This is a dish made for vegetarians. Although I am not, I often do not eat meat. So here are these eggplants in spicy sauce. There is no single identical recipe for massala and everyone can put in what they want within certain guidelines. I give you here my recipe which is eaten with fresh bread to sauce it all. I sauté the eggplants, but you are free to fry them… It will be even better but much richer (too much?).
Recipe for baigan massala:
-4 eggplants
-oil for sautéing eggplant
Sauce:
-2 onions
-500ml of tomato pulp
-500ml of tomato pulp
-2 teaspoons of garlic-ginger paste
-2 teaspoons paprika
-2 tablespoons of sugar
-4 cloves
-1 cinnamon stick
-2 tablespoons of double tomato paste
-4 cardamom pods
-3 teaspoons coriander powder
-1 teaspoon cumin powder
-6 teaspoons garam massala (more or less)
-10cl of heavy cream
-75g of raw cashew nuts mixed with a little water
-200ml of coconut milk
-1 large bunch of coriander
-50g of ghee
-2 teaspoons of caraway seeds
Wash and chop the eggplants.
In a casserole dish, pour a good amount of oil and add half of the eggplants.
Sauté them so that they become colored. To avoid damaging them, I shake the pot and do not use a wooden spoon. Add oil if you find the bottom is too dry and threatens to burn.
Problem: the more oil there is, the more they absorb…
Problem: the more oil there is, the more they absorb…
The eggplants should start to color without really cooking.
When they are ready, repeat the process with the other half of the eggplants.
Cut the onions into coarse pieces and put them in a blender.
Blend to reduce to very small pieces. Be careful not to puree the onion!
Pour 20g of ghee to heat in the casserole where the eggplants have browned. Add the garlic-ginger paste. Instead of this paste, you can grate 2cm of fresh ginger and crush 3 cloves of garlic.
Add the onions and cook over moderate heat.
Let cook for about 15 minutes, stirring regularly.
The onions should start to color and have a nice amber color.
Add the sweet paprika.
Mix well and cook for two minutes. Add the tomato pulp and sugar.
Cardamom pods.
The double tomato paste, the cloves, the cinnamon stick.
Bring to a boil. In a small pan, lightly heat the spices: cumin powder, coriander powder and garam massala.
Regarding the latter, there are all kinds, more or less flavored but especially more or less spicy. So adapt the quantity according to your taste!
When they start to smell good, pour them into the sauce.
In the pan, pour 20g of ghee and toast the caraway seeds.
Which you pour into the sauce with the melted ghee.
Cook for 15 minutes to thicken the sauce. Add the coconut milk and cream.
Put the cashews in a small blender or blender. Add half a glass of water to help grind the nuts. Blend until you get a kind of cream.
Hop in the dish!
Cook until you like the consistency.
Then add the eggplants. Then let them cook until they are tender.
At the end of cooking, add the chopped coriander.
Serve with naans for dipping!
