Baingan Bharta is another popular recipe from Punjab, North India. These are roasted and mashed aubergines cooked with onions, tomatoes, and spices. The aubergines are cooked directly on fire until the skin is charred and the inside is cooked properly. This smoky flavor is what makes Baingan Bharta so loved and popular.
Some of you might know that I began cooking after I got engaged to my soldier. I was fortunate to have few North Indian girls as roomies and I learned this recipe from them. There are several versions of this recipe. Some prefer to use very fewer masalas and spices, in order to retain the flavor of aubergines. But, I love my spices!
The eggplants to use are the big, oval ones. I couldn't get hold of them and settled for the round ones and used two instead of one. If you do not have the time to roast eggplant, you can also peel, slice, boil and mash them. But the key flavor to the dish is the smokiness of the roasted eggplant. One can also grill the eggplants over charcoal or roast them in an oven.
The dish is spicy due to the addition of chilies. I served this with some hot fluffy basmati rice and Phulka rotis.
How to make Baingan Bharta at Home
Roast and mash the aubergines. Add the masalas to onion and tomatoes. Add mashed aubergines and mix well.
Baingan Bharta Recipe:
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Baingan Bharta
- Total Time: 0 hours
Ingredients
- 1 Aubergine , big about 200gms
- 1 tablespoon Oil for smearing the aubergine
- 3 tablespoon oil, I prefer Mustard Oil for making this dish'
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds /Jeera
- 2 tablespoon Garlic, mashed or finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon Ginger, grated or finely chopped
- 1 cup Onion, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon Green chilies, finely chopped
- ½ cup Tomato, finely chopped
- ½ tablespoon Chili powder
- ½ tablespoon Coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon Cumin powder
- A handful of Coriander leaves, finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon Lemon juice
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
- Smear the aubergine with oil and roast directly on fire. You can also roast it in the oven.
- Remove the charred skin and mash leaving few chunks; you do not need to mash it to a paste.
- Ina pan, add oil and cumin seeds. When it splutters, add ginger and garlic.
- Add onion and saute till golden brown.
- Add the masalas and saute for a couple of minutes.
- Add tomatoes, mix well and cook till oil oozes out from the mixture.
- Add the mashed aubergine and mix well.
- Add coriander leaves, salt and lemon juice. Mix and cook for about four minutes.
- Serve hot with Indian Flatbreads like Phulka rotis or Basmati rice.
- Prep Time: 0 hours
- Cook Time: 0 hours
Tips to make great Baingan Bharta at Home
Chef says:
The flavor comes from roasting the aubergines. Do not skip this step.
The amount of onion and tomatoes can be adjusted as per taste. I love my curries with its fair share.
Add more garlic to the dish. The garlicky flavor goes well with roasted aubergines.
One of my favorite Eggplant recipes is the South Indian style of Eggplant Fry where the eggplants are sliced in rounded, marinated with spices and then roasted. Yum.
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I’m participating in the #AtoZChallenge and I’m posting 26 easy Indian Recipes to Die for. Follow my posts this April and before you know it, you'll be cooking up a storm. Stay tuned!
Meanwhile, here are 26 posts on Thailand on my travel blog
Anita says
I love this recipe, Shalzzzz 🙂
Used to have this when I was in Delhi. Now I too prepare this dish.
In Odisha, we have Baigana Bharta- the Brinjal is smoked & then chopped green chillies, onion, coriander & garlic along with mustard oil & seasoning are added. Yummy 🙂
Sushmita says
Oh my god! Vaibhav is something I can never eat. But the pictures looks yummy! Great themes 🙂
Off to checking your Thailand stories.
Saraallie says
OMG you're doing delicious recipes for the A to Z Challengeeeeeeeeeeeeee 😀
I'm bookmarking right away! This one looks delicious too!
~ Saraallie
Sara Writes ~ The Crazy Life of a Silly Little Sister
Cathy Graham says
Sounds delicious! Love these recipes. Not sure I'll ever make them as I'm not a great cook who does anything too exotic like this so I'll just drool vicariously as I read your recipes.
Yes, I agree with Vidya. Make sure to visit this site after eating. Impressive that you're doing two blog posts for the daily challenge. Wow! Good for you!
Parul Thakur says
This is exactly how we do ours. In Haryana, my MIL also adds peas. It always turns out delicious.
Tina says
I love baingan bharta too but my husband hates it, which resulted in me not tasting it in a long time. In Bengalis we have something called begun pora which is char grilled brinjal stuffed with garlic chilis and then mixed with the grilled pulp of garlic - it's a super food.
Obsessivemom says
Baingan bharta is another one of my favourites. I like this spicy version but I also like the non-cooked version. It just has roasted mashed baingans with raw tomatoes onions and garlic with a dash of mustard oil. Served cold. That's delicious too.
Tarkabarka says
This just made my mouth water, and I do not even like eggplant all that much. Thank you!
Roshan Radhakrishnan says
I love how simple it is to make such a wonderful dish, This is what makes everyone yearn to be a cook.
P.S. Love the pic of the sliced-yet-standing brinjal 🙂
Anks says
Baingan ka bharta and pheeki peeli dal... an awesome lunch combo where the spiciness of bharta and the wholesomeness of dal are counter balanced.
Kaitlynn says
Hi this looks delicious! I enjoy eating Indian food but I have never cooked it before. Perhaps, this is a great recipe to start with! Thanks for sharing!! The pictures look great btw.
Vinodini says
I love Baingan Ka Bharta! However I can only have it if the aubergines are roasted. I hate the boiled version.
Shailaja Vishwanath says
Seeing this made me very very hungry! Bad girl, Shalini 😀
My husband makes a fab version of this, by the way. Now to hound him to make it soon. Lovely pictures 🙂
Meenakshi says
My favourite dish too and a staple in my household.I learnt it from one of my helpers at Lucknow and the way I make is a little different.The pics have come out so fantabulously and you were dreading for nothing Shaalu......Keep blogging yummy stuff here 🙂
Shalini says
Really? This is the only way I know. Next time I will insert garlic before roasting, just like Shilpa has suggested. And thank you, Meenu. I am still dreading though 😛
zainab says
I think I guessed it would be bharta! :))
Lovely pics S!
Shalini says
Really? Let's see if you get C right 🙂
Kristin says
Looks very yummy. I enjoy cooking and I enjoy Indian food, looking forward to trying this sometime in the future.
Shalini says
That's good to know. Hope you try it out some time 🙂
Deepthi P Jugali says
Thanks for sharing would definitely want to try
Shalini says
Thank you for dropping by, Deepthi 🙂
Geethica Mehra says
Hey Shalini, I wanna confess something that I always visit your site for the amazing pictures you post on your site. They are just marvellous. Then when I am about to go out, I see for a different ingredient that made your dish look so yummy.
Shalini says
That's so good to hear! Thank you very much, Geetica 🙂
My Era says
I love Baingan Bharta and so does everyone in my family. Though my recipe is very different from yours, but the end result does look very similar and is just as spicy and yum like yours.
Very creative shots Shalini. Loving the way you are going about the A to Z of Indian recipes ♥
Shalini says
Oh, you've a different version? I should try that way too. And thank you very much. I am trying to improve every time 🙂
Jodie says
This sounds really delicious! And much easier than yesterdays recipe - though that one is still calling my name slightly louder.
I've only ever seen the long aubergines before, never round ones, so that's interesting!
Shalini says
You should definitely give this a try, Jodie. I'm sure it will turn out good 🙂
Sanchie says
I must admit I have always hated eggplant until recently so I might actually try this one out sometime
Sanch @ Sanch Writes
Shalini says
Ditto! Now I like it 🙂
Deepa says
One more typical Punjabi and my favourite dish. Me and my hubby lobe baingan ka bharta. My kids dont like it that much and make faces when I make it. 🙂
Subha Rajagopal says
Looks yummy! Baingan is one of my fav foods!
Soumya says
I love this dish! And it is my husband's favorite as well as this is the only way he can eat baingans 😀
Preethi Venugopala says
I love this. I haven't tried making it myself though I regularly use Brinjal in my curries and sambar. Will try this.
Ramya Abhinand says
Yummy. What i like the most about this dish is its smoky flavour.
Shalini says
Thank you, Ramya 🙂
Ishieta AT Isheeria's says
Your pictures are super yummy! seriously, this isn't one of my favorite dishes (unless cooked specifically after roasting very well!) but your pictures and easy to follow instructions are making me think I could try to make the original-authentic-tasty version myself 🙂 I have seen some ppl add peas to it too - Do you recommend that?
Shalini says
Yes, I'm told that peas can be added. I haven't tried it yet. But I'm sure it will enhance the taste.
Nibha Gupta says
You are really putting all my favourite dishes out there! I just love this one, though still learning to be perfect at it!
Shalini says
Hihi. More vegetarian, I guess 🙂 Thanks, Nibha!
Shilpa Garg says
Baingan bharta is one of my fav dish. In fact, all three of us love it. Have you tried inserting garlic cloves in the brinjal and then roasting it. The flavour of smoky and roasted garlic and baingan is amazing.
Shalini says
Wow! I can imagine the burst of flavour! I will try that the next time. Thank you, Shilpa 🙂
Swathi Shenoy says
This is one of my favourite dishes! Craving for it now after seeing the pics!
Shalini says
Wow. That's great! Thanks, Swathi!
Sreesha says
I really shouldn't be reading your posts at work; the boss won't be pleased with all this drool on my keyboard.
While I love baingan, I don't experiment much with it, and stick to the south Indian style fry (sometimes, I make that and potato fry, and stuff both into a sandwich). But, like you, I too love my spices and this looks good (my wet keyboard is proof)
Shalini says
Haha! Oh, Sreesha! I used to do the same, I also cut them into roundels, marinate and then roast it. That's what made me fall in love with Baingan. I loved this one too. 🙂
Wendy of the Rock says
OMG I can smell this gorgeous dish. Yummm
I am currently living in England where some people still think garlic is spicy!!!! I have very little experience with Indian cooking so your extra suggestions are fabulous. So helpful.
Shalini says
Oh, but I love garlic 🙂 Thanks, Wendy. I hope you get to try this dish.
Kaddu says
Ahhhh! One of my favorites! Do you ever make it with chopped RAW onion, tomato, green chillies? It's a Bihari version. Tastes very refreshing with hot fulkas, topped with ghee!
Shalini says
Thanks, Chicky. I should try the Bihari version then 🙂
Jaibala Rao says
Luckily I have just had breakfast and now you made me hungry again. Baingan Bharta is a favourite in our house too. Mom makes it so awesome. Off to tell mom that today afternoon we are making Bharta and paratha for lunch.
Shalini says
Hihi. 🙂 Thank you, Jai. It's one my recent finds, as in I never like Baingan and this dish made me change my mind.
Menaka Bharathi says
Baingan Bhartha is always my favorite when it comes to brinjal. You seem to have shared something which makes it even more special. Kudos to the photos -as usual - beautiful.
Launching SIM Organics
*Menaka Bharathi*
*SimpleIndianMom*
Shalini says
Thank you so much, Menaka. 🙂
Denise says
This sounds really good. Must try it.
Shalini says
Thank you, Denise 🙂
Rajlakshmi says
Oooo bharta ... I love it... Since we don't have a gas stove we once tried to get that charred texture by putting it in over but forgot to place holes in it... And it just blew up inside the oven. Nothing harmful except we had to do a lot of cleaning. Love your pictures... Very creative
Shalini says
Really? God, I didn't know that. I will mention it in my post then. Thank you very much, Raj.
Vinay Leo R. says
I had a feeling that B would bring this dish. 🙂 It's one of the more popular dishes in India, and one that I cannot eat. 😛
Shalini says
Why can't you eat? I hated it too. But now it's one of my favorites 🙂
Sheethal says
From where did you learn all these?? ... I really don't like Aubergine ... thou my parents love them.
Shalini says
I hated Aubergines as well. Then Mom asked me to try the Eggplant fry (recipe on my blog) and then I started loving it. I loved Baingan Bharta as well 🙂
Vidya Sury says
One of my favorite dishes, Shalini, and I make it well, too. Special compliments on your superb photography! So appetising. Note to self: visit this blog after breakfast or lunch. Sigh. I have hunger pangs now. Hugs!
Shalini says
Thanks, Mam. 🙂