Baingan Bharta
Ingredients:
- Aubergine - 1 large
- Onion - ½ cup
- Tomatoes - 1 cup
- Garlic - 6 cloves
- Green Chilli - 1
- Red Chilli Powder - ¼ teaspoon
- Oil - 1.5 tablespoon
- Coriander Leaves - 1 tablespoon chopped
- salt - as required
Instructions
- Rinse the baingan (eggplant or aubergine) in water
- Pat dry with a kitchen napkin
- Apply some oil all over and keep it for roasting on an open flame
- You can also grill the baingan or roast in the oven
- But then you won't get the smoky flavor of the baingan
- Keep the eggplant turning after a 2 to 3 minutes on the flame, so that its evenly cooked
- You could also embed some garlic cloves in the baingan and then roast it
- 2
- Roast the aubergine till its completely cooked and tender
- With a knife check the doneness
- The knife should slid easily in aubergines without any resistance
- Remove the baingan and immerse in a bowl of water till it cools down
- 3
- You can also do the dhungar technique of infusing charcoal smoky flavor in the baingan
- This is an optional step
- Use natural charcoal for this method
- Heat a small piece of charcoal on flame till it becomes smoking hot and red
- 4
- Make small cuts on the baingan with a knife
- Place the red hot charcoal in the same plate where the roasted aubergine is kept
- Add a few drops of oil on the charcoal
- The charcoal would begin to smoke
- 5
- As soon as smoke begins to release from the charcoal, cover the entire plate tightly with a large bowl
- Allow the charcoal smoke to get infused for 1 to 2 minutes
- The more you do, the more smoky the baingan bharta will become
- I just keep for a minute
- Alternatively, you can also do this dhungar method once the baingan bharta is cooked, just like the way we do for Dal Tadka
- 6
- Peel the skin from the roasted and smoked eggplant
- 7
- Chop the cooked eggplant finely or you can even mash it
- 8
- In a kadai or pan, heat oil
- Then add finely chopped onions and garlic
- 9
- Saute the onions till translucent
- Don't brown them
- 10
- Add chopped green chilies and saute for a minute
- 11
- Add the chopped tomatoes and mix it well
- 12
- Bhuno (saute) the tomatoes till the oil starts separating from the mixture
- 13
- Now add the red chili powder
- Stir and mix well
- 14
- Add the chopped cooked baingan
- 15
- Stir and mix the chopped baingan very well with the oniontomato masala mixture
- 16
- Season with salt
- Stir and saute for some more 4 to 5 minutes more
- 17
- Finally stir in the coriander leaves with the baingan bharta or garnish it with them
- Serve Baingan Bharta with phulkas, rotis or chapatis
- It goes well even with bread, toasted or grilled bread and plain rice or jeera rice