Indian · Authentic-ish Indian
Baigan ka Salan
378 kcal a serving, against 520 for the traditional version. That is 142 kcal off, or 27%, with 39.7g of protein. Serves 4. 50 minutes.
What the traditional version is
Whole baby aubergines deep-fried until perfectly soft, then simmered in a fiercely rich, tangy gravy thickened with a massive quantity of roasted peanuts, sesame seeds, fresh coconut and tamarind.
What changed, and what each change costs
Adding 600g of chicken breast to a traditionally vegetarian dish
Aubergine is delicious but it offers absolutely zero structural substance. By throwing in a massive load of lean chicken breast, I turn a heavy vegetable side dish into a complete main course that actually fills you up and keeps you going.
What it costs you. You end up with a meat curry. The version that's a traditional vegetarian classic anymore is still out there and still better. Purists will be absolutely furious with me.
Ditching 80g of vegetable oil and roasting the aubergine dry instead of deep-frying it
If you drop aubergines in a vat of hot oil, they will drink every single drop. Roasting them in a very hot oven collapses their flesh and concentrates their flavour without turning them into heavy grease bombs.
What it costs you. You'll lose that incredibly silky, melt-in-the-mouth texture that only comes from deep-frying. The roasted skins are a bit tougher and chewier.
Cutting the peanuts to 30g, the sesame seeds to 15g, and binning the coconut entirely
That trio of nuts and seeds forms a massive block of fat. You still need them for that signature earthy, toasted flavour, but you only need a fraction of the amount. The tamarind brings enough sour punch to carry the sauce.
What it costs you. The gravy loses a lot of its thick, luxurious body. It coats the chicken and the aubergine nicely, but it won't pool on your plate like a heavy restaurant curry.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 520 | 378 |
| Protein | 12.5g | 39.7g |
| Fat | 42.1g | 14.7g |
| Saturated fat | 8.7g | 2.2g |
| Carbohydrate | 30.6g | 23.8g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 2.4g | 10.5g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Indian prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. peanuts, sesame, mustard.
The method is in the book
This is a punchy, sour, nutty curry that hits all the right flavour notes of a classic Hyderabadi salan. Slashing the oil and the nut volume stops it from being a heavy fat trap, and throwing in the chicken breast makes it a proper dinner. It lacks the ultra-rich gloss of the original, but you won't miss it when you realise you can actually get off the sofa afterwards.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Indian, along with 54 more. Buy the paperback