Bharli vangi/ Stuffed brinjal curry/ Bharleli Vangi/ Bharva Baingan ~~Maharashtrian recipes

A delicious, authentic Maharashtrian curry dish of stuffed brinjals with a combination of  spices, peanuts, sesame and coconut, Bharli Vangi is a great accompaniment for the delectable Jwarichi Bhakri or Jowar roti.

This post is a part of Culinary hoppers blog hop for the month of March. Being hubby's favorite, Jowar roti and Bharli vangi became my obvious choice. Also, I have taken the recipe from MAHARASHTRIAN RECIPES ONLINE. I have never liked brinjals and eggplants much, yet this dish is an exception. This spicy curry leaves you wanting for more and makes you love those brinjals just a little bit more. After preparing Bharli Vangi, even though I got a thumbs up from my DH, I was doubtful since this is the first time I made a dish with brinjals and was surprised with the taste of this dish. A burst of so many flavors, softness of the coconut-sesame mixture, flavor of peanuts, crunch from brinjals, a spicy blast of chilli and aroma of those spices makes this dish an amazing and exotic dish.

The brinjals stuffed with the masala absorbs all the flavors and gives a beautiful crunch to your mouthful. This curry is usually an accompaniment for Jowar Roti or white rice and Dal. The consistency of this curry also differs as per one's liking. We love curries a little thin so what I have prepared here is quite thin in consistency.

Also, to cook this dish, you will need Maharashtrain Kanda lasun Masala and Goda Masala though some people add only Goda Masala. Sometimes, cooked potatoes are also added to the curry. Since the chilli powder is also added with Maharashtrain Kanda lasun Masala and Goda Masala, the dish is very spicy but you can play with the quantity of these masalas to get the spiciness you would prefer.  Also, you can add coconut that is fresh or dry but they say the dry one will taste much better.

The ingredients required to make this dish are few and you can prepare it in not more than 30 minutes yet tastes fabulous when served with rotis.

Nutritional Information  (Approx) (per serving)
Energy	132		Calories
Fat	10.3		%
Carbohydrates	9		%
Dietary Fiber	3.4		%
Sodium	5.3		mg
Vitamin A	3.1		%
Vitamin C	6.1		%
Calcium	3.6		%
Iron	5		%
Protein	3.7		Grams
Sugar	0.6		Grams

Ingredients
Sesame seeds	2 tablespoons
Garlic pods	4
Dry coconut	2 tablespoons
Cumin seeds	2 teaspoons + 1 teaspoon
Coriander leaves	a handful
Brinjals (small)	4 to 5
Oil	2 tablespoons divided
Onion	1 large
Tomato	1 large
Kanda lasun Masala	1 teaspoon
Goda Masala	1 teaspoon
Salt	to taste
Turmeric powder	1/2 teaspoon
Roasted peanut powder	1/2 cup
Jaggery grated	1 teaspoon
Water	as needed

Grind together Sesame seeds, dry coconut, coriander leaves, cumin seeds and garlic to a smooth paste. Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds.
Once it starts to splutter, add chopped onions. Fry till they get translucent. Add tomatoes and cook till it turns soft and mushy.

Add the ground mixture and mix well. Let it cook till the raw smell goes away completely.
Add Goda Masala, jaggery and Kanda lasun Masala and cook for 2 minutes. Then add turmeric powder, peanut powder and salt. Mix, let it cook for 2 more minutes and remove from flame.

Wash and pat dry the brinjals. Remove the stem and not the green part. then slit them as shown in the picture 1.
Stuff the slit brinjals with the mixture. Make sure you open every slit and stuff the filling.
Add 2 cups of water or as per your requirement to the remaining stuffing and bring it to boil.

In a different Kadai, heat oil and add some cumin seeds. You can also add hing. Once the cumin seeds starts to slutter, place the stuffed brinjals carefully and fry till the skin of brinjals look soft.
Add the boiling water-stuffing mixture and check for seasoning. Cook it covered till brinjals are completely cooked.Serve hot with Rotis or Rice+Dal.

* Since the consistency of my curry is thin, I have directly added water to the left over stuffing. If you want thick and dry curry, fry the leftover stuffing till they leave out oil and then add brinjals.
* Adding cumin the second time is optional. Also, you can add hing which will give a nice aroma and taste.
* You can increase or decrease the proportion of coconut, sesame seeds and peanut powder as per your taste and liking consistency.

Do check these amazing posts of Maharashtrian dishes from my fellow Culinary hoppers:

Shubha's 

http://www.shubhaskitchen.com/2016/03/bhajaniche-thalipeeth-spiced-multigrain.html

http://www.shubhaskitchen.com/2016/03/kulith-pithale-kulith-pitla-horsegram.html

http://www.shubhaskitchen.com/2016/03/piyush.html

Vani's 

http://marudhuskitchen.com/www/recipe-batata-wada-maharashtrianvadaaloo-bonda/

Anu's

http://easybitesonline.com/shengdanyachi-amti-recipe-peanut-stew-maharashritain-cuisine/

http://easybitesonline.com/varaicha-bhat-recipe-singlepot-varai-sama-barnyard-millet-rice/

Piyali's 

http://mytrystwithfoodandtravel.blogspot.in/2016/03/zunka-bhakar-recipe-jhunka-recipe-bajra.html

http://mytrystwithfoodandtravel.blogspot.in/2016/03/matki-chi-usal-recipe-moth-bean-sprouts.html

Jayashree's 

http://www.evergreendishes.com/2016/03/16/kothimbir-vadi/

http://www.evergreendishes.com/2016/03/15/mumbai-pav-bhaji/

Swathi's

http://www.letscookhealthytonight.com/maharashtrian-green-peas-curry/

http://www.letscookhealthytonight.com/tomato-rice/

Shobana's

http://shobasdelight.blogspot.in/2016/03/kolhapuri-thecha-lal-mirch-thecha.html

Parvathy's

http://crackleandtemper.ca/recipe/sol-kadhi-kokum-kadhi-blog-hop-with-culinary-hoppers-maharashtrian-theme/

Padma's

http://www.masalakorb.com/maharashtrian-bhakarwadi-recipe-holi-recipes/

http://www.masalakorb.com/sabudana-vada-recipe-low-oil-sago-vada/%EF%BB%BF