Baghare baingan – peanut, sesame and coconut aubergines
Roasted aubergines slathered in a peanut, sesame and coconut curry is one of my most popular party dishes, and it’s no surprise why. This regal dish is most closely associated with the Hyderabadi Nizams, the Mughal administrators who declared their independence as the Empire crumbled. Without their rebellion we may have never experienced the tantalising Hyderabadi cuisine.
Baghare means ‘tempered’, so the name of the recipe actually refers to the spice tempering. Despite the long list of ingredients, this is actually a very simple recipe using store cupboard basics: tinned coconut milk, peanut butter and tahini. Serve with flatbreads for scooping up the curry.
This recipe is taken from Masala: Indian Cooking for Modern Living (£26, Bloomsbury) by Mallika Basu.
Ingredients
Tempering mix
- 2 tbsp of vegetable oil
- 1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp nigella seeds
- 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
- 12 curry leaves
Curry
- 700g of aubergine , small or baby
- 1 medium onion , choppeed
- 1 knob of ginger , 1cm long, finely grated
- 3 garlic cloves , finely grated
- 4 green chillies , finely chopped
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp chilli powder
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 3 tbsp of peanut butter , smooth, with no added sugar or salt
- 400ml of coconut milk , (1 tin), good quality
- 1 tbsp of tahini
- 1 tsp tamarind paste
- salt
- 1 handful of peanuts , roughly crushed, to garnish
Method
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Baghare baingan – peanut, sesame and coconut aubergines
