Baingan Bharta or eggplant bharta is an intensely flavourful vegetarian curry made with smoked and mashed eggplant. This is quite a popular way to eat this vegetable, and it goes perfectly well with both Indian bread (roti) and rice!
If you like eggplants, do try this Hyderabadi eggplant curry as well: bagara baingan.
About Baingan Bharta
Baingan bharta is a traditional vegetarian dish made with fire-roasted and mashed eggplant (or brinjal or aubergine, whatever you choose to call it). I am an eggplant enthusiast, so give it to me in any form and I will at least try it without any bias.
But for those of you who can't muster the same enthusiasm for this purple veggie, I frankly suggest trying this baingan bharta recipe. It is made using very common ingredients, but what makes the dish intensely flavourful and far from meh is roasting the eggplant over an open fire (or in my case, an electric hob) until the skins are charred and the eggplants are cooked through and soft.
The charred skins are discarded, but the smoke seeps through and permeates the flesh. And we are not even done yet. The smoke-infused eggplant flesh is then mashed and roasted in caramelized onions and spices, further enhancing the taste. What you get finally is a vibrant and flavourful dish that tastes so good, you'll be licking the last remnants off your plate!
If you want to try a completely different side dish featuring eggplant, check out this baingan raita (dahi baingan). Interestingly, it is the complete opposite of this recipe. While this one's bold and intense, baingan raita is cooling and mild. Both taste fantastic with any gravy-based chicken or meat dinner.
More flavourful vegetarian curries: sarson ka saag, palak paneer, and Kashmiri dum aloo.
Ingredients
Instructions
Baingan bharta is made in four steps:
Step 1: Roast the eggplants
Roast the eggplants over one of the burners on your cooking range one by one. Grasp one eggplant with a pair of tongs and hold it directly over the flame. Keep turning it to make sure it's roasted on all sides. This takes a few minutes. The skin will wrinkle and get charred, and the eggplant will lose its plumpness and sag a bit. This is an indication that it's cooked from inside. Place it on a wire rack and let it cool down a bit. Repeat the process with the other eggplant.
What to do if you have electric burners: You can smoke the eggplant in the way described above if you have a gas cooking range which gives off a flame. If you have an electric range, like I do, and you are determined to get the smoky effect, you will have to improvise a bit! The process is much slower but the end result is almost the same. Here's how to do it:
I kept a metal stand on one of the hobs and placed both the eggplants on the stand. Once they were charred on one side, I flipped them and let them cook on the other side until both the surfaces were charred. It took about 50 minutes this way, but the eggplants were completely cooked from the inside and had a beautiful char on the outside!
Step 2: Peel and mash
Once the eggplants have cooled down a bit, peel the skin and remove the burnt bits. The flesh is going to be soft and pulpy inside. Mash it with a potato masher or a fork, or if you want to do it even faster, put the flesh in a blender and give it a whiz on the lowest setting. I used my Vitamix for this step, and the eggplant was mashed into chunky bits in 2 seconds flat!
Note: If using a blender, make sure to run it on the lowest power possible. You don't want to end up with eggplant paste!
Step 3: Make the curry base
While the eggplants are roasting away, prepare the curry base. In a skillet or frypan, add the cumin and fry finely sliced onions until caramelized. Add the ginger-garlic paste and cook for 5 minutes. Follow with chopped tomatoes and sauté until they break down. Add the ground spices and salt.
Step 4: Add the eggplant mash
Finally, tip in the mashed eggplant and stir fry some more. Garnish with green chillies and cilantro. Done!
How to make baingan bharta without roasting the eggplant
If you don't want to go to the trouble of roasting the eggplant, don't. You can cook the whole eggplant in a stove top pressure cooker or instant pot, and then follow the rest of the steps. It won't pack the same punch as the smoked version, but it's still quite good.
If you are going down this route, fill the cooker with enough water to cover the eggplants and add half a head of garlic (unpeeled). Cook this for a couple of minutes after the pressure has formed. Open the cooker and take out the eggplants and garlic. The skins will come off very easily. After mashing the eggplant pulp and garlic together, make the masala described in step 3 above, but don't add any garlic, only some ginger paste. Follow the rest of the recipe with this one exception and your baingan bharta is ready.
📖 Recipe
Baingan Bharta
Equipment
- skillet or karahi
- metal stand for roasting the eggplant on an electric hob
- pair of large tongs
Ingredients
- 1.6 lbs eggplants 2 eggplants, medium-sized
- ⅓ cup cooking oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 red onions small, sliced fine
- 2 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
- 2 tomatoes small, chopped
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon chilli powder
- 3 green chillies Thai, chopped or sliced lengthwise
- 2 tablespoon cilantro leaves chopped
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Roast the eggplants, one by one, on an open flame. Keep turning to get all the sides. The skins should become wrinkled and the eggplant should shrink in size and sag as it cooks from inside. Peel off the charred skins and mash when cool. See note #1 below for electric burners.
- Heat oil in a skillet or karahi and add the cumin and onions. Fry until the onions are reddish brown (about 10 minutes on medium heat).
- Add the ginger-garlic paste and fry for 5 minutes on medium heat.
- Add the tomatoes and sauté until the tomatoes soften and break down.
- Add the powdered spices and salt and cook for 5 minutes more. The masala will be well-cooked and glossy, and the oil will leave the sides of the pan.
- Add the eggplant mash to the masala and stir fry for a few minutes.
- Garnish with chopped green chillies and fresh cilantro.
Notes
- For roasting eggplants on electric burners: Keep a metal stand on the hob and turn the heat to high. Place both the eggplants on the stand and let them roast for 50-60 mins. Flip at half time to the other side, using a pair of tongs. Once cool, peel off the charred skin to get the flesh inside.
- Take care to remove all of the skin and the burnt bits after roasting the eggplants.
- The eggplant can be mashed with a fork or in a blender. If using a blender, blend it for a few seconds only on the lowest possible power setting to avoid making a paste. The mashed eggplant should have some texture and not be completely smooth.
- Take care not to over-brown the onions as the bharta will become dark and unappetizing if the onions are browned too much.
Jane Bedia says
This looks absolutely delish! I have all the spices except chilli powder. What kind do you use? Thanks!
Saima says
Thank you Jane! I use Kashmiri red chilli powder. It is a brighter red than cayenne and less hot. However, if you don't have it, you can use a mix of cayenne and paprika. The former will add heat and the latter color. Hope that helps!
Priya Dogra says
Baingan ka Bharata is so very common recipe for Indians. We have it on a regular basis during the season times. I like the preparation of masala by you here. It is slightly different than what I do.
Laurene says
This is a great recipe ! I’ve made it several times with delicious results. It’s just like I’ve had at wonderful Indian restaurant!
Saima says
Hi Laurene! Thank you so much. I'm so glad you like it!
Mary Anne says
Can I freeze this recipe
Saima says
Mary Anne, you can freeze it easily. When you're ready to eat it again, thaw it, heat it until it's piping hot, and you'll be good to go. But do remember, frozen food does lose some taste and texture, so it won't taste exactly the same.