Baingan Bharta
- Total Time
- About 45 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 2pounds eggplant
- 2tablespoons lime juice
- 2 to 3tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1medium onion, peeled and chopped
- 3cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
- 1fresh hot green chile like a jalapeño, or more to taste, thinly sliced (discard seeds for less heat)
- 1pound fresh tomatoes, chopped
- ½teaspoon turmeric
- 1teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
- ½cup chopped cilantro, thin stems included
- 2teaspoons garam masala
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
176 calories; 10 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 23 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams dietary fiber; 12 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 484 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Prick the eggplant with a thin-blade knife. Grill over or next to very high heat, turning as necessary until the skin is blackened and the eggplant collapses. Or broil, or roast on a heated cast-iron pan in the hottest possible oven. It will take about 20 minutes.
- Step 2
When the eggplant is cool enough to handle, peel (this will be easy) and trim away the hard stem. Chop or mash in a bowl, with lime juice.
- Step 3
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat; add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and chiles and cook for another minute. Add the tomato, turmeric and salt. Cook until the tomato is soft, 5 minutes or so.
- Step 4
Stir in the eggplant purée and cook, stirring, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the cilantro and garam masala and turn off the heat. Serve hot with warm chapati bread or pita, or over rice.
Private Notes
Comments
This recipe was incredible, but I did a bunch of research and discovered two things:
1. Add some ginger and coriander powder to the mix when you add the tomatoes.
2. VERY IMPORTANT: when cooking the tomatoes, cook them down over medium high heat until you start to see oils from the onions. Then after adding the eggplant, do the same thing. Once you see oils, reduce the heat to med-low and cook for about 1/2hr, stirring occasionally. It's worth it, trust me.
I used Japanese eggplants and like to include the peel.This is faster and delicious. Saute after each addition: To the oil, add onion, add garlic, add fresh green chili, add raw eggplant chopped into inch chunks. Saute the eggplant long enough to soften it slightly, then add tomatoes coarsely ground in mini food processor as well as salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp ground cumin, 2 tsp garam masala... simmer 10-20 minutes to meld flavors.
If you're in a rush or feeling lazy, microwave the eggplant. Many 'authentic' chefs do this and it still tastes great!
Added some minced ginger and found that the garam masala was a bit much. I recommend half the recommended amount or maybe even a bit less.
@Michael D. it is mixed in with the roasted eggplant once it is chopped or mashed.
Sadly it didn't work for us. We used fresh eggplant straight from the garden and some heirloom tomatoes fur the farmers market. All the flavors were pretty muted and I feel bad using the garden eggplant for it. Next time I'd use just canned roasted eggplant and canned tomatoes and push up some of the spices I've seen recommended in other comments. Also may try adding some fresh spinach. Will definitely try it again but it's more like a 3 star than a 5 star recipe.