Two-Minute Cooking School 5: Baingan Bharta

Baingan Bharta (Click for bigger pic)

Come on over for dinner! :-)

Recipe for Baingan Bharta:
Baingan Bharta is a North Indian dish. Baingan means brinjal, or egg plant as it is commonly known in the US. This is a yummy curry of baked brinjal and spices. As with most other recipes in the Two Minute Cooking School, this may not be 100% authentic. But I can vouch for the fact that it is 100% yummy. My home-cooked baingain bharta tastes better than those I have had in many Indian restaurants in the US!

Ingredients: A whole big brinjal, nice and firm. Chopped onions (not finely chopped). Chopped tomatoes. Finely chopped green chillies. Chopped coriander leaves. Fresh juice from half a lemon. Red chilli powder, as per your preferred spice level (optional). Garam masala powder. Dhania (coriander seeds) powder. Tiny amount of cinnamon and cloves powder. Tiny amount of turmeric powder. Tiny amount of jeera or cumin seeds. Ginger garlic-paste. Salt to taste. Cooking oil. Ghee (optional).

Cooking steps:
Pre-heat oven to 375 F. Place the whole brinjal in the oven, on a baking sheet, for 45 minutes to an hour. The brinjal should be cooked well on the inside. The outer skin should have become visibly darker and uneven. If you don't have an oven, you can heat the brinjal over an open flame.

Hold the cooked brinjal in cool water and remove the peel. The peel should come off easily, almost like a banana. In a bowl, mash the brinjal into a good pulp using hands or a spoon. If really necessary, put it in a blender for a few seconds.

Heat oil in a cooking pan, with the stove on medium setting. Add the jeera and fry slightly. Then add the chopped green chillies. Saute for a few seconds. Next, add the chopped onions. Fry them until they become translucent. Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute for 30 seconds to a minute. Then, add the garam masala powder, dhania powder, cinnamon-clove powder and turmeric powder. Fry them all together for a few seconds. After that, add the chopped tomatoes, then salt. Fry well until half the tomatoes almost become a pulp. To this, add the mashed brinjal and mix well. Fry on the medium flame until the whole mix is consistently hot. Use the mixing spoon to mash the brinjal some more, if required. If you would like to make the dish more spicy, use the red chilli powder as described next. Heat a little bit of ghee in a cup. Remove the cup from the heat, mix the red chilli powder into the ghee, and then pour the whole thing into the dish. Do not heat the chilli powder along with the ghee. Add the fresh lemon juice and mix well. Turn off the stove, sprinkle chopped coriander leaves on top.

Baingan Bharta is ready! Great to eat with rotis, paranthas or rice.


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