In Memory Of Karen Nicole Smith, 1972 - 2016

Eggplant With Potatoes A Classic Vegetarian Dish.


baigan and aloo recipe

Similar to the original curry baigan and aloo recipe I shared with you guys back in 2009 (time really flies), this one is very flexible and can work as a vegetarian meal or you can add left over stewed meats or pieces of salted cod and take it to another level. With the strong East Indian influence in our culinary traditions, you’ll find than many of the vegetables and ways of cooking is directly related to that connection. This is why you’ll see from time to time I mention names of things you won’t necessarily be familiar with, but I do try to clear things up on such occasions. Baigan is just another word for eggplant and aloo is basically potato. So don’t be surprised to see this dish refereed to as baigan and aloo in some Trinbago restaurants.

You’ll Need…
1 lb Japanese eggplant (or your fav)
2-3 cloves garlic sliced or crushed
1/4 scotch bonnet or habanero pepper (any hot pepper you like)
1/2 large onion diced
1 large potato cubed -chunky
1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil (or vegetable)
dash black pepper
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt

* As with the ingredients listed above, this is a vegetarian dish but I had some left over stewed chicken which I added the last 5 minutes of cooking to enhance the flavor a bit (this is optional). The stewed chicken recipe can be found at: Ultimate Trinbagonian Stew Chicken.

We’ll start by prepping all the ingredients. Peel and dice the onion, slice the pepper and crush or slice very thin the garlic. I decided to leave the skin on a couple of the eggplant for a bit of texture and to get some of that unique sweetness that Japanese eggplant seems to have. The other two I peeled. I then cut off the stems and cut each eggplant into three sections (length) to which I then cut strips, similar to if I were making fries. Finally I peeled, washed and cubed (in chunks) the potato. I used a Yukon Gold variety as I just love the sort of creamy texture of it. But you’re free to use any variety of potato you may have.

baigan and aloo recipe (2)

baigan and aloo recipe (3)

On a medium/high heat I heat the olive oil in a saucepan, then add the pieces of sliced (or crushed) garlic and allow that to cook for a couple minutes. You should start getting that wonderful garlic scent and the edges should start going golden. Now add the pieces of eggplant, then top with the onion, pepper, salt, black pepper and potato. Give it a good stir, then add the water. Bring it up to a boil, then lower te heat to a gentle simmer and allow to cook for about 25 minutes with the saucepan covered. Be sure to stir every 7 minutes or so.

baigan and aloo recipe (4)

baigan and aloo recipe (5)

baigan and aloo recipe (6)

You will find that it will start to melt away and turn into a sort of mushy texture… this is exactly what we’re looking for. After 25 minutes, the eggplant and potato should be tender and this is a good time to add any leftover meats you may want to add. If you plan on adding salted cod to this dish, I would add it after adding the garlic and allow it to cook for a couple minutes before adding everything else. If you’re keeping this dish strictly vegetarian, after 25 minutes if you have a lot of liquid left in the pan, turn up the heat and cook it off. You should not se any clear liquid in the finished dish.

If you did add pieces of left over stewed chicken as I did, turn up the heat after adding and cook until any liquid burns off.. usually about 3-5 minutes. Taste for salt as I’m sure your taste is  different than mine. Add accordingly.

baigan and aloo recipe (7)

baigan and aloo recipe (8)

baigan and aloo recipe (10)

baigan and aloo recipe (11)

This goes well with Sada Roti and should be enough for 4-5 people as a side. I was at my sisters restaurant a while back and was quite surprised at how many people came in especially for this… but without any meat and curried as I shared in the previous recipe.

Oye! before you go… Remember you can watch the cooking videos on the recipe channel and we’d love to interact with you on our Facebook fan page. There’s a few thousand of us already causing commesse on there… so do check it out.

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14 Comments

  1. Mary
    March 26, 2019 / 7:26 pm

    Love…love…love this recipe…with nice warm tender roti! <3

  2. Jon
    June 2, 2017 / 7:00 pm

    I’m sorry but bland bland bland

    • admin
      June 2, 2017 / 8:36 pm

      what curry powder did you use?

  3. loraine
    September 1, 2014 / 9:34 am

    Hi Chris just picked eggplants from my garden going to try this recipe now.
    Thanks

  4. Judith
    September 12, 2013 / 12:43 pm

    I like to curry my egglant with beef and potatoes, or bhaigan choka with fried saltfish in it.

  5. Donna Buckmire
    November 30, 2012 / 7:29 pm

    I'm not much of an egg plant lover…. b u t ……… this recipe LOOKS deeeelish! I've got to try it out ASAP. Thanks Chris.

  6. judy sammy
    April 27, 2012 / 7:35 am

    hi Chris i am having this today for lunch thanks for the recipe.

  7. September 24, 2011 / 10:20 pm

    I see so much of Indian cuisine influences in many of the Caribbean dishes. Like you mentioned this is a very typical East Indian recipe. But Potato and Brinjals are cooked together in almost all regional cuisines of Indian be it North, South, East or West because of the abundance of eggplants and potatoes in the Indian Subcontinent.

    I am super impressed with you website filled with awesome recipes. I am going to drop by often and bookmark a couple of authentic Caribbean dishes to try.

    Do drop by sometime to my blog.

  8. lovetocook
    September 15, 2011 / 8:08 am

    You should do a recipe with the veggies w/ meat or shrimp.

  9. MsStarsparkle
    August 29, 2011 / 3:26 pm

    Hey, this looks sooooooooooooo good! Nice with some soft warm roti!

  10. Sherene
    August 24, 2011 / 8:07 am

    Very nice dish, and it would be easy to cook for both vegetarian and meat lovers alike.

  11. STACEY ANN EDWARDS
    August 22, 2011 / 11:34 pm

    THANKS,TIS IS ONE OF MY FAV. DISHES

    • Kathy
      August 29, 2011 / 2:23 pm

      Can't wait to try this one. I have always made Italian and Greek dishes with Eggplant. I look forward to trying this one. Thanks

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