Baingan bartha - Roasted eggplant with indian spices

Today I am sharing the recipe of Baingan ka bartha / Eggplant bartha / Brinjal bartha. This delicious and easy to prepare dish goes well with Chapathi / Naan.

Ingredients

Eggplant / Brinjal ~ 1 large sized  or 2-3 medium sized

Cumin seeds / Jeerakam ~ 1/2 tsp

Onions ~ 2 medium sized - Finely chopped 
Green chillies ~ 4-5 nos
Ginger ~ a medium sized piece
Turmeric powder ~ 1/2 tsp
Kashmiri chilli powder ~ 1 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder / Jeera powder ~ 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida powder / Hing / Kayam podi ~ 2 pinch
Garam masala ~ 1/4 tsp
Aamchoor powder  / Dry mango powder ~ 1/4 tsp ( Optional )
Tomatoes ~ 1 no ( Chop and grind it to a fine paste )

Coriander leaves ~ as needed
Salt to taste
Oil

Method

• Preheat oven at 400 F and then wash the eggplant and pat dry. Next using your hands apply oil on the eggplant and then make around 4-5  deep cuts all over the eggplant using a knife. Then bake it in the middle rack of the oven for around 25 to 45 minutes or till the eggplant's skin turns dark and wrinkled.
• Then remove it from the oven and allow it to cool. Then using a fork peel the skin of the eggplant and then mash the eggplant flesh using a potato masher or your hands.

• Next heat little oil in a pan and add cumin seeds followed by chopped onions, chopped green chillies and chopped ginger and then saute it in a medium-low flame till onions become transparent. Then add tomato puree along with 2-3 tbsps of water, turmeric powder, Kashmiri chilli powder, Cumin powder, Asafoetida powder, Garam masala and dry mango powder and then cook it in medium - low flame till the tomatoes and spices are nicely cooked and till almost all water is evaporated.

• Next add mashed eggplant's flesh along with enough salt and mix it nicely and keep it in  a low flame for about 5-6 minutes and finally garnish with chopped coriander leaves and then remove from the flame.

Note: If you don't have oven at home, then you can even roast the eggplant directly over a very low flame by turning the eggplant frequently till its skin turns dark and wrinkled and also till the flesh of the eggplant is fully cooked. I have added one video in this post, which nicely explain how to roast an eggplant over an open flame. Video courtesy : Neha, Expert Village.

Cheers!!!