06 March, 2009

Dahiwale Baingan: Less is More!

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Dahiwale Baingan

Some times a bright sun beam escaping from grey clouds is enough to lift your mood…
Some times a small cup of coffee at the end of long, hectic day is enough to cheer you up…
Some times a funny forward in your email box is enough whisk away the blues…
Some times a smile from small baby is enough to wipe away the tiredness…
Some times a little card from your dear one is enough to brighten your day…
And some times a simple food is all we need to comfort us and make us feel at home…

Some times all we need is little things that make your day… Just small things that makes us happy and content!

Yes, today we are talking about simple pleasures of life today and also the theory of less is more. Food that we cook or eat everyday is no exception when it comes to simple pleasures of life. And to prove this age old theory, we have a very simple recipe that uses very few ingredients in creating one of the best tasting curries! I made this Dahiwale Baingan following the recipe posted by Saffron Hut. Saffron Hut was one of the very few Indian blogs I came across during initial days of my blogging and I was instantly hooked to her breath taking photographs and wonderful narration. I had bookmarked her recipe for Dahiwale Baingan, or to be precise, Sour Creamwale Baingan long back and almost forgot about it till yesterday. Why till yesterday? Well, yesterday was the first day in last three years of living here in UK that I came across this popular type of Eggplant that we grow in India. Yes, I got hold of the very old Chinese Eggplants I have been so craving for using in Vangi Bhath and Sweet & Sour Eggplant Palya. At last I found them in new Indian grocery in our city and came back home singing and dancing and all that goes with it! Did I hear some one say “What big show-off”? Well, then you definitely don’t have a clue about my love for these purple beauties! I call it simple pleasures of ‘my’ life…

After cooking and eating Vangi Bhath and Palya to my heart’s desire, I was left with three more Chinese Eggplants. One quick look into my bookmarks and I knew instantly what I wanted to try next. It was Dahiwale Baingan from Saffron Hut and I didn’t waste any time in creating this wonderful recipe. I followed her recipe to T except I used a combination of fresh cream and yogurt in place of sour cream. The end result was something that is hard to put into words! I have never thought simple recipe like this would turn into one of the best tasting eggplant dishes and trust me when I say I have tasted quite many recipes made using the king of vegetables. Thanks to Saffron Hut for making me believe once again that less is definitely more and tastier! Dahiwale Baingan is a simple dish of pan fried eggplants that had been marinated with ginger-garlic paste and salt and then mixed with sour and spicy yogurt gravy. Nothing fancy about it except it can give tight competition to any recipe that uses exotic and exclusive ingredients. Don’t you believe me? Then may be it’s time you tried this Dahiwale Baingan for your self and please let me know how you liked it.

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Dahiwale Baingan: Work-in-progress

Photobucket Print This Recipe
Dahiwale Baingan (Pan fried Eggplants served with creamy gravy of Fresh Cream and Yogurt)
Prep Time: 5 mins (excluding marinating time)
Cooking time: 30 mins
Serves: 4-5
Recipe Source: Saffron Hut
Recipe Level: Easy/Beginner to Intermediary
Spice Level: Low to Medium
Serving Suggestion: With any Indian flat bread or flavoured/steam cooked rice

Ingredients:
3-4 long Chinese Eggplants (slit in middle and cut into 1cm half moons)
1 large Onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
3-5 Green Chillies, finely chopped (Adjust acc to taste)
½ tsp Turmeric Powder
2 tbsp Fresh Cream (I used low fat single cream)
¼ cup Yogurt
Salt to taste
2-4 tbsp Oil

For Tadka/Tempering:
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
Few Curry Leaves
A pinch of Hing/Asafoetida
½-1 tbsp Oil
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Dahiwale Baingan

Method:
Rub little salt and ginger-garlic paste to cut eggplant paste. Make sure that you mix them well. Place these eggplant pieces in a colander for 1-1½ hours to marinate. Make sure that you place it near sink as the liquid generated from salted eggplants will drain away. You can also place a bowl filled with water on top (that fits within the colander) which helps in draining more bitter juice from eggplants. Once the juice is drain out, the eggplants fried up very well.
Pan fry these marinated eggplants in little oil, on medium to high heat, till they turn brown and crisp. It’s best to fry them in small batches so that you get evenly fried eggplants. Place them in a plate lined with kitchen towel till needed.
Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds to it. When mustard starts to pop and splutter, add cumin seeds, curry leaves and hing. Saute till cumin turns golden red. Mix in finely chopped onion and green chillies and sauté till onion turns translucent, about 3-4 minutes.
Add turmeric powder and sauté the onions for another 2 minutes. Mix in fresh cream and yogurt and reduce the heat to low. Keep stirring the cream and yogurt for another 3-4 minutes and bring it to gentle boil. Switch off the flame and mix in pan fried eggplants and serve this delicious Dahiwale Baingan immediately, garnished with finely chopped coriander leaves, along with chapattis or Roties and enjoy.

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Dahiwale Baingan


Note:
It is important to marinate the eggplants for at least one hour before you pan fry. It not only helps in draining the bitter juice from eggplants, it also helps in frying them quickly and evenly.
Next time I might bake the marinated eggplants than pan frying. To do this, simply line the baking sheet with aluminium foil or parchment paper and spray little oil on top of it. Arrange eggplant slices in single layer and bake them till they are nicely browned.
Use pan fried Okra/Bhindi/Ladie’s Fingers in place of eggplants and follow the recipe for Dahiwale Bhindi.

43 comments:

  1. Dahiwale Baingan looks beautiful. I also loved Saffron Hut recipes and her photos a lot. Like yours.

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  2. That looks delicious, Sup!

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  3. WOW ...i never knew brinjals have this avatar too...such a nice recipe...I always have a stock of eggplants in my refrigerator ,and i generally pan fry or deep fry them to have with dal and rice.I am so glaaaaaaad to find this yet another way to have one of my fav. veggie
    And whatever i say about the mindblowing pictures(esp. the last one) will be insufficient to describe the beauty of pics,so i will let u chose the words for your splendid job :-)

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  4. Sia, thanks for sharing the recipe. I tasted baingan raita or dahiwale baingan at an acquaintance who had invited me for dinner. It was delicious. Since then I wanted to experiment with it and I wished I had asked her for the recipe. And now, i have your recipe to try it out.

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  5. Love reading your posts. & sometimes simple is the best! Lovely recipe & great pics as usual.
    Soma(www.ecurry.com)

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  6. Eggplant in any form impresses me very much. That too your baingan makes me drooling. yummy.

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  7. I make this with milk...Nice pics..Looking yum..

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  8. I totally agree with you, sometimes less is more fun.
    I have never had this dish looks so good.

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  9. Looks good, I make perugu pachadi (yogurt chutney) with eggplant. This looks interesting.

    Have a good weekend

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  10. hey,
    This recipe is a new to me. Prior to this I knew only 2 ways to make baingan. one stuffed and another with masala. This one is great and will definitely try it out.I really like the marination part. never done it on brinjal.
    And the snaps are an absolute stunner:)

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  11. Very new recipe of brinjal and yogurt. I like trying new recipes w/t eggplant, i'll save this one.

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  12. wow dahi wale baigan..nice version for eggplant..i make the simple aloo baigan or bharta only..will try this one sometime..lovely pics

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  13. That looks yummy, Sups. Have a great weekend :-)

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  14. Most of the time, we forgot the simple pleasure around us! The creamy brinjal is to try for!

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  15. Wow.. u make me drool! Lovely pictures! Wish i could have that plate for my lunch!

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  16. amazing pictures Sia. i have never tried dhahiwale baingan. but tasted at a friend's place and it was great.. when i decide to try this, i will keep your recipe in mind.

    love the fresh look of you site :)

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  17. I love Dahi baigan... simply irresistible

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  18. Looks amazing...I'll try making this today. All of your recipes turn out wonderful.

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  19. I have Saffron Hut's Dahiwale Baingan bookmarked for years now. But my DH is allergic to dahi and I have been postponing this dish for the longest. Dish looks delicious and will try it for myself soon. I miss SH's blog, she's AWOL for a while now. Have a wonderful weekend.

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  20. Hi Sia,
    thank you for the compliments; lovely pictures of these egg plants; we don't get these small Indian brinjals neither and ofcourse whenever I go tothe Indian groceries,get a bag full of all vegetables;

    this method of preparing them is new to me (marination and then frying); your thali looks great, that's a nice feast! beautiful explanation on 'Less is more'very philosophical....I agree with you!

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  21. love the pic of the ingredients. so cool! and the recipe too, i love anything with baingan :)

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  22. sounds absolutely delicious! and more than that, your picture looks lovely :)

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  23. I love, love your pics, Sia! :)

    And I have never tasted this. I have a baigan in the fridge. Will surely try :)

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  24. Recipe sounds simple. But I am sure it tasted great. As u said baking the egg plants would be a better option.

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  25. Nice recipe...will try it out sometime...

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  26. OMG!!What a fabulous recipe!This is simply superb..Like you,saffron hut is also a culinary genius..
    The pictures are stunning,Sia :)

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  27. Creamy eggplant curry looks amazing...eyecatching clicks, got hooked with ur pics SIA:)

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  28. you are right, simple pleasures have so much to offer in life.. Dahiwale Baingan looks gorgeous!

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  29. Hi Sia, dahiwale baingan looks simple and delicious. we get these purple brinjals in the indian stores here too and i love them. But how i wish i could get hold of mangalore Gulla badane:)
    I will bookmark this recipe

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  30. Hi Sia,

    I am a regular reader of your blog and like the way the blog as been coming through. I enjoy reading them and also have tried few recipies. They have come out great! Thanks!

    Recently, I tried clicking on Bachelor Friendly recipes on the right hand side. The option to click on Bachelor Friendly recipes doesn't seem to respond. Any other way to get to that screen?

    Thanks again,
    Mallika

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  31. Wow! dahi wale baigan looks yum & colourful... Lovely recipe & great pics Sia:)Love it!

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  32. this looks great! all your pics are phenomenal btw:)

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  33. Hi sia,
    Cool, I make only bharta and dry sabzi from brinjals...can imagine what a wonderful marination can do to the simple brinjal...slurp!cool snaps :)
    Sia pls collect ur award from my blog.
    TC

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  34. Beutiful pics Sia and sounds like a nice and simple dish. I love baingans and keep looking for new ways to make it...thanks for this recipe and you have a great blog !

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  35. looks so yum,..happy holi,..:-)

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  36. Hey! This looks great...... And simple enough that i can try on a evening after getting home from work..... Will do it soon and surely let u know :)

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  37. Delicious.......!
    A nice click too..... :)

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  38. Sia...another baigan delicacy tumba layka ippa hange kantu.. will try this out sm time..:)

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  39. hey Sia, how are you? its long since I have visited monsoon spice. I see some beautiful changes in your template and so many delish recipes!! love the drool worth pics:)

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  40. hi
    Its such a delight to read and look at your blog..
    The recipes are wonderful!!!!!
    can you please tell me how i can name my photos the way you have.

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  41. hey sia,
    it looks great... i tasted brinjal at my friend's house but i believe it appears to be different. i would love to try it.uphere i always have a hard time to find ingredients, but thanks to my friend who introduced me to a great resource.
    www.myethnicworld.com

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  42. hey Sia,

    I tried out ypur recipe of Dahi Baigan and it turned out awesome!!
    Thanks for sharing it!

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  43. @Waytogo, Thank u for letting me know. I am really glad to know u enjoyed it. The real creadit goes to Saffron Hut for sharing her recipe with us :)

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