Indian Eggplant Bharta Food

INDIAN EGGPLANT (BHARTA)

Steps:

• Roast eggplant directly on a gas burner or under a broiler, turning occasionally, until charred all over and very soft, about 12 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes. Scoop out flesh and discard skin. You should have about 2 1/2 cups eggplant.
• Grind onion, ginger and garlic together in a food processor to form a paste. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add butter and melt. Add cumin; when it sizzles, stir in onion paste, and chiles. Cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, about 3 minutes. If onion is sticking to pan, stir in 3 tablespoons water and scrape up browned bits, then stir in tomatoes.
• Cook, stirring frequently, until tomatoes are broken down, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add turmeric and stir to combine, then add eggplant, stirring until heated through.

BANGAN KA BHURTA (INDIAN EGGPLANT)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven broiler. Place eggplant in a roasting pan, and broil 5 minutes, turning occasionally, until about 1/2 the skin is scorched.
• Place eggplant in microwave safe dish. Cook 5 minutes on High in the microwave, or until tender. Cool enough to handle, and remove skin, leaving some scorched bits. Cut into thick slices.
• Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat, stir in the onion, and cook until tender. Mix in eggplant, and tomatoes. Season with cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper. Continue to cook and stir until soft. Garnish with cilantro to serve.

PUNJABI EGGPLANT (BAINGAN BHARTA)

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Punjabi baingan ka bharta requires roasted eggplant. Roast eggplant on a gas cooktop by placing the eggplants straight over the burner(s) and keeping the flame on low setting. Keep turning and cooking until all the skin on the eggplant is charred and the inner flesh looks really soft, about 20 minutes; the eggplant will seem to 'cave in' on itself. Or, you can grill the eggplant in your oven broiler or on your barbecue grill. Again, keep turning periodically until all the skin on the eggplant is charred and the inner flesh looks really soft, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Once the eggplant is roasted, allow to cool fully and then peel off and discard the charred skin.
• Once cool, coarsely mash it and keep aside for later use.
• Place pan over medium heat and add the cooking oil. When hot, add the cumin seeds and cook till the spluttering stops.
• Add the onions and fry until soft and translucent.
• Add the garlic and the ginger and then fry for 1 minute.
• Add the tomatoes, optional green chiles, coriander, ground cumin, and garam masala. Stir well and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often to prevent the spice mix from sticking to the pan. Sprinkle a little water if needed.
• Add the eggplant and salt and mix well. Taste and add more salt if needed. Add the chopped fresh coriander (cilantro) and stir. Cook another minute and turn off the heat. Serve hot with chapatis or rice and your favorite daal dish.

BAINGAN BHARTA (ROASTED EGGPLANT SALAD)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
• Line a baking sheet with foil. Make 3 slashes in each eggplant, from top to tail, equally distanced around the eggplant. Rub the eggplants with a little peanut oil. Sit them on the baking sheet and roast until soft all the way to the center and the skin is brown, about 45 minutes, rotating the pan and flipping the eggplants halfway through. Remove from the oven and cool.
• Once cool, skin the eggplant. Chop the flesh until it's relatively smooth but not mushy.
• In a large skillet, warm the peanut oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the onion and saute until it turns golden brown. Add the eggplant flesh, garlic, chile and cilantro leaves. Cook 2 minutes. Add a splash of water if it begins to stick.
• Add the turmeric, cumin, and 2 teaspoons of salt. Stir and cook another 5 minutes.
• Turn off the heat. Add the yogurt and stir to combine. Taste for seasoning, and garnish with cilantro leaves and a sprinkle of ground cumin. Serve either warm or slightly chilled.

INDIAN EGGPLANT - BHURTHA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven's broiler. Rub oil on the outside of the egg plant, or coat with cooking spray. Place under the broiler, and cook until the flesh is soft and the skin is blistering off, about 30 minutes. Turn as needed for even cooking. Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise, and scoop the flesh out of the skin. Discard the skin; chop up the flesh, and set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds, and let them crackle for a few seconds and turn golden brown. Be careful not to burn them. Add the onion, ginger and garlic; cook and stir until tender. I don't let the onions get very brown. Stir in the tomato, and season with turmeric, ground cumin, ground coriander, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper. Cook and stir for a few minutes.
• Place the eggplant pieces in the skillet, and cook for 10 to 15 minutes so some of the moisture evaporates. Taste, and adjust seasonings if desired. Garnish with fresh cilantro, and serve.

BAINGAN BHARTA- INDIAN STYLE FIRE ROASTED EGGPLANTS

Steps:

• Prick eggplants and roast them over open flame or in a tandoor/preheated oven until the skin scorches and starts peeling off.
• The sure shot way to check if the eggplants are done is to pierce them with the back of a spoon, if it enters the brinjal like soft butter then they are done.
• When at room temperature remove the skin and mash the pulp.
• Chop the onions, tomatoes and green chilli.
• Heat oil(preferably mustard oil) in a kadahi(wok) and add chopped onions. Sauté until they are pink. Do not brown them.Then add chopped ginger, garlic, chopped green chilli and stir.
• After about 1/2 a minute add the tomatoes and the salt(adding salt with the tomatoes softens the tomatoes faster and thus makes cooking easier)When the tomatoes are done(oil seperates from them)add all the powders except for the garam masala powder and cook for another 1/2 a minute.
• Now add the mashed brinjals. After this point not much cooking is required. Cook for about 1/2 to 1 minute and finally add the garam masala and chopped corriander leaves.
• Serve immediately with roti, paraatha, naan, pitta bread, or even on a toast! We love it on a crunchy toast - irresistable, I tell you!

SHAHI BAINGAN BHARTA (CREAMY ROASTED MASHED EGGPLANT)

Steps:

• Prick the eggplant with a fork a few times, lightly oil and bake in a preheated oven at 400°F Roast until they are tender, about 30-40min or until the flesh yields easily to pressure.
• Remove the pulp, peel and mash.
• Heat oil, add onion and cook until golden brown.
• Add garlic, chilis and all the dry spices listed.
• Add tomato and cook, stirring, till tomato gets pulpy, about 10mins.
• Stir in the roasted eggplant pulp, and cook on medium-low heat, about 15min.
• Stir in the cream and garnish with chopped cilantro.