Baingan Bharta | Eggplant Roasted Curry | Pakistani Food

Assalamu Alaykum everyone! Today I have for you a very easy, step by step, baingan bharta recipe. 

Baingan bharta is a typical Pakistani dish made of roasted aubergine (eggplant) which is then seasoned with the most commonly used masalas and spices.

This eggplant is smoked slowly to give the curry a distinctive, but savoury flavour and aroma. It can be served with chapatis, rotis or even parathas.

I learned this recipe from my mom and my dadi ami. However, I added an extra step to to make the curry even tastier. I infused charcoal smoke in the roasted eggplant for a more smokey taste.

The recipe is quite simple and very straight forward, so you literally can't go wrong even if you're a newbie to cooking. If you don't want to burn your aubergine in open flame, no worries! You can always roast the eggplant in the oven at the highest temperature to get the same effect.

This is how the roasted aubergine looks after peeling its skin off. The skin will be easy to peel if you burn the eggplant perfectly especially if you peel it under cold running water.

Baingan Bharta Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 large aubergine
• 2 tbsp oil
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 medium size onion, chopped
• 2 medium size tomatoes, chopped
• 1 green chili, copped
• 1/4 tsp red chili powder
• 1/4 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp salt or to taste
• 1/4 tsp garam masala
• 1 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped

DIRECTIONS:

1. Start by roasting a cleaned and washed aubergine on open flame.
2. Keep turning the aubergine every 2-3 minutes to cook it evenly.
3. You'll know the aubergine is ready when skin on the eggplant is charred and the inner part of the eggplant is really soft. 
4. Once the eggplant is done remove from flame and place in a plate.
5. Next infuse a small piece of charcoal to give a smokey flavour to the baingan. (this is an optional step). Heat a small of piece of charcoal on the flame until it turns hot and red.  Once ready place the charcoal in the same plate where the aubergine is.
6. Now add a few drops of oil on the charcoal.  As soon as it start to smoke cover tightly the aubergine and charcoal with a large bowl.
7. Allow the smoke to infuse the bengan for 1-2 minutes.
8. Then peel the skin off of the roasted aubergine in cold running water.
9. Once done chopped to cooked aubergine with a sharp knife.
10. In a pan heat 2 tbsp oil. Once the oil is hot add finely chopped onion and garlic.
11. Cook the onion and garlic on high heat for 1-2 minutes or until translucent. 
12. Next add sliced green chili and chopped tomatoes. Cook and stir for 4-5 minutes on high flame or until oil separates from the tomato onion mixture.
13. Add red chili powder, salt, cumin powder and chopped cooked aubergine. Mix and stir well for 2-3 minutes. 
14. Finely add garam masala and coriander leaves. 
15. Mix well and serve warm with chapatis, rotis or parathas.