Baingan ka Bharta. (बैंगन का भर्ता)

BAINGAN KA BHARTA (बैंगन का भर्ता)

Eggplant or brinjal is a commonly used vegetable in cooking. Baingan ka bharta is a North Indian Vegetarian dish . Bharta can be served as a side or also as curry with Roti , Naan , Bhakri and/or Rice)

Ingredients :

1 big Eggplant , 1/2 cup each of finely chopped onions and tomatoes

3 cloves of garlic finely chopped , 3 tbspn oil , Salt to taste ,

1 tspn red chilly powder , 1/4th tspn turmeric , a pinch of Asafoetida,

1/2 tspn mustard seeds , 1/2 tspn Garam Masala ,

Cilantro / coriander to garnish.

Procedure :

Wash the eggplant thoroughly and wipe it dry . Apply oil on the skin of the eggplant . Prick about 4 to five times with the tip of a knife on each side of the surface. This makes a path for the steam to escape out at the time of roasting the eggplant .

You may directly place the eggplant at this time over high heat on the gas stove . If you have an electric coil cook top do not place it on the coil. That may make things messy . Instead you may place the eggplant on a baking sheet and roast it for about 30 minutes on 375 degrees. It may take less or more time to roast the eggplant. After roasting it needs to be soft and mushy . The skin of the eggplant should have flakes or wrinkles so that you can peel of the skin easily.

Mash the peeled eggplant with the tip of spatula or even the edge of a spoon.
Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and after they splutter, add asafoetida , turmeric , Garlic , onion and tomatoes . Cook well for about 7-8 minutes. Then add the the mashed eggplant followed by red chilly powder , salt to taste , Garam Masala. Cook well for another 5-6 minutes to reduce the excess moisture. Garnish with cilantro. Bharta tastes best if served with piece of lemon juice squeezed on top and Raw onion.