Baingan Bharta

Ingredients

• 1 large Aubergine
• ½ cup Onion
• 1 cup Tomatoes
• 6 cloves Garlic
• 1 Green Chilli
• ¼ teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
• 1.5 tablespoon Oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped Coriander Leaves
• as required salt

Quantities are the original recipe’s. The cost is our own estimate — typical own-brand supermarket prices for these quantities, divided by 4 servings. TheMealDB does not state how many a dish serves, so 4 is our assumption, not theirs. Treat it as “about this much a head”, not a shopping bill.

Method

1. Wash the aubergine and dry it well, then rub the skin with a little oil.
2. Roast it directly over an open flame, turning every 2 to 3 minutes, until the skin is charred and a knife slides through the flesh with no resistance.
3. Drop the roasted aubergine into a bowl of water until cool enough to handle, then peel away the blackened skin.
4. For extra smokiness, heat a small piece of charcoal until glowing, nestle it in a cup among the peeled aubergine, trickle a little oil over it and cover the bowl tightly so the smoke is trapped for 1 to 2 minutes.
5. Chop or mash the peeled aubergine flesh and set it aside.
6. Warm the oil in a kadai or wide pan, then fry the chopped onion and garlic until soft but not coloured.
7. Stir in the chopped green chilli and cook briefly.
8. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook, stirring, until the oil begins to separate from the mixture.
9. Mix in the red chilli powder.
10. Fold in the mashed aubergine, combining it thoroughly with the tomato and onion base.
11. Season with salt and cook for a further 4 to 5 minutes, stirring now and then.
12. Scatter over the coriander leaves before serving.

These steps were written by StreetOwl from the original recipe, in British English, with every oven temperature and cooking time checked against the source. They are not the original author’s words. If anything reads oddly, the original is linked below and it wins.