Baigan Ka Bharta: Eggplant Mash: Pressure Cooker Method

Did you notice the white and blue bowl? It’s a new purchase for just 25 pence each-great buy isn’t it? I can’t stop myself when I see blue, white and flowers. What did you do on the long weekend?

Today’s post is Baigan Ka Bharta, a very popular Punjabi north Indian dish. Baingan in English is known as aubergine, eggplant or brinjal and bharta means mash. There are many ways to make begun ka bharta but the most common is to smoke or roast begun on open charcoal fire, peel the burnt skin and mash it with fork. If you have less time in hand do take a look at my Microwave Baigan Ka Bharta.

Looking for baigan (Eggplant) recipes? Check these out:

Baked Eggplants In Nutty Curry

Achari Baingan

Baingan Ki Chutney

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 Agrawal

Recipe type: Side, Dip, Spread

Cuisine: Punjabi, North-Indian

Serves-2-3

Ingredients:

2 large eggplants/baigun

1 medium size onion chopped finely

2 medium size tomato chopped finely

8 cloves garlic chopped roughly

1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds/dhaniya

1 dry red red chilli

1 bay leaf/tej patta

2 tablespoons ghee/oil

1/4 teaspoon cumin/jeera

2 pinch asafoetida/hing

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder/haldi

1 teaspoon red chilli powder/lal mirch

1/2 teaspoon coriander powder/dhaniya

1/2 teaspoon garam massala (recipe here)
2 green chillies slitted

Salt to taste

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon coriander leaves chopped finely

Method:

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 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 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, green chillies 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.

Mom's Special Baigan Bharta On Mother's Day, Step By Step And Video Tutorial

"God created someone who is wise & who only knows to love and make sacrifices.. One who encourages and one who never gives up.. In short, God created WOMEN… For me that special women is my Mother.

On the occasion of Mother's Day I planned to make my Mom’s special Baigan Ka Bharta. This dish reminds me of the days when I hated to eat baigan and she used to explain me that one must not be so fussy and eat all the vegetables. I know the efforts she made to make this dish so that I can enjoy and forget that it had baigan in it. And yes! I must say she was successful (like always) and I relished the subzi. I still do not know what was so special about the method-all I know is that she cooked with love.

All of us have one women who means a lot to us. For me, it was always my mother. She is my guide, friend and my support. I can’t thank her enough for all her sacrifices and endeavours she has done to make me what I am today.  

Today’s post is for her. Happy Mother's Day.

Watch the Video Tutorial

Ingredients’: Baigan/Brinjal/Eggplant- 2 medium size Pyaz/onion-1 chopped Garlic/lehsuni- 5-6 cloves Tamatar/tomatoes-2 chopped Coriander/dhaniya seeds- 2 tbsp crushed Green chillies/hari mirch-2 chopped Red chilli powder/lal mirch- 1 tsp Turmeric powder/haldi- 1tsp Coriander/dhaniya powder- 2tsp Garam Masala-1/2 tsp Cumin seeds/jeera- 1tsp Salt to taste Oil- 5 tbsp Method:- Wash baigan thoroughly. Peel of the skin and chop in rings. Take a microwave safe bowl and add 3 tbsp of oil in it. Also mix garlic cloves in the bowl. Coat everything in the oil well.   Put the baigan clove mixture in the microwave on high for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes cover with lid and cook for next 5 minutes.  Heat remaining oil in the pan. When oil gets hot, add cumin seeds. Let them crackle.  Once seeds gets brown, add chopped onions. After onions mixes chopped green chilies.  Mix in it crushes coriander seeds and stir well. Let the whole vegetable mixture cook for 5 minutes or till onions get pink in color.  When onions are done, mix the microwaved bargain-garlic mixture.  Next, throw 2 chopped tomatoes and mix well.  Add in some salt to taste. Throw red chilli powder. Next goes in Coriander /dhaniya powder  Haldi powder/turmeric.  Add some garam masala  Finally add 1/2 glass of water.  Mix everything really well. Cook it with lid on for 5-8 minutes or till oil separates and tomatoes are mashed up.  Serve Hot with rice or paratha of your choice.

Notes:

I added 2 chopped chillies because the chillies were not very hot.

I microwaved  baigan, it can be roasted on the gas top or can be grilled in the oven as well.

Taste:

Spicy, hot with smoky flavour of baigan

Linking this for Mom's Special event

Baigan Ka Bharta In Microwave: Eggplant Mash:

"God created someone who is wise & who only knows to love and make sacrifices.. One who encourages and one who never gives up.. In short, God created WOMEN… For me that special women is my Mother.

On the occasion of Mother's Day I planned to make my Mom’s special Baigan Ka Bharta. This dish reminds me of the days when I hated to eat baingan and she used to explain me that one must not be so fussy and eat all the vegetables. I know the efforts she made to make this dish so that I can enjoy and forget that it had baigan in it. And yes! I must say she was successful (like always) and I relished the subzi. I still do not know what was so special about the method-all I know is that she cooked with love.

All of us have one women who means a lot to us. For me, it was always my mother. She is my guide, friend and my support. I can’t thank her enough for all her sacrifices and endeavours she has done to make me what I am today.  

Today’s post is for her. Happy Mother's Day.

Watch the Video Tutorial

Ingredients’: Baigan/Brinjal/Eggplant- 2 medium size Pyaz/onion-1 chopped Garlic/lehsuni- 5-6 cloves Tamatar/tomatoes-2 chopped Coriander/dhaniya seeds- 2 tbsp crushed Green chillies/hari mirch-2 chopped Red chilli powder/lal mirch- 1 tsp Turmeric powder/haldi- 1tsp Coriander/dhaniya powder- 2tsp Garam Masala-1/2 tsp Cumin seeds/jeera- 1tsp Salt to taste Oil- 5 tbsp Method:- Wash baigan thoroughly. Peel of the skin and chop in rings. Take a microwave safe bowl and add 3 tbsp of oil in it. Also mix garlic cloves in the bowl. Coat everything in the oil well.   Put the baigan clove mixture in the microwave on high for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes cover with lid and cook for next 5 minutes.  Heat remaining oil in the pan. When oil gets hot, add cumin seeds. Let them crackle.  Once seeds gets brown, add chopped onions. After onions mixes chopped green chilies.  Mix in it crushes coriander seeds and stir well. Let the whole vegetable mixture cook for 5 minutes or till onions get pink in color.  When onions are done, mix the microwaved bargain-garlic mixture.  Next, throw 2 chopped tomatoes and mix well.  Add in some salt to taste. Throw red chilli powder. Next goes in Coriander /dhaniya powder  Haldi powder/turmeric.  Add some garam masala  Finally add 1/2 glass of water.  Mix everything really well. Cook it with lid on for 5-8 minutes or till oil separates and tomatoes are mashed up.  Serve Hot with rice or paratha of your choice.

Notes:

I added 2 chopped chillies because the chillies were not very hot.

I microwaved  baigan, it can be roasted on the gas top or can be grilled in the oven as well.

Taste:

Spicy, hot with smoky flavour of baigan