A delight on your table, a wonderful treat for family and friends and easy as a breeze to cook up.Though a traditionally Indian dish, it can be altered anyway to suit your palate.
I have done the most basic version and yet it’s wonderful aroma wafted throughout the entire house making it impossible to concentrate on the calorie burning I had been promising myself at the gym. Not too heavy on the calories either. It’s a very simple recipe infused with deep flavors.
Easily eaten with bread of your choice or just plain as it is.
Eggplant Mash (baingan bharta)
One big onion finely chopped
One big juicy tomato finely chopped
2-3 garlic cloves finely grated
ginger (half the amount of garlic) finely grated
1 eggplant/brinjal roasted-skin removed and mashed (you can either do it in your oven or on a gas top. I did it on a gas top. )
cumin seeds – big pinch
3/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp red chilli powder (on your taste actually)- i like it spicy but my husband likes it mild.
salt to taste
2-3 tbsp water.
1 tbsp vegetable oil.
Assemble your chopped ingredients
In your favourite cooking utensil, it could be a wok/deep pan.. anything convenient, put in the oil on medium heat, and once its hot enough add in the cumin seeds. Once they start to splutter, tip in the onion, ginger , garlic and mix well.
saute to the point that it changes its color to a nice brown, this is the time to add in the turmeric powder, and keep browning. Take care that it doesn’t burn, at which point add in the water.
around 8 minutes of this and you’d have a beautiful, fragrant brown mixture. destroying the monotony, add in the tomatoes and give them the same treatment till the tomatoes completely mix into the onion mixture.
once its all cooked through its time to add in the spices- mix in your garam masala, cinnamon powder, coriander powder, chilli powder and salt and mix thoroughly to combine. use some more water in case its drying out.
once its all cooked through add in the eggplant and mash in into the mixture. Just work it through to make sure that its evenly distributed throughout.
I usually keep on tasting it in between to check the salt and the flavour. you can of course vary the content of the salt and chillies according to your like.
all that’s left is to put in the water and cover it with a lid and let it cook for a few minutes or until the water evaporates a bit.
Eat it hot, garnish with a few coriander leaves, and just smell your house.. it’s Heaven !!!
Driedredchillies 