BHAINGAN PARVEEN (BRINJAL IN GRAVY)

BHAINGAN PARVEEN

Brinjal...hmm...considered to be a very bland tasting vegetable. But cooked right it is amazingly delicious and quite irresistible. This is a recipe that my mother created so I named it after her. Of course later on I added my own tweaks and improved the taste. It is quite straightforward to make so do not be afraid of too many hassles. What is important in this recipe is that all the condiments have to be in a paste form. SAM KHAN, I had been postponing the upload of this recipe but since you wanted it...I ended up giving it priority. 

So before I give the list of ingredients, I want to give a few instructions. First of all, the ONIONS. With this recipe or for any other that requires onion paste, you have to chop the peeled onions into quarters, and pop these into boiling water for a few minutes. Drain, then pulverise into a smooth paste. Add very little water. This ensures that the gravy will have a good smoothness and glossy finish. As for the TOMATOES in this recipe, or any other that requires Tomato Puree...peel the tomatoes, chop them roughly and place them in the blender. Pulse a couple of times and you have your tomato puree. Do not add water for blending the tomatoes. You will need a pressure cooker to prepare this dish. You can use a regular pan but the process will take longer and the end result will not be very desirable. 

INGREDIENTS

• Half Kg of Brinjals (A little more will be fine too) I normally use a little more than half a Kg. But use the long slender ones. The big round ones have a different taste and the curry will not turn out as well as expected.
• 2 Large or 3 Medium sized Onions (Prepared in the way I have described above)
• 2 Large Tomatoes (Pureed in the way I have described above)
• 4 Teaspoons Tomato Paste
• 1 Heaped Tablespoon of Ginger and Garlic Paste. Or 1 Heaped Teaspoon of Each.
• Nigella Seeds - Half a teaspoon
• Kasuri Methi - 1 Level Teaspoon
• Chilly Powder - 2 Heaped Teaspoons (Decrease or Increase as per taste)
• Turmeric Powder - 1 Teaspoon
• Cumin and Coriander Seed Powder (Combined) 1 Level Tablespoon
• Salt - 1 Teaspoon ( You can add more later if required)
• Garam Masala - 1 Teaspoon (For recipe of GARAM MASALA please click on the word highlighted in Blue)
• Cooking OIl - 1 Cup

NOTE: To achieve a richer gravy, you will need about 6 Tablespoons of heavy coconut cream. This gives a very unique and distinct flavour to the curry. However this is totally optional. I usually add the coconut cream to get a creamy, sweet and spicy flavour. Sometimes I don't just so I can have a variable taste each time I prepare this dish. 

DIRECTIONS

1) Wash the Brinjals well, chop off the tops of the stalks, leaving just an inch or 2 cms and peel thinly.  Do not remove the stalks as they have to be intact. You will see the peeled and chopped stalks in the picture below. Set these aside.

2) Place the pressure cooker on high heat. Add the oil and tip in the onion paste. Cook this paste until most of the liquid has dried up. There is no need to brown this paste.

3) Still on high heat, add the ginger and garlic paste. Cook for about a minute. Add the nigella seeds. Add half a cup of water to prevent burning and sticking. Stir.

4) Add the chilly powder, turmeric powder, cumin and coriander seed powder, and the kasuri methi. Stir all these for under a minute. Add the tomato paste and tomato puree and salt. Add 1 cup of water (more or less). Cover (with any regular lid) and let simmer on medium heat.  After about 5 minutes, uncover and stir fry until oil separates. 

While the masala is simmering, cut up the brinjals as shown here. Cut the brinjal in 2 equal halves, then slit each half into 4 segments but not all the way down. Note the chopped and peeled stalks. Drop each cut up brinjal into a bowl of salted water. This will prevent them from discolouration 

Once the oil has separated from gravy, lower the heat and place the brinjals in. Add 3 cups of water. Raise the heat and cover the pressure cooker with its lid and weight. Cook for 6 minutes. Count the minutes as soon as the pressure cooker is at full steam. After the first 2 minutes, reduce the heat to medium and continue to pressure cook for another 4 minutes

After the 6 minutes are up. Take the pressure cooker off the heat and place in the kitchen sink and let the tap water run over it for a couple of minutes. Once pressure has settled down, open the lid and this is what they should look like. IF you find it is too watery, place the cooker back on heat and continue simmering. However DO NOT STIR. Just wear your mittens and swirl the pan around occasionally until you have just the right amount of gravy. Taste for salt and add more if required.

At this stage, IF you are using the coconut cream, you can add 3 Tablespoons and swirl the cooker around to mix it in well with the gravy. Add the garam masala. Swirl again, add chopped cilantro and slit green chillies if you wish. Take off the heat. Be careful when transferring into serving dish. Spoon out each brinjal gently (You don't want them broken and all mushy) and then scoop up the gravy and pour over them. When you serve, drizzle the rest of the coconut cream over the brinjals. Happy Eating!