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.
Made this last night for a dinner party and it was delicious. I added amchur powder and lemon juice cus I like a little tang. Amazing!!! Thank you.
glad you enjoyed it Nida!
This dish would probably be so good if it were not so spicy. I cannot taste anything other than hot and spicy. The texture and ingredients are great. Too bad, could you make it less spicy?
Hi Anne, sorry you have issues with spice levels. Are you sure you followed my recipe and not confusing it with anyone’s else’s? I don’t eat very spicy food and all my recipes are mildly spiced. This recipe has only 1 green chili whereas most Indian recipes like this will call for 2-3 green chilies. I have used only 1/2 teaspoon of Kashmiri red chili powder, which is a milder form of chili powder and used only for color. A lot of recipes would call for using regular chili powder. If this was too much for you, because trust me this is very mild Indian spice level, then skip the single green chili as well and skip the Kashmiri red chili powder as well.
Easy and delicious!
thanks David
Hello! Can this be made the day before and reheated or is it one of those dishes that really needs to be served straight away?
(Saw your comment about serving immediately but thought perhaps that was just enthusiasm for its yumminess? 😀)
yes you can definitely reheat and serve it the next day 🙂
I am not familiar with egg plant, so I failed the test.
I heated the egg plant over the gas stove flame, but though it looked done on the outside after 12 minutes, the inside was harder in some spots. Also, wasn’t sure if you were supposed to cut off the ends, especially where it was connected to the vine.
I tried to rescue the egg plant by roasting the remains in the oven. but, it just turned into a mess of different textures, even after smashing. I am sure if I was more familiar with egg plant it would have turned out right.
I also wasn’t sure about what to do with the seeds ( if we were supposed to take them out). I love Bharta, and though I failed this time, I am going to attempt to to your Tika Marsala sauce to use as a dip for tandoori chicken and roti.
sorry you had trouble, you are not supposed to cut off the ends while roasting, I would have mentioned if that was case. You are not supposed to take out the seeds from the eggplant, you eat them. You would know its done when a knife inserts easily into the eggplant, it just needed more time it if was still hard. You can also roast in the oven or even use the microwave to soften it. Hopefully you will try again and this time it will be a success!
I did not cut off the ends or get rid of the seeds. I just roasted it for 12 minutes, but it just wasn’t done and I wasn’t familiar with how to prepare egg plant. I had never attempted to cook one before. It was my mistake. I should have continued to roast it more after the initial 12 minutes. That’s where the problem started. Some spots were soft, others were harder, but the knife was able to go through it, just easier in some places. I chalk this up as a lesson.
Delicious and quick to make. Clear instructions, easy to follow.A regular recipe in our house now! Look forward to trying Manali’s other recipes
Thank you Tess!
I love this recipe as it explains each step thoroughly and is delicious! I am a novice in the kitchen but I had no difficulty following this recipe. Was a hit with the hubby!
Thanks Michelle, glad to hear you all enjoyed it!
Hi ! Manali
So enjoyed the making and the relishing of your very easy to make Baigan bharat .
Went down really well with soft hot ghee laden khichri .
Looking forward to trying out more of your recipe’s.
All the best.
so glad you enjoyed it Nafisa!
Hi Manali
Pay a deaf ear to negative comments. You don’t need to explain yourself. Nobody is compelled to watch, read and try your recipes. Don’t like, switch the site.
Tried it today and it was good. I have also tried it with peas at a party. Did not make a great difference. It’s each ones preference. Keep up the good work.