Smoky Indian Eggplant (Baingan Ka Bharta).
Smoky Indian Eggplant Baingan Ka Bharta) figures prominently in Happy Endings, a new book by my friend Minita Sanghvi. The smokiness really does come through even if, like me, you roast the eggplant on a gas stove rather than over a wood fire. The eggplant reduces quite a bit when cooked, so a whole eggplant will make a dish for 2-4 when served with other foods. Recipe adapted from Hebbars Kitchen.
Ingredients:
1 large eggplant, a little less than a pound
3 cloves garlic, each sliced in half lengthwise
2 T neutral oil, plus a bit for cooking the eggplant
1 t cumin, ground
½ t red pepper flakes (or less if you don’t like it spicy)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 T ginger, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
½ t Kashmiri chili powder*
1 t coriander seed, ground
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 t Kosher salt (start with ½ t and taste before adding more)
½ t garam masala
2 T chopped cilantro leaves
Method: poke slits all over the eggplant and insert a garlic sliver into each. Rub the eggplant with oil and roast directly over a gas burner or wood fire, turning to expose all sides to the heat. The eggplant will soften and shrink as it cooks. When done, a knife inserted near the stem (the part that cooks slowest) should go in easily, Cool, then peel off skin, coarsely chop, and quickly blitz with a mini-chop so the flesh separates into chunks but is short of a puree.
Heat oil in a skillet. Add cumin and pepper flakes and heat till they become aromatic. Add chopped garlic and ginger and sauté for a couple of minutes, then add onion and sauté until wilted. Stir in chili powder and coriander and cook till fragrant, then stir in tomato and cook until it reduces. Stir in eggplant and a little salt; taste and add more salt if necessary.
Serve hot or lukewarm with roti or over rice. Just before serving, stir in chopped cilantro and garam masala.
*Hopefully you have some left over from when we made Pav Bhaji. If not substitute smoked paprika, but the flavor is not quite the same.
