Dahi Baingan (Aubergine in Spicy Yoghurt)

Source: Devy Dar

Ingredients

• 1 large aubergine (eggplant)
• Salt, for the aubergine
• 5 tbsp cooking oil, divided
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• ½ tsp whole cumin seeds
• 1 tsp Panch Phoron
• ½ inch (1.5cm) fresh ginger, peeled and minced to paste
• 4 garlic cloves, minced to paste
• 245g (1 cup) natural yoghurt
• 1 tsp besan (gram / chickpea flour)
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp red chilli powder (or red chilli flakes)
• ¼ tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp salt
• 110ml water, divided (80ml for the yoghurt mixture, 30ml to adjust gravy)
• A few green bird’s eye chillies (optional)
• ½ tsp dried fenugreek leaves (methi)
• Fresh coriander leaves, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

Prep

1. Ginger-garlic paste. Peel and mince (or pound) the ginger and garlic together into a paste. Set aside.
2. Yoghurt mixture. In a bowl, combine yoghurt, besan, ground cumin, ground coriander, chilli powder, turmeric, and 1 tsp salt. Add 80ml water and stir until smooth. Set aside.
3. Aubergine. Slice aubergine lengthwise, sprinkle with salt, then rinse well and squeeze firmly to remove excess moisture and bitterness. Pat lightly dry.

Cook

4. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large lidded pan over medium heat. Add the aubergine slices. Cover and steam-fry, turning occasionally, until softened and lightly browned, about 8–10 minutes. Remove and set aside.
5. In the same pan, heat the remaining 3 tbsp oil. Add onion, cumin seeds, and Panch Phoron. Cook until the onion is translucent and the spices are fragrant.
6. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry for 1 minute.
7. Pour in the spiced yoghurt mixture and stir. Cook, stirring, until the yoghurt begins to bubble.
8. Add the cooked aubergine and 30ml water (or a splash more if the sauce is too thick). Stir carefully and add green chillies if using. Cover and cook on low heat for about 10 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and a little oil separates at the edges.
9. Sprinkle with dried fenugreek leaves and fresh coriander before serving.

Panch Phoron is a Bengali whole-spice blend of equal parts fenugreek, nigella, cumin, black mustard, and fennel seeds. Find it at South Asian grocers, or make your own with equal parts of each.