Baigan Firdaus

Baigan Firdaus

Tired of the same old baigan ka bharta everytime? Me too!! Although I love bharta yet even too much of a good thing can be boring. But what is a person to do when you open the fridge and you have a family of baigans staring back at you? 

So I decided to make stuffed baigan. And the main aim behind this method of cooking was to get rid of the seeds. I simply hate the baigan seeds!! And also since I will be grilling the baigan there is little or no oil involved.

Ingredients

1 large baigan

1 cup paneer, grated

½ tsp cumin seeds

1 onioin chopped

1 tomato, chopped

1 tbsp chopped garlic

1 tbsp copped ginger

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

Salt to taste

First prepare the filling. Heat some oil. Add the cumin seeds. Now add the ginger and garlic. Saute few seconds and add the chopped onion. Once the onion turns translucent add the tomato. Cook till the tomato is mushy. Now add the cumin powder, turmeric powder and salt. Add the grated paneer and cook well. 

Wash the baigan properly. Now slice off a tiny part from the bottom so that your baigan can stand upright without toppling over. We don’t want a Humpty Dumpty scenario here.

Make two slices in a plus shape so that the baigan opens up.

Slice off a portion from the top so that you now have a lid like thing. 

Using a knife dig down into the baigan cavity and start trimming. Keep removing the trimmed portions. Now you will have a large empty pocket inside the baigan.

 Apply salt inside.  Stuff the paneer filling inside. Take a large pieces of thread and wrap it around the baigan tightly so that the stuffing does not fall out. 

Put the chopped lid portion back on.

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees. 

Apply some mustard oil on the baigan. Place on a baking dish. Spread left over paneer filling around the base of the baigan.

 Bake for 40 minutes. After 30 minutes it is better to take out the baigan and then wrap a foil around it. 

Slice open the plus shape cut you had made and enjoy the stuffed baigan.