I am not a big eggplant fan. the only way i like my eggpant is well cooked. And thats why i like the Baingan Bharta so much coz the eggplant is roasted well and then cooked well.. no raw taste possible! Jump to Recipe
Charred eggplant .
The dish can be made by roasting the eggplant on a gas burner till the peel is all charred. Or it can also be made with eggplant baked in the microwave for 4-5 minutes till it is soft. The original Punjabi Bharta recipe though uses the charred eggplant.
Recipe Card
Baingan Bharta
Roasted mashed spiced Eggplant
Servings: 2
Calories: 133kcal
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant
- 1/2 (0.5) medium onion chopped
- 1 medium tomato chopped
- 1 inch ginger chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic chopped
- 1 Serrano pepper chopped
- 2 teaspoons oil
- 1/2 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) turmeric
- pinch of asofetida
- 1/2 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon dry coriander powder
- 1 cup (16 g) cilantro leaves for garnish
Instructions
- Roast the eggplant on a medium flame gas burner for 15-20 minutes, moving it every 4-5 minutes. It should start becoming charred and mushy and look like the picture above. I dont roast the eggplant completely like my mom does, because then the gas burner becomes very messy. The eggplant starts to drip once the skin gets charred and open. I usually put a foil and some water in the burner base to help with the cleaning later. The burner top though, you cant save:). I just char the skin to get the roasted taste in the eggplant.
- Let the eggplant cool and then remove the as much skin as possible.
- Mash the eggplant.
- In a large pan, heat the oil.
- Add in the mustard seeds and wait till they sputter.
- Add in the turmeric, and coriander powder and mix well.
- Add in the chopped ginger, garlic and Serrano pepper and mix well. Let cook on medium flame for 5 minutes
- Add in the chopped onions and cook them till soft(5-7 minutes)
- Add in the chopped tomato and the mashed eggplant and mix well.
- Add in salt and cook covered on medium-low flame.
- Stir every 5 minutes.
- In about 10-15 minutes the mixture will start to dry up a bit.
- Some people like the bharta more wet than others.. I like mine quite dry so I cook it for 10-15 minutes on low heat till it is dry and a nice earthy brown color.
- Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve hot with chapatis, or Naan or any Indian Bread!
Notes
Nutritional values are based on one serving
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Baingan Bharta
Amount Per Serving
Calories 133
Calories from Fat 45
% Daily Value*
Fat 5g8%
Sodium 595mg26%
Potassium 770mg22%
Carbohydrates 21g7%
Fiber 8g33%
Sugar 11g12%
Protein 3g6%
Vitamin A 1135IU23%
Vitamin C 20.4mg25%
Calcium 47mg5%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
On another note.. Once every few days..
I enter the elevator with Chewie.. And someone is either already there or boards on the next stop. Conversations in the elvator..
Some person I dont know: Hi Chewie.. aww you are so cute.. Are you going for a walk?
Me: Yes, he is
Some person I dont know.. continues to pet chewie. Elevator dings and time to get off.
Some other person I dont know: Have a great walk Chewie
Or
Some other person I dont know: Have a good day chewie
Some other person I dont know , after realizing that there is someone else also present..(to me): you too ….
I dont know how everyone in the building knows Chewie.. Its like living with a a well known personality.. a Celebrity.. and we are just his random accompanying side actors.
Chewie..
Jagan
This came out really well. I thought of ordering takeaway and realized I had two eggplants in the fridge so I looked whether you had a recipe 🙂
Ryan
Delicious, such a good Bharta recipe
Ellen Lederman
Loved this! Simple spices but still full of flavor. We got a new cast iron grill pan and used it for this—did really well.
Richa
awesome!
Brian
Easy and delicious!!!! It’s also fun roasting the eggplant on the grill!!
Lariza
Delicious! I added a bit of Indian chili powder, only because I like some spicy in my food. Thank you for the recipe 🙂