Culinary Aromas
- Dec 19, 2020
- 2 min read

Badanekai Yennegai | Stuffed Brinjal Curry

Updated: Jan 9, 2021

Do you love the taste of nutty food? If so, this badanekai yennegai recipe is something you’ll fall in love with. It’s packed with the healthy delight of Badnekai, commonly referred to as Brinjal or Eggplant. And it’s filled with the nutty taste of peanut masala that packs it up to form this amazing dish.

This is a famous North Karnataka dish in which Brinjal is traditionally deep fried. Today, I am sharing a delicious recipe for this dish in two methods, to make it with less oil in a pan and even lesser oil in an Air-Fryer. If you want to take your cooking skills to the next level, this recipe is the perfect way to do so!

Video

Ingredients

6 small Brinjal/Baby Eggplant

For Masala stuffing

5 tbsp Groundnuts
2 tbsp Sesame seeds
1 tbsp Coriander seeds
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1 small onion
5 cloves garlic
2 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp Jaggery
2 tbsp grated coconut

For curry

5 tbsp oil [for pan fry] or 2 tbsp oil for [Air fry]
½ tsp turmeric powder.
½ tsp mustard
Few curry leaves
Above paste remaining after stuffing the brinjal
½ cup of water

Instructions

Prepare Brinjal/Eggplant

Slit the brinjal till ½ inch above the stem
Put in water to prevent browning

Prepare the masala

Roast

Dry roast on low flame Groundnuts for 5 minutes or until it dry.
Dry roast on low flame Sesame seeds.
Then dry roast Coriander seeds and Cumin seeds.
Set aside to cool
Warm 2 tbsp oil in medium flame in a pan. Add chopped onion and garlic. Saute until onions are translucent.

Blend

Peel the skin of Groundnuts (optional)
Add the Groundnuts, Sesame seeds, Coriander, and Cumin seeds to a blender and blend into a coating powder.
To that add saute onion and garlic.
Add the spices, red chili powder, Garam masala, grated coconut, Jaggery, tamarind, and salt.
Blend into a paste. [Do not add any water]. The water content in onions will help here.

Stuff the brinjal with the masala paste really well into the slits. Take care not to break it open.

Air-Fry Method

Air-Fry the brinjal.
Pre-heat air-fryer at 350F for 5mins.
Place the stuffed brinjal on to the basket and brush with little oil
Air-fry at 350F for 8 minutes
Air-fry at 300F for 5 minutes or until brinjal is soft. Take care not to burn.

Warm 2 tbsp oil in a pan.
Add mustard, turmeric, hing (asafoetida), and curry leaves.
Now add the remaining paste.
To that add ½ cup water and mix well
Bring to a boil.
Garnish with coriander leaves.

Pan Method

Warm 5 tbsp oil in a pan. Add mustard, turmeric, hing (asafoetida), and curry leaves.
Add the brinjal. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes until it’s soft and cooked well. Flip gently in-between.
Take care not to burn it.
Now add the remaining paste.
To that add ½ cup water and mix well
Bring to a boil.
Garnish with coriander leaves.