Baingan Bhartha is a very flavourful dish made with mashed eggplant cooked with spiced tomato. Traditionally, baingan bharta is made with charcoal roasted eggplant but I have adopted it to the modern kitchen. I usually cook baingan/eggplant in the microwave and then add the masalas to it. This is a very popular dish in Northern India and is usually served with roti, parathas or naan.
Now, let’s get cooking….
Ingredients
- 1 big Eggplant
- 2 medium sized tomatoes
- 1/2 cup red bell pepper cut in small pieces
- 1 green chilli
- 1/4 inch piece of ginger
- 3 tbsps. Oil
- A pinch of asafoetida
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1/2 tsp. turmeric
- 1 tsp. coriander powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/2 tsp. red chilli
- Salt, to taste
- 2 tbsps. Coriander leaves, chopped
Method
- Put the whole eggplant in a microwave safe dish and microwave for 8 to 10 minutes until it is tender.
- Allow it to cool and then peel off the skin. Chop the eggplant in small pieces and keep aside.
- Blend the tomatoes, ginger and green chilli.
- Heat the oil in a saucepan on medium high and stir fry the bell pepper for about a minute. Take out the bell pepper from the pan and keep aside.
- Again add oil to the same saucepan and add asafoetida and cumin seeds.
- After cumin seeds crack, add tomato puree, coriander powder, turmeric, red chilli powder and salt and let it cook for a few minutes until tomato puree has started leaving oil.
- Add eggplant and let it cook on medium heat. Keep stirring the eggplant and mashing the eggplant as it cooks.
- Cook for about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Add bell pepper, coriander leaves and garam masala to the curry and mix it gently.
- Baingan bharta is ready to serve with rotis, parathas, or naan. Enjoy!
