Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Baingan Ka Bharta ( Smoked And Mashed Eggplant)

For me eggplant is synonymous to bharta, I like my eggplant smoked and mashed with lots of garlic and spices. Smoking of the eggplant on fire imparts a wonderful flavour to the dish. Long back in India we had a neighbour, who made this bharta with mustard oil and served with baati. I am not used to eating food cooked in mustard oil but enjoyed that rare treat by our wonderful neighbour, still that taste of bharta with baati soaked in ghee lingers on my tongue. And this bharta tastes wonderful with any Indian bread like naan and parathas.

The most important thing to remember is to buy a good quality of eggplant without any holes and to char the skin completely, so that the inside are cooked thoroughly and the eggplant gets tender and juicy. 


When I was removing the charred skin of eggplant, my daughter who just entered the kitchen stood on the door for a while and watched me curiously. After I had cut open the smoked eggplant, she seemed to be horrified and asked me..."mumma have we started eating non vegetarian food, is this some kind of fish? " . But when I explained her that this is eggplant she was relieved but still refused to eat the final dish...so I made some potato fry for her. I hope that when she grows up she will start liking this dish.


Ingredients:

Eggplant- 1 Large
Onions- 2 Medium (finely chopped)
Ginger- 1 Inch Piece
Garlic- 4 Cloves
Green Chillies-2 ( chopped) 
Tomatoes- 2 Medium (finely chopped)
Green Peas- 1/4 Cup
Mustard Seeds- 1/2 tsp
Cumin Seeds- 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder- 1/4 tsp
Red Chilli Powder- 1/4 tsp
Coriander Powder- 1 tsp
Salt- To Taste
Oil- 1 tsp + 3 tbsp
Coriander Leaves- To Garnish
Fried Garlic slices- To garnish

Procedure:
  • Wash the eggplant and pat dry. Now rub 1 tsp of oil on the skin. Switch on the gas in medium flame and keep the eggplant directly on the fire. Let the skin char, keep turning the eggplant from all sides so that whole skin is charred and the eggplant is cooked from inside.
  • Once the eggplant is charred keep it aside on a plate to cool down for about 10 minutes. Then peel of  the skin and remove its crown. Cut the eggplant and mash it thoroughly with help of a fork.
  • Pound ginger and garlic together in a mortar and keep aside.
  • Heat the 3 tbsp of oil in a pan. Once the oil is hot add in mustard and cumin seeds. When the seeds start crackling add in green chillies, chopped onions and pounded ginger and garlic.
  • Once the onions turn brown add in chopped tomatoes, green peas along with turmeric, red chillies, salt and coriander powder. Let the mixture cook on a medium flame till the spices are cooked and the mixture starts leaving oil from the sides.
  • Now at this stage add in the mashed eggplant and mix everything together. Keep on cooking the mixture till a nice aroma comes say for about 7-8 minutes.
  • Now switch off the gas and garnish with chopped coriander leaves and some fried garlic slices.
  • Serve super hot.

Linking this to Dish it out- Brinjal and Garlic Event started by Vardhini and hosted by Sangee.
Also linking this to Hot & Spicy Treats event at Amy's space Foodssrilanka.


Sending this black and white picture to Susan's Black And White Wednesday.

39 comments:

  1. The picture says it all. Wonderful recipe. It has been a long time since I made this

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  2. I totally agree with you Raji on the match made in Heaven. Both make a nice combo.

    Tickling Palates
    Event : Let’s Cook - Rice

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  3. I love the smoky flavor of baingan!!! This looks yummy & fab clicks :)
    Prathima Rao
    Prats Corner

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  4. Mmmmm,looks lip smacking good n the smoked eggplant will give u the real n original flavor to the dish rt?? Haven't tasted that :(
    Pictures were amazing n thank you Raji for this wonderful entry to the event ..

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  5. Happy New year Raji...one of my fav side dish for roti,luks yummy...nice version.

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  6. i think u are right garlic with bagin bharta looking tempting

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  7. That garlic shot is awesome,Raji.I tried making bharta once and didn't really like it.Maybe i'll give it a one more go.

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  8. Perfect combination for the season!

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  9. supoerb raji!! i love the way the dish looks and its my fav too!!!yyyummmmmmmm!!!

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  10. Love the flavor,delicious and tempting

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  11. your clicks are super delicious. love this recipe.

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  12. I sometimes add capsicum and sweet corn to the above recipe :) :)

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  13. Wonderful recipe,the captures are awesome.

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  14. never tried bhaingan ka bharta..this looks delicious n yummy..

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  15. A match made in heaven...in deed! What an amazing and flavorful dish!

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  16. That looks good, esp the garlic garnish :) nice one Raji

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  17. wow...look fabulous... beautiful presentation...

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  18. that was funny.. your daughter thinking of fish:) gorgeous clicks Raji! i love a well roasted eggplant bharta! and i love those garlic fries on top!

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  19. looks super yum raji - guess wht my next post is somethg similar

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  20. looks very delicious n inviting...well presented!!

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  21. Love the egg plant -garlic shot. Lovely

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  22. Even i cant cook eggplants without garlic,wat an irresistible baingan ka bharta Raji..

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  23. Loved the clicks and baingan ka bharta looks yumm

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  24. Delicious baigan ka bharta,looks so yummy n awesome clicks too...

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  25. Bharta looks lovely. It is very good to have during winter as a side dish to tandoori roti.

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  26. Just today I made eggplant spicy fry. This dish sounds great. I must try Raji!

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  27. complimenti, una vera meraviglia! mangerei il monitor! baci :)

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  28. Raji love eggplants in all forms especially the smoked ones. This looks super delicious, very beautifully clicked.

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  29. Recipe looks absolutely delicious apart from that ur pictures n photography is flawlesss

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  30. Love eggplant and this dish looks so good!

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  31. love this...looks tempting and delicious.... lovely clicks.

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  32. Raj-love the BWW submission. Such clear lines of the garlic and just a hint of the eggplant hovering in the background. One of my favorites this week.

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  33. Thank you, Raji. Your BWW images is very smart and stylish, a great addition to the gallery.

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  34. very enticing pics .. I love Baingan Bharta, my fav always..

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  35. I love baigan bhartha but since i have an electric cooking range am not quite sure how to roast the baigan on it without the surface getting spoiled. I would love this with bajra rotis and a dollop of ghee. Perfect.

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