Baingan Bharta | Vangyache Bharit | Roasted Eggplant Mash

<!-- p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Times New Roman} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Times New Roman; min-height: 18.0px} span.s1 {font: 12.0px Arial} span.s2 {font: 16.0px Times New Roman; text-decoration: underline ; color: #000982} -->Baingan bharta, vangyache bharit or stir fried eggplant recipes are plenty on the internet. Each recipe has its own style and a special ingredient that makes it different from the other. One ingredient is common amongst all and that is garam masala.

I won't be using garam masala in this baigan bharta. Instead I will use pav bhaji masala (something I picked up from my mom-in-law). At this point I could explain what pav bhaji masala is but I will leave it for another video. Pav bhaji masala is a fairly popular masala and should be easy to find at your local Indian store. If you want to prepare your own, try this recipe.

Ingredients:

1 medium size eggplant

1 onion chopped

1 tomato diced

2 tablspoon of pav bhaji masala

2 green chillies

3 cloves of garlic finely chopped

1 teaspoon of mustard seeds

1/2 teaspoon of asafoetida

½ teaspoon of turmeric

2 tablespoon of oil

salt to taste

Preparation time: 20 mins

Cooking time: 10 mins

The first step is to prepare the eggplant. Then brush the eggplant with some oil and then poke it with a fork. Make deep incisions, so that the oil can seep inside. The eggplant needs to be roasted and de-skinned. The roasting can be done 2 ways. You can either use a conventional oven and roast it for 20 mins on 180 Deg C or roast it on the stove.

I like the taste of the chargrilled eggplant.

Insert a barbecue skewer in the eggplant and on medium heat roast it until the skin shrinks and the eggplant cooks. Roast it on a low-medium flame and not high. If  you try this on high flame your eggplant will cook from the outside, but not the inside.

Once cooked, remove from the flame and let it rest.

After the eggplant is sufficiently cooled down de-skin using bare hands or a knife. Mash the eggplant but leave some small sized chunks and set aside.

Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds splutter, add the asafoetida and turmeric. Add the green chillies and garlic to the oil.

Add the chopped onion and saute until translucent. Add the tomatoes and saute for further 2 minutes. Add the pav bhaji masala, mix well and let it cook for 20-30 seconds.

Return the mashed eggplant to the pan and add the salt. Cook it for about 2 minutes and serve with hot Indian rotis.

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