Char-Grilled/Roasted Aubergine (Indian Baingan Ka Bhartha)

A community recipe by Anonymous

Not tested or verified by Nigella.com

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Introduction

This dish goes well alongside Indian breads or any soft white garlic-ey bread of your choice. It is simple to cook and the flavor of the roasted aubergine shines through making it an aromatic and scrumptious meal.

Ingredients

Serves: 4

Metric Cups

1 medium aubergine (pick one that is long in shape but does not weigh too much)
2 medium onions (finely chopped)
3 medium tomatoes (finely chopped)
½ teaspoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon red chilli powder (adjust to suit your palate)
½ teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons butter / ghee (for a healthier option, you could use vegetable oil/olive oil)
1 pinch of salt (adjust to suit your palate)
1 medium fresh green chilli (finely chopped)
10 leaves fresh coriander (garnish)

1 medium eggplant (pick one that is long in shape but does not weigh too much)
2 medium onions (finely chopped)
3 medium tomatoes (finely chopped)
½ teaspoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon red chile powder (adjust to suit your palate)
½ teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons butter / ghee (for a healthier option, you could use vegetable oil/olive oil)
1 pinch of salt (adjust to suit your palate)
1 medium fresh green chile (finely chopped)
10 leaves cilantro (garnish)

Method

Char-Grilled/Roasted Aubergine (Indian Baingan Ka Bhartha) is a community recipe submitted by Anonymous and has not been tested by Nigella.com so we are not able to answer questions regarding this recipe.

First, wash the aubergine thoroughly and pat dry with a cloth. To roast it, place the aubergine directly on a medium flame taking care to turn it around so it gets uniformly roasted. Roughly estimate about a 2 minutes on each side. During this roasting process, the skin of the aubergine will shrivel and the aubergine itself might shrink in size. (Please take care of your fingers while roasting it directly on the stove)

Once the aubergine is roasted, put it in a bowl of water (room temperature). This will cool the aubergine and as it cools, peel off the skin of the aubergine. Slice of the tip (head and stalk) of the aubergine with a knife and finely chop it. Cooked aubergine will be almost like a mash so don't worry too much about cutting it evenly.

Heat the ghee/butter in a pan. Once the butter/ghee is hot, add the cumin seeds. Wait for the seeds to crackle and then add in the finely chopped onions. Cook for 2-3 minutes till the onions turn into a transluscent brown colour.

Add the finely grated ginger and cook for a minute till the ginger is cooked. Add in the chopped tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes till the oil component seperates. Add in the chopped aubergine and cook for 2 more minutes.

Add the chilli powder and turmeric powder and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add the salt and finely chopped green chilli and cook on a low flame for 10 mins. Add half a teaspoon of ghee or butter (optional) to ease the curry from sticking to a pan and add to the roasted aroma.

Remove from the pan and serve hot. Sprinkle the finely chooped coriander leaves on top as garnish and serve hot alongside any soft bread.

First, wash the eggplant thoroughly and pat dry with a cloth. To roast it, place the eggplant directly on a medium flame taking care to turn it around so it gets uniformly roasted. Roughly estimate about a 2 minutes on each side. During this roasting process, the skin of the eggplant will shrivel and the eggplant itself might shrink in size. (Please take care of your fingers while roasting it directly on the stove)

Once the eggplant is roasted, put it in a bowl of water (room temperature). This will cool the eggplant and as it cools, peel off the skin of the eggplant. Slice of the tip (head and stalk) of the eggplant with a knife and finely chop it. Cooked eggplant will be almost like a mash so don't worry too much about cutting it evenly.

Add the finely grated ginger and cook for a minute till the ginger is cooked. Add in the chopped tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes till the oil component seperates. Add in the chopped eggplant and cook for 2 more minutes.

Add the chilli powder and turmeric powder and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Remove from the pan and serve hot. Sprinkle the finely chooped coriander leaves on top as garnish and serve hot alongside any soft bread.