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December 20, 2009 16 Comments

Mom’s Baingan Ka Bharta | Slow Cooked Eggplant Tomatoes Onions (vegan, gluten-free)

Baingan Da Bharta is a classic Punjabi subzi (with other variations), it also happens to be my most favorite Indian dish, and no one makes it as good as my Mom.  The irony is, this is the best dish my Mom makes, however she hates Bharta.  It is beyond me how someone can possibly hate Bharta?  Actually, I know the story behind why she hates Bharta, but I’ll not gross you out.

For the longest time I was intimidated to make Bharta. I assumed the Eggplant had to be roasted, not necessary.  Although, roasting the eggplant is the ideal way to make this Baingan ka Bharta, my Mom pressure cooks the eggplant.  The results are the same! I tried roasting the eggplant once and the inside of the eggplant was not soft; I quickly gave up.    Most people make this dish with tons of oil, my version has 2 tablespoons.  

After years and years, my Mom finally made this dish in front of me, earlier our timing never matched 🙂 So here goes… my Mom’s famous Bhingan ka Bharta and my most favorite Indian dish. It goes best with plain Parathas, however I also eat this dish with Roti, Naan, Rice, and toasted Bread, yes!  It is KICK-ASS!!!

NUTRITION: Tomatoes are a great source of Vitamins A and C.  Eggplant is a very good source of Fiber and Vitamin B1 (Thiamin).

INGREDIENTS:

    • Oil – 2 tbsp

 

    • Eggplant – 1 big (cut off the skin)
    • Red Onions – 2 medium (chopped)
    • Plum Tomatoes – 6 (chopped) or you can use 4 Regular Tomatoes
    • Red Chili Powder – 2.5 tsp (use 2 if you can’t handle spice)
    • McCormick Paprika- 2 tsp (this adds color, not spice)
    • salt to taste

 

 

DIRECTIONS:

1. Take an eggplant and cut the skin off as follows:

2. Cut the eggplant in half, place the eggplant in the pressure cooker, fill with water so half the eggplant is submerged.

3. Pressure cook on medium-high heat until you hear the first whistle go off.  Should take about 15-20 minutes.

NOTE: Be careful when handling pressure cookers, they can be dangerous!

4. In the meantime, chop the onions and tomatoes.

5. Remember to check on the pressure cooker, turn it off after 1 whistle.

6. Heat a pot on medium, add oil, add onions, and salt.

7. After a few minutes, add 1 tsp red chili powder and 1 tsp paprika.  This will add color to the onions.

8. Cook the onions until caramelized (golden-brown). This will take about 5-10 minutes.

9. Now add tomatoes and salt.

10. Add 1 tsp red chili powder and 1/2 tsp paprika.

11. Cover and simmer on low-medium heat (dial #4).  Cook this for about 20-30 minutes until the onions and tomatoes have combined.  Keep stirring in between to avoid burning.

12. Check on the eggplant!  This is what you should have.  Check to see if it is fork-tender.

13. Now place the eggplant in a strainer and rinse it.

14. Place the eggplant in a bowl and mash it with a fork.  You should not have to apply any pressure.

15. Back to the onion-tomato mixture. After 20-30 minutes, this is what you should have.  It is not important to have a paste consistency, just make sure the onions and tomatoes have combined.

16. Add the eggplant, salt, and combine.

17. Cover and cook on low-medium heat for 30 minutes.  This will slowly combine all the flavors, in addition, the color will darken.  Keep stirring in between.

18. After 30 minutes or so, add 1/2 tsp paprika, and 1/2 tsp red chili powder.  The chili powder is optional. 

Notice how there is water.  The next step is to allow the water to evaporate.

19. DON’T COVER and cook on low (dial #3) cook for another 30 minutes, or until the water has evaporated.  This is what you should have.  See how little it makes, you can never have enough Bharta!

 

Recipes You Will Love:

Palak Anda Curry (Spinach Egg Curry) Dhaniya Aloo Gobi (Potatoes & Cauliflower cooked in a Cilantro Paste) Gobi Tamatar ki Subzi (Cauliflower cooked in Tomatoes) Bhindi Fry | Okra sauteed with onions and spices (vegan, gluten-free, paleo, healthy, 7 ingredients)

Filed Under: 5 Ingredients or less, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Indian, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian, Vegetarian Tagged With: Recipes

Previous Post: « Gobi Tamatar ki Subzi (Cauliflower cooked in Tomatoes)
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Atul says

    December 20, 2009 at 5:47 pm

    Very nice recipe. How do I get a taste without cooking it???

    Reply
  2. ngs says

    December 20, 2009 at 6:19 pm

    Thanks Atul! Next time you guys are here, you HAVE to come over, no deepa/bitu excuses. Also, my mom has made this, you have probably tried it 🙂

    Reply
  3. Anonymous says

    December 22, 2009 at 2:23 pm

    This dish is stellar! Easy to make, just a bit time consuming. I made it last night and though I opted to cook it a bit longer (I added a bit more eggplant as I couldn't find one large one), I enjoyed it immensely…and so did my dinner guest and my husband, a very picky eater! I lost count of how many times they said, "This is REALLY good!" Worth every effort, Atul. I recommend you have at it:) Mari

    Reply
  4. ngs says

    December 22, 2009 at 2:40 pm

    Hi Mari,
    Yes, this dish is time consuming to make. The slow process of sauteing everything is what makes this dish incredibly flavorful. It is worth every effort 🙂
    Thanks for your feedback, will let my Mom know.

    Reply
  5. mb says

    January 28, 2010 at 1:33 am

    I made this over the weekend…tasted very close to what I am used to having there….first time it came out so good…

    Reply
  6. honeywhatscooking says

    January 28, 2010 at 3:16 am

    great mb. our mom's a good cook 🙂

    Reply
  7. The Bird Cage says

    November 10, 2010 at 10:08 pm

    Another great recipe! Just finished making it and I cannot wait for it to cool down enough so I can have it!

    Thanks!

    Reply
  8. honeywhatscooking says

    November 11, 2010 at 5:44 am

    @Bird Cage – Yup.. this one is awesome.. my mom's best recipe, EVER. It tastes awesome with roti, naan, paratha, and even toasted bread. I love it!

    Reply
  9. best hotel management colleges in Kolkata says

    April 28, 2015 at 10:46 am

    I came across your blog while looking for some Indian food recipes and liked a lot. How amazing! I will keep an eye out for all your recipes 🙂

    Reply
  10. Al Maline says

    December 4, 2015 at 11:12 pm

    Really felt like it needed Garam Masala at step 18 instead of more paprika. That worked well.

    Reply
  11. Simone says

    March 26, 2017 at 3:39 am

    Thanks for the recipe. I was after an easy one and this was it! Beautiful

    Reply
    • honeywhatscooking says

      March 28, 2017 at 3:33 am

      You’re so welcome. This is my favorite Indian dish, so glad you liked it. 🙂

      Reply
  12. Tamar says

    April 22, 2017 at 11:18 am

    Hi, what do you think about adding garlic? Can it work?

    Reply
    • honeywhatscooking says

      April 22, 2017 at 5:14 pm

      You can definitely add garlic, I wouldn’t add more than 2 cloves of garlic though. But absolutely, and you can even finish it off with fresh cilantro (dhaniya) leaves. Let me know how it goes. 🙂

      Reply
  13. Amy says

    August 18, 2018 at 7:06 pm

    Hi…. can you please tell me how many servings this recipe is for? I need it for 6. I’m really excited to make this with my Mom tomorrow so thank you!!!

    Reply
    • honeywhatscooking says

      August 20, 2018 at 1:05 am

      For 6 people, I would double the recipe Amy. This is probably good for 3 people. Bharta is never enough, always shrinks. 🙂

      Reply

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