Achari Baingan is an indian vegetarian sabji of baby eggplants in an aromatic, hot & tangy masala of tomatoes and pickle (achar) spices. This indian eggplant curry is vegan friendly and easily made gluten free (skip the hing).
With this easy recipe of achaari baingan you will make a saucy achari baigan masala without stuffing the eggplants. Serve with rotis/ paratha or with dal-rice for a satisfying indian meal.
I grew up eating my grandmother's handmade achaars (the best!) throughtout the year. Because there were homemade achar during very season, many times there were achar spice powders lying around inside kitchen cabinets waiting for the next round of pickling.
Often, the spice blends were used for adding a punch to curries like these or for making tikka and such. Patiently, the vegetables like eggplant or okra got stuffed with the robust spices to make flavorful achari dishes.
Check out related recipes like bharwa baingan, bharwa bhindi, garlic achar and achari paneer tikka recipes.
What are Achari Dishes
Achar or Achaar are a pickle condiments served with indian meals. Achars are made with vegetables, fruits,even chicken and fish.
Achari comes from the Hindi word achar (pickle). Unlike the western versions, the process of making indian pickles involves ton of pungent hot spices along with oils like mustard oil (in northern india) or sesame oil (in southern parts). They add a
Pickles are preserved in oil and have a shelf like of over a year. The achars could be instant or sun fermented depending on the recipe.
In Indian cuisine, achari recipes have bold flavors of indian pickles. Achari dishes are common in punjabi cooking and they have beautiful aroma of pickle spices. They are my favorite!
Taste Of Achari Dishes
The pickling spices are added to achari sauces and marinades to give then that unique pungent kick along with garlic, tomatoes/yogurt and ground spices. Achari dishes are heavy on oil and heavily spiced.
Tangy, hot & Pungent. Achari dishes have a unique taste which is different from the usual onion tomato curries.
About Achari Baingan
As the name suggests, Achari Baingan or baingan achari is made with baingan.
Baingan= Brinjal/ Aubergine/Eggplant depending on different parts of the world.
Most days, I lack the patience for stuffing vegetables so to keep the recipe straightforward , I don't stuff the eggplants or grind the whole spices. We will flavor the oil with whole spices & ready to use spice powders. Trust me you do get robust achari flavors in every bite.
I make this sabji saucy with a thickish masala coating the brinjals. If you are a huge fan of eggplants like me, you will love this unique preparation. Here are a few more notes about my recipe :-
- Super Easy to make - You dont need to stuff the eggplants. Cuts time and effort.
- Can be made with any kind of eggplant - I love using baby eggplants however you may use any variety of eggplants.
- Flavorful & adds kick to any meal - With unique flavors of pickle spices, this dish peps up any meal. If you love achari flavors, you are going to love it!
- Saucy/Semi Dry Sabji - I like to keep a saucy masala, there isn't a lot of gravy and its not dry either.
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Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you will need for making achari baingan.
Eggplant
You can use any variety of eggplant you like in this recipe. Keep the weight same as mentioned in the recipe card. I like using baby brinjal for they are fleshy, have very soft seeds and I feel that their mild taste lets the tangy masala shine!
In season eggplants are the best to use since they have very few seeds, thin skin and the taste isn't bitter (which could be the case with out of season baingan).
If you areIf you are using italian large eggplant or japanese eggplant, you may peel off their skin if you wish.
Mustard Oil
Gives the most authentic flavor to achari dishes because usually north indian achars are preserved in sarson ka tel. Mustard oil is an important ingredient in most punjabi dishes and if you frequently cook north indian food, I highly recommend using it in your cooking.
If you dont want to use mustard oil, use any neutral cooking oil. Dont use olive oil because it interferes with the achari taste.
Whole Spices
fenugreek seeds,mustard seeds,fennel seeds,nigella seeds(onion seeds),cumin seeds
Ground Spices
coriander powder,turmeric powder,red chili powder, amchur powder (dried mango powder), garam masala
If you wish you may also add store bought pickle masala/ achari masala
How To Make Achari Baingan
- Set oil to warm up on low medium heat in a kadai or heavy bottom pan. Heat up mustard oil to slightly smoky to do away the raw smell.
- Wash and pat dry the baby eggplants. If the stems are green and dont have spikes, I leave them on. You may trim the stems if you wish. Using a sharp knife, cut the eggplant into quarters.
Tip - If you are using a larger variety of eggplant, cut off and discard the stems, they are hard and fibrous.
- Carefully, from one side, slide the cut up eggplant into the oil. The oil will splutter so be careful. Sprinkle ¼ teaspoon of salt and saute the eggplants in oil for 3-4 minutes. Don't cook all the way through.
Tip :- You may deep fry the eggplants if you wish. That gives the sabji a very rich taste.
- Once the baingan appear a plump, take out fried brinjals in a plate. You should have leftover oil in the kadai, else add 3 tablespoon of oil and heat up.
- Reduce the heat to low and temper the oil with whole spices. Let them sizzle and crackle for 10 seconds taking care not to burn.
- Add the minced garlic, hing next and stir for 5-6 seconds. Dont let the garlic burn.
- Next add the ground spices along with ¼ cup water. Cook the spices for a minute or so.
- Add the chopped tomatoes + salt. Mash the tomatoes slightly using back of the spoon. Cook for about a minute or two, don't dry out the tomatoes.
- When the tomatoes appear saucy, add the eggplants. Mix and cover the kadai. Let cook on low flame until eggplant is cooked through.
- Finish with green chillies, cilantro and amchoor powder at the end of cooking.. Serve with indian flat breads.
Tips & Notes
- Selecting Eggplants- Choose fresh and firm eggplants with smooth skins. One of the ways to select is to pick up and the baingan should not feel heavy (that means they don't too many seeds).
- Selecting Tomatoes - For this recipe, make sure that you are not using very sour tomatoes else the sabji will become quite tangy.
- Dont Skimp on Oil- Some vegetables like okra, eggplant etc need extra oil to cook properly and taste good. If you will use less oil, the achari flavor wont come through properly.
- Canned Tomatoes - You may use canned diced tomatoes or tomato sauce instead of fresh tomatoes. Use low sodium or unsalted and adjust the salt accordingly.
- Make sure that you don't cook the sabji on low heat or high heat. Dont add water. We want the eggplants to cook in the saucy tomatoes masala and their own juices.
- Add Potatoes to make achari baingan aloo- If you want, you can add medium potato cut lengthwise or in a similar fashion as the eggplants. Saute the potatoes in oil with the eggplant and then finish cooking them in achari sauce. This way they cook in the same time.
Serving Achari Baingan
Serve with rotis/ paratha or with as a side to dal-rice for a satisfying indian meal.
More Eggplant Recipes
Achari Baingan (Eggplant With Pickle Spices)
Ingredients
- 350 g eggplant I used baby eggplant
- 5 tablespoon mustard oil substitute with neutral cooking oil
- 1.5 teaspoon minced garlic
- ⅛ teaspoon hing asafoetida
- 200 g tomatoes chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- ½ teaspoon amchoor powder
- Green Chillies & Cilantro to taste
Achari Spices
- ¼ teaspoon nigella seeds kalonji
- ⅛ teaspoon fenugreek seeds methi dana
- ½ teaspoon black mustard seeds kali sarson
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds saunf
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds jeera
Ground Spices
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder (hot), I use MDH degi mirch, adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon red chilli flakes adjust to taste
- 1.5 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
Instructions
- Set oil to warm up on low medium heat in a kadai or cooking pot. Heat up mustard oil to slightly smoky to do away the raw smell.
- Wash and pat dry the baby eggplants. If the stems are green and dont have spikes, I leave them on (they have good flavor after cooking). You may trim the stems if you wish. Using a sharp knife, cut the eggplant into quarters. Tip 1 :- Begin cutting the eggplants only when you are about to cook. We dont want to soak the eggplants in water. We will cut and straight add them to oil. Tip 2 - If you are using a different variety of eggplant, cut off and discard the stems, they are hard and fibrous.
- Carefully, from one side of the kadai, slide the cut up eggplant into the oil. They will splutter so be careful. Sprinkle ¼ teaspoon of salt and saute the eggplants in oil for 3-4 minutes. Don't cook all the way through but sautéing like this gets the eggplants started. Tip :- You may deep fry the eggplants if you wish. That gives the sabji a very rich taste.
- Once the baingan appear a bit plump and the skins are brownish purple, using a spoon take them out in a plate.
- You should have leftover oil in the kadai, else add 2-3 tablespoon of oil and heat up.
- Reduce the heat to low and temper the oil with whole spices. Let them sizzle and crackle for 10 seconds taking care not to burn.
- Add the minced garlic, hing next and stir for 5-6 seconds. Dont let the garlic burn. Next add the ground spices along with ¼ cup water. Cook the spices for a minute or so.
- Add the chopped tomatoes along with salt. Mash the tomatoes slightly using back of the spoon. Cook for about a minute or two, don't dry out the tomatoes.
- When the tomatoes appear saucy, add the eggplants. Mix together and cover the kadai. Let cook on low flame for 8-10 minutes until eggplant is cooked through.Tip :- If you feel that the tomatoes and eggplant are not releasing much water, add ¼ or ⅓ cup water to help the cooking process .
- Finish with green chillies, cilantro and amchoor powder. Serve.
Notes
- Selecting Eggplants- Choose fresh and firm eggplants with smooth skins. One of the ways to select is to pick up and the baingan should not feel heavy (that means they don't too many seeds).
- Selecting Tomatoes - For this recipe, make sure that you are not using very sour tomatoes else the sabji will become quite tangy.
- Dont Skimp on Oil- Some vegetables like okra, eggplant etc need extra oil to cook properly and taste good. If you will use less oil, the achari flavor wont come through properly.
- Canned Tomatoes - You may use canned diced tomatoes or tomato sauce instead of fresh tomatoes. Use low sodium or unsalted and adjust the salt accordingly.
- Make sure that you don't cook the sabji on low heat or high heat. Dont add water. We want the eggplants to cook in the saucy tomatoes masala and their own juices.
- Add Potatoes - If you want, you can add medium potato cut lengthwise or in a similar fashion as the eggplants. Saute the potatoes in oil with the eggplant and then finish cooking them in achari sauce. This way they cook in the same time.
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