Baingan Methi Sabzi -- or eggplant with fenugreek -- is a fiesty Indian side dish of eggplant cooked with mustard seed, curry leaves, chickpea flour and mango powder.
If you read this blog, you know I love eggplant. And if you eat my Baingan Methi Subzi you will too. Baingan - which you might call eggplant or aubergine or brinjal depending on where in the world you are -- is easily one of the most versatile vegetables around. This rotund wonder pirouettes across regional and international cuisines without missing a beat. Whether you are baking it into an Italian eggplant parmesan, slicing it into a Persian khoresh bademjan, layering it on a pizza, or stuffing it with coconuts and spices for an Indian bharli vangi, you really cannot go wrong.
Yes, there are some weird people out there who don't like eggplant-- okay, there are many. But that's probably because they once tasted undercooked eggplant and decided it was evil. And it's true, eggplant not cooked right can be rubbery, tough, and bitter. But cooked right it is creamy, velvety, and sweet. The Jekyll and Hyde of veggies, you could say.
The eggplants used for this recipe are usually deep-fried. Deep-frying eggplants is a technique lots of Indian cooks use because the boiling oil transforms the eggplant to a smooth, melt-in-the-mouth texture. But eggplant is a sponge that soaks up oil so it is not the healthiest of techniques. Then I thought I'd just do what I usually do when a recipe calls for frying eggplants: broil them.
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The results are just as good minus all that fat. I had some small, globe-like purple eggplants in my refrigerator but you could make this recipe with any kind of eggplant, really. The eggplant and methi, although both bitter veggies, pair up perfectly together in this dish and, with the spices, create an amazing flavor. Scpop up this subzi with roti, or eat it as a side with basmati rice and tomato dal.
More Indian eggplant recipes
Recipe card
Baingan Methi Subzi
Ingredients
- 8 small Indian eggplants (stems removed, then halved lengthwise and quartered. Each eggplant will yield eight pieces. If your eggplants are on the larger side, you may want to cut them into smaller pieces.)
To coat the eggplant:
- 2 tablespoon besan (chickpea flour)
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon amchur (mango powder)
- Salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil or any neutral oil
For the masala paste
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil or any neutral oil
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 8-10 curry leaves
- 1 medium onion (chopped)
- 1 medium tomato (finely diced or pureed. Alternatively use 1 tablespoon of tomato paste)
- 1 bunch methi greens (tough stems and roots trimmed, leaves chopped fine)
- 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon cayenne
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
Instructions
- Mix the besan, cayenne, turmeric, mango powder and salt and toss the eggplants in it. Add some water if needed to help the besan stick to the eggplants.
- Place the eggplant pieces under a broiler for about 10-15 minutes or until the eggplants are tender. Toss every few minutes with a ladle to ensure all sides cook evenly. Keep an eye on the eggplants when they are under the broiler because they can burn fast. Once they are cooked, set aside.
- Heat the oil and add the mustard seeds. When they crackle, add the onions, ginger, garlic, and curry leaves.
- Saute, stirring frequently, until brown spots appear on the onions. If the ginger and garlic stick to the bottom of the pan, add a little water.
- Add the cumin and coriander powders, cayenne, and the garam masala. Saute for a minute, then add the methi leaves and salt.
- Saute the methi on medium-low heat until it starts to tenderize.
- Add the tomatoes or tomato paste and ½ cup of water. Mix thoroughly, cover, and let the mixture cook for about 8 minutes or until the methi is cooked and tender.
- Add the eggplants and stir them in. Cook for another two minutes, check for salt, then turn off the heat.
- Garnish, if you like, with some fresh coriander. Serve hot.
Nutrition Information
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Peggy says
Just finished having this for dinner and my goodness, what an easy, delicious dish! I had to alter a couple of things, no cayenne so used the ground Kashmiri that I did have. While I can get the right eggplants, what I had in the fridge was a medium purple eggplant so I cut wedges from thick slices and instead of grilling/broiling them I put them, cut sides up on a mesh rack in a fan forced oven at 230°C/450°F. The eggplant wedges cooked evenly brown. They looked so good I admit that a couple of pieces didn’t make it to the dish. Thank you for sharing this lovely recipe.
Tessa says
My son is chickpea intolerant. What sort of gluten-free flour could I use instead?
Vaishali says
Hi, use rice flour instead of the chickpea flour.
jennifer says
I don't actually see the recipe here--is the page broken?
Vaishali says
Jennifer, thanks for alerting me. The recipe link broke when I moved the recipes over to a new platform. I have added it back in.
GuruKaram Benton says
I made this today and it was soooo good! I did not have the methi leaves but had my husband pick up some methi parathas at the Indian grocery on his way home so we got the flavor in a different form. All of your recipes are so very yummy - thanks for all that you do and for sharing.
Vaishali Honawar says
GuruKaram, so happy you tried it! Pairing with methi parathas is a great idea. Thanks for the feedback!
Kumudha says
I love those small eggplants. I often make "yengai", a south-indian masala gravy with small eggplants.
Baingan methi subzi looks so YUM! I'm sure it taste great with rotis!
Vaishali Honawar says
Yengai sounds great. Would love to try it.
julia says
eggplant AND fenugreek leaves?! two of my favorite things! can't wait to make this.
Vaishali Honawar says
Julia, they are my favorites too. Hope you try this.