Bharela rigan marcha nu shak | Gujarati style bharela rigan | Bharwa Baingan
Ingredients
For green paste
- 2-3 green chilli
- 1 inch ginger
- 3-4 green garlic
- ¼ cup coriander leaves
For stuffed masala
- 1 cup chavanu
- 3 tbsp roasted peanuts
- 3 tbsp sesame seeds
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- Salt to taste
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
- 1 tbsp jaggery
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- Some coriander leaves
- 2 tbsp oil
For rigan marcha nu shak
- 300 grm or 14 small size rigan
- 100 grm or 10 small size green chilli
- 4 tbsp oil
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- Pinch of hing
- 2 dry red chilli
- 1 inch cinnamon
- 1 star anise
- 2 cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- Some curry leaves
- ½ cup or 2 medium size onion paste
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp kitchen king masala
- ½ cup tomato puree
- Salt to taste
- 1 tsp sugar
- ½ cup hot water or as required
- Garnish with coriander leaves
Instructions
Making the Green Paste
- In a blender, add 2–3 green chilies, 1 inch of ginger, 3–4 green garlic stalks, and ¼ cup of coriander leaves. Grind it into a paste without adding any water. Set aside.
Making the Masala for Stuffing
- In a blender, add 1 cup of chavanu, 3 tbsp of roasted peanuts, and 3 tbsp of white sesame seeds. Pulse until it becomes a coarse powder.
- Transfer the powder to a mixing bowl and add 1 tbsp of the green chili-ginger-garlic paste, ½ tsp of turmeric powder, salt to taste, 1 tsp of coriander powder, 1 tsp of red chili powder, 1 tbsp of jaggery, 1 tsp of lemon juice, some coriander leaves, and 2 tbsp of oil. Mix well. The masala is ready.
Stuffing the Rigan and Green Chilies
- Take 300 grams of small rigan (eggplants) and make a cross-slit in each one, then tightly stuff them with the masala. Also, make slits in the green chilies, remove the seeds, and stuff them with masala as well. Set aside the stuffed rigan and chilies; keep the remaining 3–4 tbsp of masala for later.
Cooking the Stuffed Rigan and Chilies
- In a pan, heat some oil and fry the stuffed rigan over medium flame, stirring occasionally until the rigan is about 80% cooked and has softened. Remove and place on a plate.
- Add the stuffed green chilies to the oil and fry them for 2–3 minutes. Remove and place on a plate.
Preparing the Gravy
- In a pan, heat 3–4 tbsp of oil. Add ½ tsp of mustard seeds, 1 tsp of cumin seeds, a pinch of hing, 2 dry red chilies, 1-inch cinnamon, 1 star anise, 2–3 cloves, and 1 bay leaf. Add a few curry leaves and sauté briefly.
- Add ½ cup of onion paste and sauté until golden. Then, add the remaining green chili-ginger-garlic paste and sauté.
- Lower the heat and add ½ tsp of turmeric powder, 1 tsp of red chili powder, 1 tsp of coriander powder, 1 tsp of kitchen king masala, and a splash of hot water. Sauté until the oil separates from the masala.
- Add ½ cup of tomato puree, salt, and 1 tsp of sugar. Continue sautéing until the oil releases from the tomato puree.
- Add the stuffed, fried rigan and mix it well with the gravy. Add ½ cup of hot water and stir.
- Now add the remaining masala along with the stuffed, fried green chilies. Cover the pan and cook the sabzi on low flame for 5–7 minutes.
- Once cooked, mix well and garnish with coriander leaves.
Serving
- Serve the bharela rigan marcha nu shak with roti or rice. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can use garlic cloves instead of green garlic.
- To enhance the taste of the masala, you can add roasted besan instead.
- Stuff the masala tightly into the eggplant (rigan) and green chilies (marcha).
- Fry the eggplant on medium flame until it is 80% cooked.
- Fry the green chilies on high flame for 2 minutes.
- Using onion paste and tomato paste enhances the taste of the gravy more than chopped onions and tomatoes.
- Add the fried stuffed chilies once the sabzi is cooked.