Indian Eggplant Spread Cooked Over Hot Embers

Corinne

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:08:07 GMT

Does anyone have any information about your whereabouts? It"s been too long since your last post. Hope you are keeping well. thanks for recommending Magic of Fire an amazing book.

Ria

Fri, 14 Jan 2011 16:53:37 GMT

Hi....luvd ur recipe...u can also cook the brinjals on a stove top...u wont miss on the flavour though...i hv been eating a different version since childhood that my mum makes...urs is a good change..

fx

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 10:34:04 GMT

Parshu thank you ever so much for your most learned comments, I am glad my baingain bartha passed the inspection of a keen Indian foodie. Heating the mustard oil seems like the way to go!

fx

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 09:09:11 GMT

Aarathi I am flattered an Indian would want to try my recipe! Sesame oil seems a much better choice of oil than mustard oil in my opinion. Thanks for your visit!

Aarthi

Fri, 7 Dec 2007 04:20:12 GMT

I am a South Indian and cook this dish a little differently. I give a liberal coat of cooking oil on the eggplant and show it to the flames of my gas stove, turning it gradually on all sides.(This is for those who might not be able to smoke them on embers). In south India, we don"t use mustard oil (as is done in the north) but use sesame oil instead, which gives it a different taste. I just saute chopped onions, curry leaves and split red chillies in cooking oil, add a 1/4tsp of turmeric powder, stir it for a second and add the mashed eggplant, finally garnishing with chopped coriander leaves. Not really as interesting as the recipe given here...We eat it with dosas (rice pancakes) and chappathis. The seasoning you have used is really a refreshing idea and I am going to try it out. Thanks for this wonderful and detailed recipe!

parshu.narayanan

Mon, 3 Dec 2007 13:32:32 GMT

Great to read the bharta recipe here fx. Cynthia is right, in Eastern India, fm where many trinidadians can trace their ancestry, it is called Chokha, Bharta is the mainstream North Indian name. Today most Indian households would saute chopped onions and tomatoes in mustard oil and then add the smoked aubergine-pulp and spices. In the east, particularly Bengal & Orissa, they also make a salad version ( shades of mutabel) in which the pulp is cooled and mixed with some chopped onion and a little chopped green chillie, some lemon is squeezed over and it"s spiked with a dash of cold mustard oil. ( mustard oil loses its nose-tingling pungency when heated and shares it instead with the rest of the house through its aroma)I congratulate you on your thorough sourcing, the mustard oil bottle says in the pic "Sarson" ( mustard in Hindi :-) )

fx

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 16:18:23 GMT

You can bake them in an oven but you"ll miss out the smokey taste!

jaleel

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 08:48:42 GMT

You neednt place the eggplants over the coal.. leave a half inch gap or so by using a fork or kebab rod or something... Because, in India, we make it with the skin on.. and I guess it also does add to the taste of the dish...

Cruelty-free vegetarian store

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 01:31:21 GMT

I really loved your bhaigan bhartha! Awesome!Instead of the large fire shall I burn the bhaigan over the stove? Will the tast differ?

Sherri

Sat, 17 Nov 2007 17:25:11 GMT

How different would it be if we used mustard seeds instead of mustard seeds OIL?

Cynthia

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 21:21:00 GMT

We have a similar version of this in the Caribbean called eggplant choka. The eggplant is pierced all over and slivers of garlic inserted then it is roasted. We add a roasted tomato to the mixture also.I"ll definitely try your version with the spices and re-cooked by saute.

Alex

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 15:10:21 GMT

Great recipe and great cookbook recommendation. Have you considered posting a list of your 20 favorite cookbooks? I"m sure a lot of your readers would appreciate it.