I can’t deny the fact that my cooking has many a time reflected my moods. Like the time I baked four large pizzas because I was feeling artistic and wanted to create a masterpiece, literally! Or when I bake a lusciously rich chocolate cake to give myself a pat on the back. Or even the time when I cooked an extravagant 5-course meal to thank Hubby Dear for a wonderful Valentine gift. And especially today, when I cooked this Aloo Baingan for dinner after a long chat on the phone with a very close friend who I actually learnt it from years ago.
When I look back, I always seem to remember food as something that brought our family together. Whenever we were happy or had any big news to share, food would most definitely become the center of our attention. I remember most of our birthday celebrations not by the gifts we received, but by the feast my Mom made for us. Trips home from college during the summer were often preceded by many telephone calls of planning out the menu for the day I arrived.
Most of our weekends were spent entertaining friends and family. I fondly remember my Mom working her way through a lavish meal irrespective of how many guests we were expecting. She would always say that it’s better to have food leftover than let your guests leave feeling unfull. It should be noted that unless you eat till you’re ready to drop, my Mom thinks you haven’t yet had enough. And so, it is from her that I have inherited this need to cook for my loved ones, and feed them till I know they can’t be fed anymore.
Take for instance this lovely Aloo Baingan recipe. I remembered eating something like it a few years ago at a friend’s home. A bunch of us were getting together for a game night and she made an elaborate meal to kick off the evening. As an ardent fan of eggplant, this dish was a highlight for me that evening. I called her up the very next day and she was happy to share her recipe of the Aloo Baingan that was served.
I’ve made this recipe a million times over the years, each time tweaking it a bit to suit our tastes, and it has now morphed into one of our family favourites. Little Dude often throws a fit when I make Baingan Bharta – claiming he HATES eggplant – but even he enjoys a serving of this Aloo Baingan served alongside some freshly made rotis. Its a fairly simple recipe, and one that doesn’t require too much prep work in advance. I like to serve this with some Dal and a Pulao for a quick and simple dinner. Add in a chopped salad or some Raita, and you have a complete balanced and nutritious meal ready.
Aloo Baingan (Indian-style Potato & Eggplant Stir-fry)
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp light cooking oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp finely minced ginger
- 1 tbsp finely minced garlic
- 1 medium-sized onion finely chopped
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/4 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tbsp coriander powder
- 1/4 tsp amchoor powder
- 1/4 tsp garam masala powder
- salt to taste
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 medium-sized potatoes cut into bite-sized pieces
- 3 long eggplants cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 medium-sized tomatoes cut into wedges
- water as needed
- finely chopped fresh cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Heat oil in a deep non-stick pan and in cumin seeds. Once it starts to sizzle, add in ginger, garlic and onions. Fry till the onions become tender and start to lightly brown along the edges.
- Stir in spices, salt and tomato paste to mix well.
- Add in potatoes and stir-fry for 4-5 minutes till they begin to soften. If the potatoes and spices start to stick to the pan, then add in a splash of water to prevent it from burning.
- Once the potatoes are partially cooked, add in the eggplant and tomatoes, and give it all a good mix to coat well with the spices. Cover and cook for another 4-5 minutes till the potatoes and eggplant are completely cooked through.
- Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve warm.
This post was originally published in June 2008 and has been recently updated.
If you enjoyed this recipe, you will surely love my Baingan Bharta, Masala Mushroom and Jeera Aloo recipe as well.
Tried this recipe? Leave a Comment and let me know, also Rate it by clicking the number of stars on the recipe card. Want to share your version with me? Tag me on Instagram @hookedonheat
I made this for dinner today – it was our 2nd anniversary and my wife absolutely LOVES eggplant! I’m not a cook but your recipe was very easy and quite simple to follow. Not to mention, very delicious – we licked the bowl clean… no leftovers! This really boosted my confidence in the kitchen and I can’t wait to try some more of your recipes. The home-style Chicken Curry and Palak Paneer are next on my list.
Tried it today and it was fabulous!! thanks
I tried it. Absolutley delicious. I’m not an eggplant fan. You got me hooked!- Anne
What an awesome place you have here, delicious recipes, simply written & easy to follow!
I made this, esp. bcoz I have been making eggplant with nigella .. which had started as a spur of the moment spice choice & my family came to love it. I was happy and surprised to see the use of kalonji in this. your method was easier than mine & we loved it. Thanks, Meena!
Iam no a eggplant fan, but the hubby is, this one will be for him! thanx!
Considering I am not the kind that likes to go by recipes, just so I can tap into my creativity (hubby and dotty are the usual guinea pigs!) and so my cooking reflects the mood of the day/week/gathering, having found this website a few weeks ago, have been going ga ga over most recipes. In adition to my own concoctions of fusion cusines (Indian Italian – try Keema Lasgna, spicy spinach bread casserole, chicken corn sphaghetti, so on soforth).. this blog is adding color to our kitchen (& adding more shelfs to our already large pantry!).
I made this last night. I used 1 giant eggplant instead and did not have any amchoor powder.
I love eggplant and I loved this dish. I served in on the deck with basmati rice and just some cut up watermelon as a tongue cooler. It was very delish. Nice with a beer, looking out over the garden. Thanks for the great recipe.
I just shallow fried the eggplant in the amount of oil I noted in the recipe. Since I used a non-stick pan and made sure it was well heated before I added in the eggplants, they browned up nicely without absorbing too much oil – in turn, leaving behind enough for me to saute the onions in. I usually find that if the pan is well heated, eggplants tend to not absorb too much of the oil. Hope this helps Reena!
This is the first time I’m ever writing to a blogger but just had to say .. I tried it and it was YUMMY !! and that when I never like eggplant (except ‘bharta’). One question – Which cooking oil do you use for cooking Indian food and do you use a different one for other cuisines??
Surabhi, I usually use corn/canola/sunflower oil for my Indian and most of my Asian cooking. Olive oil is always a favourite when making Western food, and I also love using sesame oil for some of my Chinese recipes.
I was just wondering if you can make the same recipe with the long Chinese eggplants ?? I have them in my fridge right now and I am so tempted to use them with this recipe. All my family members love eggplant.
You can pretty much use any kind of eggplant for this recipe Zobars, just make sure to cut them in sizes that would be quick to cook.
Happy bday from a fellow Gemini! I am not a eggplant fan, but your dish looks lovely 🙂
Some people don’t like eggplant? I can live on this stuff!! My mother used to be the same about feeding people – I think I have inherited that trait…
That is a stunning dish; your mom sounds like she’s a lot of fun! I think all desi moms have that tendency about over-feeding the guests! Isn’t it funny when the aunties say “No, I don’t want anymore”, but then let you serve them some more anyways?
lovely Meena… eggplant looks very delicious!
The pic is so very tempting that an eggplant hater like me, wudnt mind converting
very yummy looking recipe……
i’m not an eggplant fan, but this really looks like something i’d like to try.