Baingan Bharta is a hit with us for two simple reasons: eggplant and Indian food. And it is also vegan and gluten free. Oh, yes, very, very delicious.
I had only ever eaten Baingan Bharta in an Indian restaurant and it always was a favorite option. So when I saw this recipe by Nisha Vora of Rainbow Plant Life, I was excited to give it a try. It worked perfectly. Now a key to making this dish sing is properly smoking the eggplant (aubergine).
Baingan Bharta is a great side dish as part of an Indian feast, but works equally well with grilled meats or fish. If you haven’t tried it but love eggplant, this is a great dish to add to your repertoire. It can be made ahead and reheated which is always a plus in my book.
Don’t be put off by the list of ingredients. If you like Mediterranean and South Asian foods, you will be using all of these spices over and over again.
If you don’t have either a gas range or a grill, you can prepare the eggplant under a broiler. The resulting dish will be very good, but a little less so. A trick that I learned to improve the smokiness when you don’t have a gas stove, is to include small bits of the skin that blistered and crackled in the oven. And while your range will require a little clean-up, the final product makes it so worthwhile.
Blistered eggplant transforms the fruit’s (Yes, Virginia, this is technically a fruit) texture to a creamy, rich, almost spreadable wonder.
RECIPE
Yield: About 4 generous servings as a side
INGREDIENTS
2 Tablespoons neutral-flavored oil (I like avocado or canola)
1 medium or two smaller eggplants between 1 to 1.5 pounds in total
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
1 medium onion, red or yellow, finely chopped
4 large garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1 small serrano pepper, seeds removed (Unless you like a lot of heat) and finely chopped
1-inch piece of fresh ginger root, grated (TIP: Freeze fresh ginger root. It lasts a long time and makes grating very easy.)
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1.5 teaspoons kosher salt
2 medium tomatoes (ideally Roma or plum tomatoes, but any work), finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 cup cilantro leaves and tender stems, chopped
DIRECTIONS
Prick the eggplant all over with a fork. This will prevent it from exploding. If you have a gas stovetop or a grill, place the eggplant directly over the flame as pictured above, using tongs to turn it frequently. Do this until the eggplant skin is blistered all over and the eggplant begins to collapse on itself. If you do not have a gas flame, place the eggplant on a baking sheet and put it under the broiler for 30 to 40 minutes, turning frequently. When done, move the eggplant to a cutting board. (SEE the photos above)
Once the eggplant has cooled a bit, carefully peel off most, but not all of the blistered skin and set aside. Then chop or mash the flesh to break it all apart. (TIP: because so many eggplants have a lot of seeds these days, I suggest that you place the mashed eggplant in a fine mesh sieve and press down on it. This will release the bitter juices and also will keep the finished dish from being too watery. It won’t remove the seeds, but they won’t get in the way of enjoying the dish.)
Heat the oil in a 9 or 10-inch non-stick or well-seasoned skillet over medium high heat. Once the oil is shimmering add the cumin seeds and cook for one minute to bloom the spice. Move the seeds frequently to prevent burning.
Add the onions with a 1/2 teaspoon of salt and cook for about 5 minutes. You want them to soften but not brown.
Then add the garlic, serrano peppers and turmeric, stirring frequently for 60 to 90 seconds.
Next comes the coriander, remaining salt and tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes with the pan covered and then an additional 5 minutes uncovered. The tomatoes should be softened and almost jammy.
Once the tomatoes are jammy, add the chopped or mashed eggplant and Kashmiri Chili and mix everything through until well combined. Cook on medium-low heat for another 5 minutes, stirring often. Now enjoy!
