Baingan Bharta, made with roasted eggplant, is a popular North Indian recipe. I love the distinct, smoky flavor that eggplant gives out, when it is roasted or grilled.
Roasting
As a result of roasting on a gas flame, the skin gets burnt and cracked. It can be somewhat messy. This is when the vegetable starts dripping – it is a sticky liquid that can be hard to pull off of your stove, once it dries up. One of my aunts has this practice of spreading an aluminum foil around the burner. I was quite impressed with this simple tweak! The liquid drips to the foil which you can discard, without messing up the stove top. If you do not have a gas burning stove top, you can use your grill. I use a pair of tongs to turn the eggplant around constantly, so it is evenly cooked all over. Once its roasted well on all sides, you’ll see that is turns dark and wrinkly. It is important to let it cool for a few minutes before you start peeling.
Roasting eggplant on a gas burning stove top
Spices for Baingan Bharta
While several North Indian dishes can be heavy on spices, this recipe relies more on the smoky flavor. As a result, this dish uses fewer spices (compared to some other Indian dishes). The main spices I use here are ginger, garlic, turmeric, cayenne pepper, garam masala and coriander powder. If you like it more garlicky, you could add some crushed garlic to the roasted and crushed eggplant.
Bell Pepper
Because of a huge yield of bell pepper I got from my garden one time, I was adding it to almost every dish! I had so much left over, even after I gave most of it to my friends and neighbors. As you can imagine, I cut up one tiny bell pepper and added it to this dish – honestly, I never had baingan bharta with bell pepper, so I prepared myself for the worst. To my surprise it turned out delicious! In my opinion it made the dish even better. So, I have continued to add bell pepper to this dish if I happened to have some in the fridge. I love it.
Eggplant has a unique range of health benefits, including an ability to help build strong bones and prevent osteoporosis, reduce symptoms of anemia, improve cardiovascular health among other things. It is a rich source of vitamin C, K, B6 etc. Roasting is said to be easy on the vitamins – one study found that roasting was actually a good way to preserve the B vitamins. Tomatoes and cilantro are another good source of nutrients in this recipe.
While you’re here, don’t forget to check out some of our other delicious eggplant recipes:
- Broad Bean Eggplant Sauté
- Spicy, Tangy, Stuffed Eggplant
- Fresh Fenugreek Eggplant Sauté
- Spicy Cilantro Ginger Eggplant Sauté
- Broad Bean Eggplant Sauté
- Baked Eggplant
- Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Chutney
- Baba Ghanoush
- Eggplant Potato Spicy Medley
- Smoky Eggplant Chutney
- Delish Bell Pepper & Eggplant Sauté!
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Baingan Bharta
Ingredients
- 1 Large Eggplant
- 1/4 Cup Tomato - Fine cut
- 1/4 Cup Onion - Fine cut
- 1/2 Cup Green Bell Peppers - Fine cut (optional)
- 1 Teaspoon Ginger & Garlic Paste
- 1 Pinch Turmeric Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Red Chili Powder - Or cayenne pepper
- 1 Teaspoon Garam Masala
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons Coconut Oil - Expeller pressed
- 1/4 Teaspoon Sea Salt
Instructions
- Wash, dry and set eggplant on flame for roasting- use tongs to turn it around. Once its roasted well on all sides, you'll see that is turns dark and wrinkly; set it aside for cooling for about 5 minutes and then peel the and remove the stalk. Mush it with a spoon or spatula.
- Make sure you have all ingredients ready for the recipe. 1. Roasted peeled and mushed eggplant 2. Tomatoes 3. Cilantro 4. Turmeric powder, cayenne pepper, coriander powder and garam masala 5. Onions, ginger & garlic paste 6. Green bell pepper (optional).
- Heat oil in a pan, sauté onions and ginger garlic paste till onions turn golden brown. Add turmeric, chili powder and mix well.
- Add tomatoes, bell pepper and salt and continue sautéing for 3 to 4 minutes. Add Garam masala, coriander powder and mix well.
- Add the roasted eggplant to contents in the pan and mix well for 2 to 3 minutes. Add cilantro, stir contents and transfer to serving dish.
- Serve hot with fresh roti.
Roasting eggplant is easier if you smear a thin layer of oil, slit eggplant in 4, length wise, keeping stalk intact.
Slash the surface here and there with a sharp knife.Spread it apart on the flame and stand it upright—the inside too cooks well and speeds up the process.Once it browns, turn it around to roast all round. Cool and peel or leave the skin on.
Thanks for the easy alternative, Janaki. Will try this method next time.
I poke holes in my eggplant using a sharp knife, wrap it in aluminium foil and bake in the toaster over for 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. We get a plethora of eggplants from my garden during the summer months; the skin is so tender that no peeling is even necessary.