Baingan Bartha

I love eggplant based dishes and one that is really our favorite is the baingan bartha. It is a very simple and delicious side dish or an d'oeuvres that goes well with naan, roti, pita or rice. The whole thing lies in how they treat the eggplant. It is best when grilled over an open fire or a tandoor. Last week using the barbecue grill we roasted some eggplants and for dinner we enjoyed baingan bartha. It tasted a lot better than the oven baked version, because of the smokey flavors from the grill. Next time you heat up your grill throw in a few eggplants and you will soon be enjoying delicious baingan bartha.

Gadgets:

Grill or Oven or Gas Stove
Foil
Frying Pan
Spatula
Cutting Board
Knife
Grater
Measuring Cups and Spoons

Ingredients:

Big Eggplant - 1 grilled with skin over fire or baked in oven
Onions - 1
Tomato - 1 wine tomato
Roasted Garlic - 5 cloves ( dry roast the garlic or roast like the eggplant in a grill)
Ginger - 2 inches grated
Chili Powder - 1 tsp
Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
Coriander Powder - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Lemon Juice - 1 tsp
Sugar - a pinch
Water - 1 cup
Oil - 2 tbsp
Butter - 1 tsp
Cilantro - 1/2 cup minced
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp

Preparation:

1. If you have a barbecue grill apply oil on the eggplant, cover with foil and grill the eggplant until it is all mushy, else broil the eggplant over the gas stove, or turn the oven on high to 450 degrees F and bake the eggplant for an hour. Once cooked, allow the eggplant to cool and remove the outer skin of the eggplant. Cut the pulp into chunks. Set it aside.

2. Heat the pan with oil and butter. Add the onions, roasted garlic and salt and cook until the onions are well done. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes get well cooked.

3. Add all the spices and cook for 2 minutes. Add 1 cup of water and cover and cook until the water starts to disappear. Add the eggplant and mix well. Cover and cook on medium low until the eggplant blends with the onion tomato mix for 5 minutes.

4. Squeeze a tsp of lemon juice, add a pinch of sugar and grate the ginger over the eggplant. Add the cilantro, give it a mix and serve them hot with rotis, naan or pita bread. This can also be served as an appetizer.