Thursday, January 22, 2009

Baingan ka Bharta

After Baingan Pathankoti, here's presenting the best and the most popular dish of Eggplant (Baingan) - Baingan ka Bharta. It's extremely mouth-watering, quick and easy to prepare, and loved even by many eggplant-haters. :-)






Ingredients
  • Fresh Eggplant: 1 big or 2 medium-sized
  • Red Onions: 1 big (I prefer red onions to white onions in the Bharta)
  • Tomatoes: 4 medium-sized
  • Green chilis: 3-4
  • Cumin (Jeera) seeds: 1 TSP
  • Red Chili Powder: 1/2 TSP
  • Coriander (Dhaniya) Powder: 1/2 TSP
  • Asafoetida (Heeng) - a pinch
  • Turmeric (Haldi) Powder: 1/2 TSP
  • Salt: to taste
  • Garam Masala Powder: 1/2 TSP
  • Coriander Leaves
  • Butter (to garnish)
  • Vegetable Oil - 1 TSP
Preparation

Roast the eggplant on a medium flame till its skin become dark and wrinkled. Keep turning the eggplant frequently over the flame so that it gets roasted evenly. Alternatively, you can also microwave the eggplant in a large microwave-safe bowl for about 15 minutes. before putting the eggplant in the microwave, put horizontal slits on it with a knife otherwise the eggplant will burst (yes, it actually bursts! we're experienced! :D ) After the eggplant is roasted, run cold water over it and peel off its skin and mash its flesh (sounds gross, isn't it?) :-)

Chop the tomatoes and green chilis very finely. You can also microwave the tomatoes for 10 minutes and mash them (we prefer it this way cuz' it cooks faster). Chop the onions into thin slices.

Heat a pan and put oil in it. When the oil is hot enough, put in the cumin seeds, let them splutter, and turn dark brown. Add asafoetida and then add the tomatoes and green chilis. Stir for a few seconds and let the tomatoes cook for a while.

After the tomatoes are fully cooked, add the mashed eggplant. Mix them well, add the remaining spices except salt, and mix again. Add the onions now and mix them well with the eggplant. The reason for adding the onions at the end is to keep them a bit crunchy. Keep stirring the mixture to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan. When the onions become pale, add the garam masala and mix well.

Serving

Transfer the Bharta to a serving bowl and garnish it with chopped coriander leaves. Take a small piece of butter, put it in the middle of the Bharta and let it melt. Serve hot with Paranthas!

2 comments:

  1. You have very interesting blogs indeed and a very unique and impressive style. I wish both of you all the very best:)

    ReplyDelete

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