Baingan bharta is made with roasted brinjal, tomatoes, and garlic, mixed with ginger, onions, green chilies and a variety of spices. The process to make baingan bharta at home is quite easy. Find it all explained in detail in my recipe.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Baingan bharta is a very popular dish in almost every part of India.
- Enjoy it with roti, paratha, naan, or steamed rice.
- Baingan bharta tastes smoky, spicy, and tangy with a hint of earthy flavor.
- Other similar recipes are aloo bharta, aloo baingan, bharwa baingan, baingan fry, and baingan curry.
The Ingredients:
- 2 pieces brinjals (medium size, green)
- 1 tsp cooking oil
- 5 pieces green chilies (whole, without stalk)
- 20 pieces garlic (deskinned, whole)
- ¼ cup peanuts (raw)
- 4 tbsp cooking oil
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- ½ cup onion (finely chopped)
- 1 cup spring onion (finely chopped, lower white part and green part separated)
- Salt to taste
- ½ cup coriander leaves (finely chopped)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice (half of a standard size lemon)
I got this recipe from a neighbor who had just delivered her second baby. I went to her house to congratulate her with a packet of sweets and her mother offered me this dish she had made at home along with a couple of rotis. The baingan bharta was light, flavorful, and tempting. When I wanted to know the process, her mother was glad to explain every step of it to me.
I made it the next evening. My husband said it had a calming touch, and my boys surprisingly liked its mildness. Now, it is our after-a-long-day dish. That visit reminded me how postpartum kitchens are filled with quiet wisdom with food made for recovery, but remembered long after for its soulful care.
How to Make Baingan Bharta? (Step by Step Guide with Images)
Step 1: Take 2 pieces of brinjals (medium size, green). Make incisions as shown in two or three places.
(Pro tip: Making incisions in the brinjals not only speeds up the cooking process but also allows you to check whether there are any insects inside them.)
Step 2: Brush a little bit of cooking oil on the surface of the two brinjals.
Step 3: Now, turn on your gas stove, put on an iron stand and roast the two brinjals directly on a medium flame. Turn them periodically to cook them nicely on all sides. Alternatively, you can grease an iron tawa with oil and roast the brinjals on it.
Step 4: When the brinjals are roasted nicely, remove them on a plate, let them cool down a bit, and peel off the skin from them. Then cut the stem from both.
Step 5: Put the peeled roasted brinjals in a bowl and mash them with a vegetable masher or the backside of a stainless-steel glass. It should be a fine paste as shown in the image below without any larger pieces in it. Keep it aside.
Step 6: Now, heat 1 tsp of cooking oil in a kadai or a pan on a medium flame and put 5 pieces of green chilies (whole, without stalk) and 20 pieces of garlic (deskinned, whole) in it when it is hot. Stir and fry them for about a minute or so. Then, add a portion of the ¼ cup of raw peanuts you have to it. Stir continuously and fry them for another minute or so.
Step 7: When done, transfer it to a mortar and pestle. Crush it to a coarse paste. Keep it aside.
Step 8: Now, in the same kadai, heat 4 tbsp of cooking oil on a medium flame. When it is hot, put in ½ tsp of cumin seeds, ½ tsp of mustard seeds and the rest of the raw peanuts and fry them for about half a minute or so.
Step 9: Now, add ½ cup of onions (finely chopped) in it. Stir and fry them for about a couple of minutes until the onions start to turn golden brown in color.
Step 10: When they do, add the chili, garlic and peanut paste to it. Stir continuously and fry it for another minute or so.
Step 11: Now, add the lower white part of the 1 cup of finely chopped spring onion to it. Fry for another minute or so.
(Pro tip: Always cook the lower part of the spring onions separately, otherwise it will render a raw taste).
Step 12: Now, add the mashed roasted brinjal and salt to taste. Mix them all nicely with the other ingredients in the kadai. Turn the flame of the gas stove to high and stir it continuously to fry them all nicely for about a minute or so.
(Pro tip: Stirring continuously is recommended to ensure that the baingan bharta does not stick at the bottom and burn. You need not fry it for a long time as everything is partially cooked already).
Step 13: Now, add the finely chopped green part of the spring onions. Mix everything nicely and cook it for another two minutes, now on a low flame.
(Pro tip: The generous amount of spring onions will play an important role in enhancing the taste of the baingan bharta).
Step 14: Finally, add ½ cup of finely chopped coriander leaves to it.
Step 15: Mix them nicely and check the baingan bharta. Finally, turn off the gas stove.
Step 16: In the end, add 1 tbsp of lemon juice (half of a standard-size lemon) to it for an additional sour taste. Mix it.
Step 17: Your homemade tasty baingan bharta is ready. Serve it with a little bit of mango pickle, onions and green chilies along with hot roti of any kind.
Recipe Card
Baingan Bharta
Ingredients
- 2 pieces brinjals medium size, green
- 1 tsp cooking oil
- 5 pieces green chilies whole, without stalk
- 20 pieces garlic deskinned, whole
- ¼ cup peanuts raw
- 4 tbsp cooking oil
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- ½ cup onion finely chopped
- 1 cup spring onion finely chopped, lower white part and green part separated
- Salt to taste
- ½ cup coriander leaves finely chopped
- 1 tbsp lemon juice half of a standard size lemon
Instructions
- Take 2 pieces of brinjals (medium size, green). Make incisions as shown in two or three places. (Pro tip: Making incisions in the brinjals not only speeds up the cooking process but also allows you to check whether there are any insects inside them.)
- Brush a little bit of cooking oil on the surface of the two brinjals.
- Now, turn on your gas stove, put an iron stand and roast the two brinjals directly on a medium flame. Turn them periodically to cook them nicely on all sides. Alternatively, you can grease an iron tawa with oil and roast the brinjals on it.
- When the brinjals are roasted nicely, remove them on a plate, let it cool down a bit and peel off the skin from them. Then cut the stem from both.
- Put the peeled roasted brinjals in a bowl and mash them with a vegetable masher or the backside of a stainless-steel glass. It should be a fine paste as shown in the image below without any larger piece in it. Keep it aside.
- Now, heat 1 tsp of cooking oil in a kadai or a pan on a medium flame and put 5 pieces of green chilies (whole, without stalk) and 20 pieces of garlic (deskinned, whole) in it when it is hot. Stir and fry them for about a minute or so. Then, add a portion of the ¼ cup of raw peanuts you have to it. Stir continuously and fry them for another minute or so.
- When done, transfer it to a mortar and pestle. Crush it to a coarse paste. Keep it aside.
- Now, in the same kadai, heat 4 tbsp of cooking oil on a medium flame. When it is hot, put ½ tsp of cumin seeds, ½ tsp of mustard seeds and the rest of the raw peanuts and fry them for about half a minute or so.
- Now, add ½ cup of onions (finely chopped) in it. Stir and fry them for about a couple of minutes until the onions start to turn golden brown in color.
- When they do, add the chili, garlic and peanut paste to it. Stir continuously and fry it for another minute or so.
- Now, add the lower white part of the 1 cup finely chopped spring onion to it. Fry for another minute or so. (Pro tip: Always cook the lower part of the spring onions separately, otherwise it will render a raw taste).
- Now, add the mashed roasted brinjal and salt to taste. Mix them all nicely with the other ingredients in the kadai. Turn the flame of the gas stove to high and stir it continuously to fry them all nicely for about a minute or so. (Pro tip: Stirring continuously is recommended to ensure that the baingan bharta does not stick at the bottom and burn. You need not fry it for a long time as everything is partially cooked already).
- Now, add the finely chopped green part of the spring onions. Mix everything nicely and cook it for another two minutes, now on a low flame. (Pro tip: The generous amount of spring onions will play an important role in enhancing the taste of the baingan bharta).
- Finally, add ½ cup of finely chopped coriander leaves to it.
- Mix them nicely and check the baingan bharta. Finally, turn off the gas stove.
- In the end, add 1 tbsp of lemon juice (half of a standard size lemon) to it for an additional sour taste. Mix it.
- Your homemade tasty baingan bharta is ready. Serve it with a little bit of mango pickle, onions and green chilies along with hot roti of any kind.
