Baingan bharta, a vegetarian recipe from India

Name: Baingan bharta
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: India
Ingredients: 2 large aubergines (about 800 g); 2 onions, chopped; 3 tomatoes, diced; 4 garlic cloves, chopped; 20 g ginger, grated; 1 green chilli, chopped; 1 tsp cumin seeds; 1 tsp ground turmeric; 1 tsp ground coriander; ½ tsp chilli powder; ½ tsp garam masala; 3 tbsp neutral oil; 1 tsp salt; Fresh coriander, chopped

Method

Prick the aubergines with a fork and rub them with oil. Set them directly on a gas flame or under a hot grill and turn regularly for 15 to 20 minutes until the skin is blackened and the flesh has collapsed.
Cool in a covered bowl, then peel the aubergines and chop the flesh roughly with a knife, keeping the juices.
Heat the oil in a wide pan and sizzle the cumin seeds for 30 seconds.
Add the onions and brown for 8 minutes, then the garlic, ginger and green chilli for 1 minute.
Stir in the turmeric, coriander and chilli powder, then the tomatoes and salt. Cook for 6 minutes until the oil separates from the sauce.
Add the aubergine flesh and mix well. Simmer for 8 minutes over medium heat, stirring, so the flavours come together.
Finish with the garam masala and fresh coriander, and serve hot with rotis or rice.

All the character of this dish comes from cooking over a flame, which gives the aubergine a woodsmoke aroma. Under a grill, cook a little longer to get the skin properly charred.

Frequently asked questions

Why let the aubergines cool in a covered bowl?

The steam trapped under the cover lifts the charred skin away from the flesh. After ten minutes or so it peels off in large sheets rather than tearing into small pieces that leave bitter char in the mash.

What does waiting for the oil to separate from the sauce mean?

It is the cue that the tomato water has cooked off and that the onion, spice and tomato base is genuinely done: small pools of glossy oil appear at the edges. Adding the aubergine before that point leaves a raw tomato taste that later cooking will not remove.

Should I keep the juice the aubergine releases?

Yes, chop the flesh on a board and tip everything, juice included, into the pan. That juice carries much of the smoke picked up over the flame. Never rinse the flesh to remove black specks, as you would be washing away exactly what you went to the trouble of making.

Baingan bharta

Method

Nutrition · per serving

Frequently asked questions

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