Skip to main content

Baingan ka Bhartha

Punjab, I believe is the most liveliest of all the states in India. Their culture, people and the food make other people envy about them. The people of Punjab are so happy go lucky that their nature reflects in their celebrations, enthusiasm and also in their FOOD. The most lip-smacking dishes comes from Punjab, be it the Tandoori Chicken, Butter Chicken, Dal-Makhni or the simple Rajma chawal. Their generous hearts and hands let out the love, ghee, oil, dry fruits into their dishes that you just can have one meal a day to survive. :)

"Baingan ka Bhartha" is one such dish which is a popular Punjabi ghar ka khana (daily diet). "Baingan" means Eggplant/Brinjal and "Bhartha" means to mash up or squash up. Here, the eggplant is roasted on a direct fire to get that smoky flavour and then blended in with some of the Indian spices to get a smooth textured, tasty side dish which goes very well with phulkas. So mash up some eggplants and experience the taste of Punjab. :)

Ingredients:
  • 1 big eggplant/brinjal (I don't get the Indian Brinjal here, hence I use the Aubergine)
  • 1/2 cup peas (boiled)
  • 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
  • 2 big tomatoes (finely chopped)
  • 2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp red chilli powder
  • 2 tsp coriander powder
  • 2 green chillies (finely chopped)
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves, optional)
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • salt to taste
  • chopped coriander leaves to garnish
Method:
  1. The authentic way to cook the eggplant is to rub the eggplant with some oil and poke all over it with a fork. Then roast it on a gas by placing it directly on the flame (keep the flame low). With a pair of tongs, keep turning the eggplant till the skin is fully burnt and the inner flesh becomes soft. Try inserting a knife to check whether the flesh is fully cooked or not.
  2. I normally rub the eggplant with oil, prick all over with a fork and roast it in the oven for 20 minutes. This makes me ensure that the flesh is cooked properly and worms if any are dead.
  3. Allow the eggplant to cool and then peel the burnt skin off. With a spoon, hand or knife, mash the flesh nicely and keep aside.
  4. Heat oil in a kadai and put the cumin seeds. Wait till they splutter. Now add the onions and saute till they become translucent. Add the ginger-garlic paste and stir till the raw smell goes.
  5. Now add the tomatoes and put all the dried spices and the green chillies including salt. Stir well until the tomatoes become mushy. Sprinkle water if needed.
  6. Put in the mashed eggplant to the tomato gravy along with the boiled peas. Mix well so that the eggplant and the peas blend well with the gravy. Crush the kasuri methi (optional) & put it in the gravy. Cook till you think the dish is fully cooked. Go on taste it. :)
  7. Garnish it with coriander leaves and serve with phulkas or paranthas!!



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

3 Ingredients / 3 Minute Microwave PEDAS

It's Celebration time all the way!! Why? Because My FB fan page has just reached 150 "Likes" & am so thrilled. Also, the festivities will start from August in India. First coming up is "Raksha Bandhan", the festival which celebrates the relationship & bond of a Brother & Sister. So I thought of coming up with an easy to make Indian Sweet Dish, "Peda". A "Peda" is a North Indian Milk Sweet mainly consisting of Khoa (thickened whole milk), sugar & other Indian flavourings like saffron & cardamom seeds. Pedas are usually made during festivities or for offerings made in the temple for deities. This recipe is a simple process of the same "time consuming" Pedas where the Milk is kept on the heat for hours to make khoa & then goes to the next process. This is the first time for me as well & I have taken this recipe from "showmethecurry.com" the cookery website of Hetal & Anuja. And I must say
6 comments
Read more

Hundred Thousand Dollar worth Rava Upma (Indian Semolina Polenta)

Now you must be thinking, who doesn't know to make Rava Upma? What is so special about it? Every 5th person residing in India knows to make it and is a common breakfast item in almost all the Indian household. We Indians take this dish for granted. Well up until a week back, even I thought the same about this dish and looked down on Rava Upma. Not anymore. Last week I read a news about an Indian born, New York Chef Floyd Cardoz who won the top prize of £100,000 in an American show called "Top Chef Masters". No prize for guessing, he made RAVA UPMA!! After reading the article, I immediately decided that the recipe of a basic version of Upma must be on my blog. And here I am sharing the if not a "million dollar", then atleast a "hundred thousand dollar worth Upma Recipe". :) Upma is a popular South Indian Breakfast dish, mainly prepared by Semolina. It has a great resemblance with the Italian Polenta. It can be made with many variations by adding vegeta
13 comments
Read more

Paneer Couscous Salad

Last two weeks were so hectic for me that I didn't find time to even open my blog page. Lots of friends coming home, cooking, eating junk, visiting places, our famous festival "Vishu" came up  & finally I ended up getting sick. I am still in bed but was so frustrated doing nothing that I thought let me post one of my healthy salad recipes which I had promised earlier. I saw this salad recipe in one of the BBC cookery shows & was quiet eager to make it. The original recipe suggests the use of Halloumi instead of Paneer. Halloumi is a type of Greek cheese made of mostly Goat's milk. It has the same texture of that as Paneer, hence I used Paneer. Must say, It was quite filling and delicious, perfect for a Summer afternoon. Ingredients: 200 gm couscous 200 ml hot vegetable stock / hot chicken stock 400 g can chickpeas (drained and rinsed) 1 tbsp olive oil 1/2 courgette/zucchini (sliced) 200 gm paneer (Indian Cottage Cheese), cut 1 inch length wise 2 medi
6 comments
Read more