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This Baingan Bharta is an easy, comforting and satisfying curry that’s popular in North India. The eggplants are smoked in a broiler/grill and then mashed with Indian spices. Each bite is loaded with flavor, so I know you’ll love it! This mouth-watering Indian recipe is also naturally vegan and gluten-free.
This authentic Indian curry is…
- vegan
- gluten free
- healthy
- easy
- delicious
What you’ll need to make this Indian Baingan Bharta Curry…
- eggplants / aubergines
- tomatoes
- red onions
- garlic
- chillies
- cumin seeds
- mustard seeds
- curry leaves – dry or fresh
- ground turmeric
- ground coriander-cumin or half of each
- chilli powder
- salt
- brown sugar
- lemon juice
- fresh coriander
Smoking the eggplant…
Smoking the eggplants is what makes this Indian curry taste SO good. Traditionally, it’s smoked directly over a flame but I wanted this recipe to require less effort, and most importantly, less clean up.
Wash your eggplants, then pierce them once with a knife, try your best not to go through the eggplant completely. But if it happens, it’s okay! That’s the beauty of this recipe, it’s incredibly forgiving.
Ok back to the recipe, once you pierce the eggplants, add around 1/2-1 tsp of oil to your hands and massage the eggplants until they’re covered in oil. I like adding the oil to my hands rather than drizzling the oil over the eggplants because this way, my hands absorb a little of the oil, which will ensure the eggplants aren’t drenched in the oil. And trust me, you do not want that to happen, as it becomes tricky to flip the eggplants when they’re broiling/grilling.
Place them on a baking tray and broil/grill them. This will take anywhere between 30-40 minutes to do. You want to make sure you flip the eggplants every 15 minutes or so. The eggplants are done when they are slightly deflated and they have charred all over.
Remove them from the oven and set them aside until the masala is ready.
Making the masala for the Baingan Bharta Curry…
I personally like to start this process while the eggplants are broiling/grilling. This saves time and also means the eggplants don’t cool down completely.
Heat oil in a pan over low-medium heat. Add in mustard seeds, and once they start to pop and in cumin seeds. Cook until cumin seeds become golden/fragrant.
Add in the curry leaves with onions and once they become translucent, add in the finely chopped garlic. Cook until onions are slightly golden.
Add the chopped tomatoes, green chillies, chilli powder, salt, ground turmeric and ground coriander-cumin powder. Mix together and cook for 3-5 minutes.
If at this point your eggplants haven’t finished grilling, just turn off the flame for the masala, cover with a lid and set aside until needed. And once the eggplants are done, I like to just place the pan back over medium heat for 1-3 minutes.
Adding the smoked eggplant into the curry…
Once the eggplants are done broiling/grilling, allow them to cool slightly – I like to do this to avoid burning myself.
From the stem, peel the skin off both eggplants. Try your best to only remove the skin and not the flesh. Sometimes the flesh does peel off with the skins, so I simply scrape them out using a spoon.
I like to use a large spoon to smash the eggplants – it’s fine if it’s there are a few small chunks, I personally prefer when there are a few small chunks as it adds to the texture profile.
Tips on making Baingan Bharta perfectly…
chopping the fresh produce – be sure to finely chop the onions, garlic, green chillies and tomatoes.
patience – give the eggplants enough time to char.
removing the eggplant skin – remove the skin just before it’s needed and not any sooner. Leaving eggplants without their skins to sit for too long can result in the eggplant flesh becoming darker.
What to serve with this delicious Authentic Indian Eggplant curry…
My favourite way to enjoy this Indian curry is with roti and onions! You can also serve this curry with store-bought naans or even store-bought parathas.
How to store this vegan Eggplant curry…
Store in an air-tight container or in a bowl, covered with a lid/plate in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.
Did you try this mind-blowing Baingan Bharta?
Tag me over on Instagram when you make this vegan curry! And leave a comment and rating below, letting me know how much you enjoyed this delicious eggplant curry!
More Authentic Indian vegan recipes you need to make asap:
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Ingredients
- 2 medium eggplants (aka aubergines)
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 4–5 curry leaves (dried or fresh)
- 2 small red onions (diced )
- 7–8 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
- 2 tomato (diced )
- 1–2 green chilies
- 1/8 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/2 tsp chilli powder
- salt (to taste)
- 1 tsp coriander-cumin powder (or half of each)
- 1/2 – 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 2–3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
Instructions
Charing the eggplants
- Preheat grill/broiler to its highest temperature. Wash eggplants, dry them then add around 1/2-1tsp oil to your hands and massage the eggplants. Pierce the eggplants once, then place them onto a baking tray and broil/grill for 45 minutes or until charred all over. Be sure to flip the eggplant once every 15 minutes or so.
Baingan Bharta
- Heat oil in a pan over low-medium heat, add mustard seeds and once they start to pop add in cumin seeds. Cook until cumin seeds are fragrant. Add curry leaves and onions, cook until onions are translucent. Add garlic, then cook until onions are slightly golden.
- Add chopped tomatoes, chilli powder, ground turmeric, ground coriander-cumin, salt and green chillies. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
- While the tomatoes are cooking, peel the eggplant skin and mash with a large spoon. Add mashed eggplant into the masala. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Add lemon juice, sugar and chopped coriander. Cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Serve warm with roti and raw onions!
Nutrition
- Calories: 169
