Baingan Bharta (Punjabi-Style)
This Punjabi style Baingan Bharta is one of my favorite ways to enjoy eggplant. Fire roasted eggplant is mashed and mixed with spices, which is perfect to enjoy with warm rotis.
Servings: 2
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
Calories: 220kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Sodium: 971mg | Potassium: 967mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 1257IU | Vitamin C: 33mg | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 1mg