Baigan Bhurta - Grilled Eggplant Curry
A fuss-free super quick dinner with a ton of nutrients and fewer calories and if you cook it my way then you don't have to equate "healthy" with "tasteless".
A good home-cooked veggie curry is so darn delicious that you won’t even miss the meat. A humble pot of goodness filled with all the elements of healthy life – vegetables, olive oil, garlic, ginger, tomatoes, onions, a hint of spice and loads of love…!
Today’s meatless wonder is Baigan Bhurta/ Grilled Eggplant Curry! A fuss-free super quick dinner with a ton of nutrients and fewer calories and if you cook it my way then you don’t have to equate “healthy” with “tasteless".
This is how you cook it.
Wash the eggplants and dry them with a kitchen towel. Drizzle some olive oil on top.
Preheat oven grill to 5-10 minutes, setting 220C and place eggplants under the hot grill on an oven-proof tray with parchment paper or foil for 20 minutes.
While the eggplant is grilling, heat the olive oil over low heat in a large pot. Add the onion and cook it slow, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften and translucent about 7-10 minutes, add cumin.
Take the eggplant out after they are all wrinkly and charred.
Wrap it with a cling film and leave it aside to cool down for a couple of minutes.
Remove the skin (see video).
Chopped the flash to bite-size.
Now turn the heat up of the pan to medium and add garlic to the cooked onions along with the chopped eggplants, paprika, salt and red chilli/pepper flakes. Cook for about 7-8 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
Add tomato puree, chopped tomatoes and ghee, and stir fry for a couple of minutes. Cover and cook on low heat for 4-5 minutes.
Remove the lid and add green chilli and lemon juice, stir and cook until the oil oozed out. Taste for seasoning.
Garnish with coriander and serve hot with chapatis or your choice of bread or salad.
This is how you cook it.
Wash the eggplants and dry them with a kitchen towel. Drizzle some olive oil on top.
Preheat oven grill to 5-10 minutes, setting 220C and place eggplants under the hot grill on an oven-proof tray with parchment paper or foil for 20 minutes.
While the eggplant is grilling, heat the olive oil over low heat in a large pot. Add the onion and cook it slow, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften and translucent about 7-10 minutes, add cumin.
Take the eggplant out after they are all wrinkly and charred.
Wrap it with a cling film and leave it aside to cool down for a couple of minutes.
Remove the skin (see video).
Chopped the flash to bite-size.
Now turn the heat up of the pan to medium and add garlic to the cooked onions along with the chopped eggplants, paprika, salt and red chilli/pepper flakes. Cook for about 7-8 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
Add tomato puree, chopped tomatoes and ghee, and stir fry for a couple of minutes. Cover and cook on low heat for 4-5 minutes.
Remove the lid and add green chilli and lemon juice, stir and cook until the oil oozed out. Taste for seasoning.
Garnish with coriander and serve hot with chapatis or your choice of bread or salad.
Ingredients
- 2-3 medium eggplants
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion roughly chopped
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tbsp sriracha or chilli sauce
- 3-4 cloves garlic finely chopped
- ½ tsp red pepper or red dry chilli flakes grounded
- 1 tomato chopped
- 2 tbsp tomato puree or passata
- juice of half a lemon
- salt to taste
- Fresh coriander to garnish
- 1 tbsp ghee or butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven grill to 5-10 minutes, setting 220C. Wash the eggplants and dry them with a kitchen towel. Drizzle some olive oil and place it under the hot grill on an oven-proof tray with parchment paper or foil for 20 -25 minutes.
- While the eggplant is grilling, heat the olive oil in a large pot on low heat. Add the onions and cook it slow, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften and translucent about 7-10 minutes. Add cumin.
- Take the eggplant out after they are all wrinkly and charred, wrap it with a cling film and leave it aside to cool down for a couple of minutes. Remove the skin (see video) and chopped the flash to bite-size.
- Now turn the heat up of the deep pan to medium and add garlic to the cooked onions along with the chopped eggplants, paprika, salt, chilli sauce/sriracha and red chilli/pepper flakes. Cook for about 7-8 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
- Add tomato puree, chopped tomatoes and ghee. Stir fry for a couple of minutes. Cover and cook on low heat for 4-5 minutes.
- Remove the lid and add green chilli and lemon juice, stir and cook on medium to high heat until the oil oozed out about a couple of minutes. Taste for seasoning.
- Garnish with coriander and serve hot with warm chapatis or your choice of bread.
