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.
I found it very easy and so tasty. Thank you!
Hi Manali,
I love to order Baingan Bharta whenever it is on the menu at an Indian restaraunt. I really want to try this recipe but am confused about the red chili powder and the green chilies. What should I be looking for at the store? I have researchedthem and found articles about Hari Mirch (green) and Kashmiri (red) peppers. Are these what you use or are there other types that can be substituted in the U.S.?
Hi Mark, you should be looking for thai green chilies. You can find them at all Indian grocery stores and even Asian stores. There are different kinds of chili powder. The Kashmiri red chili powder is less spicy than the regular chili powder. The Kashmiri gives a better color to the dish than the regular chili powder. At Indian stores you will find “red chili powder” and “kashmiri red chili powder”. You can use either. Kashmiri will just be a little less spicy.
Do you have any advice for making this for 40 people? Should you actually multiply everything x 40?
Hi Misha, it depends on what is the menu. If you have 4-5 more thinks like chole, rajma etc, I would just make this recipe for 10 people. and for that you need to multiply the recipe 5 times.
Hello, Step 7, when did we put Masala for oil to ooz out of? Otherwise, the recipe is nice and easy
the onion and tomato is what is referred as the “masala” in this recipe
i have eaten a few variations and none of them had peas
This recipe looks great! I can’t wait to try it next week 🙂 I like to meal prep- would this be a good recipe reheated? Or should I plan to make it a one-and-done weekend experiment?
it reheats just fine. Best when consumed within 3 days of making it.
As far as I remember and have tried in different Indian restaurants, green pea is an inseparable ingredient of Bharta. I don’t know what makes you think you can eliminate that! Let’s make some Pakora without vegetables! Or perhaps we won’t need any flour! Lest try that!
Hi Farzan, I don’t know why are you questioning how authentic this recipe is. I was born in India, grew up in Delhi. Married to a Punjabi, so I would like to believe I know how a baingan bharta is made 🙂 My mother in law (a Punjabi of course) is a fantastic cook and doesn’t add green peas in her bharta. She lives in Delhi. Adding things or not varies so much from household to household.
India is such a big country, so how can any dish be made in exact same way in every house? 🙂 Everyone has their own way or style of making a recipe. If you want peas, please add peas but this is definitely an authentic recipe. Thanks
A lovely recipe. Thank you for posting it. There are so many varieties, just like in Polish cuisine!
Hi, Manali, I think this is a good opportunity to thank you for the many lovely meals we’ve had in our home, thanks to you and your recipes. In future, I hope you won’t bother to reply to, or even post, comments from people who can’t express themselves in a polite and respectful manner. Evidently, some readers do not realize that they can add peas to a dish if they choose to do so, even when your recipe doesn’t call for it — and that’s fine, if they feel they need permission to add peas, they can write and get it. But snarkiness should be right off the menu. You’re recipes are great and you should feel nothing but good about what you do.
Thanks Chuck!
Haters are gonna hate, Miss Manali. Just ignore people like Farzan. Your recipes are wonderful and you’ve given me and my family many hours of cooking and dining pleasure! Thank you for that!
Because someone has tried a food at several restaurants make them an authority on whats authentic? – I think not.
Sushi/Japanese food is a great example…Italian food also comes to mind. Many of these restaurants outside of their native country are NOT authentic cuisine and cater to customer preference.
I had a conversation with an owner of an Indian restaurant that opened in a nearby college town. I asked him why his recipes seemed to change since I first visited (which was great!) He said people were complaining that the food wasn’t spicy enough. Some of the entrees were noticeably spicier and I like spicy food. It just wasn’t as enjoyable.
Really fantastic. I have eggplant roasting to make it a second time. Thanks Manali.
A bit of love and kindness and less rudeness, along with your curiosity, would be helpful.
Authenticity in cooking is so subjective, anyway. People have been preparing food differently from each other since people have been around. Should we cook exactly as our neighbors or as specific ancestors to be “authentic?” Is it helpful to argue and be aggressive about it vs just asking?
Let’s all chill.
Ps Manali: I’ve been making bharata for years trying to find a recipe that I love. This recipe is amazing. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Zarana!
What’s the need to be rude? This is a lovely recipe and no one is stopping you from adding peas!
I had never heard of this recipe ,my wife had it in our local Indian restaurant and was so impressed with the rich flavours that I had to try and replicate it , just made it this morning following the exact recipe and it tastes wonderful !!, I have just tweeked it as we want a main course with meat so added some cooked lamb- left over from yesterday and a small portion of curry gravy which I have in the freezer ,there is now enough liquid to make a great consistency sauce which we will have this evening with rice and naan bread
Thank you
Baingan bhurta..meets ..Moussaka.. 😀 👍
Nice recipe! For European version i add milk and heavy cream. Awesome food… And indian cumin with onion in beginning.
Wow, so delicious! I added roasted peanut powder, and it turned out excellent recipe. Thank you for this.
Manali, Thank you so much for another super delicious, flavor packed recipe.
Just finish cooking it as I write. Love it. ♥️
welcome Alina!
Im currently missing my gas flame ( stuck with electric) but i found a liberal dose of smoked paprika was helpful.. a delicious dish
Tried this out making veganized, came out great, thx ! 🥶
glad you liked it but this recipe is vegan as is 🙂
Thank you so much for this recipe. Delicious! I made it today for the family of a friend who had a stroke. It is such a winner. I don’t have a gas stove, so roasted my sliced eggplant in the oven I also prefer chunky, so I didn’t mash or peel the eggplantt, just cut it up), and added curry leaves, my very favorite spice.
welcome! glad you enjoyed!
Fantastic. I had small Indian eggplants from a friend’s garden. I put a metal grate over a low flame on my gas stove and slow roasted them for 15 minutes. After years of not getting bharta right, this recipe hits beautifully. Thanks Manali.
Delicious! The onions were still slightly hard, but I think I cut the pieces too big. I roasted the eggplant in my oven for about 35 minutes at 450 degrees F, and that worked very well.
So good!
What kind of eggplant are you using in your recipe? I use the Chinese eggplant.
purple eggplant or Italian eggplant
Absolutely delicious. Received eggplant from our neighbors garden, I love the taste but first time to cook eggplant. Enjoyed this as my first recipe. Thank you. Will make again!
Worked perfectly. Personally I couldn’t even eat it, I guess fire roasted eggplant isn’t for me but my partner was thrilled. He said it was exactly how Bharta should taste and sent a photo to his mum. So thanks for earning me some brownie points! 🙂
haha glad he liked it! Thanks for the feedback!
Hey Manali! I’ve been making this recipe for a while now, and we LOVE it, thank you.
This time I roasted the eggplant wrapped in foil in the air fryer, and it was a little trial and error, but ended up doing ~15min at 350 and then 25min at 400. Eggplant was still a little tough so going forward, will try 40min at 400.
Welcome Sonam, thanks for sharing your experience of roasting it in the air fryer.
Hi, have you tried roasting the eggplant in the air fryer without the foil? I use my oven preheated to 230 Celsius (very hot) for 30 mins.
I also substituted the green chilli for 1/2 tsp garam masala. Yum!
I love this dish. I have a gas camp stove outside I use to smoke it. Much better than the oven. I have also used my gas grill. I add yogurt at the end, mix, then top with cilantro. I make mine very spicy and the yogurt adds a little different taste.
sounds good!
Cooked the eggplant over a bonfire, this is a great recipe! Thanks for sharing Manali
sounds awesome! glad you liked it!
How is this recipe only 4 carbs? I was going to make this for my boyfriend who is doing keto and after entering it into
my fitness pal it came up to 20g net carbs. That is a huge discrepancy.
Hi Hilary, the nutritional estimate is calculated automatically by a plugin that I use. I enter the ingredients and no. of servings and divided the total calories by number of servings I enter. I don’t know what their database is. This is just a rough estimate, for accurate nutritional info, please consult a nutritionist.
Fabulous. I cook the eggplant right in the propane flame on my stove…turn it 3 times after cooking 3 to 4 minutes. Been eating it daily….makes great leftovers too. I normally hate cooking and am bad at it but your recipes are easy to follow and my efforts are being rewarded!
I am so glad to hear that Amber!
Hi there!
This recipe looks delicious, just wondering what temperature to set the oven at to roast the eggplant ? 375?
Thanks!
yes try at 375 F for 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of eggplant
Hi! I was wondering how you’d recommend that I roast this if I only have an induction stove and oven? I want to try it but I want to make sure I get this right:)
roast in the oven!
So good and easy! This is one of my favorite dishes but I hate ordering takeout of this because it’s always drowning in oil. So at first I was worried this recipe would lose taste bc of the (normal amount of) oil but it was PERFECT! Thank you!
so glad to know!
Hi I didn’t have any garlic so I uses fresh grated ginger. I baked the eggplant in oven for approx 40 minutes on 375,took it out n mashed it. Meantime I sautéed onion green chilis, ginger,and two Roma tomatoes. I added also mustard seeds and yogurt ,lemon juice and garam masala. Tossed in mashed eggplant and simmered 20 minutes . Was delicious and spicy 😋
My partner usually only eats eggplant under sufferance – they said this was the best form of eggplant they have ever eaten! That’s a win from me.
Thanks for the great feedback Sophie! 🙂
Hi Manali,
I recently found your site and it has inspired me to buy an Instant Pot! I am lazy and like things easy, I also love Indian food, so your site is just what I needed. Even though this isn’t an Instant pot recipe I have to try it because baingan bharta is one of my favourite Indian dishes. One questions, I want to use garlic-ginger paste instead of fresh garlic and ginger (did I mention I’m lazy?) also I’m not as big a fan of garlic as you are, so how much would you suggest I use? (I do love ginger though).
Thanks and keep adding Instant pot curries!
Kath
Hi Kath! Thanks so much for dropping by. yes you may use ginger-garlic paste, no problem, use around 2 teaspoons of it. You can use 2 cloves of garlic in the bharta and also skip the ones I use while roasting the eggplant.
Great recipe!! This works really well if you char the eggplant in a dry skillet on full heat too! I don’t have a gas oven or grill so this is the method I used 🙂
Been making this recipe for quite a while now! My family loves it! We have a garden and love getting to use our eggplants for more than just eggplant parmigiana. (Although we love that, too.) This is easy to prepare and so delicious. We use extra hot chile peppers for a little more kick and I roast my eggplant in the oven @400F for 45minutes turning over once and it turns out perfect every time!
So delicious!! I don’t have a gas stove so I had to oven roast the eggplants but the taste was still fantastic. Definitely making this again!
I made this and it turned out delicious!! Roasting the eggplants on the stove top took the longest time but the rest of the recipe was quick and easy to make!
This is absolutely fantastic, delicious and ful lof flavour without much fat/calories. I was looking for something hearty but still tasty that was relatively healthy for me. This dish ticked all the boxes! Even the hubby loved it and he usually hates eggplants. Thank you!
yay so glad to know! Thanks for your feedback Lucy!
Turned out great! I roasted the eggplant with oil in 450 oven for 20 minutes. Loved the taste! Thanks for the recipe!
so glad to hear!
Very flavorful I loved it and was appreciated by all at home
Loved the recipe..it tastes very nice. I especially like the flavour of garlic we use while roasting the egg plant.
Yeah garlic is so good in bharta!
Hi Manali,
My stove is electric so I can’t really roast this on the stove. Would you recommend roasting in the oven instead?
try 425 F degrees for 25 to 30 minutes
7 min microvave in a covered bowl
Fire roasting the eggplant is so good! Definitely will make again. I think my serrano pepper was not that hot for some reason so I had to add extra chile powder near the end but that was the only issue I had.
Simple and easy, and the result, out of this world.
Yum! I never liked the skin of eggplant – this recipe is fantastic.
Awesome recipe, I followed step by step and it turned out awesome
Best recipe ever for eggplant bhurta. Easy yo make and very predictible.
Looks Great
What oven temperature do you use to roast the eggplant?
Try 400 F degrees for 30-45 minutes, depending on size of the eggplant
Loved the nuskha of putting the garlic cloves inside the slits of eggplant. Turned out very tasty.
Thank you!
glad to know!
Absolutely delish! I added 2 tsp of garam masala instead of the red chili powder. My family loved it, and even more flavorful the next day. This will be a dish I will make fir dinner parties. Definitely a keeper!
Excellent, will add this into my recipe rotation.
I tried once before I didn’t like it…I followed your recipe today and it was tasty…. thank you ☺️
I made this today, it was SUPER tasty! I can’t roast things directly so I baked the eggplant in the oven until golden. Also did a few tweaks: didn’t have fresh ginger, sadly. Added extra garlic and chopped red bellpepper during with onion to sweat, and also added garam masala, turmeric, and cumin with the corriander at the end. Also didn’t have any cilatro so I threw in some chopped green onion right at the very end before it came of the heat so it was hot just long enough to get flavorful. Family ADORED it! Thanks for the recipe.
you are welcome, glad you enjoyed it!