Indian Eggplant Pickling Style (Baigan Achari)

Name: Indian Eggplant Pickling Style (Baigan Achari)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 120 min
Ingredients: 2 large eggplants; 4 teaspoons kosher salt (divided); 1½ quarts water; 5 tablespoons olive oil (divided); 4 cups diced tomatoes (drained, liquid reserved; 2 regular cans); 6-8 cloves garlic; 1 inch cube fresh ginger (coarsely chopped); 1 tablespoon ground coriander; ½ teaspoon ground turmeric; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds; ½ teaspoon whole cumin seeds

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Sweet, spicy and tangy, this lightened up version of the classic Lake Palace Hotel Aubergine recipe makes a perfect side; or pair it with sweet yellow rice or naan for a simple, satisfying meal.

Indian eggplant plated with yellow rice.

The magic of this tangy-sweet Indian Eggplant is in the sauce – a blend of tomatoes ginger, garlic, and essential Indian spices that will make your kitchen smell amazing.

This mildly spicy, subtly sweet side dish can be served immediately after it comes out of the oven, but we often put it in the fridge because it's just as delicious cold as it is warm.

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What Goes into this Eggplant Recipe
How to Make Lake Palace Hotel Aubergine
How We Lightened Up this Recipe
Substitutions
FAQ
More Eggplant Recipes
What to Serve with Indian Eggplant
Indian Eggplant Pickling Style (Baigan Achari)

What Goes into this Eggplant Recipe

Tray with Indian Eggplant ingredients displayed and labeled.

Eggplant: We recommend using American (Globe) Eggplants or Italian Eggplants for this recipe.
Ginger: Use fresh ginger.
Garlic: Use fresh or frozen garlic.
Tomatoes: We usually use canned tomatoes to make this dish. My favorite canned tomatoes to use for this recipe are petite-cut tomatoes, diced with onions and garlic, fire-roasted, and/or with roasted garlic.
Olive oil: We us a light flavored olive oil for this recipe.
Kosher salt
Ground coriander
Ground turmeric
Fennel seeds
Cumin seeds

How to Make Lake Palace Hotel Aubergine

Eggplants, as you may know, are a little like sponges, and they soak up a ton of oil when they are fried. This method for baking the eggplant is a great alternative: the amount of oil used is reduced substantially, without any sacrificing either flavor or that delicious, tender, melty eggplant texture.

Prepare Eggplant

Peel the eggplants first if desired, discard the stem and ends, and then slice evenly into half-inch rounds.

Peeling is totally optional, depending on the thickness of your eggplant skins. We leave the peels on about half the time.

In a large bowl, dissolve 1 tablespoon of salt in a cup of warm water. When the salt is fully dissolved, add 4 cups of cold water.

Put the sliced eggplant into the salt water.

Cover the eggplant slices down with a plate that fits inside the rim of the bowl, and then weight the plate so that the eggplant slices fall below the water line.

Eggplant slices soaking in bowl, with larger plate weighting it down.

Allow eggplant to soak for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°F | 190°C.

Line a heavy baking sheet with a Silpat mat or parchment paper.

After the eggplant slices have soaked for 30 minutes, drain them and pat dry with paper towels.

Lay prepared eggplant slices on a baking sheet in a single layer with at least ½ inch between slices. You may need to use more than one sheet pan. Do not overlap slices.

Lightly brush or spray eggplant slices on both sides with remaining olive oil.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the underside is lightly browned.

Remove from oven and flip eggplant slices over. Return to oven and bake until second side is lightly browned, about 10 minutes.

Prepare Sauce

In a small blender or food processor cup, combine ginger, garlic, turmeric, coriander, salt, and reserve canned tomato liquid. Blend until almost smooth.

In a large, heavy bottom skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium high until a droplet of water sizzles in it. When hot, put the fennel and cumin seeds in the skillet and cook until they turn a few shades darker. This will only take a few seconds, so have the other ingredients ready.

Pour in the blended tomato and spice mixture. Stir and cook about 5 minutes to thicken slightly.

Bake Eggplant

Preheat oven to 325°F | 165°C.

Layer eggplant and sauce in a casserole dish, beginning with eggplant slices and ending with sauce.

Indian Eggplant Assembly - Step-by-Step collage.

Cover and bake for 20-30 minutes.

Serve warm or cold.

How We Lightened Up this Recipe

This easy Indian eggplant recipe is a lightened-up version of the recipe that made me love eggplant: Madhur Jaffney's Lake Palace Hotel Aubergines.

We made two substantial changes to the original Lake Palace recipe: we streamlined the cooking process and dramatically lowered the fat content.

Most often in Indian recipes, eggplants (aubergines) are softened by frying them in vegetable oil: the original recipe from which this one was adapted calls for a whopping 1½ cups of vegetable oil!

In an effort to lower the fat score for this dish, we started baking the eggplants instead (thus reducing the oil used by almost 75%) and we loved the results! Indian Eggplant Pickling Style does not suffer at all from reducing the amount of oil used; and IMHO the flavors are fresher and more accessible.

Substitutions

• Eggplant: Japanese eggplants will also work with this recipe.

• Ginger & Garlic: A few years ago while I was cruising our local Indian grocery, I discovered that you can buy ginger-garlic paste in jars! You can substitute 3 generous tablespoons of garlic-ginger paste for the 1-inch of fresh ginger and 6 garlic cloves.

• Tomatoes: Yo can make a delicious, fresh version of this recipe using in-season, garden-fresh tomatoes. To use fresh tomatoes, use 3-4 large tomatoes, chopping them first. I break them down farther by squishing them in my hands as I add them to the skillet.

FAQ

Do I really need to soak the eggplant in salt water first?

Many recipes call for salting and rinsing eggplant before cooking it to draw out any natural bitterness, but most eggplants sold in the States have been grown to remove any discernible bitterness, so it is usually alright to skip this step if you need to save some time.

Brining, however, does help the eggplant keep its shape when cooked (regardless of cooking method), and seasons it in the process.

Are aubergine and eggplant the same?

Eggplant goes by many names around the world. In this recipe, eggplant and aubergine are use interchangeably.

• Eggplant: The name "eggplant" was given to the fruit by Europeans sometime in the mid-18th century. The size and shape of the fruit was similar to those of goose eggs, and the color was white or yellow, leading to comparison with an egg.
• Aubergine: Commonly used in British English, German, French and Dutch.
• Brinjal or brinjaul: Commonly used in South Asia and South African English.

Indian eggplant plated with yellow rice. Larger casserole dish with more eggplant in upper left.

More Eggplant Recipes

What to Serve with Indian Eggplant

This sweet, spicy, tangy Indian Eggplant (Baigan Achari) goes well with meat dishes and pulses of all kinds, and works well as a side or vegetarian main dish. We often pair it with Sweet Saffron Rice and garlic naan for a tasty light meal.

Serve it up with a simple dal, raita, and naan, and you've got yourself a wonderful vegetarian meal. Add a hearty curried protein and some Muhammara and you've got yourself a feast! (We also love to serve it warm for breakfast, topped with a poached egg.)

Have you tried Muhannara (Roasted Red Pepper Walnut Dip)? It's a delicious, pomegranate-infused spin on hummus, and it goes perfectly with this Baigan Achari recipe, too!

5 from 3 votes

Sweet, spicy and tangy, this lightened up version of the classic Lake Palace Hotel Aubergine recipe makes a perfect side; or pair it with rice or a flatbread for a simple, satisfying meal.

_{Adapted from Madhur Jafney's}_{Indian Eggplant Pickling Style.}

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Course: Condiment, Side Dish

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time:30

Cook Time:1

Eggplant Soaking Time:30

Total Time:2

Servings: servings

Calories: 150kcal

Author: Renee

Equipment

1 Heavy Baking Sheet
1 Parchment Paper silicone mat
1 Blender or immersion blender
1 Enameled Cast Iron Skillet
1 Medium Casserole Dish
1 pastry brush

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

2 large eggplants
4 teaspoons kosher salt divided
1½ quarts water
5 tablespoons olive oil divided
4 cups diced tomatoes drained, liquid reserved; 2 regular cans
6-8 cloves garlic
1 inch cube fresh ginger coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
½ teaspoon whole cumin seeds

Instructions

Prepare Eggplant

Peel the eggplants first, discard the stem and ends, and then slice evenly into ½ rounds.
Peeling is totally optional, depending on the thickness of your eggplant skins. We leave the peels on about half the time.
In a large bowl, dissolve 1 tablespoon of salt in a cup of warm water. When the salt is fully dissolved, add 4 cups of cold water.
Put the sliced eggplant into the salt water.
Cover the eggplant slices down with a plate that fits inside the rim of the bowl, and then weight the plate so that the eggplant slices fall below the water line.
Allow eggplant to soak for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375°F | 190°C.
Line a heavy baking sheet with a Silpat mat or parchment paper.
After the eggplant slices have soaked for 30 minutes, drain them and pat dry with paper towels.
Lay prepared eggplant slices on a baking sheet in a single layer with at least ½ inch between slices.
Lightly brush or spray eggplant slices on both sides with remaining olive oil.
Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the underside is lightly browned.
Remove from oven and flip eggplant slices over. Return to oven and bake until second side is lightly browned, about 10 minutes.

Prepare Sauce

In a small blender or food processor cup, combine ginger, garlic, turmeric, coriander, salt, and reserve canned tomato liquid.
Blend until almost smooth.
In a large, heavy bottom skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium high until a droplet of water sizzles in it.
When hot, put the fennel and cumin seeds in the skillet and cook until they turn a few shades darker. This will only take a few seconds, so have the other ingredients ready.
Pour in the blended tomato and spice mixture.
Stir and cook about 5 minutes to thicken slightly.

Bake Eggplant

Preheat oven to 325°F | 165°C.
Layer eggplant and sauce in a casserole dish, beginning with eggplant slices and ending with sauce.
Cover and bake for 20-30 minutes.
Serve warm or cold.

Notes

Serving Suggestions

Indian Eggplant can be served immediately, but we often put it in the fridge and serve it cold. It's just wonderful with a simple dal, raita and some naan. We also love to serve it warm for breakfast, topped with a poached egg.

Ingredient Note

For an extra flavor boost, I like to use petite-cut canned tomatoes with roasted onions and garlic.