium or 4 small eggplants,diced
2 medium plum red tomatoes,chopped
2 small zucchini or yellow squash(or use 1 of both),diced
1 big carrot,sliced
1/2 a medium onion,chopped
2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon chili powder or freshly crushed black pepper
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoon fresh herbs(basil,thyme or rosemary),chopped

Method
Heat the oil over medium heat in a large pan,add the onions and garlic;saute for 3-4 minutes.Add the eggplants and saute for 2-3 minutes.Now add the chili powder\pepper ,herbs,tomatoes and zucchini\squash and cook until vegetables are tender,5-6 minutes.
Mix in the cooked pasta ,garnish with some more fresh herbs and serve warm.

Food Event Submission
The pasta dish is off to Ruth's Pesto Pasta Nights Event . This week PPN is hosted Amy of Very Culinary

Kashmiri Baigan in yogurt gravy
adapted from recipe at Indianrelish

Originating from the picturesque land of Kashmir(North India),the dish is perfect for hot summers with yogurt and fennel seeds.
4 baby eggplants\brinjals(baigan)
2 cup reduced fat yougurt\curd
1 teaspoon fennel seeds (saunf)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dry ginger powder (sonth)
2 green cardamoms
2 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
finely chopped fresh coriander to garnish

Method
Rinse the eggplants and cut the stem off ,slit across on both sides.
Heat oil in a deep pan or kadai over medium heat kadai,shallow fry the eggplants until evenly browned and soft.Get the eggplants out and set aside.Add the cumin seeds,cardamoms,fennel seeds and roast for few seconds,then add the turmeric,salt and chili powder.Turn the heat to low,add the yogurt and stir.Let cook on gentle heat ,this is important or the yogurt will curdle and look more like cheese.Add the cooked egg plants and let warm for 5-6 minutes until flavors soak in.Serve with rice or bread.


Stuffed baby Eggplant(Bharwan baigan) with onions and coconut
With coconut and onions,and seasoned with spices,these stuffed eggplant are hard to resist.

Ingredients
4 baby eggplants\brinjals(baigan) .
for stuffing
1 big or 2 small onions,chopped
1/2 cup dried shred coconut
1 big clove garlic,chopped
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder or seeds
2-3 green chillies
4-5 curry leaves or 3-4 sprigs cilantro
1 teaspoon Dry Mango Powder(optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Vegetable oil

Method
Rinse the eggplants and cut the stem off ,slit across on both sides.
Prepare the filling by blending together stuffing ingredients. Stuff the eggplant with this mixture and keep aside.Reserve any remaining stuffing.
Heat oil in a deep pan or kadai on medium heat,place the stuffed eggplant ,let cook for 5 minute before turning.Cooking another 5 minutes,pour the remaining stuffing if any,cover and let cook another 8-10 minutes until soft and cooked through.Serve with rice and Sambar.


Bagara Baigan(Eggplants in spicy peanut tamarind gravy)


Ingredients
6-8 small round eggplants,cut the top and slit across
3/4 cup skinned and roasted peanuts (add other nuts if desired like almonds and cashews)
1/2 a medium onion,finely chopped
1 teaspoon minced ginger and garlic,use fresh not canned if possible
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon hot chili powder
1 tablespoon tamarind ,soaked in cup of water
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Method
Heat oil in large deep pan on medium heat,fry the eggplants ,cover and turn occasionally,take about 10-12 minutes until eggplants are softened.
In the same oil add the seeds and onions,saute until lightly brown,add the ginger and garlic and other spices and salt.Let saute another minute,then grind them all together to a paste along with the peanuts,add little water if needed.Transfer the paste back to the pan,turn the heat on and roast for 2-3 minutes until oil starts to leave.Now squeeze the tamarind and get the juices out.Filter the tamarind water without any pulp in to the cooking mixture ,add another 1/2 a cup of water.Simmer then add the fried eggplants,cover and cook another 10-12 minutes until the eggplants soak in the flavors.Serve with vegetable pulov or biryani
Other Egg plant recipes posted :

Gosthu(Spicy medley of eggplant and other vegetables)


BabaGanoush(A lip-smacking dip)


Eggplant Chutney(South Indian Style spicy chutney)


Gingered Eggplant chutney pasta with spring peas.


And these are off to the food event ,Fall in Love :Brinjals at Sanghi's Food Delights.

Eggplant Nutrition:
Eggplant are high in Dietary Fiber & Potassium.And a good source of Folate, Manganese, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Thiamin(B1), Niacin, Vitamin B6, Pantothenic Acid, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Copper.And always keep the skin on,it has the potent antioxidants and free radical scavenger called Nasunin.

Comments

Lovely dish and lovely entries to the event.. really looks so gorgeous and mouthwatering ...
Shabs.. said…
woooow....so many aubergine dishes....i love babaghanouj...will try them some day.....nice post...looking fwd to making some from this....
thx
Rush said…
amazing varieties of eggplant..i love baingan my heart out..if i had baingan in my fridge today..it wud have been Attack!!!!
will get some next week!
Jessica said…
This sure changes my views about eggplant.I don't cook much with eggplant ....only dish I cook is the eggplant Parmesan.
Shama Nagarajan said…
delectable recipes dear...lovely pictures
Pooja said…
Awesome brinjal dishes! Loved the pasta with brinjals and veggies. The Kashmiri Baingan looks so rich and yummy. So is the stuffed eggplant. Truly irresistible! The other entries are lovely too :)
Sanghi said…
This is a yummy treat yasmeen! Thanks for all the entries!
Sharmila said…
No matter long I waited, your page just wouldn't load yesterday ... and I hate it when I can't see your wonderful recipes or leave a line. Lovely dishes Yasmeen! :-)
I do make the dahi & the bharwa baingan ... and intend to make that baba ganoush.
Really excellent! :-)
ohh so many yummy yummy dishes...looks like a mini round up
LifenSpice said…
Wow, that's so many eggplant dishes. I would love to try that dip and that Kashmiri baingan.
sangeeta said…
nce brinjal recipes all of them...i like the kashmiri yakhni baingan very much...never tried with pasta though i was thinking of pairing it with spiral pasta...
Parita said…
OMG this is heaven for me, loved all the dishes, especially stuffed baigan with onion and coconut..m making this soon, thanks for sharing dear!
Anonymous said…
Hey,I personally gone for that Kashmiri Baigan in yogurt gravy..what a curry Yasmeen..
even I kept away from brinjals when i was a kid..natural..haha..whatabout your son ? healthy and adventerous by now ?
CurryLeaf said…
Eggcelent and Eggplantish.Baingan is aurely the Raja because of its versatility spread across all the cuisines.Love the ratatouile pasta and babaghanoush especially.
Shri said…
Lots of mouth watering eggplant dishes!Loved your Ratatouille pasta:)I can just live on pasta!
Bergamot said…
i just love brinjals. I do not get an opportunity to make them since my hubby and daughter just hate it :-( All the dishes are fabulous...maybe i will try the ratoutille.
Raks said…
The first thing catched my eye is those brinjals! And love the pasta too:)
Kalaivani said…
Wow lovely dishes.everything looks delicious.Never tried the Kashmiri version,it looks yummy.
ARUNA said…
lovely lovely dish......gorgeous n mouth-watering!!!
Hari Chandana P said…
WOW... what a wonderful dish.. looks soo tempting... lovely clicks!!
Deepthi Shankar said…
wow lovely dishes .. kashmiri baingan looks soo good
mona said…
Yasmeen, I loved the addition of eggplant in the pasta. Lovely clicks! Will try all the recipes sometime.
I also love baingan bharta a lot!
sabah said…
Wonderful dishes Yasmin, I love eggplant,I'll try them for sure. Thanks.
I also disliked eggplants as a kid, however now I really enjoy them. In fact, we just had them tonight stewed with other vegetables. Making them three different ways is a wise idea. Thanks for sharing.
Shifa Firoz said…
Yasmeen the baigan recipes are to die for! my hubby is not a big fan of baingan but i think if i try out these he sure will love it! thanks for sharing!
Vibaas said…
all of them look yummy. particularly love the kashmiri baingan.
Saritha said…
Lovely dishes yasmeen,fav is stuffed brinjal and brinjal chutney :)
Ivy said…
Lovely dishes with eggplants. We make something similar to babaghanouj called melitzanosalata.
Vikis Kitchen said…
wow Yasmeen , what a treat to my eyes!Pasta and brinjal seems so new to me . But looks so inviting. The kashmiri yogurt curry and stuffed one are more catchy to me. The whole spread of brinjal dishes makes me drooling:) Moreover , well said about the small round Asian brinjal... I too agree it tastes great with all the seeds. Have u ever tasted the Asian green round brinjals with lot of seeds? It is the tastiest of all , I hope.
Great entries for the event.
Soma said…
Everyone really likes eggplants in my family, even the kids. that kashmiri dish looks gorgeous!

Yesterday i made a similar dip like Baba Ganoush, but moroccan. nothing not to like in an eggplant.
lubnakarim06 said…
Pasta and baigan is new to me....so many yum recipes with eggplant.....wow....
Chef Jeena said…
I feel like I have just been to a feast! Fabulous recipe Yasmeen they all look so so good - I am so hungry now!
Dori said…
I had bought some baby eggplants at the farmers market last week... Your posts are tempting me to buy another batch of them... Everything looks amazing!
Ruth Daniels said…
I do love eggplants and thanks so much for so many different ways to cook them up. Thanks to for including this in Presto Pasta Nights.
Joanne said…
Eggplant is one of my favorite foods! I am definitely bookmarking all of these.
Bach said…
I tried the Kashmiri eggplant today and it was a beauty :) Reminded me of my mom's 'doi- begun' Yum! Thanks for posting
? said…
Just came across your blog and these eggplant recipes! Have tried the Kashmiri one, forgetting the yogurt but it still comes out great!Good post.
Looks delicious and I love how easy to follow the recipes are. Would love to try it out.
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