The moment you place a plate of stuffed vegetables feel so much more special that just stir frying.
This is the magic of bharwan. It is not vegetable specific and can be seen in most dominant cuisine styles.
In Indian recipes as well you will come across a large number of vegetables served as roasted or curries with stuffed produce. Okra, capsicum, bottlegourd, eggplants, chillies, bittermelon, lemons, mushrooms, you name it, there will be a lipsmacking stuffed version of it.
Thats when we got these baby brinjals!! That too farmfresh baby brinjal (eggplant) spotted in the market deserves a wholesome approach. Here is my version of the tastiest stuffed baby eggplant.
What is a brinjal?
Brinjal, eggplants and aubergine are all the same.
The fruits of Solanum melongena is a sturdy shrub that grows easily. The fruits come in various shapes and colours. Some are deep purple and large and used for roasting. Some green or varigated, some elongated like a zucchini and some round like a little ball. The flavor profile is nearly the same. All can be roasted, boiled or grilled and rarely eaten raw.
Here are some recipes we have previously tried with eggplants.
Kashmir doudh wagun
Kerala vazhuthananga mezhukkuperatti
Srilankan wambat moju
Chettinad kathrikka podi varuval
Ingredients to make this peanut masala stuffed brinjals
Unlike the popular dry masala stuffed baingan recipe, this is one that uses fresh ground pastes and roasted peanuts. This makes the eggplants succulent ans keeps the moisture as it roasts.
Brinjal: since eggplants come in various sizes for this recipe what you need is small baby oval or rounded eggplants. The colour or variety is up to you it can be purple, variegated or the white variety. While coosing the eggplants for this recipe, ensure that they are all even sized so you can get them cooked evenly.
Peanut: roasted peanuts form the bulk of the filling.this not only gives the nutty creaminess but also makes this recipe much more nutritious. You can use peeled peanuts of keep in the skin on. Peanut butter is not suitable becoz of the oil content.
Onion: the red onion provides the base masala flavour.Usually I prefer this and a smooth paste so it is easier to stuff the eggplant. You can choose shallots or white onions to make the same. Shallots will be a bit sweeter.
Fresh masala base: the true flavour of the recipe comes from the fresh pastes that are made. This is a combination of fresh ginger root, garlic and green chillies. When made a paste together, they create fresh and robust flavour paste. This combined with the peanuts make the stuffing so tasty.
Lemon juice: the final splash of Lemon juice once the recipe is done provides a summery freshness to the recipe. You can have lime, lemon or tart orange juice to make this shine.
Lets make bharwan baingan
The recipe is a bit of work between prepping the brinjals and making the masala paste. However, once that part is completed, it is fairly a easy process. Check the notes below so you can actually make it in larger quantities for meal prep.
Peanut masala stuffed eggplants
Equipment
- frying pan
- measuring cups and spoons
- Knife
Ingredients
- 20 small eggplant
for the onion paste
- 2 medium red onion
for the fresh masala paste
- 1 inch fresh ginger root
- 3 medium green chilli serrano
- 5-6 cloves garlic peeled
- salt to taste you can adjust later after mixing the peanuts.
for the peanut base
- 1 cup peanuts roasted and crushed
For roasting
- 4-6 tbsp cooking oil use as necessary.
Instructions
- Crush the roasted peanuts to a coarse blend and set it aside.
- Make a fresh paste of green chillies, garlic and ginger and set this aside.
- Mince or coarse grind the onions and set this aside.
- Wash and remove the stalk of the baby eggplants.
- Slit them lengthwise in two perpendicular strokes, still keeping them intact at the base.
- Mix together the peanuts, the fresh masala paste and the onion paste to make the stuffing.
- Check and adjust the salt. Add a pinch higher as this flavours the eggplants too.
- Stuff this mix into the eggplants.
- Heat the frying pan on medium and brush oil on the pan.
- Place the stuffed eggplants in the pan as it heats up.
- Turn and roast till all sides are seared.
- Lower the heat and cover the pan to allow the eggplants to cook.
- After 5- minutes open the pan and spray some oil on the eggplants.
- Slow roast the eggplants, constantly turning them.
- once the eggplants are ready the are a bit squishy, still hold shape.
- Transfer to a serving platter and enjoy.
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- Baby eggplants
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- stuffing
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- slit and stuffed eggplants
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- eggplants roasted
Mealprep the stuffed brinjal
Stuffed brinjal stays good in the refrigertor for up to a week, so we highly recommend this recipe to add to your meal prep. Though it takes a bit of time, if you have a large quantity of eggplants, do not hesitate to make a big batch and freeze for later. Complete the roasting process and cool before freezing. In this way, eggplants wont leach and the result when you thaw it back up is as good as the fresh ones. Freeze as a single layer first and then store them in a container. This ensures they do not stick to each other.
Collaboration
As bloggers we always draw inspiration and ideas from each other and support in the growth and enthusiasm. This time in the Shh cooking secretly group we are exploring stuffed vegetables recipes which have such a huge variety to offer.Check just one more, stuffed capsicum from The mad scientist kitchen.
Stay connected
Stuffed brinjal recipes are a favorite for us in our house. When you try this version of peanut filled, stuffed eggplants do let us know how you liked this recipe in the comments below. The recipe my sound similar to Bharali vangi, however is far different in flavour.
We would love to hear from you in the comments below.
See you in the next post.
