Aloo Baingan
A dry curry of potato and aubergine cooked with cumin, turmeric and tomato until soft, with a little sauce clinging to each piece.
Photograph credit: Aloo aur Baingan ki sabzi by Celestial Pari · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · this resized copy is shared under the same licence
Where This Goes Wrong
Cut the potato and aubergine the same size.
Keep the lid on so the vegetables steam in their own juices.
Add the salt a little at a time and taste at the end.
Cooking Aloo Baingan
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Heat the oil in a wide pan. Add the cumin seeds for 20 seconds, then the onion and ginger and cook for 5 minutes.
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Add the potatoes and cook for 5 minutes, stirring, until lightly coloured.
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Add the aubergine, tomatoes, turmeric, coriander, chilli and salt. Cook for 3 minutes.
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Add the water, cover and cook over a low heat for 15 minutes, stirring twice, until the vegetables are tender.
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Stir in the garam masala and fresh coriander.
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What's Going On Here
Potato, aubergine, onion, tomato: four ordinary vegetables, and the dish is in how long each one is given. Potato needs the longest, aubergine absorbs oil like a sponge, and the tomato should reduce to a paste.
Start with the potatoes in a hot pan and give them a few minutes of colour before the aubergine goes in. That way they cook together and finish at the same time. Cut both into 3 cm pieces. Smaller aubergine pieces collapse into mush; larger ones stay raw in the middle.
Add the aubergine late and salt lightly. It soaks up oil quickly, and too much salt draws out water and makes it soggy.
Cumin seeds crackle in the oil first, then onion, ginger and tomato make a base. Turmeric, coriander and chilli go in once the onion is soft. Cover the pan and cook on a low heat for 15 minutes, until both vegetables are tender. Stir only twice, or the potato will break up. Finish with garam masala and fresh coriander.
Leftovers, Reheating and Keeping
Keeps in the fridge for 2 days. Reheat gently with a splash of water.
Common Substitutions & Variations
- If you only have ground ginger, a quarter-teaspoon for each tablespoon of fresh is the ratio usually given; it tastes warmer and less bright than the fresh root.
What to Serve Alongside
- Chapati
- Dal tadka
- Steamed rice
- Cucumber raita
The Numbers per Serving
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.
Your notes on this recipe
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published ; last changed .
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