Punjabi Style Baingan Ka Bharta | Smoky Aubergines Mash

Punjabi Style Baingan Ka Bharta | Smoky Aubergines Mash

Author: Rumki Paul
Course: Main
Cuisine: Punjabi
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4 Persons

Baingan Ka Bharta is a very famous and delicious dish of India. It is prepared in many ways in different parts of India and undoubtedly every preparation is mind-blowing. But still the Punjabi version of Baingan Ka Bharta is world famous for its overloaded flavours and unbeatable taste.

Today I am sharing one of my very favourite recipes – Punjabi Style Baingan Ka Bharta (Smoky Aubergine mash). Since my childhood, I never ate Baingan Ka Bharta unless and until I had tasted the Punjabi version of it. In my early working days, one of my Punjabi friends prepared this dish in a Pot-Luck Party and after tasting it, I completely fell in love with the dish. Now, it is one of my favourite dishes which I frequently prepare for my family and friends on any special occasion. Whenever I prepare this dish, I always get overloaded with appreciations and this makes me feel very delighted.

In West Bengal, Baingan Ka Bharta is prepared in a different way. I am a Bong and have seen my Granny prepare it in traditional Bengali way. In winter, she used to fire wood with some brick boundaries and on that open flame she used to roast the Brinjals or Eggplants or Aubergines. Then she used to add chopped Onions, green Chillies, Cilantros and Mustard oil on the roasted Aubergine.

Punjabi Style Baingan Ka Bharta takes a bit longer to cook but its completely worth to spend that time on it. It is roasted aubergine mashed dry curry cooked in Onion-Garlic-Tomato masala with some spices. Fresh Cilantros complement the Smokey flavour of the dish and takes the preparation to the seventh sky. It perfectly pairs up with Rotis and Parathas. Even it tastes amazing with steamed Rice. I don’t prefer it with any flavoured Rice because this Baingan Ka Bharta is full of masala and flavours.

How to select perfect Aubergine for Baingan Ka Bharta?

The hero of this dish is Aubergine. Half of the taste of Baingan Ka Bharta depends on the size, texture and quality of Aubergines. Dark coloured big/medium sized fleshy Aubergines with lesser seeds are perfect for bharta. But try to avoid extra large ones because it may contain more seeds.

How to roast the Aubergines perfectly?

For best results, before putting the Aubergines on flame or barbeque, wash it properly and pat dry. Pierce their bodies with the help of a fork and apply some oil on them.

To prepare Baingan Ka Bharta it is very important to roast the Aubergines properly with lots of patience. It is roasted on open flame of gas stove till the skin chars and it has become tender from inside. Aubergines should always be roasted in medium flame. Because sometimes if it is roasted in high flame, it may remain uncooked from inside. It takes an average of 10 minutes to roast each Aubergine properly. It must be turned in every 2 minutes to roast evenly. For Baingan Ka Bharta, you should use Aubergines with stems. The stem would allow you to hold the Aubergine properly and ensure that it is roasted properly from all sides.

If you have doubt whether the Aubergines are properly roasted or not, you can test it with the Fork-Test. If the fork goes inside the Aubergines smoothly, then it is done and if not then roast it for few more minutes and repeat the test again.

The secret behind the popularity of this dish is its unique taste and Smokey flavour which you will never get by any shortcut. Neither microwaved nor oven baked Aubergines can give you the authentic flavour. I have tried the both ways. I won’t say that it has come up disastrous but is quite different both in taste and flavours. For a perfect Baingan Ka Bharta, Aubergines must be cooked on open flame. You can also get the beautiful Smokey aroma by barbequing them.

Immediate peeling off the skin of roasted Aubergines are quite risky. Because they are piping hot from inside. So, always allow them to cool down before starting to peel off. Peeling the char skin of roasted Aubergines is a real messy task. So, I always use gloves for this job. After peeling the skin, I always wash the Aubergines in water to completely remove the rest of the small char skin which gets stuck on their body.

Aubergines are rich in nutrients. They are full of vitamins, minerals and fibre. They contain high quantity of antioxidants. Regular consumption of Aubergines may reduce many health issues including blood sugar and cholesterol. They are excellent for weight loss too. They are called in many names. In UK, it is known as Aubergine. In US, it is known as Eggplants and in few other parts it is known as Brinjals.

Aubergines normally come in the secondary category of vegetables which people try to avoid eating regularly. I hope my Punjabi Style Baingan Ka Bharta recipe will help you to adopt Aubergines in your regular diet.

Ingredients:

• 2 Aubergines with stems
• 2 large Onions, thin sliced
• 4-5 large cloves of Garlic, finely chopped
• 1 inch Ginger, grated
• 1 Green Chilli, finely chopped
• 1 large Tomato, deseeded and chopped
• 5 tablespoons chopped Cilantro
• 1 tablespoon Lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder (Haldi)
• ½ tsp Chilli powder
• ¾ tsp Cumin powder (Jeera)
• ¾ tsp Coriander powder (Dhania)
• 1 tsp Garam masala powder
• Salt to taste
• Oil for cooking

1. Wash the Aubergines properly and pat dry it with the help of clean cloth or kitchen towel.
2. Pierce the body of Aubergines with the help of a fork and apply some oil on it.
   

3. Put one of the Aubergines on the open flame of gas stove and roast it in medium flame till the skin chars and it has become tender from inside.
   

4. Roast each of them for around 10 minutes.
5. Turn it in every 2 minutes to roast evenly. With the help of stem, turn them properly.
6. Go for a fork test to check whether the Aubergine is done or not. If the fork goes inside the Aubergine smoothly, then it is done and if not then roast it for another couple of minutes and repeat the test again.
7. Keep the Aubergines aside.
   

   Tips: Immediate peeling off the skin of roasted Aubergines are quite risky. Because they are piping hot from inside. Always allow the Aubergines to cool down before starting to peel off.

1. Peel off the skin very gently with soft hands otherwise the flesh will come out with skin.
   

2. After peeling off the skin, wash the Aubergines in water to get rid of rest of the small char skins which gets stuck on their body.

3. Keep them on a plate and cut their stems out.
   

   Tips: Peeling the char skin of roasted Aubergines is a real messy task. So, I always prefer to use gloves for this job.

1. Put a pan on stove and add Oil in it.
2. Once the Oil is hot, add Garlic into pan and fry them till golden brown.
   

3. Add Onions and sauté in medium high flame for 2-3 minutes till it has become translucent.
   

4. Add Ginger, green Chilli and give a nice mix.
   

5. Cook it in medium low flame until the raw smell of Ginger goes away.
6. Add Tomatoes and cook it in low flame for 2-3 minutes.
   

7. Add Salt, Turmeric powder, Chilli powder and mix it well.
   

8. Cover the pan and cook it till the Tomatoes soften.
9. Add the roasted Aubergines and mash it with the help of your spatula and give a nice mix.
   

10. Cook it in medium flame for 2-3 minutes.
11. Add Cumin powder, Coriander powder and give a nice mix.
    

12. Cook it for couple of minutes until the moisture of the Aubergines evaporate.
13. When the mixture starts releasing Oil, sprinkle Cilantros, Garam Masala and mix it well.
    

14. Add Lemon juice and mix it well.
    

15. Switch off the flame and keep the pan aside.