Eggplant Bharta

 

 

The word Bharta in North Indian cooking means dishes in which the ingredients are roughly mashed either before or after the dish is prepared. The eggplant bharta here is quite easy to make and just one of the many versions of eggplant bharta there are in Indian cooking, and bear in mind that bhartas can be made from different type of vegetables.

Broiling the eggplant until it is very soft, sizzling the cumin seeds, and slow-cooking the onions and vegetables is the secret to making your bharta just right.

I absolutely love eggplants anyway and of course many different Mediterranean and Asian recipes of eggplants. Having the eggplants as the main ingredient, baingan bharta is quite a healthy dish – it is low in fat and sodium and high in dietary fiber, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, vitamins B6 and C. Add to that the tomatoes, green chillies, onion, cilantro and ginger and you have a super nutritious dish that happens to taste great.

Eggplant Bharta

Ingredients:

*Makes 2–4 servings.

• 2 large eggplants

• A little olive oil to rub on eggplants

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 1⁄2 tsp whole cumin seeds

• 2 medium onions, chopped

• 1 1⁄2 tsp fresh ginger, minced

• 3 medium tomatoes, diced

• 1 tsp salt, or to taste

• 1–2 tsp fresh green chilies, minced

• 1⁄4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped (for garnish)

Preparation:

• Set oven to broil.

• Wash and dry each eggplant. Pierce both ends with a fork, coat eggplant all over with oil, and broil for about 20 minutes on each side, until very soft on all sides. (It will look completely collapsed, and mushy.) Remove from oven and let cool completely. Scoop out eggplant pulp and chop or mash it. Set aside in a bowl and discard peel.

• In a large frying pan on medium-high, heat oil. Add cumin seeds and let sizzle for 30 seconds. Add onions, reduce heat to medium, and saute until onions are golden, about 5–7 minutes. Add ginger, tomatoes, salt, and chilies and cook until tomatoes soften, about 4–5 minutes. Add mashed eggplant, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Eggplant tastes especially good if you cook it until it begins sticking to the bottom of the pan.

• Garnish with cilantro. Serve your bharta with chapatis, daal dish ofyour choice and plain yogurt.