The weather in Sydney right now sucks. I mean it is truly a strange summer season. We went from horrendous bushfires ravaging our country exactly 12 months ago, to a broken drought, flash storms, and days and days of wet weather.
So unlike this city!
But rainy weather always gives rise to some really amazing recipes to warm up the soul even if you have the weird warm rains of summer.
So here is my experiment gone AMAZING with my Khatte Dahi Baignan.
This recipe is actually perfect for the rainy season, and even better on a hot day because the yoghurt acts to really cool everything. As a result the dish is actually served at room temperature. Even better is the layering of the recipe that kind of makes it look a bit like a lasagna – this step really isn’t necessary but it adds a nice touch to serving.
What is Khatte Dahi Baingan?
The word ‘Khatte’ translates to sour which comes from the tamarind used in this recipe, and the words ‘Dahi’ and ‘Baingan’ translates to yogurt and eggplant respectively. What we have in this recipe is a tangy combination made up of three components, 1. the eggplant 2. the yoghurt and 3. the masala mixture
Let’s start by talking about the masala mixture.
Made with onions and a wonderful blend of both whole and ground spices, it’s the masala that gives the eggplant and this dish it’s tangy flavour. I like to use tamarind to bring out that tart flavour but if you cannot find any I suggest using more dried mango powder. If neither can be sourced you can use tart tomatoes, along with 1/2 tsp of tomato paste to give it that rich flavour.
Part 2 is the yoghurt.
To the yoghurt we add some salt, sugar and water. This helps to balance out the natural flavour of yoghurt (remember that often yogurt can be very sour!) and helps to loosen the consistency a little making it easy to drizzle and layer the yogurt. The quantities in the recipe are per what I require usually, but have a taste of the yoghurt first before adding anything. Depending on the day, the heat levels, where you live, where the yoghurt is sourced and how it was made the flavour and texture of the yogurt will differ significantly. It’s important to go by the flavour of the yoghurt and slowly build up to a flavour profile you like. Some people prefer things a bit sweeter and other a bit salty. For me and what I think works best for this recipe is simply a neutral flavour – this balances the tartness from the masala
And Finally the eggplant.
The star ingredient is certainly the eggplant. We start by giving these a bit of a pan fry until they start to turn crispy and golden. I’ve used regular eggplant for this recipe but for a more easthetic result you can absolutely slice discs of small eggplant or the asian eggplants too. Flavour wise you are not compromising on anything, just be mindful of varying water content – the small eggplant will turn color a lot quicker as a result.
The spices used in this recipe aren’t too different from most of the standard Indian recipes. The formula usually contains Turmeric, Chilli, Cumin, and Coriander. We elevate these with some asafetida and dried mango powder (or Amchur). I like to dry toast these in the fry pan along with the onions over a low heat setting. This brings out the beautiful earthy flavours just a bit more before mixing everything through properly with the onions. What makes this recipe really wonderful is a combination of spices called Panch Phoron.
What is Panch Phoron?
Panch Phoron literally means 5 spices and is made up of fenugreek seeds, nigella seeds, whole cumin seeds, whole mustard seeds and fennel seeds. Combined these form the basis of many eastern Indian recipes. This is a really easy mix that I actually love using to make so many recipes, right from spiced scrambled eggs to the tempering for my dahl. A little bottle of this handy is key to the Indian kitchen.
Find my recipe for Panch Phoron right here!
So let’s make Khate Dhai Baingan
Here is my recipe card – it’s fool proof and works absolutely every time.
Khate Dahi Baingan
Ingredients
Eggplant
- 1 eggplant or 500g baby eggplant
Masala
- 1 tsp panch phoron
- 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp dried mango powder
- 1 tsp tamarind concertrate
- 1 tsp tomato paste
- ½ tsp chillie powder
- ¼ tsp ground tumeric
- ¼ tsp garam masala
- ¼ tsp salt
Yogurt
- 1 cup yogurt
- ¼ tsp sugar
- ¼ cup water
Tadka
- 1½ tbsp vegetable oil
- ¼ tsp panch phoron
- 2 dried red chillies
- 2-6 curry leaves
- pinch asfoetida
Instructions
- Start by preparing the the yogurt mixture by cominbing all the ingredients together with a whisk. You can add some more water if the yogurt is extremely thick
- Chop the eggplant into small roundels or into quarters
- Heat some vegetable oil in a fry pan over a medium high heat and cook the eggplant in batches until they are slightly browned on both sides turning them after a few minutes. Do not salt the eggplant! Adding salt will release moisture, and we want the eggplant to stay dry
- Set the cooked eggplant aside on some paper towel to cool slightly
- To prepare the masala, clean the fry pan with a paper towl to reme any
- Add the panch phoron and let the whole spices sizzle and sputter slightly
- Add all of the chopped onions and a oinch of salt. Sweat the onions until they start to become translucent. If the onions appear to start burning, make sure you lower the heat
- Once the onions are soft and translucent, add the ginger garlic paste and remaining spices and stire through really well. Cook until the raw smell of the ginger and garlic has cooked off
- Add in the tamarind and tomato paste with a splash of water and stir this tthrough really well. Continue to cook the mixture until the raw smell of the taomato paste has cooked off. Taste hte mixture for salt and spice and adjust as needed and add a teaspoon of water at a time if the mixtuer drys out too quickly or starts to burn
- Once the masala mixture is cooked, set aside ready for layering
- In a serving bowl or tray layer the 3 components, starting with a thin layer of yogurt, followed by a thing layer of the masala mixture, then slices of the eggplant to cover the masala. Repeat the 3 layers until you finish all the ingredients. Try to finish up with the masala and yogurt on top!
- Now let's prepare the tadka by heating the oil in a small tadka pot or small pot
- Add the panch phoron, asfoetida, dried red chilli and curry leaves using a lid as a shield to prevent any sputtering of the hot oil. The tadka shouldn't take long to prepare and is complete once you hear the crackling and sputtering of the seeds
- Pour the hot oil and it's contents all over the layered dish/bowl/tray and carefully set the pot aside
- Serve as is with some rice or flatbread. I love pairing this direcipe with a really spicy item – the yogurt and tang offer lovely balance to the hea of other recipes.
I hope you enjoyed this recipe just as much as I love making it. This has very quickly become my husbands favourite way to eat eggplants and is a monthly feature in our kitchen. Khate Dahi Baignan is absolutely wonderful on those nights where you just want something simple but really wholesome.
As always please let me know if you liked the recipe by leaving a comment below and sharing all of our photos with me @theminiaturelife (be sure to send me a DM after tagging me to make sure that I can see the photo!)
