Spicy Mashed Eggplant is commonly known as Baingan Bharta in India. This eggplant recipe belongs to South Asian (Indian) Cuisine. This is vegan and gluten-free as well.
Eggplant is a healthy vegetable loaded with lots of nutrients. This is a low-carb and low-calorie vegetable. Read more on the health benefits of eggplants here.
Eggplant is a fruit of the plant but is considered a vegetable. This belongs to the nightshade family, like tomatoes and zucchini. Eggplant also tastes like zucchini, i.e., bland and tasteless. It absorbs the flavor of the spices or sauces we cook. That's why this blends perfectly in every cuisine, whether Asian, Italian, Mediterranean, etc.
Learn more about eggplant taste here and get a list of top vegetarian eggplant recipes. Some are vegan eggplant recipes, like this fire-roasted mashed eggplant, aka Baingan Bharta.
Baingan Bharta (Spicy Mashed Eggplant)
Ingredients
Large Eggplant
Onions + Tomatoes - finely chopped
Green peas - optional, and you can skip them too
Garlic, green chilies, coriander leaves
Spices - Cumin seeds, coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder, red chili powder, hing
Instructions to make baingan bharta-
This is prepared from fire-roasted eggplants or brinjals. We usually use large eggplants (bharta baingan) for this mashed eggplant, aka baingan bharta. These eggplants are fleshier and meatier and yield better quality and quantity of eggplant mash. Also, this variety of eggplant is tastier with no bitterness.
Roast the eggplant in direct flame till all sides are charred. Remove them and let them cool down for some time. Then, remove the charred outer layer and roughly mash it. Simmer the green peas for 5 - 10 minutes.
But before roasting, check for bugs and insects inside the brinjal. Check whether it has any tiny holes or perforations on the outer skin. If yes, cut it at the spot and remove the affected area by scraping it with a knife.
Then, heat the oil in a pan or kadai. Add cumin seeds and hing. Let the seeds crackle well. Add minced garlic and saute for 10 seconds. Add chopped onions and mix them well. Saute until translucent. Add tomatoes and saute until soft.
Then, add all the ground spices, followed by salt, to taste. Give a nice stir to mix. Saute on low flame for a minute or two until the masala is cooked well. To this, add the roasted eggplants and boiled green peas. Mix them well and cook on low flame for 4 - 5 minutes until they absorb all flavors. Sprinkle some chopped cilantro leaves and serve hot with any roti.
North Indian Baingan Bharta Vs East Indian Baingan Bharta
In eastern and northeastern parts of India, like Assam, Bihar, Kolkata, Odisha, etc., the bharta is a little different. They use raw mustard oil and raw onion, garlic, and green chilies for flavoring. But trust me, this one is awesome, too. The spicy flavor of mustard oil and other spices takes it to another level of satisfaction. They use no other spices for this bharta besides raw mustard oil, finely chopped raw onion, finely chopped green chilies, and minced garlic.
Read more 30+ North Indian Curry Recipes here.
Baingan Bharta (Mashed Eggplant)
Spicy Mashed Eggplant
Equipment
- 1 Kadai or skillet
- 1 Spatula
- 1 Tong
Ingredients
- 2 large Eggplant or Brinjal
- 1 medium Onion finely chopped
- 3 medium Tomato finely chopped
- ยฝ inch Ginger finely chopped
- 6 - 7 cloves Garlic crushed
- 2 Green Chilli finely chopped
- 3 tbsp Mustard oil or any vegetable refined oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- ยผ tsp Hing
- 1 tsp Red Chilli Powder paprika
- 2 tsp Coriander Powder
- ยฝ tsp Cumin Powder
- ยผ tsp Turmeric Powder
- ยผ tsp Garam Masala
- 1 tsp Salt or as per taste
- 2 - 4 tbsp Coriander leaves finely chopped
Instructions
- Wash the brinjals and wipe them out dry. Brush one tsp of oil on the skin of the brinjal (eggplant).
- Roast it on a gas top in a high flame or in a tandoor. Check with a knife if cooked or not and roast till soft and cooked. This may take around 5 minutes. You can
- You can also cut it into halves to roast. Once done, remove from the gas and keep aside to cool.
- In the meantime boil 1 cup green peas in a glass of water.
- After the brinjals are cold enough to touch, remove the burnt skin of the brinjals.
- Heat mustard oil in a pan to the smoking point. Then turn off the heat and let it cool down a bit. Turn on the heat again and add cumin seeds, followed by a pinch of hing.
- Add finely chopped garlic, ginger, green chilies, and onions. Sautรฉ for 2 mins until the onions are translucent.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and sautรฉ for 3-4 minutes until they are cooked completely and the oil separates on the surface.
- Then, add turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, and a pinch of garam masala.
- Add boiled peas and sautรฉ for 2 โ 3 minutes.
- Then add roasted brinjals and stir it.
- Cook for 2 โ 3 minutes on medium to high flame stirring them to mash the eggplants completely.
- Turn off the gas. Add freshly chopped coriander leaves and serve with paratha, roti, and rice etc.
Video
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Saurabh
Awesome, liked the recipe
daintykitchen
Thank you so much Ann. I an glad you loved this. I do make this very often too. Keep visiting. ๐