Friday 2 July 2010

A Very Tasty Fenugreek and Eggplant Bharta

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Not everybody likes eggplant but at my place everyone enjoys eating all the varieties of eggplant. The eggplant used for making Bharta (mash) is large and almost round in shape and is dark purple in colour. See the picture here .
Every house has their own version of making Baingan ka Bharta ( bharit in marathi ). Bharit means something mashed. One can roast the vegetable first or steam cook it before mashing. Even the eggplant can be either roasted or steamed before mashing but the taste imparted by the eggplant is distinctly different in both the methods.  I always insert garlic in the eggplant while roasting, this imparts a very unusual burnt garlic flavour to the eggplant.
We personally like the roasted version as we enjoy the smoky taste in the eggplant. The steamed version is good for making Raita which I will post sometime.
Yesterday, when I decided to make Bharta, I wanted to bring in some additional flavor to the eggplant. I was searching things in my freezer when my hand landed on a small bag of frozen methi (fenugreek leaves) which I had very conveniently forgotten was existing in the fridge.
Instantly I knew what I wanted to do to my eggplant. I also have made a big batch of frozen peas which really comes out handy for cooking. You can check out how I made the frozen peas in my other blog Kitchen-Basics.
I must admit that a blend of methi (fenugreek) and baingan tastes very unusual. It's a must try if you like experimenting with flavors.
Ingredients
2 medium eggplants(roasted)
1 large onion-chopped
2 medium tomatoes-chopped
3-4 tbsp chopped methi (fenugreek leaves)
a small handful of peas
2 green chillies
6-8 pods garlic
an inch of ginger
1-2 tsp red chilli powder
2 tbsp coriander powder
salt to taste
oil to cook
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp garam masala (optional)
chopped cilantro
Method
Put a drop of oil on the eggplant and spread it on the entire surface . Make 2 small incisions on each eggplant and insert a garlic pod in it, then roast it on the gas burner (this infuses the flavor of garlic well in the eggplant)
Once the eggplant is roasted, cool it and then immerse it in a container filled with water and peel the burnt top layer( Peeling in water makes the process simpler) then mash it.
Heat oil and add mustard seeds and let them splutter.
Add the finely chopped onions, saute till light brown.
Grate ginger and 2 pods of garlic and add it to the onions and saute till the raw smell disappears.
Add green chillies, tomatoes, salt and cook till oil separates.
Now put turmeric, red chili, coriander powder and saute.
Add peas and methi and cook on high flame till the bitter smell of methi disappears and it has blended well in the tomato base.
Put mashed eggplant, cilantro and mix well. Cook for 3-4 mins .
Sprinkle garam masala,  mix and switch off the flame. (I did not add it this time )
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I am extremely happy with my Futura pan, it completely separates the oil from the curry. Which pan do you use?
Sending this Crispy Bottle Gourd Peel Chutney to Nithu’s “Best Out Of waste event”.
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39 comments:

Dori said...

Looks great! I'm bookmarking to try, I love eggplant :)

Pari Vasisht said...

Thanks Meeso for that quick comment. Let me know when u try it.

Prema said...

Wow very tempting! luks delicious...

Suji said...

Eggplant bhartha is so so good, we love this vegetable..will def try this pari..

Love
Kairali sisters

Mythreyi Dilip said...

Baingan bharta with methi sounds flavorful dear! Will try this:)

Pari Vasisht said...

Thanks Prema, Kairali sis and Mythreyi.

chakhlere said...

wow..never tried methi and eggplant. I love both so its a great combo. Yummy.

Sayantani Mahapatra Mudi said...

looks delicious. love this with rotis.

Anonymous said...

more than the gravy, the little oil towards the end caught my attention and by the look of it, i wud love it

Pari Vasisht said...

Sorry to disappoint u shubha, it's not the oil in the corners, it's the water and oil mix which the bharta releases and thanks to my futura karahi for that. ;-)

Jayanthy Kumaran said...

healthy recipe. Thanks pari...will try out soon and let you know...!

SS blogs here said...

I love all variations of eggplant bhartas. Just made the raita this week again. Will keep this one in mind for future. Thanks!

Unknown said...

Pari, what a wonderful looking bharta and I am sure it was aromatic as well with methi leaves. Please do send it to my think spice: think fenugreek event :)

Kiran said...

Eggplant bharta and Bottlegourd chutney look very delicious.

RV said...

Looks yumm Pari.. I love eggplant barthas. Am sure it should taste great with Fenugreek..

Indian Cuisine Blogroll said...

Bharta looks very inviting..would definitely want to try it...

Lorraine said...

Yummy! This looks so good. I love eggplant. I just wish I could eat this right now:)

Simplyfood said...

Very innovative and tasty bhartha.Adding fenugreek is a really good idea.looks wonderful.

Suja Manoj said...

Looks so delicious..aromatic and tempting.

PranisKitchen said...

made the baigan bartha very healthy by adding delicious fenugreek leaves.. looks so yumm.. feel to grab some

Priya Suresh said...

Such a beautiful baingan bharta, love the additiong of methi leaves, very tempting dish..

Krishnaveni said...

curry looks great, must be delicious

jayasree said...

Bhartha looks sooo delicious. Adding methi and peas makes it more interesting.

Ushnish Ghosh said...

Dear Pari
I like Baigan in its all form , including sweet dish..This is avery nice and tasty dish..will try soon
ushnishda

divya said...

Very innovative recipe,luks fantastic...

Ash said...

Looks very very enticing.... Of all the baigan bhartas tasted or came across so far... this is the BEST..... I loved the very first look of it..... Surely a delicacy to relish with rotis or paratas..... :-)

Ash...
(http://asha-oceanichope.blogspot.com/)

Indian Khana said...

I do almost same too Pair and like only the roast method with inserted garlic :)...looks fab and making me to crave for some :)d

Deepa said...

wow, this looks so yummy..I am personally not very fond of egg plant but love bhartas..so suits me..love the idea of inserting garlic into the egg plant.

Mina Joshi said...

The Bharta looks delicious- one of my favourite dishes. I grill my aubergine and haven't used fenugreek but will do so now.

I am not sure if you are aware that Priya is running an event where your recipe would be good: Her blog is

Mharo Rajasthan's Recipes - Rajasthan A State in Western India: Think Spice - Think Fenugreek.

Sailaja Damodaran said...

Turned out so good...........love with roti

Sushma Mallya said...

Looks really tasty, loved that you used methi, it gives such a nice flavour to any dish...

Parita said...

Thats very different and innovative bharta dear, addition of methi sounds nice twist!

Unknown said...

looks so tempting and yumm..

Jeyashris Kitchen said...

adding garlic while roasting sounds yummy. will try this out next time. thanks for suggesting me the kadai

Anisheetu said...

looks yummy... as you said we have a diff way.. this one also looks good... nice one

Uma said...

looks sooo tempting!! Yum!!

Btw, I added your new blog to my blog list. Hope you would add mine to your blog list too :)

http://www.trendyrelish.com/

Pari Vasisht said...

Priti, I am so glad to know that u also insert garlic, same pinch girl.
Jeyashri, Thanks dear to read the post so carefully and picking up the small notes, do try the karahi, it's amazing to work with and ya, the garlic thing will surely leave you impressed.
Thanks Mina for the suggestion even Priya has asked, will surely send it to her event.
Asha, that's so sweet of you to say this is the BEST bharta, I am touched dear.
Deepa, do try inserting the garlic, you will love the roasted garlic flavour.

Padhu Sankar said...

Sounds interesting Pari .Next time I will give this a try

Jayashree said...

I like your idea of inserting garlic into the eggplant while roasting. Will try it out next time i make bhartha.

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