Baingan Bharta
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5
230 reviews
Excellent
Baingan Bharta
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Baingan Bharta is a smoky mashed eggplant dish featuring roasted or sautéed eggplant combined with tempered spices including cumin seeds, turmeric, coriander, and garam masala. Aromatics like onion, garlic, ginger, and optional serrano pepper add depth, finished with fresh cilantro. It’s typically served with flatbreads or rice, highlighting a rich and mildly spiced vegetable preparation.
Description
Baingan Bharta centers on eggplant cooked until soft and smoky, either by charring over a gas flame or by sautéing peeled eggplant pieces until jam-like. This smoky base is mixed with a spiced bharta made from sautéed onions, garlic, ginger, and green chili, seasoned with cumin seeds, turmeric, coriander powder, Kashmiri chili powder, and garam masala for a layered flavor profile.
The textures contrast the softness of the mashed eggplant with the bite of sautéed aromatics and fresh chopped cilantro, which adds brightness. The balance of smoky, earthy, and mildly spicy notes come together in this traditional preparation.
Baingan Bharta is customarily served with Indian flatbreads such as roti or naan, or with white or brown rice. This makes a flavorful vegetable side or main dish in a meal, offering a mix of smoky, spicy, and herby flavors.
For a milder heat level, omit the serrano pepper or increase Kashmiri chili powder slightly to maintain color and warmth without pungency. When sautéing instead of roasting, cook the eggplant slowly until very soft for best texture.
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Ingredients
Baingan
- 1 medium-sized eggplant about 1 pound or 450g
- grapeseed oil or avocado oil or neutral-flavored oil of choice
Bharta
- 1 ½ tablespoons neutral oil oil of choice
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 onion finely diced, medium red or yellow
- 4 garlic finely chopped, cloves
- 1- inch ginger grated (or minced, piece
- 1 Serrano pepper finely chopped (optional for spicy!; omit for moderate heat, small
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric ground
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 tomatoes finely chopped, medium plum or roma
- ½ teaspoon kashmiri red chile powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 cup (16g) cilantro chopped, leaves and tender stems
For serving
- Naan vegan naan, roti, or other flatbread, or cooked
- roti
- flatbread
- white rice
- brown rice
Instructions
- Note: These first five steps are for the smoking the eggplant; check out the blog post & notes below for the alternative sauté method.*Ventilate your kitchen and open the windows. Grab a fan if you have one. Peel any leaves from the top of the eggplant to prevent them from burning. Brush the eggplant with a bit of oil using a pastry brush or your hands, just a light coating.
- Turn a gas burner on your stove to medium-low heat. Use tongs to hold the eggplant upright (vertically) and hold the bottom of the eggplant over the flame for 3 to 6 minutes to char the bottom, or until a paring knife can pierce the bottom without too much resistance. Flip the eggplant 180º and use tongs to char the top of the eggplant for 2 to 3 minutes, but make sure the stem doesn’t directly touch the flame to avoid burning.
- Place the eggplant onto its side (lying flat, horizontally) and rest it directly on top of the flame, positioning the fatter bottom part directly over the flame. Gently rotate the eggplant every 2 minutes. Once deeply charred and very wrinkly, insert a paring knife into the fattest part: if the knife slides in easily and there is minimal resistance, the bottom is done. If your eggplant was soft/ripe to begin with, it might take 8 minutes. If not, it can take 16 minutes. Now insert a paring knife into the skinnier top part part. If it has no resistance, the eggplant is done. If there is a bit of resistance, cook for 4 to 6 minutes, rotating every 2 minutes, until charred and wrinkly.Note: as the eggplant cooks, it might sizzle a bit and some juice might escape onto your stove. This is normal.
- Turn off the heat and use tongs to transfer the eggplant to a bowl. Cover with a plate to steam for 5 minutes. Use your hands to peel off the charred papery black flakes. Dip your hands in water to make it easier to peel. It's okay if tiny little black spots remain.
- Slice off the head of the peeled eggplant. Using a knife, flat ended spatula, or potato masher, mash the flesh of the eggplant, as if you were mincing garlic.Note: If your eggplant was ripe/soft to begin with, it's possible the cooked eggplant will be quite watery. If that's the case, add it to a fine mesh sieve and push down on it with a spoon to squeeze out as much excess water as you can.
- Make the bharta. Heat the 1 1/2 TBSP oil in a medium frying pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add cumin seeds and cook for 1 minute, tossing or swirling frequently to prevent burning. Add the onions with a pinch of salt and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, but don’t let them brown. Add the garlic, ginger, serrano peppers, and turmeric, and cook, stirring frequently for 60 to 90 seconds. Add the coriander, salt, and tomatoes, and cook until the oil starts to release from the tomatoes and the tomatoes are soft, about 5 minutes.
- Add in the mashed eggplant mixture and red chile powder and toss well to combine. Reduce the heat to medium or medium-low and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often and mashing together. Add in the garam masala and chopped cilantro and season with ¼ teaspoon kosher salt. Serve warm with bread or rice of choice.
Notes
- To make a milder dish without serrano pepper, increase Kashmiri red chili powder to 1 to 1½ teaspoons for color and warmth.
- An alternative cooking method for the eggplant is to peel, slice into ½-inch pieces, and sauté over medium-high heat with salt until soft and jam-like, about 20 minutes.
- Peeling the eggplant before sautéing prevents bitterness and improves texture for the bharta.
- Use neutral oils such as grapeseed, avocado, or vegetable oil for tempering spices and cooking.
- The smoky flavor typically comes from roasting over an open flame, but sautéing provides a soft, milder version of the dish.
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Calories
224kcal
(11%)
Carbohydrates
28g
(9%)
Protein
6g
(12%)
Fat
9g
(14%)
Saturated Fat
1g
(5%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
1g
(6%)
Monounsaturated Fat
9g
(45%)
Sodium
1793mg
(75%)
Potassium
1161mg
(25%)
Fiber
12g
(48%)
Sugar
13g
(26%)
Vitamin A
4751IU
(95%)
Vitamin C
37mg
(41%)
Calcium
111mg
(11%)
Iron
3mg
(17%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 2as a main (4 as a side)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 224 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 224kcal | 11% |
| Carbohydrates | 28g | 9% |
| Protein | 6g | 12% |
| Fat | 9g | 14% |
| Saturated Fat | 1g | 5% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | 6% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 9g | 45% |
| Sodium | 1793mg | 75% |
| Potassium | 1161mg | 25% |
| Fiber | 12g | 48% |
| Sugar | 13g | 26% |
| Vitamin A | 4751IU | 95% |
| Vitamin C | 37mg | 41% |
| Calcium | 111mg | 11% |
| Iron | 3mg | 17% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
230 reviews
Excellent
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