Bharli Vangi Recipe – Maharashtrian Style Stuffed Brinjals

Bharli Vangi or Stuffed Brinjals is one of the Maharashtrian vegetarian delicacies where we stuff Brinjals (eggplants) with spicy stuffing and slow cook them. This can be prepared dry or with extra gravy and served with roti or chapati. Course : Lunch Ingridients : 8 Brinjal (Baingan / Eggplant) , small 4 tablespoons Oil 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera) 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds (Rai/ Kadugu) 8 Curry leaves 1 Onion , finely chopped 4 Green Chillies , slit vertically 1 tablespoon Garam masala powder Salt , to taste 2 tablespoon Coriander (Dhania) Leaves , chopped (optional) For stuffing 1/2 cup Raw Peanuts (Moongphali) , roasted and peeled 1 Tomato 4 cloves Garlic 1 inch Ginger Jaggery , marble size ball 1 teaspoon Red Chilli powder 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric powder (Haldi) Instructions To begin making the Bharli Vangi Recipe, rinse Brinjals well using water 3 to 4 times and wipe them dry.Slit them vertically into 4 parts, running the knife from top to bottom until the stem, without cutting the stem.Sprinkle some salt inside the slits of each eggplant and keep them aside for about 10 minutes.Grind together the ingredients mentioned under ‘stuffing’ including raw peanuts, tomato, garlic, ginger, jaggery, red chilli powder, turmeric powder. Use very less water. Add a tablespoon of garam masala and mix. The stuffing should be thick.In a saucepan kept on medium heat, add oil. Once the oil is nice and very hot, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves and slit green chilies.Cover and let the seeds crackle. Once the crackling stops, add chopped onions and fry till the onions are nicely browned. Now the tempering is ready.Stuff in each eggplant with the prepared stuffing. Use about 2 tablespoons in each.Gently place the stuffed eggplants over the tempering. Add some water and keep the heat on low.Cover and cook for about 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn them over and cook on the other side.Check if there is some water. If it looks too dry, you might get burnt taste, so add little more water and continue cooking for another 15 minutes or until they all are nicely blackened. Remove from heat and serve hot.Serve Bharli Vangi along with Panchmel Dal, Boondi Raita and Phulkas for a weekday lunch or dinner.