Meet one of my favorite Indian Dishes…Roasted Smoked Eggplant Curry, otherwise popularly known as Baingan Bharta. My mom rarely made this dish growing up, so it really wasn’t until college, when one of my roommates made it, that I had my first real experience with this dish. I had seen it at Indian restaurants before, but had never bothered trying it. So when I realized how easy and unbelievably tasty it was, it quickly became a favorite of mine. I’ve now created my own version of this dish.
If you’re not familiar with this traditional Indian dish, you can think of it as an Indian version of Baba Ghanoush. The meat of the eggplant, after it has been smoked and roasted, is pureed/mashed with a lot of tomatoes, garlic, onions, herbs, and spices to create a delicious creamy Eggplant Curry. You can enjoy it with some home-made whole wheat tortilla, Naan, rice, or serve it with pita chips and use it as a hot or cold dip.
I wasn’t planning on posting this recipe this week, but it was high in demand when I posted a picture of it on my Facebook Page awhile back, so here it is. To those of you who were desperately waiting, sorry it took me so long to get it posted. Before I leave you with the recipe, I have one piece of advice… be sure to make double the recipe, because you’ll definitely be wishing you had leftovers. =)
It’s always wonderful to hear from my readers and followers in the comment section below. So if you make this recipe or even simply like the idea of the recipe, I’d love to hear from you. It’s also a great way for me to get feedback so that I know how you like the recipes, whether you are eating or making them. You can give any feedback below, or you can also tag me on Instagram if you make one of the recipes @vegetariangastronomy , #vegetariangastronomy, so I don’t miss it.
Roasted Smoked Eggplant Curry
INGREDIENTS
- 3 large eggplants
- 1/2 white onion , finely chopped
- 3 large vine-ripe tomatoes , finely chopped
- 8 cloves garlic , finely chopped
- 1 teasp ginger , minced
- fresh green jalapenos , minced (amt. depends on desired level of spice)
- 1/4 teasp black mustard seeds
- 1/4 teasp asafetida , or hing (optional) - see notes below
- 1 teasp ground turmeric
- 1/2 tbsp ground coriander powder
- 1/2 tbsp ground cumin powder
- 1/2 teasp garam masala
- 1/2 teasp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teasp salt
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro , finely chopped
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Prick the outside of each eggplant a few times all the way around (I used a skewer).
To Smoke & Roast Eggplant (see notes below):
- Char the outside skin of each eggplant by placing them directly on the open flame of a gas burner. After 2-3 minutes or as the outside skin starts to char, rotate the eggplant so that it is evenly charred on all sides. Alternatively you can grill or roast the eggplant alone, but then you will NOT get the smokey flavor of the eggplant.
- Place the smoked eggplants on a lined baking sheet (I used a silpat ) and place in the oven to roast for 20-30 minutes, or until they are completely soft. When they are done, you should easily be able to pierce a knife or poke a metal skewer into the core of the eggplant without any resistance.
- Remove the eggplant from the oven and allow it to cool.
To Prepare the Curry:
- Split the eggplants in half lengthwise and scoop out the meat. Or simply peel the outer skin of the eggplant so that you are left with the inside meat. Discard the outer skin.
- Place the meat of the eggplant into any blender (such as a vitamix). Pulse to chop/mash or roughly puree the eggplant. Note - I prefer to roughly puree the eggplant to have more of a smooth creamy texture, but I've also simply chopped and mashed the eggplant down with a masher or fork (instead of using a blender) and it tastes great either way, just depends on your preference.
- In a non-stick pan, heat the cooking oil on medium heat. Add the black mustard seeds and asafetida (if using). Cook just until the seeds start to fry.
- Add the finely chopped garlic, minced ginger, and minced fresh jalapenos (if using). Cook, mixing frequently, for ~30 seconds until fragrant. Be sure that the contents do not stick to the pan. If this happens, simply lower the heat or add more oil.
- Add the chopped onions and saute until the onions start to become translucent, mixing frequently.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, turmeric, coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala, fresh lemon juice, and salt. Combine and saute until the tomatoes and spices start to cook in (a few minutes).
- Add the roughly pureed or mashed eggplant. Combine and mix well with the tomato-onion mixture for 1-2 minutes.
- Taste and adjust the amount of salt or lemon juice if necessary. Saute for another 3-4 minutes, mixing frequently.
- Add the freshly chopped cilantro. Turn off the heat and serve hot with you favorite whole wheat tortilla (home-made or store-bought), Naan, or rice. Enjoy!
NOTES
NUTRITION
nadia
Hi Anjali. I love the smoked flavor of the eggplants! I learnt from my mother-in-law to add a teaspoon of ground peanuts and just a little tamarind paste toward the end.
anjali
The smoked flavor makes this dish awesome! Those sound like great additions to the dish, and I have both on hand! I’m making this again next week so I’ll try it with your suggestions! Thank you!
GPK
peanuts and tamarind won’t go with what’s already there in this recipe. These ingredients are north indian and what you are suggesting is south indian. That’s a completely different version. I wouldn’t add peanuts and tamarind with what’s already there. Especially cause it then has too many ingredients and masks the taste of the eggplant.
Julie
How many servings is this recipe?
anjali
I would say it’s about 4 servings. Sorry…i’m in the process of updating all the recipes and including serving amounts.
Ashely Adams
How would you char it with an electric stove?
anjali
That’d be difficult…I don’t think you can. Instead you can easily just roast it in the oven and it’d taste just as delicious! Just perhaps may have less of a smoky taste but still REALLY good. I’ve done that before as well.
P.desai
My family doesn’t like eggplants that much but with your recipe we like it.test good.
Sarah R Ostheller
3i found it took way longer to cook the eggplants, I ended up just steaming them in the microwave for 10 minutes after about an hour in a 400 oven. Maybe my eggplants were just too big or oven not hot enough?
Anyway, I added peas and I loved it! But it wasn’t a big hit with the family. Oh well! More for me 🙂
anjali
Thanks for trying it out! That’s soo odd that it took that long to cook the eggplant…shouldn’t be the case at all especially if you prepped it properly. Hmm…yeah maybe oven temperature. I typically use the pretty large italian eggplants when i can’t find the smaller ones so size shouldn’t be an issue. Plus, eggplant should cook quicker then that in the oven. Well glad you enjoyed it! This is definitely loved based on taste buds…if you’re not used to the flavor profile, your kids may not. mine love it, but we’re used to all those indian flavors 🙂 Thanks so much for the review and trying it out!