Baingan Musallam (Mughlai Style Aubergine in Rich Tomato Gravy)
Baingan Musallam (Mughlai Style Aubergine in Rich Tomato Gravy) is a traditional Indian recipe for a classic Mughlai vegetarian curry of aubergines (eggplants) in a spicy tomato-based gravy. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Indian version of: Mughlai Style Aubergine in Rich Tomato Gravy (Baingan Musallam).
Here is a classic Mughlai vegetarian curry of roasted or deep fried brinjals/aubergines/eggplants in a tomato curry gravy made even richer by the addition of cream and spices.
Ingredients:
1 Brinjal (Baingan/aubergine/Eggplant), cut into wedges
250ml (1 cup) Home-made tomato puree
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder (Haldi)
1 tsp ground Coriander (Dhania)
1/2 tsp Garam masala
1 Indian Bay leaf (tej patta), torn into half
1 tsp Red Chilli powder
1 tbsp Fresh cream
1 tbsp raisins
Small bunch of Coriander (Cilantro/Dhania), Leaves finely chopped
Salt, to taste
Oil, for cooking
To Make the Paste:
1 Onion, roughly chopped
3 cloves Garlic
3cm (1 inch) Ginger, scraped
Method:
Cooking the bottle gourd:
Make the tomato puree according to the recipe and set aside. Combine the ginger, onion and garlic in a food processor. Add a little water then process to a thick paste, adding a little more water as needed. Turn into a bowl and set aside.
Heat a tbsp of oil in a Kadai/Heavy Bottomed Pan. Add the aubergine (eggplant) wedges, sprinkle over some salt and cook the baingan in the pan until tender (about 8 minutes). Cover the pan, so that the steam that gets created will help cook the baingan faster.
Once the baingan is cooked, remove from the pan and keep aside.
In the same pan, add the onion garlic paste and fry over medium heat until the raw smell goes away (about 5 minutes). Add all the spices, the tomato puree and cook everything for a couple of minutes until it comes to a brisk boil.
Stir in the raisins, the roasted baingan, the cream and simmer for about 5 minutes until the masalas get well incorporated into the aubergine. Adjust the salt to taste then stir in the chopped coriander leaves and serve with Vegetable Yakhni Pulao Recipe and Burani Raita for a delicious dinner for parties.
