Stuffed (n Baked) Eggplants / Brinjals

Few years back, I had no idea vegetables could also be baked, to me baking was all about breads and cakes and muffins. And when I came to know of it, I was totally sold out to the idea of preparing the veggies and handing them off to the oven and be 'rest assured' that it will do its part. With a lot less attention and a lot less oil (compared to deep fry), it always did a better job than I would do any day. Especially in my experience most of the dishes that has potatoes, Okra , Eggplants , Zucchini to name a few , baked in the right temperature for the right amount of time is always a winner.

Here is a recipe of Stuffed EggPlants , two variants of them, one with the medium sized eggplants (or aubergine) and one more with the smaller eggplants.

The recipe for this dish is from my friend Edlira Skella. She is basically from Albania , an amazing cook and is very knowledgeable in multiple cuisines. This is a traditional Albanian dish made with a lot of ground beef. The below recipe is 'tweaked' to be a vegetarian dish. This serves as an excellent main course (I would recommend Rice as the side). Thanks a lot Edlira for the detailed step-wise recipe and also the pictures.

To give an Indian touch, I tried the same with smaller eggplants , that are very easy to get in India and are used in a variety of dishes.

The outcome was excellent and it was a perfect pair-up with white rice. This reminded me of the gutti vangkaya from my MIL's ( Indian Andhra cuisine ) a bit. The semi-dry form also works well as an appetizer / starter.

Smaller Stuffed EggPlants :

Bigger Stuffed EggPlants :

- Courtesy : Edlira

Here's the Recipe :

Preparation Time - 15 min.

Cooking Time (Sauce) - 20 min

Baking Time - 1 hour 20 min (approx.)

Ingredients :

1. EggPlant - 3 (Medium Sized) or 12 small ones.

2. Onions - 3 (Medium Sized - finely chopped)

3. Tomatoes - 4 (Medium Sized - finely Chopped) or 1 can of diced tomatoes.

4. Red / Green Bell Pepper - 1 (finely chopped)

5. Garlic - 2 to 3 cloves.

4. Water - 2 Cups.

Seasoning :

1. Oregano powder - 1 Tbsp.

2. Pepper powder - 1 Tbsp.

3. Salt - As per taste

4. Parsley - Dried or Freshly cut (1 Tbsp.)

5. Olive Oil - 2- 3 Tbsp.

Method :

To make the Sauce :

1. Heat a pan add 1 Tbsp. Olive oil. Add the garlic and the onions and fry till the onions turn translucent.

2. Add the tomatoes and peppers and stir fry for 5 min. Add salt and pepper and add 2 Cups of water and let it boil for 10 minutes till almost all the water evaporates. Add chopped or dried Parsley and dried oregano to this and set aside.

- Courtesy : Edlira

To bake the EggPlants :

1. Pre-heat the Oven to 400 deg F

2. Cut the Eggplants in to half, drizzle them with Olive oil, salt and pepper and bake them in the oven for 45 min. (approx.) or till they turn tender and soft.**

3. Once the egg plants are done, scoop out some of its flesh to stuff it with the prepared sauce. Do the same for all the eggplants. Add the remaining sauce to the bottom of the pan.

- Courtesy : Edlira

4. Cover it with aluminium foil and bake it for 30 min at 400 deg F.**

5. Remove the foil and let it bake for another 10 mts.**

Garnish with parsley if required and serve it with hot rice.

- Courtesy : Edlira

**Notes :

1. if using small brinjals, While baking the eggplant initially- just do it for 30 minutes and it should be soft, if it doesnt turn soft, continue to bake it for five more minutes. Mine were all done in 30 minutes.

2. if using the small ones,While cutting the brinjals, try retaining the brinjal stalk , it can be served with the dish.

3. if using small brinjals the final baking (covered with foil) needs to be done for 20 mts and open baking for 5 minutes, otherwise the skin of the brinjal might turn hard.

4. This can also be prepared in a semi-dry consistency by baking it with less sauce.

5. In a semi - dry consistency, the small brinjals serve as a very appealing appetizer :)

Smaller EggPlants - Semi Dry Consistency

#baking #sidedishgravy #indian