Simple, flavorful, and most delicious. This Punjabi-style baingan bharta is one of the most popular dishes. It is vegan and needs only a couple of ingredients.
What is Baingan Bharta?
It is one of the most popular North Indian dishes. Roasted eggplant is mashed and mixed with a herb and spice mixture. A little lemon juice and the smokiness of eggplant make a lot of difference and elevate it to another level. You can make eggplant by baking it in the oven, too, but the fantastic flavor from roasting it on an open flame is mind-blowing. Mostly, I make two types of Bharta/Eggplant Mash: Bihari Baingan Bharta and Punjabi Baingan Ka Bharta. Bihari Bharta is simple and less spicy, but Punjabi Bharta is a powerhouse of flavor. It is spicy, tangy, smoky, and delicious. It goes well with all types of Indian bread, and I love to eat this like a spread on toasted bread.
You may want to check a few of my eggplant recipes,
Roasted Eggplant with Tahini Sauce Aloo Baingan/Potato Eggplant Curry
How to Make Baingan Bharta-
The first step of making a Punjabi Bharta is to roast the eggplant. First, clean the eggplant properly with water and dry it with a paper towel. Using a brush, apply oil on the outer skin of the eggplant. Make a few dents in the eggplant with a knife and place garlic cloves in these indents. Make sure they don’t fall apart, and roast them on the open flame till they look charred and done. Roasted garlic brings out the best flavor of eggplant mash, and we should use quite a lot of garlic for this recipe. Once the eggplant looks charred and done, please remove it from the flame and let it cool. Please take a few vine-ripe tomatoes and wash and dry them. After pricking them with a fork, brush them with oil, too. Roast them over the open flame till they look charred. Cool them by keeping them on the kitchen counter. After it cools down, remove the charred skin of the eggplant and tomato. Mash it with the help of a masher and later mix it with a friend onion, garlic, green chili, ginger, and a few Indian spices. The sprinkling of lime/lemon juice elevates the taste. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves and relish with any bread.
