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Baingan Bharta (Eggplant)
October 9th, 2009 filed under Dry Vegetables, Subji (Vegetables)
Baingan Bharta is mashed eggplant cooked with spiced tomato very flavorful dish. Traditionally bharta is made with charcoal roasted eggplant but I have adopted it to the modern kitchen. This is a very popular dish in Punjab usually served with roti.
Recipe will serve 2 to 3.
Ingredients:
- 1 Eggplant (should be big and fat)
- 2 medium size tomatoes
- 1/2 cup green chopped red bell pepper (capsicum)
- 1 green chili
- 1/4 inch piece of ginger
- 3 tablespoons oil
- Pinch of asafetida
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon red chili
- 1 teaspoon sat adjust to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon garam masala
- 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro to garnish
Method:
- Cook the whole eggplant (put it on a microwave safe dish) in microwave for 8 to 10 minutes until it is tender. If you are using an oven, preheat the oven at 400 degrees F and bake it for about 45 minutes turning the sides every fifteen minutes. Be sure to first put the eggplant in an oven safe shallow bowl or a cookie sheet.
- Let it cool and peel off the skin then chop the eggplant in small pieces and keep aside.
- Blend the tomatoes, ginger and green chili.
- Heat the oil in a saucepan on medium high and stir fry the bell pepper for about a minute. Take out the bell pepper from pan and keep aside.
- Use the same saucepan with remaining oil heat the oil little more. Test the heat by adding one cumin seed to the oil; if it cracks right away it is ready. Add asafetida and cumin seed.
- After cumin seeds crack, add tomato puree, coriander powder, turmeric, red chili, and salt and let it cook for a few minutes until tomato puree has started leaving the oil.
- Add eggplant let it cook on medium heat keep stirring the eggplant and mashing the eggplant as it cooks.
- Cook for about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Add bell pepper, fresh cilantro, and garam masala to the eggplant and mix it gently.
- Bharta is ready serve hot with rotis, parathas, or naan. Enjoy!
Hi Manjula,
Made this for lunch today and just wanted to thank you. It was fantastic and I am not normally a fan of eggplant.
Thanks again.
Dear Manjula Aunty,
I am a newly wed and miss recipes from back home. I followed ur instructions on how to make baingan bharta and it turned out so good. Thanks!
Hi,
I want to try this recipe and am wondering if I need to use red or green bell pepper?
Thanks!
hi!
manjula aunty,
i ve been watching ur videos.ur khadai paneer was hit with my family.thank u alot.can u please give me mirchi ka salan recipe.
Hi Munjula,
I’s me again!
Just watching your video, my Mum used Pumkin, Potato and sometimes Tania (ground provision which is even nicer) Bless her, she’s passed now!
Brings back lots of memories!! thank you, Manjula.
Velina, x
aunty,
i have a L.G. microwave oven.can u plz tell me nice chocolate cake recepie.
Did this today. Out of this world.Ah manjula u r an angel.
tell me how to steam vegetables
Sreedevi, place the vegetables in a steaming basket placed inside a pot. There should be water at the bottom of the pot, but just below the level of the vegetables. Cover with a lid and bring the water to a boil. The steam of the boiling water will soften the vegetables. Check after about 5 minutes to test if the vegetables are soft enough. If not, replace the lid and continue steaming and checking every few minutes.
Since there isn’t much water (maybe an inch) you should check periodically to make sure the water hasn’t evaporated. You may need to add a little water during the process.
Also, cut the vegetables small enough so that they don’t take a long time to cook.
Hi Manjula! I just made and blogged about this recipe and it was FANTASTIC! Thanks for posting wonderful video recipes that we can always count on.
Hi manjula, I love your recipes they are so great. I am from mexico and learning how to cook for my bengali husband. I tried this recipe and it was good. I cooked my eggplant in microwave for 8 min and pierced it with a knife but it was still kind of hard it did not seem like it was cooked all the way. what did I do wrong. ?
Manjula says to cook it 8-10 min. Please remember that microwave ovens vary in their power, so your cooking time may vary. If at 8 min. the eggplant is still hard, add 2 more min. and keep repeating until the veg. is tender.