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Indian

Bagara baingan

Vegetarian

Small aubergines braised in a rich peanut, sesame and coconut gravy sharpened with tamarind — a Hyderabadi wedding-feast dish.

Bagara baingan is an Indian curry, ready in about 55 minutes and made with eggplant, peanuts and tamarind paste. It serves 4 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Bagara baingan: whole small aubergines in a nutty tamarind gravy on a white plate
Photo: Miansari66 / Wikimedia Commons · CC0-1.0
Prep
20 min
Cook
35 min
Total
55 min
Serves
4
Level
Intermediate
Calories
314

Ingredients

4 servings

For the paste

For the tempering

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Dry-roast the peanuts (opens in a new tab), sesame (opens in a new tab), coconut, coriander and cumin (opens in a new tab) until golden. Blend with the roasted onion (opens in a new tab) and 150 ml of the water to a smooth paste.

  2. Step 2

    Heat the oil in a wide pan and fry the aubergines (opens in a new tab), turning, until lightly browned and half-cooked. Lift out.

    • 8 min
    • medium heat

  3. Step 3

    In the same oil, pop the mustard seeds (opens in a new tab) with the cumin (opens in a new tab) and curry leaves (opens in a new tab). Add the garlic (opens in a new tab), ginger, turmeric (opens in a new tab) and chilli and stir for a minute.

    • 2 min
    • medium heat

  4. Step 4

    Add the paste and fry until oil separates, then add the remaining water, tamarind, jaggery and salt.

    • 5 min
    • medium-low heat

  5. Step 5

    Return the aubergines (opens in a new tab), cover and simmer until completely tender and the gravy is thick. Garnish with coriander.

    • 12 min
    • low heat
    A curry simmering in a pot
    How it looks · Photo: Bachir Mamud on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Hyderabad, Telangana, Telangana, India · Well documentedMore food from India
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Curries · Side dishes · Main courses
Cooking method
Shallow-fried, Braised
Taste
nutty, tangy, rich, spicy (chilli heat)
Diet
Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Low-carb
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · Carb-conscious
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Festive & celebration · Make-ahead
Cook more with
Eggplant · Peanuts · Tamarind paste · Sesame seeds · Desiccated coconut · Ground coriander
Techniques
Shallow-frying · Simmering · Braising · Bhunao · Spice roasting (dry-roasting)

Allergens

  • Contains: Peanutsfrom peanuts
  • Contains: Sesamefrom sesame seeds
  • Contains: Mustardfrom mustard seeds

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

314 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 294 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 7%
  • Carbohydrate 28%
  • Fat 65%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy314 kcal107 kcal
Protein6.2 g2.1 g
Carbohydrate23.6 g8 g
Net carbohydrate15.9 g5.4 g
Sugars11 g3.8 g
Added sugars1.1 g0.4 g
Fibre7.7 g2.6 g
Fat24.1 g8.2 g
Saturated fat4.2 g1.4 g
Trans fat0.1 g0 g
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium743 mg253 mg
Salt equivalent1.9 g0.6 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
574 mg
Calcium
116 mg
Iron
3 mg
Magnesium
79 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
12 µg
Vitamin C
7 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
64 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: coriander leaves.
  • Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): curry leaves.
  • Tamarind paste: Raw tamarind pulp (FDC 167763). Commercial concentrates vary in water content.
  • Jaggery / palm sugar: Brown sugar (FDC 168833) used as a stand-in for unrefined cane jaggery and palm sugar.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Choose small, tender aubergines of equal size so they cook evenly.

Common mistakes

  • Burning the sesame and peanuts while roasting — a bitter paste spoils the whole gravy.

Serve with

  • Serve with biryani, bagara rice or chapati.

Storage

  • Keeps 3 days refrigerated; improves overnight.

Reheating

  • Warm gently with a splash of water.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

  • Eggplant, 8–10 small aubergines, slit in a cross from the base keeping the stalk on500 g
Used in step 2

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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