The fun thing about Indian families is that you usually grow up with about 20-30 “aunties and uncles” that aren’t actually related to you. Indians have been practicing the idea of chosen families for generations. It is one of the things I love most about my culture.
One of my aunties is a warm and hilarious family friend who used to live around the corner from us growing up. I have the happiest memories sharing incredible dinners with her and her family throughout my childhood. One dish in particular, her baingan bharta, is totally bangin’. She still makes it every time I visit her, so I was inspired to make my own interpretation to share with you. It’s not quite hers, so we’ll call it auntie-inspired rather than authentic.
Baingan bharta is an Indian dish made of mashed eggplant and spices. It is smoky, tangy, and a little bit spicy. It is best served with your favorite Indian flatbread. I love homemade roti, but frozen naan will do in a pinch.
The classic recipe uses grilled eggplant. Our version has us roasting it in the oven, along with red bell peppers and a whole bulb of garlic. We don’t have a grill in our apartment, so we have to compensate for the smoky flavors by adding extra roastiness.
The process is actually fairly simple. Roast your eggplant, red bell peppers and garlic (coated in some oil) in a 400 degree oven for about an hour or until the skins start to blister on the peppers, and the cut sides of the eggplants are a deep brown. Place the cooked peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to help you peel the skins off.
Saute some onions in some ghee (or oil) until translucent and fragrant. Add garlic, ginger and spices and toast for another minute. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, and chili peppers and let cook until it starts to bubble. Finally, add your mashed eggplant, chopped red peppers, roasted garlic and stir. Add some greek yogurt to a bowl and stir in a spoon of the hot mixture to temper the yogurt and avoid curdling. Add it back to the pan and stir to combine. Serve topped with cilantro and some roti or naan on the side.
Although this recipe is labeled with a cook time of 1 hour and 15 minutes, most of that is wait time. Prep the bell peppers, garlic, and eggplant for the oven, and then relax (and possibly enjoy a glass of red) while it cooks. Right before the eggplant is finished, begin the sautéeing step (of the onions, tomatoes, tomato paste, etc).
Serve this baingan bharta alongside creamy and tangy cucumber raita. This, like many Indian dishes, is meant to be enjoyed by hand. Take a piece of your roti or naan and use it to grab a bite of the baingan bharta – enjoy!
Baingan Bharta (Indian spicy roasted eggplant)
Ingredients
- 2 eggplants
- 6 tsp neutral oil (such as olive or vegetable oil)
- 1 tbsp neutral oil (such as olive or vegetable oil)
- ½ red onion
- 1 bulb garlic
- 2 red bell peppers
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 1 tsp coriander (ground)
- 1 tsp cumin (ground)
- ¼ tsp cayenne
- 1 and ½ tsp salt (or more to taste)
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 1 cup diced tomatoes fresh or canned
- 1 jalapeno or 1/2 an Indian chili
- ¼ cup greek yogurt (omit for vegan)
Instructions
- Roast vegetables: preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Slice eggplants in half and rub the oil into the cut side of the eggplant until absorbed, about 1 tsp per side. Chop bell pepper into large flat chunks and coat with oil, about 1 tsp per bell pepper. Place eggplant (face down) and bell pepper onto baking sheet. Roast in the oven for one hour.
- Roast garlic: Meanwhile, chop the top off of an entire bulb of garlic. Place the garlic in a square of foil, and drizzle with about 1 tbsp of oil. Wrap up the foil into a tight pouch. Place into the oven with the eggplant and bell pepper and roast for one hour.
- Prepare other vegetables: dice ½ of a red onion and 1 jalapeno (or ½ of an indian chili if you have it!). Prepare 1 cup of diced tomatoes. Dice 2 cloves of garlic.
- After vegetables have roasted, remove from oven and carefully set aside. Allow the roasted bell pepper to steam by placing bell pepper into a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for around 5 minutes.
- Saute: in a large skillet over medium heat, melt 1 tbsp ghee. Saute onions until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin, cayenne, and salt, and allow spices to toast for one minute. Add tomato paste, diced tomatoes, and jalapenos. Reduce heat to medium low and move on to preparing eggplant.
- Dice the roasted red pepper and mash the eggplant. Gently remove the skins of the roasted pepper. Dice the bell pepper. Scrape the flesh away from the eggplants and place into a bowl. Using a fork, mash the eggplant until mostly smooth.
- Add mashed eggplant and diced bell pepper into the skillet. Squeeze in the cloves from the roasted bulb of garlic. Put ¼ cup greek yogurt into a small bowl and temper yogurt (*see notes), then add tempered yogurt into the skillet.
- Top with optional cilantro, dollop of yogurt, or additional tbsp of ghee. Serve with naan, roti, rice, or any side of your choosing. For an extra delicious meal, serve with our cucumber raita.
Notes
