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Kashmiri Haak Baingan - Collard Green Eggplant Curry

This Kashmiri Radish Lotus Stem - Nadru Muj recipe is a staple in Kashmiri pandit households. This delicious side dish features beautiful daikon radishes and lotus stems sautéed and pressure cooked in a few spices. Simple and stunning. 
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Prep Time 2 minutes
Cook Time 14 minutes
Total Time 16 minutes
Servings: 4
Course: Side, Side Dish
Cuisine: Indian Food, Kashmiri, Kashmiri Food
Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 bunch collard greens (approximately 5 cups tightly squeezed in measuring cup)
  • 2 small indian eggplants
  • 4 tbsp oil of choice
  • 1/4 tsp asafoetida  (heeng)
  • 3 green chilis, small (serrano peppers) (hari mirch)
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 and 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp  baking soda  (optional but recommended)
  • 1/2 tsp kashmiri tikki masala  (optional)

Equipment

  • 1 deep bottom pot

Method
 

Prep
  1. Wash the collard greens well. Place the collard greens on a cutting board. Using shears or knives, chop the leaves to about 3-inch pieces. You can keep a small piece of stem attached to the leaf but discard the large stems.
  2. Rinse the eggplants by running them under cold water and wiping dry with a paper towel. In Kashmiri recipes, you don’t slice off the top of the eggplant. You keep the stem intact. Cut the eggplant body in half lengthwise/vertically. Further, cut each eggplant to two more halves. So, each eggplant will have 4 pieces. 8 pieces in all for 2 eggplants.
  3. Deep fry/ shallow fry or sauté the eggplants until mostly cooked but firm and not mushy.
Cook
  1. In a heavy bottom pot, on medium heat add oil. Add in asafetida and 1 green chili. Add in water and change the heat to high and let the water boil. Make sure the oil is not too hot when adding water or else it will splutter.
  2. When the water boils add in baking soda and salt. Baking soda is added to maintain the green color of the collards. Further add in, the collard greens slowly. This step key. The collard greens need to be added in batches and stirred and submerged in the hot water. This enables the collard greens to maintain their green color.
  3. Add in 2 more whole green chilies' and let them collard greens boil on high heat until soft and cooked, roughly 8 to 10 minutes. Finally add in the sautéed/stir fried or deep-fried eggplants, Kashmiri tikki masala, and let them cook with the collards for about 2 minutes. Turn off heat and transfer in a serving bowl and serve over white rice.