Baingan bharta is a smoky & spiced Indian eggplant mash and it sure is bangin’. It features eggplant roasted over a flame combined with aromatics, tomatoes, and spices to form a comforting eggplant mash that goes perfectly with some roti or naan.
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If you hate eggplant and refuse to change your opinion in all contexts, this may not be the recipe for you, but if you’re willing to give this severely underrated vegetable a twist, this is baingan bharta. It’s a smoky & spiced Indian eggplant mash and it sure is bangin’. Apologies for the bad joke but not really because I meant every word. So first you roast the eggplant on a direct flame to get the smoky flavor. Then you go in with some aromatics, tomatoes, a few spices, and peeled roasted eggplant. I like serving it warm with some roti and it might just change your opinion of eggplant, especially if you’re an eggplant hater.
How to Make Baingan Bharta
Roast the eggplant over a direct flame.
Roasting the eggplant over a direct flame gives this dish the smoky flavor that makes it so iconic! If you don’t have the means to do so, you can also roast it in the oven at a fairly high temperature. See the note in the recipe.
Start with the aromatics.
For this recipe, you’ll need onion, garlic, ginger, and green chilis. Once that is ready, you go in with chopped tomatoes which is great for the texture of the dish.
Finish with a few simple spices.
You’ll need red chili powder, turmeric, coriander, and garam masala. Plenty of flavor in this!
How to serve baingan bharta
Finish it off with lime juice and cilantro and serve with any flatbread you’d like! I prefer roti.
Baingan Bharta (Smoky Eggplant Mash)
Ingredients
- 2 medium eggplants
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 inch ginger, minced
- 1 Indian green chili or Thai green chili, minced
- 2 medium tomatoes, chopped (~ 1 cup tomatoes)
- ½ tsp salt + more to taste
- ½ tsp red chili powder
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp garam masala
- lime juice and cilantro to finish
Instructions
- Brush a little oil on both eggplants. Cut a few 2-inch slits in the eggplant. Roast the eggplant over an open flame for 10-12 minutes until it is wrinkled and soft. Turn the eggplant occasionally. Let it cool before peeling and mashing with a fork or potato masher. *See note if oven roasting.
- Add 1 tbsp oil to a medium pan over medium heat. When it is hot, add onion and cook until translucent or for 5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, and green chilis. Stir for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and a little salt to prevent things from sticking to the pan. Cook for 5-6 minutes or until the volume reduces as the tomato juices evaporate.
- Add ground spices (red chili powder, turmeric, coriander, and garam masala) followed by the peeled and mashed eggplant. Let the eggplant simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Adjust for salt and add lime juice to taste. Garnish with cilantro. Serve with roti, naan, or another flatbread of choice.
Notes
- I have not tried oven roasting the eggplant for this recipe, but if you do want to use your oven, you will need to roast the eggplant at a very high temperature for about 20 minutes. Swashti’s recipes says 460 F or 240 C for 16-18 minutes.
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That makes me so happy to hear! Thanks Elly!
I would give this 100/10 if I could! Such an easy, delicious, and flavorful dish unlike anything I’ve had before. I made some homemade naan to go with it, and was in absolute heaven. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
Yay I am glad you enjoyed it Greta!
I made this for dinner tonight! I loved the touch of lime and cilantro at the end. The lime juice really brought out the flavors and it was just perfect. Thank you for sharing this recipe!!
So glad it worked out well with roasting! Thanks for the feedback 🙂
Made this for my work lunches and I roasted the aubergine in the oven and it still turned out amazing!!! Will definitely be making again!
I’m glad to hear the oven version turned out well! Thanks for the kind words Kasey!
This was so good! I roasted my eggplant in the oven as the recipe note suggested and it turned out great! So much flavor! Dipped naan in and also mixed with marinated chicken and rice. Will definitely be making it again 🙂
I love the idea of using it as a veggie dip! It is, after all, kind of like baba ganoush!
This recipe was fantastic! It was simple, fast, and delicious. I ate this dish as a dip and sauce for other veggies – highly recommend!