Spusht: Aloo Baingan Recipe | Baigan Aloo Sabzi | Potato and Eggplant Stir Fry Recipe

Ever since I came from India last year, anytime I mention or hear "baingan" I remember the Hyderabadi slang "baigan mein mila diye" which if translated in English goes like "to mix something in an eggplant" but the slang actually means along the lines of 'ruining something'. It's funny when someone with a proper Hyderabadi accent says it.

Anyway, the Aloo Baingan (Baingan Aloo; same thing) in this post has been the only dish that has been cooked the maximum number of times in my kitchen anytime I bring eggplants - whether the baby ones or the hulk ones. I originally tried the Aloo Baingan recipe from Madhura's Kitchen where she uses ketchup and that seemed unusual but the dish did taste great.

Although the procedure to cook Aloo Baigan Sabzi does seem lengthy in this post, it is actually a simple sabzi and I hope after trying this you will not tell me that you 'baigan mein mila diye' ;-)

Aloo Baingan ki Sabzi Recipe

serves 4

basic idea from madhura's kitchen

Ingredients for Baingan Aloo:

1 Tbsp oil

¼ tsp mustard seeds

½ tsp cumin seeds

1 cup diced potato (1 large potato)

1 cup chopped onion (½ large onion)

1 Tbsp finely chopped garlic (3-4 garlic cloves)

1 tsp green chili paste or 1 tsp red chili powder or a combination

1 tsp ginger – paste or finely chopped

1 cup diced eggplant, cut last minute (1-2 baby eggplant)

¼ tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp coriander powder

½ tsp cumin powder

1 cup chopped tomatoes (2 medium tomatoes)

½ tsp dry mango powder

¾ tsp salt

¼ tsp sugar

2 Tbsp chopped cilantro

Adjust salt and spice levels to your taste.

How I make Aloo Baingan ki Sabji:

1. Heat oil in a medium pan. When hot, add mustard seeds and cover pan, let mustard seeds pop. Then add cumin seeds, let sizzle. Add peeled and diced potatoes, sauté and cover the pan 2-3 minutes to let potatoes soften a little. Add chopped onion + garlic + green chili paste (if using) + ginger and sauté until onions turn translucent and potatoes cook a little more until tender.

Note: If you use parboiled potatoes, you should start with onions, and then go to potatoes. But I did not have time to parboil potatoes, so I covered and cooked them first and then added other ingredients. If I added raw potatoes after sautéing onions, the onions would turn brown by the time potatoes became tender. Eggplants will not take as much time to cook as potatoes do, which is why we add them when potatoes are just about soft otherwise eggplants will get mashed until potatoes reach their cooking time.

2. Once the potatoes are tender and onions are golden-brown, add the spices: turmeric powder + red chili powder (if using) + coriander powder + cumin powder along with diced eggplant. Mix it well for 30 seconds so that eggplants and spices are cooked in oil but mix gently so as to not mash the eggplants.

Eggplants will not take as much time to cook as potatoes do, which is why we add them when potatoes are just about soft otherwise eggplants will get mashed until potatoes reach their cooking time.

3. Once all mixed, add the tomatoes + dry mango powder + salt + sugar and cook the pan covered for 3-4 minutes until tomatoes soften, giving it a mix occasionally. Once the vegetables and spices are cooked and they retain their shape, mix the chopped cilantro and give the now ready potato and eggplant sabji a splash of green color.

4. BUT – in case at this point you see the potatoes are not as soft and mashing the potato makes you feel they are not cooked or boiled well on the inside – add ½ cup or 1 cup water (no more than that), cover and cook 2-3 minutes until water evaporates (or if you want a curry/gravy dish you can let some water remain) and your vegetables are cooked. Adding excess water is going to take longer for your aloo baingan sabji to cook – and the longer you cook unnecessarily the more nutrition you lose.

The only disadvantage of adding water after the cooking process is that your eggplants may get mashed because of the extra stirring, so if you are serving this aloo baingan dish to guests you would want it to look good. But if you are eating this at home on your own – few mashed eggplants do not matter.

Spusht | aloo baingan potatoes and eggplant recipe

Serve your Aloo Baingan ki Sabji with roti, along with some sliced onions sprinkled with roasted cumin powder, salt, red chili powder, and salt … and raita (seasoned yogurt) on the side may be.