Difficulty: Easy | Prep Time: 5 mins | Cook Time: 15-20 mins| Yield: 3-4 Servings
INGREDIENTS
1 Large Brinjal (Auberigine/Baigan/Begun)
½ tsp Ginger Paste
1 Large Onion
½ cup Yogurt (Dahi)*
2 tsp Coriander powder
½ tsp Red Chillie powder**
¼ tsp Turmeric powder½ cup Oil
Salt to taste
DIRECTIONS
- Wash and dice the brinjal into 1½” cubes. You'll have about 20-24 pieces from a large brinjal.
- Slice the onions.
- Heat a pan and leaving aside about 4 tbsp of oil add the rest to the pan.
- Now fry the brinjals till they are light brown in colour and semi-cooked. Remove on an absorbent paper and leave aside.
- Now add the remaining oil into the same pan and add the onions to it.
- Fry till the onions are light brown in colour.
- Add the ginger paste and fry for a little longer.
- Now add the coriander powder, turmeric powder and the red chillie powder.
- Add a little water and salt and cook the powdered masalas together for a while till the water dries up.
- Now add a little more of water and repeat the above step.
- Once the masalas are dry again and oil water has evaporated, add the yogurt. Make sure you beat the yogurt well before adding it to the pan. Otherwise you might not get a smooth gravy.*
- Now cook for about a min and then add the brinjals.
- Stir and add about ½ cup of water to the pan.
- Check seasoning and adjust the salt.
- Cover with a lid and cook for till the brinjals are full cooked.
- Once the brinjals are cooked, uncover and cook on high till the excess water dries up so as to give you a semi-dry gravy.
- Remove from heat and serve with rotis/parathas or even with rice.
NOTES
*Check the yogurt before adding. If its too sour you might want to add a little less in amount. The taste of this preparation is little sour but not too much. Some of you might even want to add a pinch of sugar if you find the gravy too sour to taste.
**Add according to taste.
Difficulty: Easy | Prep Time: 10 mins | Cook Time: 30 mins| Yield: 4-5 servings
INGREDIENTS
1½ Large Baigan (Brinjal/eggplant/Aubergine)
1 medium Onion
1 medium Tomato
1 tsp Ginger Paste
1 tsp Garlic Paste
1 tsp Jeera Powder
2 tsp Dhania Powder
½ tsp Haldi Powder
1 tsp Red Chillie Powder
2 tsp Channa Masala Powder*
¼ cup Oil
Salt to taste
DIRECTIONS
- Wash and cut the baigan into big pieces (about 12 per baigan).
- Finely slice the onion and chop the tomato.
- Heat oil and fry the baigan till they are lightly brown and soft. Press lightly ans squeeze out the oil from the baigan before removing them from the pan.
- Leave the fried baigan aside.
- In the same oil, add the chopped onion and fry till they have softened.
- Add the ginger garlic paste and fry them along with the onion for about 2-3 mins.
- Now add the powdered masala, stir and add a little water.
- Fry the masala till oil separated and the water is fully dry.
- Now add some water again and repeat the process for frying the masala.
- Once again when oil starts to separate, add the chopped tomatoes and salt according to taste.
- Cook until the tomatoes are soft.
- Now add the fried baigan and stir so that the gravy is mixed well with the baigan pieces. Add about ½ cup water and cover the pan.
- Simmer and cook for about 2-3 mins.
- Uncover, and increase the heat to maximum and let the water (if any) evaporate fully.
- Once the oil starts appearing at the sides and the gravy is almost dry remove the baigan from the heat.
- Serve hot with roti/paratha or any rice of your choice.
NOTES
*Channa or Chole masala would do. Or use any similar variant.
[One of the typical Bengali vegetarian preparations]
Difficulty: Easy | Prep Time: 30 mins | Cook Time: 15 mins | Yield: 3-4 servings
INGREDIENTS
1 medium Potato
1 small Raw Banana
¼ Large Brinjal
½ Bittergourd
2 Drum Sticks
½” Ginger
2 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 ½ tbsp Poppy Seeds (Khas Khas)
½ tsp Ajmud Seeds (Randhuni)
½ tsp Sugar
3 tbsp Oil
1 tbsp Ghee
2 Green Chillies
Salt to taste
DIRECTIONS
- Soak the Poppy seeds in warm water for about 10 mins.
- Peal the drum sticks and the potato.
- Cut all the vegetables lengthwise into long rectangular shapes.
- Boil the raw bananas and take off its peals. Boil the potatoes as well. Do not over boil them.
- Finely grate the ginger and slit the green chillies.
- Leave a pinch of mustard and randhuni seeds aside.
- Make a paste of the remaining mustard and randhuni seeds along with the soaked poppy seeds, adding a little water at a time. It is advisable to soak the poppy seeds beforehand as it tends to take a long time to paste it.
- Now in a pan heat the oil.
- Add the pinch of mustard and randhuni seeds and a slit green chillie.
- Once the seeds start to splutter, add the ginger and the unboiled vegetables.
- Stir fry for a while. Then add the boiled potato and the banana. Fry for another 2 mins.
- Now add the masala paste and stir it in with the vegetables. Add salt to taste and the sugar.
- Saute' the vegetables with the masala for a while.
- Then add the other green chillie, about 2 cups of water and cover and cook on low heat till all the vegetables are cooked.
- The gravy should be little thick and creamy. If it is too light evaporate the excess water on high flame till done.
- Shukto should be brought to the room temperature or even less and served with steamed rice.
Difficulty: Medium | Prep Time: 30-45 mins | Cook Time: 30 mins | Yield: 4-5 servings
INGREDIENTS
300-400 gms Baigan (Brinjal/Aubergine)
1 medium sized Onions
1 small Tomato
2 tsp Jeera (Cumin Seeds) Powder
1 tsp Dhania (Coriander Seeds) Powder
½ tsp Red Chillie Powder
1 Egg*
3 tbsp Oil
Salt to taste
DIRECTIONS
- Cut the baigan into big pieces and boil them till soft.
After they have cooled, gently take out the peals from the baigan pieces. You may peel the baigan before boil them to make it easier for you. If the baigan are very fresh you may not peel them at all. - Mash the baigan well and leave aside.
- Chop the oninons and the tomatoes.
- Heat the oil in a pan and add the onions. Fry till translucent.
- Add the jeera, dhania and the red chillie powder. Add a little water and fry the masala.
- Once dry add a little water once more and fry the masala again. The frying of masala should be done 2-3 times adding a little water each time so that the masala cooks well and becomes a smoothe paste.
- Now add the tomatoes and a bit of salt. Adding of the salt will soften the tomatoes quickly and allow it to mix with the masala well.
- Cook this for some more time till oil starts to leave the sides.
- Add the baigan and the remaining salt according to your laste.
- Stiring continuosly, cook till the water from the baigan evaporates.
- Now add the egg and mix it well.
- Continue to stir till the egg gets cooked well and it's fully blended into the baigan. Also you should ensure that the water has fully evaporated.
- Now remove from heat and serve hot with steamed rice or roti.
NOTES
*Strict vegetarians, may omit adding the egg.
