Baingan ka Bharta is a smoky Indian eggplant dish that’s full of flavor and surprisingly easy to make at home!
If you like eggplants and Indian food, this recipe is definitely for you. This spiced and smoky Baingan ka Bharta is bangin’…. yup, I went there. I couldn’t resist… the play on words was way too tempting. It’s true though – this recipe is fabulously tasty.
When you think of “Indian cuisine” – Baingan ka Bharta is high on the list. While the recipe varies by region, many Indian restaurants tend to serve Punjabi Baigan ka Bharta, one of the most popular ways of making this dish. Baingan means eggplant and Bharta is a mixture of mashed vegetables. Combine the two and you’ve got an Indian mashed eggplant dish. It tastes better than it sounds.
To make this popular Punjabi dish, you first have to “smoke” your eggplants. Some old school folks (like my parents) do this by turning on the stove and cooking the eggplant right over the flame. You can certainly do this over a direct flame or on a grill – just cook until the skin is nice and charred. I prefer using my oven (less chance of me burning my fingers). Heat your oven to 500 degrees, make a few slits in your eggplant and rub it with oil. Bake for 40 minutes, flipping it over halfway then broil for five minutes. See step 3? That’s what you get when you peel the eggplant.
Doing this infuses the eggplant with a wonderful smoky flavor. Mix the smoky eggplant with the spiced tomato masala and eat it with Paleo Chapati or Paleo Naan. It’s also great served over basmati rice or spaghetti squash.
Enjoy this tasty, smoky and savory baingan ka bharta as a side dish or as your main meal! If you like eggplant, you will love this dish 🙂
This is one of the many delicious recipes in my eBook, South Asian Persuasion so if you’re looking for healthy paleo-friendly recipes with a lot of flavor, then be sure to check it out!
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplants
- 4 tablespoons oil divided
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 large white onion finely chopped
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- 1- inch knob ginger minced
- 1-2 Serrano pepper minced (adjust according to preference)
Spices
- 2 teaspoons coriander powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 3 medium tomatoes chopped
- Cilantro chopped
Instructions
Prepare Eggplant
- Preheat oven to 500°F.
- Make four slits in each eggplant and then apply 1 tablespoon of oil over each eggplant. Place them on baking sheet and then roast in the oven for 40 minutes, flipping halfway.
- Turn the heat up to a broil for 5 minutes, then remove the eggplants from the oven.
- Allow the eggplant to cool, then remove the skin and chop the flesh. Set aside for now.
Prepare Sauce
- While the eggplant is baking, add 2 tablespoons of oil in a dutch oven or heavy pot over medium heat. Then add cumin seeds.
- Once the cumin seeds begin to splutter, add onions and saute for 10 minutes or until the onions turn golden brown.
- Add the garlic, ginger, Serrano pepper and spices. Stir-fry for a minute, add tomatoes and mix well.
- Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 10 minutes.
- Remove lid and stir-fry for another 5 minutes.
- Stir in the cooked eggplant and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Garnish with cilantro and serve.
just for fun, here’s a picture of this dish from 2014:
Zsuzsa says
I made this multiple times. Our Indian friend loves it too.
Darice says
We love this recipe, thank you for sharing it! It’s my daughter’s favorite & she asked me to make it today for her birthday. I don’t have fresh tomatoes, could I substitute a can of diced tomatoes?
Jasmyn says
Off the hook! This is better then anything from a restaurant. I didn’t have sarrento peppers so I used 2 Thai chili peppers instead.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Thank you! That’s so great to hear 🙂 Glad you liked it!
Brandy L Rosas says
Absolutely amazing recipe! I love Indian style eggplant!
My Heart Beets says
Thanks, Brandy! I’m so glad you liked it 🙂
Mary Circo says
Absolutely delicious and so flavorful and easy…once again my mom approved!!! Thank you so very much Ashley!!!
My Heart Beets says
Thanks, Mary! I’m so glad your mom approved! 🙂
Ashok says
Thanks Guys, Your Recipe Was Too Fantastic. Me and My Family Loved it. I Will definitely Share your Rrecipe with my friends.
Michael says
This is delicious. Do you think I could make a large batch and freeze some for later? Will it freeze well in your opinion?
My Heart Beets says
Hi Michael, yes it’s fine to freeze bharta 🙂
Diane Z. says
We found this recipe perfect for our garden’s harvest! We used 3 large Japanese eggplants, a salad bowl of small heirloom Italian tomatoes, 3 Thai chilies still green with seeds (green and spicy), and 1 medium fully ripened Tequila Sunrise pepper with the seeds removed (sweet and hot). We served over long grain rice seasoned with Dukka. The flavors were amazing! I can’t wait to try this recipe with Fairytale Eggplant, Black Beauty tomatoes, and different chilies. Very comforting and delicious! My partner thanks you for sharing <3
My Heart Beets says
Diane, that’s so great to hear! Thanks for letting me know how this turned out for you and your partner 🙂
Ana says
This meal is easy and comes out so delicious!
My Heart Beets says
Ana, I’m so glad you liked it! Thanks for letting me know how the bharta turned out for you 🙂
NG says
If I wanted to double the quantity, does the cooking time get doubled as well? Great recipe, thanks!!
My Heart Beets says
Hi, I would suggest keeping the cook time the same even if you double the ingredients. The pot will just take longer to reach high pressure due to the extra content in the pot. Hope that helps!