Baingan ka Bhartha

Fire Roasted Eggplant for JFI-Eggplants

Baingan Bhartha is one of the delicious eggplant recipes. The procedure includes roasting the eggplant directly on fire which may sound complicated, but it’s fairly simple. The direct fire roasting gives this dish a distinct smoky taste and aroma.

To begin with, you need one large eggplant. You will need to roast this over fire until it is completely charred. When done, the eggplant will shrivel up, the skin will change color, and will peel off easily.

You can do this either on a grill or in a broiler. If you do not have a grill or broiler, you may bake it in the oven until done, about 35-40 minutes. But remember, cooking on direct fire is what gives that unique, smoky taste of Baingan Bhartha.

I usually use the grill to roast the eggplant. But it was a rainy day here so I set up a temporary grilling contraption on my stove top. I propped up a cookie cooling rack over a burner with the help of two similar bowls on both sides to support the rack so that the eggplant wouldn’t touch the fire. Then I kept the eggplant on the rack and roasted on a medium flame for about 30 minutes. I kept moving it around every 5 minutes or so until all sides were evenly charred.

Once the roasting is done, let the eggplant cool and peel off the skin. Then mash it using a fork. Depending on how you like it, you may either mash it with a fork or puree it in a food processor. I like it chunky, so I would coarsely mash it using a fork. (If the inner part of the eggplant is still uncooked, just chop it into small pieces and it will complete the cooking later in the masala.) Keep aside.

Now, heat up 2 tbsp oil, and add ¼ tsp of cumin seeds. Fry it for about 10 seconds, and then add the following ingredients in order:

Onion – 1 medium sized, finely chopped

Garlic – 2 cloves, crushed

Ginger – 1 small piece, minced

Green chillies – 2, slit

When the onions turn golden brown, and the raw smell of garlic-ginger disappears, add

Chilli powder – ½ tsp or less

Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

Some add coriander powder too. I don’t.

Stir and cook the masala powders for a minute, and then add

Tomatoes – 1 medium, chopped

Cook until the tomatoes are soft and then add the mashed eggplants along with ½ a tsp of garam masala powder and salt. Heat up well, cover the pan, and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Stir occasionally. Remove from the fire and garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.

If you prefer, you may add a dash of lemon juice or yogurt.

Serve with chapathi. Works good as a spicy dip or a sandwich spread too.

One of the best eggplant preparations! Even the so called eggplant haters will love it.

This is going to Jihva for Eggplants hosted by lovely Sangeeta of Ghar ka Khana!