Description
Baingan means Brinjal / Eggplant / Aubergine and Bharta means Mashed. Baingan Bharta (Mashed Eggplant ) is a punjabi dish, prepared in unique way. Roasting in clay oven is the secret to make this dish to get that special aroma.
Baigan Bharta / Baigan ka Bharta /Baingan ka Bhartha / Mashed eggplant / Baigan Bhurta
| Ingredients | |
|---|---|
| 6 nos | Brinjal |
| ¼ tsp | Turmeric powder |
| 2 pinch | Asafoetida powder |
| 1 tsp | Ginger garlic crushed |
| 2 nos | Tomato (chopped) |
| ½ tsp | Red chili powder |
| 2 nos | Onion (finely chopped) |
| 2 nos | Green chili (finely chopped) |
| 2 tsp | Coriander /dhania powder |
| ¼ tsp | Garam masala |
| ¼ tsp | Mustard |
| ½ tsp | Cumin seeds |
| ½ tsp | Salt (or to taste) |
| 3 stks | Coriander leaves (for garnishing) |
| 3 tbsp | Oil |
Instructions
Brinjal / Eggplant can be roasted, grilled, baked, pressure cooked or microwaved.
Roasting
1. Normally in restaurants they roast them in big clay oven which gives unique taste to this dish.
2. Roasting directly on fire is another common method followed. Hold the brinjal with tongs and roast directly over the fire until they are charred. This is possible ,only if you have a gas stove at home.
Grilling
You can grill them over a electric or gas outdoor grill for 30 minutes turning every 5 minutes.
Baking
Bake them for 40 minutes @ 450F or broil for 15 minutes turning frequently.
Pressure cooking & Microwave
Last resort is to pressure cook up to 2 whistles and then peel the skin off. Microwave setting might vary, so it could take from about 8 to 12 minutes depending on the power.
Wash the brinjals and wipe clean with paper towel. Turn the oven on to broil setting and get a baking pan and line with aluminum foil. Place the brinjal / Eggplant on it and drizzle with a tsp of oil. Broil for 15 minutes, turning frequently, until its charred. The colour of the skin changes to dark brown, skin loosens and shrivels, the pulp becomes tender. These are the indications that they are done perfectly. Let them cool and then peel the skin off and discard. Either cut, mash or puree the pulp according to your wish and keep aside.
Now heat oil in pan and splutter mustard, cumin seeds and sprinkle asafoetida. Fry the onion and green chili until golden and then add the ginger garlic. Keep sauteing until the raw smell goes away. Add the chopped tomatoes along with turmeric powder, red chili powder and coriander powder. Mix well and cook till they turn tender and soft. When done, add the mashed roasted brinjals along with garam masala and salt. Cook until everything blends well and the oil separates. Switch off, garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve with roti and lemon wedges.
Notes
Brinjal is called Katharikai in Tamil, Baingan in Hindi, Badanekai in Kannada, Vazhuthininga in Malayalam and Vankaya in Telugu
Authentic Punjabi style includes yogurt and lemon juice in addition to the above.
Comments
21 responses to “Baingan Bharta”
You ought to be a part of a contest for one of the most useful
blogs on the net. I’m going to highly recommend this site!
Thank you so much!
i made this twice in one week-first with green thai eggplant & then small purple round ones. both were fantastic! i CRAVE this & it’s super easy & tasty with fresh parothas
hi mullai
can we make this dish with a big/fat eggplant that’s available in american grocery store?
Dear Mullai, I tried this and it came out very good. Thanks!
luved the recipe….tasted very good….i didn’t have lemon or yogurt so added little amchur powder, worked very well……my hubby muthu says mr.madhavan is one lucky guy.
Dear mullai, you have mentioned that authentic Punjabi style includes yogurt and lemon juice , could you also explain how to add this in this recipe , the quantity and the order of appearence … I hope am not bothering you with all my doubts…as u've not responded to any.. Thnx for all those delicious postings Deepa
Deepa,
Yogurt and lemon juice is added to give light sourness to the dish. Yogurt – 1 tbsp is added along with tomatoes and few drops of lemon juice at the last stage like a garnish. But we prefer it spicy rather than being sour.. so I've given it as an option. Just for your info… it will be too sour and proceed only if you like that way, I don't want you spoil the whole dish, always try on a small batch.
hi mullai,
I tried it yesterday wthout lemon and yoghurt and it came out yummy..my son liked it…
i guessi will not use lemon and yog , as my husband does not like sour dishes…
thnx a ton…
Deepa
Mullai,Jst fnshd preparing baingan bharta as a side for chapathi…
i toasted the brinjals in the electric coil(saw my mo-in-law did like ths once.still scared of alarm).hope it has come out gud.Will let u know after dinner mullai. sollavaa vaenum.spiceindiaonline always yields ultimate output…next time i’ll try in the conventional oven n let u know.
Mullai, Thanks for the useful notes to cook baingan in microwave
Regards,
Ramya
Hi, what would be the difference between u r recipe and restaurant recipe..Do they add any cream to get rich taste??
Could u plz clarify my doubt?? plzzz
thankx
Durga,
I've just shared my way of preparing this dish, each restaurant has its own style and I'm not a pro to clarify your doubt. Sorry.
hi thankx a lot for u r immediate reply..you give explanation about dishes very well and clarify many doubts…thats y I asked u about that.. I really admire u r dishes and even photos 🙂 . By the way what camera u r using?? coz photos are really really awesome….And I admire the way u present the dish in the photos…When i look at those ..I feel like really jealous about u 🙂 man ..U R THE BEST thankx
Durga,
No big deal, I'm just using a Canon 5MP digital camera to capture my dishes. Here is the link
http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=145&modelid=11939
Capture, share and enjoy!!
arthiDear Mullai,
I tried out this recipe.It was Superb.
Please add more Brinjal recipes.
hi mullai tried makin this yesterday..! and it was a sucess..!thanx
Sony, happy to hear about your success. Thanks for your feedback.
Hey Mullai..I tried this recipe and it came out very well.
Thanx man !
could u pls bold the terms of brinjal in other languages. Hope it gets the attention much than the italics. just a suggestion mam..
ANd its great tat they call it in malayalam as something similar to vazhuthunangai. coz in tamil early days poem (owvaiyar's if iam not mistaken) has that word and we use it in literature still. Coooooool na
thanks alot for posting this recipe….was in search for this recipe from long time…….will try it soon and will let u know how it turned out……