Even though I love and prefer the burnt method but Mr. Husband doesn’t like that smoked taste and if that was not enough recently his sister told him the incident when she saw a huge worm inside the eggplant. Imagine you roast the brinjal and there is a worm inside, which you will mash and use in your bharta-eww, yuck! So these days I prepare bharta using pressure cooker or as some call it the boiled method. Let me tell you, this is a super easy and a quick method. You don’t have to clean the mess on the hob that aubergine leaves when you roast it and the taste is just awesome. Trust me you have to try this method-period! So you need to peel the aubergine, chop it into rings, put in pressure cooker and cook it on high heat till you hear one whistle. Don’t worry if you don’t have pressure cooker, just boil the chopped brinjal in the pan full of water, cook till it gets soft, discard the water and yeah that’s it.
Like authentic baigan ka bharta I too like to use ghee (Indian clarified butter) and lots of garlic, but feel free to use oil and less garlic. I use some whole spices as well and garam massala is a must ingredient in this recipe. Bharta or bhurta is served as side with makke ki roti but this can be served as a dip or spread as well.We like to spread thick layer of baingan ka bharta on any Indian paratha, roll it like a cigar and bite into. If like London you are having sunny yet cool days then this spicy and garlicy baigan ka bharta is always a good idea. So, on weekend I made the complete meal methi moong daal, simple steamed rice, jowar ki roti and this bharta. Author: Shweta AgrawalRecipe type: Side, Dip, SpreadCuisine: Punjabi, North-IndianServes-2-3Ingredients:2 large eggplants/baigun1 medium size onion chopped finely2 medium size tomato chopped finely1 green chilli chopped finely8 cloves garlic chopped roughly1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds/dhaniya1 dry red red chilli1 bay leaf/tej patta2 tablespoons ghee/oil1/4 teaspoon cumin/jeera2 pinch asafoetida/hing1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder/haldi1 teaspoon red chilli powder/lal mirch1/2 teaspoon coriander powder/dhaniya1/2 teaspoon garam massala (recipe here)Salt to taste1 tablespoon lemon juice1 tablespoon coriander leaves chopped finelyMethod:Wash and peal eggplants. Chop into rings and pressure cook with 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 teaspoon salt on high heat for one whistle. Release the pressure and strain the water. In mortar and pestle coarsely grind bay leaf, red chilli powder and whole coriander seeds.In a kadai/pan heat 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of ghee. When hot, add asafoetida, cumin seeds. Let cumin seeds crackle.Add the coarsely grinded spices. Turn the flame to low. Cook for 2 miniutes.Add chopped garlic, green chilli and onion. Add pinch of salt. Cook till raw smell of garlic fades away and onions turn soft.Throw in chopped tomatoes, red chilli powder, garam massala, coriander powder and salt. Mix and cook it covered for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes you will see that tomatoes have become soft and mushy.Add boiled eggplants. With a help of fork mash eggplants till you get spread like consistency.Add in lemon juice and leftover 1/2 teaspoon of ghee. Cover and cook again for 8 minutes.Serve with chopped coriander leaves.
Notes:While buying the baingan for bhartha, go for the ones which are light. A heavy brinjal indicates that there are ripe seeds in it and this may spoil the taste of the bhartha.Always cook bharta on low heat. You can use small eggplants or even Chinese (Asian) eggplants for this recipe.This is a spicy dish; I used three kinds of chilli in this recipe. Please adjust the spice level as per you taste.Serving suggestion:Serve as side with parthas, puris, roti –basically any indian bread.This is a great dip as well. Serve with chips, nachos or crackers.Spread a thick layer on to your sandwich bread or pita pockets. Enjoy with patties and or salad.
