Baingan bharta

Name: Baingan bharta
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 2 large aubergines, about 800 g in total; 3 tbsp vegetable oil, or mustard oil, plus a little for the aubergines; 1 tsp cumin seeds; 1 large onion, finely chopped; 4 clove garlic, finely grated; 15 g fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated; 2 green chilies, finely chopped; 2 tomatoes, finely chopped; 0.5 tsp ground turmeric; 1 tsp ground coriander; 1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder, or paprika; 1 tsp salt; 0.5 tsp garam masala; 15 g fresh coriander, chopped

1 h 5
Prep 15 min
Cook 50 min
Serves 4
easy

Start cooking

Aubergines charred until smoky and collapsed, then mashed and cooked down with onion, tomato, ginger and green chili into a rich mash.

Method

1
Prick the aubergines a few times with a knife and rub them with a little oil.
2
Char them directly over a gas flame or under a very hot grill, turning with tongs, until the skin is black all over and the flesh has collapsed.
3
Put them in a bowl, cover with a plate and leave them to steam.
4
Peel away the charred skin, discard the stems and mash the flesh roughly with a fork.
5
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat, add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle.
6
Add the onion and cook until soft and golden.
7
Stir in the garlic, ginger and green chilies and cook until fragrant.
8
Add the tomatoes, turmeric, ground coriander, chili powder and salt and cook until the tomatoes break down and the oil separates.
9
Add the mashed aubergine and cook, stirring often, until thick and well combined.
10
Stir in the garam masala and fresh coriander and serve with chapatis or rice.

Notes

The smoky flavour comes from charring the skin properly. Do not stop when the skin is merely blistered.
A few flecks of charred skin left in the mash add flavour, so there is no need to be fussy when peeling.

Equipment

Gas hob or grill, Tongs, Bowl with a plate to cover, Large frying pan

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