Baingan Bharta (Smoky Mashed Eggplant)
Whole eggplants charred directly over a flame until smoky and collapsed, then mashed and cooked with onions, tomatoes, garlic and green chili. Rustic, smoky and deeply savory.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Roast the eggplants
Rub the whole eggplants with 1 tablespoon of the oil and poke each one a few times with a fork. Roast directly over a gas flame, or under a very hot broiler, for 15-20 minutes, turning often, until the skin is black all over and the inside feels completely soft when pressed.
- 2 large (about 800g) eggplants
- 1 tbsp oil
✅ Done when: skin is charred black and the eggplant feels totally soft/collapsed
Peel and mash
Cover the hot eggplants with a bowl for 5 minutes; the trapped steam loosens the skin. Peel off and discard the burnt skin, then roughly mash the soft flesh with a fork.
- all roasted eggplants from step 1
✅ Done when: skin peels off easily and flesh is roughly mashed with no large lumps
Cook the onion-tomato base
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Combine
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Roast the eggplants
Rub the whole eggplants with 1 tablespoon of the oil and poke each one a few times with a fork. Roast directly over a gas flame, or under a very hot broiler, for 15-20 minutes, turning often, until the skin is black all over and the inside feels completely soft when pressed.
- 2 large (about 800g) eggplants
- 1 tbsp oil
✅ Done when: skin is charred black and the eggplant feels totally soft/collapsed
Peel and mash
Cover the hot eggplants with a bowl for 5 minutes; the trapped steam loosens the skin. Peel off and discard the burnt skin, then roughly mash the soft flesh with a fork.
- all roasted eggplants from step 1
✅ Done when: skin peels off easily and flesh is roughly mashed with no large lumps
Cook the onion-tomato base
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Combine
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
The Story Behind the Dish
Roasting vegetables directly in the embers of a fire is one of the oldest cooking methods, and eggplant takes on a wonderful smokiness when cooked this way. 'Bharta' means mashed.
Punjab's version is cooked with onions and tomatoes; Bihar's baingan chokha is mixed raw with mustard oil and garlic; Bengal's begun pora is similar.
⭐ Why It's Famous
Smoky, rustic and vegan, baingan bharta shows how much flavour fire alone can give a vegetable.
💡 Fun Fact
Eggplant is native to the Indian subcontinent and has been cultivated there for thousands of years.
Punjab, also Bengal and Bihar
30.90°N, 75.86°E
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