Baingan Bharta (Eggplant Mash made with spices)
- 3 medium Eggplants (Baingan)
- 2 medium Onions or 1 big onion
- 3 cloves garlic, cut into half
- 2 Tomatoes or 3 tbs canned diced tomatoes
- 2 Small green chilies ( Optional )
- 1 tps Cumin seeds
- 1 tps Turmeric
- 1/4 tps Red chili powder ( Optional)
- 1 tps Corriander powder
- 2 tbs Fresh cut corriander
- Salt to taste
1. Wash the eggplants and wipe them. Make longitudinal cuts that go to half of the eggplant but do not cut it in half. Make at least three cuts in each eggplant. Keep them aside.
2. Peel the garlic, and wash it. If garlic cloves are big, make two pieces from one garlic clove. Insert them in the slits you made in the eggplants. You can take more garlic if you are using small cloves.
3. After inserting all the segments in the eggplants, Smear some oil on the eggplants.
4. Put the eggplant directly on the heat and start roasting it. Roast the eggplants on an open flame. Roast until they are entirely cooked and charred from both sides. It will take 10 to 20 minutes to roast them properly.
3. Once roasted, let it cool down, peel the skin off with a spoon, and put them in a bowl or plate. Mash the eggplants with the help of a fork and keep them aside.
4. Heat oil in a wok or pan, add cumin seeds, let them splutter for a few seconds, and then add chopped onions. Saute the onion until they are light brownish. It will take around 8-10 minutes on medium heat.
5. Add garlic and ginger and sauté it for 2-3 minutes. Add spices like coriander powder, turmeric, or chili powder at this point. Mix well on low heat. Don't cook the tempering longer with dry spices, or they will burn.
6. Add chopped tomatoes or use canned diced or crushed tomatoes after mixing the dry spices. I have used three generous tablespoons of diced canned tomatoes. Canned tomatoes give a perfect color to that dish. Let the chopped tomatoes cook and become mushy. It will further take around 5-8 minutes.
7. Add the mashed baingan bharta to this tempering, mix it well, and cook for about 5 minutes on low heat.
8. Finally, add chopped coriander leaves and switch off the flame. Serve baingan bharta hot with chapati or plain paratha. Enjoy!