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Baingan Bharta is mashed eggplant cooked with spiced tomato very flavorful dish. Traditionally bharta is made with charcoal roasted eggplant but I have adopted it to the modern kitchen. This is a very popular dish in Punjab usually served with roti.
Recipe will serve 2 to 3.
- 1 Eggplant (should be big and fat)
- 2 medium size tomatoes
- 1/2 cup red bell pepper cut in small pieces (capsicum)
- 1 green chili
- 1/4 inch piece of ginger
- 3 tablespoons oil
- Pinch of asafetida
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon red chili
- 1 teaspoon sat adjust to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon garam masala
- 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro to garnish
Method:
- Cook the whole eggplant (put it on a microwave safe dish) in microwave for 8 to 10 minutes until it is tender. If you are using an oven, preheat the oven at 400 degrees F and bake it for about 45 minutes turning the sides every fifteen minutes. Be sure to first put the eggplant in an oven safe shallow bowl or a cookie sheet.
- Let it cool and peel off the skin then chop the eggplant in small pieces and keep aside.
- Blend the tomatoes, ginger and green chili.
- Heat the oil in a saucepan on medium high and stir fry the bell pepper for about a minute. Take out the bell pepper from pan and keep aside.
- Use the same saucepan with remaining oil heat the oil little more. Test the heat by adding one cumin seed to the oil; if it cracks right away it is ready. Add asafetida and cumin seed.
- After cumin seeds crack, add tomato puree, coriander powder, turmeric, red chili, and salt and let it cook for a few minutes until tomato puree has started leaving the oil.
- Add eggplant let it cook on medium heat keep stirring the eggplant and mashing the eggplant as it cooks.
- Cook for about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Add bell pepper, fresh cilantro, and garam masala to the eggplant and mix it gently.
- Bharta is ready serve hot with rotis, parathasor naan. Enjoy!
