Smoked Baingan Bharta is a hearty vegetarian roasted eggplant mash flavored with spices and smoked! Perfect with naan or roti.
If you like Eggplant, this dish is for you. If you don’t like eggplant, this dish is for you as well! The smoky roasted eggplant mash flavored with simple spices is a treat for vegetarians. Its hearty, and has such a unique flavor even your meat lovers with like this variation.
Bharta is traditionally made from eggplant which is roasted and then mashed and cooked into a curry. In this dish onion and tomatoes give it the base and cumin coriander and Garam masala is enough to take it to a whole new level. The eggplant is actually double smoked once as it roasts and a second when with the dhungar smoking step.
My goal is to bring you simple beginner recipes. While the dhungar or smoking process is not a beginner process, I think THIS is the recipe worth learning it for. Dhungar is a popular way to really add great flavor to meat dishes as well. Although if you are not ready for it, you can certainly skip this step.
This is a must try for vegetarians!
Makes 3-4 servings
Time: 35 mins
Ingredients:
- 1 large eggplant (about 3 cups worth raw)
- 1 cup sliced or diced onion
- 1 cup crushed tomatoes (canned works best for this)
- 1 tbsp of diced garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup sliced green onion or scallions
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
- 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds (rai)
- 1 tsp salt (black or Himalayan salt would be nice for this)
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
- 1 tbsp cumin coriander powder
- 1 tbsp Garam Masala
- 1/8 tsp red chili powder or red chili flakes or fresh green chili. Adjust to the level of spiciness you like.
- Chopped coriander leaves for garnish
For the dhungar/smoking step you will need:
- 1 piece of charcoal
- 1 tbsp of oil
- Optional: whole spices like black peppercorn, cinnamon, cardamom.
Method:
- With a fork or knife prick the outside of the eggplant with slits. Brush with oil.
- Roast eggplant in oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 mins till softened. You can also do this step on the stove. Use a fork or tongs to hold the eggplant directly over the flame on the stove, turning it while blistering the skin all around till it softens.
- Once cooled, remove skin and chop up the eggplant into a mash.
- In a pan, add oil, mustard seeds, cumin seeds on medium high heat till they splutter.
- Add onion and stir fry for 2 mins just to soften them no color needed.
- Add crushed tomato, salt and spices.
- Stir in Eggplant, cover and cook for 10 mins stirring occasionally in between. Turn the flame off.
- Now for the dhungar/smoking step which is optional: Use a small metal bowl or make one from a piece of foil. Lay the foil cup in the middle of the pan. Add some whole spices like cinnamon, black pepper, cardamom…etc. Using a pair of tongs, hold the charcoal over the stove until it is burning and smoking. Lay it in the foil bowl. Pour 1 tbsp of oil over the coal and immediately close the lid of the dish. Let is sit to let the smoke flavor permeate the eggplant for 5 mins. The stove does not need to be turned on for this step.
- Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
- Serve hot with paratha, naan or roti and Enjoy!
Tips:
- Alternatively, you can add a whole onion, 3 tomatoes, and green chili to roast along with the eggplant. Same process to roast, peel and dice into the mash. Follow the rest of the process the same way.
- If you like eggplant, try another variation of Bharta but this time as a salad/raita. Click here for the recipe.