Aloo Baingan Recipe (Eggplant and Potato Curry)

 Aloo baingan (aubergine/aubergine and potato curry) may seem like a humble weekday dish. But when cooked properly, it becomes something to be proudly served to guests. This recipe is easy to follow, ready in under an hour, and packed with flavor.

Baingan Aloo

Aloo Baingan is a Pakistani and North Indian style vegan curry made with potatoes (aloo) and brinjal (baingan or brinjal). Although not as glamorous as baingan bharta, aloo baingan can be just as exciting when done right.

The secret of next-level aloo baingan is to brown the eggplant before adding it to the curry. Frying the eggplant in a pan enhances the flavor and gives it a better texture. If you are in a hurry, you can skip this step. I've made it without frying many times and it's still delicious with a perfectly balanced flavor.

Ingredients For Aloo Baingan Recipe

This Aloo Baingan recipe calls for simple ingredients commonly used in South Asian cuisine.

All of these ingredients are given below.

• Eggplant: Choose a small to medium-sized balloon eggplant. If you wish, you can use other types of eggplant and adjust the cooking time.
• Indian eggplants (also called baby eggplants) take longer to cook than balloon eggplants.
• Japanese eggplants (the long thin ones) can work with the same cooking time here.
• Spices - This baingan recipes uses familiar spices like coriander powder, cumin, red chili, turmeric, and black pepper. We finish off with garam masala or chaat masala for a sour/chatpata kick.
• Garlic and Ginger – You can finely chop the garlic and ginger in a food processor or pound them with a mortar and pestle.
• Green Chili: For a medium-hot curry, use a small Thai chili or half a serrano. You can increase or decrease this amount to adjust the heat.
• Potatoes: I use red potatoes in this recipe. If you use a different type of potato (e.g. a red potato), you may need to increase the cooking time.

How To Make Aloo Baingan

STEP 1: PAN-FRY THE EGGPLANT

1. Fry the aubergines in a pan for 3 minutes on each side or until well charred. (Remember, more browning = more flavor.) You don't need to fully cook here as it will finish cooking with the potatoes in the curry.

If you skip this step, simply place the chopped eggplant in a bowl of water and continue with the recipe. This will prevent the eggplant from turning brown.

STEP 2: MAKE THE BASE OF THE CURRY

1. Patient skipping is the key here. Make sure the onions are nicely browned before adding the tomatoes. Cook the tomatoes until they break down in the curry and the oil starts to come off them. If the masala starts to stick to the bottom, add a splash of water at any time to deglaze the pan. This process gives this curry so much depth. (Trust me, I've tried skimping on this and it just isn't the same.)

STEP 3: COOK THE POTATOES AND EGGPLANT IN THE CURRY

Once you have prepared the base (or masala), add the potatoes and eggplant and cook until the veggies are tender. Decorate and serve!

How to make this aloo baingan in an instant pot?

I've tested this recipe several times in the Instant Pot and found the results to be better over the stovetop. Here's why:

As I mentioned earlier, the eggplant contains a lot of water, which is all included in the Instant Pot. After you pressure cook it, there will be a lot of water left that you need to sear. This will make for overly mushy eggplants. If you agree, do it like this in the IP:

1. Press Sauté on your Instant Pot and set to More. Once the IP changes to "Hot," heat the oil and add the cumin seeds and onions. Saute for 8-10 minutes until onions are golden brown.
2. Deglaze with 2 tablespoons of water and make sure that no pieces stick to the bottom of the pot. Add chopped tomatoes, green chilli, all spice powders and salt. Fry for 2-3 minutes until the tomatoes are soft.
3. Add eggplant and potatoes and stir. Stop searing, close the lid and set the pressure valve to Sealing. Select "Quick Cook" and set the pressure level to "High" with the cooking time set to 3 minutes.
4. When pressure cooking is complete, quickly release the steam by turning the pressure valve to vent. Select "Cancel" to turn off the Instant Pot, then carefully open the pot. Add the green chilli and the finishing oil. Sauté for 5 minutes, or until there is no excess water and the oil is starting to separate from the curry.

Tips

The masala will initially taste salty, but potatoes and brinjal can use a lot of salt. You'll find that it evens out towards the end. If you find it a bit too salty, add some plain whole milk yogurt.

Variations:

1. Add 1/2 teaspoon caramel seeds (ajwain) while frying the eggplant for extra flavor.
2. Fry the potatoes before adding them to the curry (just like the aubergines).

What to serve With aloo bangin?

Since this is a slightly "dry" curry without much curry/salad, I think recipe aloo baingan goes best with any type of bread like roti, naan or paratha. But it also tastes very good with basmati rice. Plain whole milk yoghurt or raita offers a refreshing contrast to aloo baingan recipe punjabi style curry.