Super quick Baingan Bhartha (Eggplant Curry Masala)

 

Ingredients

Large Purple Eggplant (baingan) - 2

Large red (or yellow) onion - 1

Large tomatoes - 2

Garlic pods - 2-3

Ginger - 1 inch piece

Green chilly - 1

Cilantro - 2 tablespoons chopped

Fennel seeds (saunf)

Red chilly powder - about 1/8th teaspoon

Curry powder OR MDH Sabji Masala OR MDH Kitchen King OR Garam Masala - 1.5 teaspoons

Procedure - preparation - 5 minutes

Wash the 2 Eggplants, dry them and using a knife make a couple of cuts on the eggplant. Do not cut the eggplant, just make incisions to let the steam escape.

Preheat oven to 400 F and place the 2 eggplants on a oven safe pan or container; bake for 60 minutes

After 60 minutes, remove the eggplant and let it cool. If you want to use the next day, let the eggplant cool fully and refrigerate.

For a workday, I cook the eggplant during dinner time, let cool and refrigerate it. Next morning finishing takes 5 minutes.

Finishing procedure - about 5-7 minutes

Coarse cut the onions and tomatoes and keep separately

Chop the garlic, green chilly and ginger

Cut the top of the cooked eggplant and gently remove the skin. On the cutting board coarse cut the cooked eggplant (without skin)

Heat a pan, add 2 teaspoons of cooking oil

Add fennel seeds, as they are turning slightly brown add the onions, ginger, garlic and green chilly

Fry till the onions are cooked. Add a teaspoon of ghee to make the onions (and the dish) aromatic.

Add the tomatoes, Curry/Sabji Masala/Kitchen King powders and add 2 teaspoons of cooking oil

Also add the red chilly powder (do not add with Kitchen King as it is already spicy)

On medium heat, mix the tomatoes, onions, spice powers etc and cook till it get mushy. Turn off heat at this time.

Add the cut eggplant to the mix above. Use a handle blender to coarse blend the eggplant, onion-tomato mix. Add chopped cilantro to this.

Bring the pan to medium heat and stir the mix for 1-2 minutes.

At this point your Baingan Bhartha or Eggplant Curry Masala is ready to be enjoyed with roti, naan or any bread of your choice. If you have cooked basmati rice, you can add a plain dal to enjoy the rice with the Bhartha.