Baingan bharta is my absolute favorite way to enjoy eggplant where whole eggplant is roasted on direct heat and then mashed and cooked with spices. I grew up in around Delhi where this Punjabi-style of baingan bharta was very popular. I first had it when I was a kid at my friend’s place. Her mom made the best baingan bharta and my love for this dish grew from there. After trying and testing many versions of this recipe, I am sharing my absolute favorite baingan bharta with you guys. I keep the spices minimal to let the smoky eggplant flavor shine! It tastes best with piping hot rotis.
Every state in India, has their own way or version of this dish. I belong to the state of Uttar Pradesh (eastern part) and there are some dishes which are very distinctive to that part of India, like the simple aloo bhujiya, tehri and this bharta. In my home, baingan bharta was made in a very different way. My mom would roast the eggplant on heat, peel the skin and mash it and then mix it with mustard oil, chopped garlic, chilies and some achar (pickle) masala. Basically, in this version she would not cook the eggplant again after roasting it. We call it chokha and I should share the recipe sometimes soon.
In a way it tasted a lot like baba ganoush minus the tahini and olive oil. It used to be favorite until I was introduced to this Punjabi version. Now, I really can’t decide which version is my favorite, but I keep making the Punjabi-style bharta more! In fact, if I am hosting and cooking a North Indian, you can always expect me to make baingan bharta along with my favorite dal makhani and paneer butter masala. The perfect trio!
How to Make Best Punjabi Baingan Bharta
- The most important thing to get that real taste of punjabi banigan bharta is to roast your eggplant on direct gas/flame. I know people roast the eggplant in microwave and oven but for me the smoky aroma and flavor of baingan bharta is what’s so unique about this dish and you can’t achieve that in the oven or microwave.
- Another way to make it extra flavorful is to roast some garlic cloves along with the eggplant. You make few slits in the eggplant with a knife and then tuck in the garlic cloves before roasting. The roasted garlic adds a lot of flavors. I go heavy on the garlic in my baingan bharta and use it while roasting the eggplant and in my masala.
- Once the eggplant is roasted, you mash it up and then cook it with ginger, onion, tomatoes and a few spices. The real flavor of this bharta comes from roasting the eggplant well so I keep the spices minimal here. I am not a huge spice fan, so I added only 1 green chili here and used 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder. If you prefer spicy food, use more of the green chilies and the red chili powder.
This is one of those dishes which even the non-eggplant lovers enjoy, just like my husband! He doesn’t like eggplant as much, but give him this bharta and will he polish it off!
Let’s Make Baingan Bharta In My Kitchen!
- Roast and mash the eggplant
Place the eggplant on direct heat and roast until its skin is charred and you can easily insert a knife inside the eggplant. Once cooled, peel the skin and then mash the eggplant using a potato masher.
- Make the onion-tomato masala
The masala base for the bharta is made with onions, tomatoes , ginger, garlic, and chilies. Cook the onions for 2 to 3 minutes until it’s softened before adding the tomatoes.
- Cook the tomatoes before adding the mashed eggplant
The tomatoes should be really soft before you stir in the mashed eggplant. I let the tomatoes cook for around 5 minutes until they are soft and juicy.
- Cook the mashed eggplant well on low heat
Even though the masala is cooked and the eggplant is also roasted, you need to cook the eggplant on low heat with the spices for around 10 minutes. This is important for the flavors to develop. Serve with fresh rotis and enjoy!
Oven Instructions
If you don’t have gas and you want to make this recipe, follow these instructions.
To roast the eggplant in the oven, preheat oven to 500 F degrees. Poke holes in the eggplant using a knife or chopstick and then place the eggplant on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast in the oven for around 30 to 40 minutes, turning it halfway through. Then broil the eggplant for a few minutes until the skin looks charred. Be careful not to burn the eggplant. Allow it to cool then peel the skin, mash and follow rest of the steps.
Manali’s Simple Tips for Perfect Baingan Bharta!
- Roast the eggplant well. You would know it’s done when you can insert a knife in the eggplant flesh easily. Keep rotating it after every few minutes so that it roasts well from all sides. You need it to get charred (but not burn).
- Use mustard oil for an authentic and unique flavor. This is not to say that you can’t make baingan bharta with any other oil- of course you can but using mustard oil gives it that raw, authentic flavor. One thing to keep in mind if using mustard oil is to let the oil get smoky hot, (and then let it cool down a bit else everything will burn) and only then add the tempering.
- Cook the mashed eggplant well after adding it with the onion tomato masala. Technically, the eggplant is roasted and cooked but for the flavor to develop, it needs to be cooked with the masala for around 10 minutes on low heat. This step is crucial so don’t skip it.
- To peel the eggplant easily, roll it in aluminum foil or wet paper towel as soon as you take it off the heat. This traps the heat, leave it like that for 10 minutes. And once it has cooled down enough to handle, just peel the skin. It would come out easily. If you can’t get it all out, it is okay, try to get as much as you can.
Baingan Bharta (Punjabi-Style)
Ingredients
For roasting the eggplant
- 1 medium eggplant, around 550 grams
- 3 large garlic cloves
For the baingan bharta
- 1 & ½ tablespoon oil, I used mustard oil, you can use oil of choice
- 4 large garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 inch ginger , chopped
- 1 green chili, chopped, add more to taste
- 1 medium red onion, 120 grams , chopped
- 2 medium tomatoes, 280 grams , chopped
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder, or to taste, I used Kashmiri red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Rinse 1 medium eggplant (around 550 grams) and pat dry with a kitchen towel. Brush it with a little oil all over. Then make a few slits all over the eggplant with a knife or fork. In 3 of those slits, insert 3 large garlic cloves. Put the eggplant directly on heat/flame and roast on medium high flame, turning often (using a pair of tongs) for around 10-12minutes until completely roasted. Make sure to roast it from all the sides. I cover the sides of my burner with aluminum foil to catch the juices that drip off as the eggplant is roasting, this make the cleanup easy.
- Once roasted (to check if it is done, insert a knife inside the eggplant- it should go inside the flesh easily) the skin of the eggplant will be charred and it will be soft. Use a pair of tongs to remove the eggplant from heat and wrap in a aluminum foil or wet paper towel to cool.Let cool for 10 minutes, take out the roasted garlic and chop them. Then peel the eggplant skin. Transfer the roasted eggplant along with the roasted garlic to a bowl and mash using a fork or potato masher. Set it aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons mustard oil in a pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add 4 large garlic cloves (chopped, different from the ones used while roasting the eggplant), 1-inch ginger (chopped)and 1 green chili (chopped). Sauté until they start changing color, around 2 minutes.
- Then add 1 medium red onion (120 grams), chopped and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until softened. Don't brown them. Add 2 medium tomatoes (280 grams), chopped and mix. Cook the tomatoes for around 5 minutes until they are very soft and you notice oil oozing out of the masala.
- Add the mashed roasted eggplant into the pan along with the chopped roasted garlic and mix well using a spatula. Add ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder and mix. You use can regular powder if you prefer it more spicy.
- Also add 1 teaspoon coriander powder and ¾ teaspoon salt (or to taste) and mix to combine. Cook the bharta for another10 minutes on low-medium heat, stirring often. This is important for the flavors to deepen.
- Stir in the chopped cilantro and mix. You can sprinkle some garam masala if you like. Remove pan from heat. Serve baingan bharta immediately with hot rotis!
Notes
- This dish is vegan and gluten-free so works for different dietary preferences.
- Some people also cook the eggplant in microwave, though I have never done that personally. It’s an easy to cook the eggplant although it won’t have a smoky flavor. You can add the smoky flavor in that case by using a piece of charcoal, heating it up and placing it in a bowl placed inside the plate or bharta. Drop a teaspoon of ghee over hot charcoal and cover the plate with a lid. Let it sit for 5 minutes, the bharta will absorb the smoky flavor from the charcoal.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
First time cooking eggplant in a long while after an unpleasant experience years ago…. And I love eggplant again!
This recipe is wonderfully delicious! Even my picky partner who is very hesitant about new foods and vegetarian dishes is excited for it to be in the rotation!
I ended up “roasting” the eggplant in the oven at 400 F for 40 minutes by cutting in-half lengthwise, hatch slicing the flesh, and seasoning with olive oil/S&P/ garlic cloves. I have an electric stove and was not comfortable with my skill level to roast the eggplant on it. To correct for the absence of true roasting I used 1/2 TSP liquid smoke (in a doubled recipe).
I used a single large jalapeno for the Chili as it’s all I had, and it was perfect!
Served with naan (as I have yet to attempt to make roti or parathas!!)
Thank you so much for this fabulous recipe and directions!
So glad to know you enjoyed it Amanda 🙂
I tried this today! Thank you for sharing this recipe ☺️ it was yummy ?
Welcome 🙂
This was incredible! The smoky eggplant made this soooo tasty!
I mixed in some yogurt at the end (the way my mom used to make it) and it was delicious 😉
glad to know
Very easy,yummy and quick reciepe .I also added green peas .Excellent flavour of roasted garlic.loved it. Thanks
welcome!
I was a little concerned that the eggplants would be too smokey in flavour but they weren’t at all. This was a really lovely dish and I’ll make it again. I added in a couple of ingredients that another person recommended, 1/2 teasp turmeric, 1/2 teasp garam masala and some peas. It was five star. Make it, you won’t be disappointed!
I love this dish! I always order it in the restaurant and never imagined I would try it at home. I’ve made it twice now and it’s a fast favorite. Love love LOVE the idea of inserting the garlic before roasting the eggplant. (Side note: we used our camping stove, so much fun!)
This last go-round I added in some sauteed red and orange peppers, mainly because I needed to use them up. So delicious. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe!
you are welcome! 🙂
Hi Manali!
I have a question before I prepare this for dinner tonight- are there two separate ROASTED garlic portions? The ingredients list says 3 cloves go into the eggplant and then 4 for the Baingan Bharta, but it mentions those chopped garlic as roasted in the instructions, are they the ones from inside the eggplant or do those get mashed up? Do I need to roast the other garlic before chopping and putting in the pan?
Thanks!
there are 3 garlic cloves which get roasted along with the eggplant. You chop that roasted garlic later on (it doesn’t get mashed up) and add it to the pan along with the mashed eggplant. The 4 other garlic cloves are not roasted, you simply add them to the pan as mentioned. Ultimately all 7 cloves go in the bharta.
Thank you Manali for this tasty recipe. We have Kamado Joe grill and we roasted eggplant from my garden directly on hot coals. The dish came out very tasty – great flavors and smoky. I also did potatoes Masala( without dosa) , Rava Dosa, Chana Masala and Cilantro chutney to go with it. We had great Indian dinner. The flavors were so authentic, I couldn’t believe I didn’t order all this dishes from a restaurant but made them myself with you guidance. I am looking forward to cook more dishes from you recipes -Dal, samosas, Gulab Jamun and many others. Thank you for making my life tastier during these times.
so glad to know that you enjoyed the feast. Thanks for the feedback 🙂
I love this recipe! I didn’t have red onions, so I used yellow instead. I roasted the eggplant in the oven even though I have an open flame burner (just lazy, I guess). The roasted garlic made such a huge difference! I also hit it skin side with a quick broil at the end in the oven. Also, amped up the spice/heat since we like it spicy. Just amazing. Maybe next time I’ll actually try the open flame char. Thank you!!
will be even better with charring on heat 🙂 glad you enjoyed it!
Whenever I made this curry before (and eventually I gave up trying) it always felt something was going amiss with the flavor. Then I found your blog and I made this for my mom yesterday. My mom who is not very fond of Brinjal (and definitely not a hugger), walked up to me, hugged me and told me that she enjoyed the lunch so much and that it is the tastiest brinjal dish she has ever tasted!
Kudos to you for sharing the recipe and for specifying that we roast the eggplants along with stuffed garlic cloves. This made all the difference! Your recipes made stay home life a lot more easier for people like me! Thank you.
Thank you Sumy for such an amazing feedback. I am so glad to know that you and your mom loved it so much 🙂
Thank you very much for this excellent recipe.
Yes , eggplant taste is blunt and the texture is mushy, so it’s understandable that it’s not liked by many. The only attractiveness of this fruit is, it’s bright shiny couler. However, this recipe is a good way of overcoming its weakness and making it delicious.
In addition; roasting the eggplant through an open fire can undoubtedly enhance its taste by adding a smoky flavour. But here is a problem. Nowadays most of the cooking systems are electric, and open flames are getting rare. In these circumstances would a combined cooking method work? For example baking the eggplant in an oven and finish by roasting the eggplant by a kitchen “blowtorch”?
yes you can roast it in the oven!
I made this tonight and it was DELICIOUS. I also made your Paneer Butter Masala and homemade Roti and my whole family loved it. I highly recommend all three recipes. Thank you for sharing, I will be trying all of your recipes.
glad to know 🙂
This is my favorite meal to order at our local Indian restaurant. The smokiness of the eggplant and the texture tastes almost like a bbq meat. I don’t have a gas stove some I’m gonna give it a go in electric oven and add some smoked paprika. Can’t wait to try this!!
Manali Ji,
I made it today and it turned out so delicious. We ate the entire pot, just three if us. Thank you for sharing.
This recipe was so much fun to make! Turned out great! Never roasted a whole eggplant before. I was a little intimidated, but your directions walked me right through it. Would highly recommend as it is tasty and very healthy for you! (Add extra chile if you like it spicy.)
glad to know Lydia!
This worked out just ok.
A suggestion is to increase proportion of spices.
Add turmeric, garam masala and add lime. That will bring up the flavor profile and make more of a five star dish.
spices are a personal preference. This is a punjabi baingan bharta recipe and a lot of punjabis (including my mother-in-law) make it this way- with less spice. The main flavor of the dish comes from the roasted eggplant, they don’t want spices to overpower that flavor and hence make it this way. Of course if you want more, add more spice.
just loved it Manali!!! Thanks so much for a beautiful presentation 🙂
Amazing dish… surely a winner…thank u for the recipe
Hi Manali,
How high is your heat when you roast the eggplant on the flame? Also, if I am using this as a side dish for 5 people, do you think one eggplant is enough or I should make two?
Thank you!
Keep heat to medium, for 5 people I would say use 2 eggplants.
Thank you! The recipe turned out very delicious. Good call on using 2 eggplants; there was hardly anything leftover. Definitely this dish was the star of the night.
I didn’t want to risk making a mess on our stove, so we grilled the eggplants on the barbecue in the hopes of still getting the smoky effect you described. It’s hard to tell without an oven-roasted version to compare, but the dish is very flavourful, so I’m quite happy with it. I don’t know if it was because of how I cut the slits in the eggplant, or because it was cooked on the barbecue, or something else, but my skin was largely intact when it came time to peel it off – it wasn’t like a pinecone as in your pictures – so I think that made it a bit harder to peel because the flesh kept coming with the skin in some places. No worries since the eggplant is meant to be mashed in the end!
Anyway, everyone loved it and was very impressed. The spicing was well-enjoyed. Thank you for the recipe!
might be because of barbecue, on stove it peels easily once roasted. Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Thanks Manali! It tasted so good. Does it make it better if you roast it on a coal grill?
you can try! I have never tried it 🙂
Amazing recipe! Loved adding garlic in the eggplants while they roasted – made it even better. The only small change I made was adding a half-teaspoon of Garam masala . Turned out to be a huge hit in my family and my eggplant-hating family have fallen in love! Thank you so much!
I’m going to try this soon. I always order this at restaurants. Love it. One question… How do you pronounce it? Is it like “Bangin Bar-ta” Or Bang-ahn Bar-dha? Or “Bah-ing-ahn” (2 or 3 syllables in “baingan”?)
It’s “Bain-gan Bhar-ta”
I did it! Delicious. I rarely cook so I’ll tell everyone what I did wrong and how I overcame it. I did not roast the eggplant long enough. It wouldn’t mash, and I could not use the bottom portions (I made 2). Next time, I think I’ll roast the bottom first, and get it nice and hot before turning it on it’s side. I almost gave up after trying to mash unsuccessfully. I ended up cutting the whole thing into tiny pieces. Then I microwaved it for about 3 minutes. Then it mashed much better. Thanks for the great recipe Manali.
Hello Manali,
I am planning to make this recipe for dinner today. So far whenever I have tried roasting baingan for bharta I am super scared of cleaning the gas stove afterwards. Any tips on how to keep the mess to minimum?
Thanks
Debo
Put an aluminium foil all around the stove like I have! 🙂
Makes eggplant so delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
Can’t wait to try today…electric oven so garlic roasted is a must! Jalapeño sub for green chili.?Hope it works as not planning on leaving my house.
yes jalapeno is just fine
Turned out very nice. I had roasted the tomatoes too!
Hi , is there a video of the receipe , that’s easier to refer
not yet, will try to do one
Hi Manali ,
I tried cooking after 13 years , yet it was so simple and tasty
The best part what I liked about you , you have given recipee step wise with pictures easy to understand and follow
glad the step pictures were helpful Rajani 🙂
The method of preparing the dish is just awesome. The taste is loved by all. Easy yet a delicious item.
awesome!
The dish came out really well.. Will have it for dinner now …. thanks a lot Manali.. was conf8sed what to make with this 2egg plants I bought from market . My husband and myself both hate baingan . . But this is the dish that we love… Cheers !!
I had to add a tablespoon of coriander pwd, and 3x the salt. I had 600gm eggplant and took 3 tomatoes.
My husband liked it a lot.
The only way I can consume brinjal is this..loved the recipe ..so simple and yet so tasty. Brings back childhood memories…much nostalgia cos i am in south india now, and we rarely get to buy these big brinjal …thank you for the recipe
Another real Punjabi way. Add some
Green peas and turmeric with half spoon garam masala. Yummy.
I added in the ingredients you mentioned and it was so delicious!
It was so tasty.Loved it
Thank you so much for this detailed recipe with pictures, Manali!! I made this for the first time for someone who has only had it made by his Indian mother…and he loved it!!! And I am not skilled in the kitchen so that says a lot about your instructions. Thank you for helping me to actually have fun for the first time in the kitchen!
I am so glad to hear that! 🙂
I made this for dinner and it was *delicious*! Thank you so much for sharing ☺️
The recipe is simple enough for a weeknight, but the results are outstanding. Grilling really transforms the eggplant. Thank you, Manali!
Welcome! 🙂 glad you enjoyed it!
Hey, i have tried baingan ka bartha with cooked basmati rice and it was amazing.
Buy now I m going to try the smoked garlic thing this time. Cheers!
Love this! Great dairy free dish and amazing taste.
good to know!
Made it exactly as the recipe said and it was one of the most authentic Punjabi bhartas I’ve eaten. I’m a chef who’s really into fusion cooking so second round I modified it a lot. I smoked the eggplant and garlic cloves directly on cherry wood coals. I used butter instead of oil. Shallots instead of onion. I also added tumeric, marjoram, sage, smoked paprika, mustard powder and fenu greek. Garnished it with a squeeze of lime and fresh chopped cilantro. Served on cauliflower rice. My wife is on a ketogenic diet and this has been one of her favourite foods
those additions sounds delish, glad you enjoyed it!
It was yummy ?
awesome!
You can also give it dhuaan ( smoke it with coal) it smells and tastes amazing. Try it.
yes I know, I do the dhungar method with my dals. I am sure it will be fantastic here as well
I relished the Baingan Bharta:) Thank you for this simple recipe.
Welcome Pooja!
ZABARDAST. Maza aa gaya!
haha awesome! 🙂
I never knew the Baingan had to be smoked to get the right flavor. I have done the oven method, came out quite well. But I see what you mean Manali. Finishing up now and it smells and tastes fantastic!
I am glad you liked it Chitra…try roasting it on fire next time..it will come out even better! 🙂
Delicious and simple recipe! I’ve ordered this meal dozens of times, and never made it because I assumed it would be too complicated. Thank you!
glad to know Elise! it’s easy and so good 🙂
beatiful recepe. thank you
Welcome Lata!
This is the recipe I have been looking for! I am 85yrs.old, but never liked looking, but certain foods
I have had stick in my mind and this is one. Thank you for keeping this recipe and allowing others
to benefit from your generosity. I have already got the Egg Plants!
Hope you enjoy it!!
This was delicious! Thanks, Manali.
Btw, you can also roast a whole eggplant in the oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour. Then once it’s cool enough to handle, you can cut it in half and scoop out the insides. This was how I did it since I don’t have a gas stove. You don’t even need to poke holes in it or smear it with oil.
Oh yes, you can definitely roast the eggplant in the oven. Traditionally though, baingan bharta should always have that smokey flavor which we get by directly roasting on fire. But of course oven method works too! Glad you enjoyed it!
If you’re not able to roast the baingan, there’s a product out there called “Liquid Smoke” that makes it turn out super yummy!
Just a word of caution. Liquid smoke can increase the risk of cancer.
Or you can just cook it whole in a foil sheet 🙂
This looks amazing. I can’t ever find a way to make eggplant taste good but I think this is the recipe that will change all that! Looks delicious and I’ll have to give it a try!
Thanks Vanessa! My hubby doesn’t like eggplants but this eggplant bharta is one of his favorite things to eat. Please let me know how it turns out!