Trust me, you'll LOVE this Baingan Bharta recipe
My vegetarian friend Sonia is SO good at finding tasty and unique new recipes, and she’s been raving about this Indian Baingan Bharta recipe for the last few weeks and then…THEN she sent me some to try. The flavor is out of this world. 🙂 Even better, right now you can find these ingredients at the farmer’s market or your own garden. As a reader friend, Julie, once said, “I love recipes with a personality!” and this one has got it goin’ on.
DON'T be freaked out if you don't like eggplant, it's not my favorite either, but I love this!
From Sonia:
“I just made the Indian eggplant dish I told you about and wanted to share this Baingan Bharta recipe with you. I could barely save enough to bring to my mom tomorrow. I just wanted to eat it all!! If you need a quick post, the recipe is below: (Fear not the amount of spice!! It's not overpowering at all!!)”
Baingan Bharta (Indian Eggplant)
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 large tomato, chopped
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 jar tomato paste (about 7 ounces)
- 1/4 cup real cream, best from pastured cows
- Sea salt
- Optional additions to your own taste: ginger, garam masala, garlic, yogurt, sour cream.
Instructions
Roast the eggplant in the oven at 400* or on the grill: Cut in half, place cut side down on non-stick foil or parchment paper. Roast until skin is almost black and flesh is soft. Scoop out insides when cool. It looks disgusting and is a bit of a pain to scoop it all out of there, but it tastes so good, it's worth it!
Coat bottom of a skillet with olive oil. Heat until shimmery, then add spices. Stir the spices in the oil for about 1 minute, to infuse the oil with the flavors of the spices. Add the onions. Cook until almost translucent. Add the eggplant, tomatoes, tomato paste, cream, and salt to taste. Also add any optional additions now. Cook for a few minutes until to desired consistency.
Can be served on its own for a low carb dish (all the flavors make it very satisfying this way), or over rice or flatbread. (Rice in the pressure cooker is so easy! And try these homemade tortillas that are a lot like flatbread.)
Makes about 2 1/2 cups, so adjust the recipe for your family. It does have a nice spicy bite to it, so the kids may not go for it, but most adults will go WILD over the flavors!
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**My mom's Physical Therapist is from India and said the dish is called Baingan Bhurtha, but I am totally fuzzy on the spelling. I looked it up online and found several different spellings. The name didn't really matter to me, since it was a delicious way to eat up fresh seasonal produce!”
Thanks Sonia!
Let us know if you have more ways to use up eggplant?
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Could you give an amount in ounces or cups for the ‘jar of tomato paste’? Thanks!
I’m so sorry, I meant to add that information, it’s 7 ounces. I will add that to the post!
Kelly
And BTW, don’t be scared off if you don’t normally like eggplant, this is so good!!!!
That looks so yummy! Saving that!
Following is another way of making bharta
o Grill eggplant until it is soft inside and skin is black
o Remove the eggplant paste
o Make a paste by using spoon
o Add yogurt (1/8 of the eggplant quantity)
o Add black pepper and salt to your taste
perfect timing, been getting eggplant every week at the market and i need more ways to prepare it. i’m bookmarking this one.
Eggplant – yum! I will have to try this.
2 ways Iike eggplant: 1 as a cold summer salad – roast or grill the eggplant and bake, saute or grill chicken breast as desired – cut into bite sized pieces and dress with lots of fresh cilantro, and garlic balsamic vinaigrette. Serve cold.
Another way: Saute diced eggplant in olive or coconut oil with some minced garlic, add diced tomatoes, oregano and basil, and serve hot over rice.
My kids and I also love to eat eggplant raw!
I like to make eggplant Parmesan. I slice the eggplant ~ 3/8″ thick and bake at 350F, turning once. I put a bit of plain tomato sauce on the bottom of a shallow dish; add a layer of eggplant, then a vegetable-filled tomato sauce; repeat and sprinkle top with grated Parmesan. Bake until heated through. I am often served some variation of this at functions when I ask for a vegetarian option.
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Wah! I love eggplant! Maybe when I go to the market this weekend I’ll remember to get ingredients for this.
I have been seeing gorgeous eggplant at the farmer’s market and now I know what to use it for. Thanks Sonia for the recipe. I can tell it’s got some “moxie”!
Kelly,
A quick note about the recipe…
The picture of the finished dish is of a variation I made on the original recipe you posted. To the original recipe I added: 1 can of tomato paste while cooking the eggplant and 1/4 cup whipping cream at the very end before serving. It’s creamier and richer this way and is the one you tasted. Without the tomato paste and cream it is still delicious and allows you to really experience the flavors.
Yum! I get something similar at Bombay Cuisine called Bhuna Bhurta (I think LOL). I know it’s eggplant. Will have to try this when I get some eggplant from the CSA.