Baingan Ka Bhurta (Eggplant Cream/Paste)

Hello my lovely Readers and Viewers, hope you all have been well.I was away for some time,had been cooking of course but for guests :) How days run away one cannot even believe it's September and Autumn is knocking on our doors, i love Autumn and am looking forward to the orange and brown fall and candle light all over, i simply love Autumn :)

 

I had actually planned to make the Hyderabadi baghare Baingan   difficult to translate word to word in English, but a very unique dish with Egg plant in lots of roasted spices and tamarind sauce yummy :)

Well I go in the kitchen all set to start and what do I see, no peanuts, no tamarind, I had the sweet tamarind chutney but I needed the pulp and without my complete spices this dish was a No Go…

Well I had plan B , I made the equal yummy Eggplant Bhurta  : )

(Click on the Pictures for a larger Image)

To many it may be an Eggplant cream or paste but people who know the taste of it will know what a real treat and pleasure it is to eat the Bhurta and how the mouth waters while cooking it, at least I had it : ) We need no rocket science to make it but still many don’t know, so I thought to jot down the recipe for my readers who’d like to try this out : )

I remember my Mom dearest used to roast them on the gas stove and take of the skin and I used to think, why did she first burn it and then she took off the skin :/ Double Mopple work…

Now I know why :D anyway I have the hot plate stove, so well there is a solution to everything, so I burnt my eggplants in the oven:)

It is easy to make and very delish to enjoy it with Chapattis.

 

The fast and easy way is as follows step by step, I did not take pictures of each as it is cooked by itself I just moved my hands around lolz

Okay, so you take like 5-6 baby eggplants

Wash and dry and drizzle oil on them and rub all over

Place it in a baking tray and let them roast in the oven on 220°C around 20 minutes

This is how they will seem when first in the oven, and when taken out

You see the dents on them as they are cooked from inside and the Skin has left the grip

 

The skin will actually peel off by itself and you will get the cooked fruit of the eggplant

Take off the skin with a help of a fork, and scrape out the fruit and cut it in chunks

 

 

Now heat around ¼ cup of oil in a broad frying pan, sprinkle some cumin seeds and soon after the mustard seeds, let splutter for seconds and then add in;

1 large cubed onion to fry, and as the onions turn soft, add in

1 large cubed tomato,

 2-3 chopped green chilies,

 

 

 Spices as

 1 tsp salt,

1/2 tsp red chili

¼ tsp turmeric

 And lotsssssssa crushed fresh garlic!

This is the key to the Bhurta, the heavenly aroma you get is of the garlic mixed in spices

We need to taste the Eggplant and not only the hot spices, so have a control on the them :)

Stir all well, no water at all, just keep stirring to avoid it burn, once you see the oil showing up from sides, add the chopped eggplant and mix all with gentle hands.

 

Turn off the heat to a very low grade and let it simmer so all the spices and garlic spread well in the eggplant. It is actually ready in 15 minutes, just garnish with fresh coriander and enjoy with hot soft chapatti.

Bon Appetit  : )