Indian Roasted Eggplant Curry: Bauman College

Indian Roasted Eggplant with Tomatoes and Peas (Baigan Bharta)

Baigan Bharta is a creamy eggplant dish from the north of India. It is best served with rice, chapati, or naan bread.

Ingredients

3 medium eggplants, about 3 3/4 lbs total
2 Tbs coconut oil or ghee
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
3 Tbs finely chopped fresh ginger
1 1/2 lb plum tomatoes, canned or fresh, coarsely chopped
1 Tbs ground cumin
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
salt to taste
1 1/2 cups frozen peas, defrosted
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Cut stem ends off eggplants and slice in half. Place eggplant halves, cut side down, on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour or until the eggplant is very soft and could be mashed. When cool enough to handle, roughly chop eggplant and partially mash.

2. Heat oil or ghee in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until golden brown. Add the ginger and sauté a minute more.

3. Add the tomatoes and the spices and sauté for 5 minutes to blend the flavors. Add the eggplant and cook for 5 more minutes, until it is the consistency of a chunky tomato sauce. Season with salt to taste. Eggplant generally needs a good amount of salt for the flavors of the other spices to come out. If mixture is too dry, add water 1/4 cup at a time until it is wet enough, or drizzle with a little more coconut oil or ghee.

4. Stir in peas and cook until heated through. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.