Call it Bharta. Call it Subji or Gujarati, but this mashed eggplant dish is just delicious. The first time I tried this recipe, I’ll admit, I was not expecting it to be this good. Now I’m a little addicted to this mashed eggplant goodness.
Depending on where you reside between northern India or Pakistan you may refer to this veg dish as Bharta. If you are Punjabi you may refer to this veg mix as Subji. Or maybe you live in the good ‘ol US of A and just love creating healthy Indian meals and are looking for a great eggplant recipe. It doesn’t matter if you love brinjal or you heart eggplant; This is the new veg side dish you have been looking for! This mashed eggplant dish is truly delicious. When it comes to Indian food this si also one of the easiest dishes to prepare. I love creating this for my vegan and vegetarian friends. (You can make this vegan by using coconut oil instead of the ghee)
Here in southern California, I heard a rumor that tomorrow is the first day of spring. And to celebrate, we enjoyed five days straight of snowy days! And I may have roasted and mashed an eggplant or two in between snowshoeing.
So what do you do with this amazing eggplant spread?
- Wrap it in a flatbread with some rotisserie chicken.
- Have it on the side of your Lamb Koobideh.
- Looking for a vegetarian wrap? This is fantastic wrapped in some chard with fennel, shredded carrots and radish slices.
You can easily make this a vegan dish by using coconut oil instead of ghee.
Brinjal Bharta
10 curry leaves
2 teaspoons ghee
1 small red onion, sliced thin
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon of salt
1 cinnamon stick
2 red chiles
1 teaspoon grated garlic
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 eggplant
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup of water
Slice the eggplant in half. Cover it with with the olive oil on the two halves and bake on broil for 15 minutes until the eggplant is browned. Set aside to cool. While the eggplant is baking work on the masala.
In the ghee, roast the curry leaves and set them aside. Roast the red chiles and set them aside as well. Put the onion slices in the oil and cook for at least ten minutes until nicely browned. In a nutri bullet grind the onions, chiles and the eggplant (Slice the top off of the eggplant first) Return the eggplant puree to your wok. Mix in the garlic, ginger cumin and coriander. Roast the spices well, adding water a your masala dries. SPend at least fifteen minutes roasting your spices so they are not raw. Mix in your cinnamon stick, turmeric and salt. Let your Bharta simmer on low for twenty minutes, stirring every few minutes.
