Baingan bartha (Maharastrian style)
Baingan bartha is an eggplant dish much loved all over India. This maharastrian version of the dish is authentically traditionally cooked with the perfect blend of spices.
Yield: 4 people
Materials
- 1-2 large eggplants
- Handful and some more finely chopped green onion including green leaves of it
- (If available and you like- 2 or 3 teaspoons of finely chopped green garlic with its leaves)
- ¼ cup fresh peas
- 1-2 green chillies broken into 2/3 pieces each
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder(optional)
- ½ tsp red chilli powder
- Sufficient amount of oil + Cumin seeds + Rai (mustard seeds)
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- There are two methods for bharta as per maharastrian style:
Raw Method
- Wash, then wipe dry eggplant. Apply some oil on the surface of each one of them.
- Roast eggplants over the direct heat (Alternatively , Char-grill in an oven or over a wood / Charcoal fire to infuse smoke)
- Once the skin is blackened and comes away on touch , let them cool a bit and then peel the burnt skin. Reserve the drip also.
- Mash the flesh with hand and make it smooth. Put this in a large bowl.
- Add green onion (garlic if you have), green peas and salt.
- Heat some oil in the pan. Once heated sufficiently add rai (mustard seeds) >> cumin seeds >> green chilies. Let chilies to fry for 10/12 seconds.
- Pour this mix on to the flesh mix in the bowl. Mix well and serve with bhakri and thecha/ kharda
Fry Method
- Steps 1 till 5 same as above.
- In the step 6 above add turmeric after chilies then add the flesh to the pan of tadka. Sautè for some time say 1/2 mins. If required add some of the reserved drip to moist the bharta.
- Serve hot.
Kharda (Accompaniment)
- Wash and dry about 10/15 green chilies and half handful of coriander. Peel 5/7 cloves of garlic; break the chilies in to 2/3 pieces each.
- Heat about 1 – 1 1/2 tbsp of oil on the griddle (tava)
- Once heated sufficiently add chilies and garlic (make sure you have exhaust turned on and working!)
- Fry them for sometime say 30/40 sec over low heat. Turn the heat off. Now add salt to taste. Put this mix in a blender along with chopped coriander and blend it. NOT in a paste but roughly.
- Thecha is ready to serve. While serving put some raw groundnut oil on each serving. This is very very hot dish depending the chilies used. Eat and handle carefully!
