Category: Main Course, Vegetarian Recipes
Cuisine: Gujarati, Indian, North Indian, Punjabi
Yields:
4 Servings
Difficulty: Medium
“Baingan Bharta” is a an egg plant dish made by grilling the vegetable on charcoal and then mashing it. This gives it a smoked flavour. The best baingan bhartas I have had has been on the roadside “dhabas” that line Indian highways.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Brush a little oil all over the eggplant and roast it over a gas burner or grill until the outer skin withers and the egg plant is semi cooked inside (Will take about 5 to 6 minutes depending on the size of the egg plant. (Alternatively you can set your oven to preheat for 400 degree F and bake it in the oven for about 30 minutes). After it is cooled, remove the outer skin and lightly mash/chop the egg plant and keep aside.
- Insert a skewer into the tomato and fire roast the tomatoes on the open gas/grill for a minute or or until the skin starts to burn. Be careful if using a wooden skewer as this can catch fire easily. (Alternatively, you can fire roast the tomatoes in a preheated oven too for about 15 minutes. Once cooled, remove the skin and chop the tomatoes.
- Now heat oil in a wok or pan and add the garlic cloves and chopped ginger. (No need to chop garlic, as the whole cloves will lend the dish a rustic flavour). Fry this for a minute.
- Now add asafoetida and chopped onions (optional green chillies) and fry it for about 3 to 4 minutes on medium high. Then add in all the spices, along with salt to taste.
- Add in the egg plant and tomatoes. Mix well and mash the vegetables well. Cover the pan and cook for about 5 to 6 minutes. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve.