Baingan bharta is a dish of grill-charred aubergine mashed and folded into a spiced masala of onion, tomato, garlic, ginger, and green chilli, cooked in mustard oil and finished with lemon juice and fresh coriander. Smoky, soft, and deeply savoury, it sits somewhere between a thick curry and a rough-textured purée — substantial and comforting.
3piece
1piece
2piece
2tbsp
2tbsp
1tsp
950g
2.5g
1piece
2tsp
1tsp
0.5tsp
1tsp
1tsp
30ml
1tbsp| # | Product | Quantity | Notes | State | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | 3piece | — | — | |
| 2 | | 1piece | — | — | |
| 3 | | 2piece | — | — | |
| 4 | | 2tbsp | — | — | |
| 5 | | 2tbsp | — | — | |
| 6 | | 1tsp | — | — | |
| 7 | | 950g | — | — | |
| 8 | | 2.5g | — | — | |
| 9 | | 1piece | — | — | |
| 10 | | 2tsp | — | — | |
| 11 | | 1tsp | — | — | |
| 12 | | 0.5tsp | — | — | |
| 13 | | 1tsp | — | — | |
| 14 | | 1tsp | — | — | |
| 15 | | 30ml | — | — | |
| 16 | | 1tbsp | — | — |
Turn the grill to its highest setting and leave it to heat up fully.
Press each garlic clove firmly with the flat of your hand to loosen the skin, then slip the skins off and discard them.
Garlic clove · 3 piece
Rock the knife over the peeled garlic cloves, gathering and repeating until they are finely minced.
Halve the onion through the root and peel away the papery outer skin, discarding it.
Yellow onion · 1 pieceChop the peeled onion half into a rough medium dice, then repeat with the second half.
Cut the tomatoes into a rough chop, keeping any juices that run out.
Ripe tomatoes · 2 pieceGather the coriander leaves into a bunch and chop them roughly.
Coriander leaves · 2 tbspTip the chopped coriander leaves into a small bowl and set aside until needed.
Pour the mustard oil into the large frying pan.
Mustard oil · 2 tbsp
Set the pan over a high heat and let the mustard oil smoke briefly until it loses its raw pungency, then reduce to medium-high.
Tip the cumin seeds into the hot oil and let them sizzle and pop for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
Cumin seeds · 1 tspAdd the chopped onion to the pan and fry, stirring regularly, for around 8–9 minutes until golden and soft.
Hold the aubergines under cold running water, turning them to rinse the skins all over.
Aubergine · 950 g
Lay the rinsed aubergines on the grill tray in a single layer.
Slide the grill tray under the grill broiler, positioning it close to the heat source.
Char the aubergines, turning them with tongs every 5 minutes, until the skins are blackened all over and the flesh has completely collapsed, about 25 minutes total.
Lift the charred aubergines into a colander set over the sink to catch the bitter juices.
Leave the charred aubergines to rest and drain in the colander for 10 minutes until cool enough to handle.
Tear away the charred skins with your fingers and discard them, leaving the smoky flesh on the board.
Use a fork to mash the peeled flesh into a rough, uneven purée, keeping some texture.
Rinse the piece of fresh ginger under cold water, rubbing away any dirt.
Fresh ginger · 2.5 gScrape the skin from the ginger with the edge of a teaspoon or a peeler.
Grate the peeled ginger on the fine side of the grater.
Scrape the minced garlic and grated ginger into the pan with the onion and fry, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes until the raw smell is gone.
Rinse the green chilli under cold water.
Green chilli · 1 pieceTrim the stalk and chop the green chilli finely.
Tip the chopped tomatoes and chopped green chilli into the pan.
Add the ground coriander to the pan.
Ground coriander · 2 tspAdd the ground cumin to the pan.
Ground cumin · 1 tspAdd the ground turmeric to the pan.
Ground turmeric · 0.5 tspAdd the Kashmiri chilli powder to the pan.
Kashmiri chilli powder · 1 tspAdd the salt to the pan and stir everything together.
Salt · 1 tspSplash in the water to help the spices cook without catching.
Water · 30 mlStir the pan well, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer the masala for about 9 minutes, stirring often, until the tomatoes break down completely and the oil begins to separate at the edges.
Fold the mashed aubergine into the masala, stirring to combine everything thoroughly.
Simmer the mixture over medium heat, stirring regularly, for about 5–6 minutes until the aubergine is deeply flavoured and the whole dish has thickened to a rough, cohesive purée.
Squeeze the lemon juice over the pan and stir it through.
Lemon juice · 1 tbsp| # | Product | Tool | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | — | | Turn the grill to its highest setting and leave it to heat up fully.⏱ 10 min |
| 2 | 3 piece | | Press each garlic clove firmly with the flat of your hand to loosen the skin, then slip the skins off and discard them.⏱ 30sResultPeeled garlic cloves |
| 3 | Peeled garlic clovesstep 2 | | Rock the knife over the peeled garlic cloves, gathering and repeating until they are finely minced.⏱ 40sResultMinced garlicused in step 19 |
| 4 | 1 piece | | Halve the onion through the root and peel away the papery outer skin, discarding it.⏱ 30sResultPeeled yellow onion |
| 5 | Peeled yellow onionstep 4 | | Chop the peeled onion half into a rough medium dice, then repeat with the second half.⏱ 1 minResultRoughly chopped yellow onionused in step 12 |
| 6 | 2 piece | | Cut the tomatoes into a rough chop, keeping any juices that run out.⏱ 45sResultChopped tomatoesused in step 19 |
| 7 | 2 tbsp | | Gather the coriander leaves into a bunch and chop them roughly.⏱ 30sResultChopped coriander |
| 8 | Chopped corianderstep 7 | | Tip the chopped coriander leaves into a small bowl and set aside until needed.⏱ 5sResultChopped corianderused in step 39 |
| 9 | 2 tbsp | | Pour the mustard oil into the large frying pan.⏱ 5sResultMustard oil |
| 10 | — | | Set the pan over a high heat and let the mustard oil smoke briefly until it loses its raw pungency, then reduce to medium-high.⏱ 1 min 30sResultHot mustard oil |
| 11 | 1 tsp | | Tip the cumin seeds into the hot oil and let them sizzle and pop for about 30 seconds until fragrant.⏱ 37sResultCumin-bloomed mustard oil |
| 12 | Roughly chopped yellow onionstep 5 | | Add the chopped onion to the pan and fry, stirring regularly, for around 8–9 minutes until golden and soft.⏱ 9 minResultSoftened onion masala base |
| 13 | 950 g | | Hold the aubergines under cold running water, turning them to rinse the skins all over.⏱ 30sResultRinsed Aubergine |
| 14 | Rinsed Auberginestep 13 | | Lay the rinsed aubergines on the grill tray in a single layer.⏱ 10sResultRinsed aubergine |
| 15 | — | | Slide the grill tray under the grill broiler, positioning it close to the heat source.⏱ 5sResultRinsed aubergine |
| 16 | — | | Char the aubergines, turning them with tongs every 5 minutes, until the skins are blackened all over and the flesh has completely collapsed, about 25 minutes total.⏱ 25 minResultGrilled aubergine |
| 17 | Grilled auberginestep 16 | | Lift the charred aubergines into a colander set over the sink to catch the bitter juices.⏱ 15sResultGrilled aubergine |
| 18 | — | | Leave the charred aubergines to rest and drain in the colander for 10 minutes until cool enough to handle.⏱ 10 minResultRested aubergine |
| 19 | Minced garlicstep 3 | | Tear away the charred skins with your fingers and discard them, leaving the smoky flesh on the board.⏱ 1 min 30sResultPeeled aubergine |
| Chopped tomatoesstep 6 | |||
| 20 | — | | Use a fork to mash the peeled flesh into a rough, uneven purée, keeping some texture.⏱ 1 minResultMashed aubergineused in step 35 |
| 21 | 2.5 g | | Rinse the piece of fresh ginger under cold water, rubbing away any dirt.⏱ 30sResultRinsed ginger |
| 22 | — | | Scrape the skin from the ginger with the edge of a teaspoon or a peeler.⏱ 20sResultPeeled ginger |
| 23 | — | | Grate the peeled ginger on the fine side of the grater.⏱ 20sResultGrated Fresh Ginger |
| 24 | Grated Fresh Gingerstep 23 | | Scrape the minced garlic and grated ginger into the pan with the onion and fry, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes until the raw smell is gone.⏱ 2 minResultFragrant onion masala base |
| 25 | 1 piece | | Rinse the green chilli under cold water.⏱ 30sResultRinsed Green Chilli |
| 26 | — | | Trim the stalk and chop the green chilli finely.⏱ 20sResultChopped green chilli |
| 27 | Chopped green chillistep 26 | | Tip the chopped tomatoes and chopped green chilli into the pan.⏱ 10sResultChopped green chilli and fragrant onion masala base |
| 28 | 2 tsp | | Add the ground coriander to the pan.⏱ 10sResultChopped green chilli and fragrant onion masala base and ground coriander |
| 29 | 1 tsp | | Add the ground cumin to the pan.⏱ 10sResultChopped green chilli and fragrant onion masala base mixture |
| 30 | 0.5 tsp | | Add the ground turmeric to the pan.⏱ 10sResultChopped green chilli and fragrant onion masala base mixture |
| 31 | 1 tsp | | Add the Kashmiri chilli powder to the pan.⏱ 10sResultChopped green chilli and fragrant onion masala base mixture |
| 32 | 1 tsp | | Add the salt to the pan and stir everything together.⏱ 10sResultChopped green chilli and fragrant onion masala base mixture |
| 33 | 30 ml | | Splash in the water to help the spices cook without catching.⏱ 10sResultChopped green chilli and fragrant onion masala base mixture |
| 34 | — | | Stir the pan well, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer the masala for about 9 minutes, stirring often, until the tomatoes break down completely and the oil begins to separate at the edges.⏱ 9 minResultMasala base |
| 35 | Mashed auberginestep 20 | | Fold the mashed aubergine into the masala, stirring to combine everything thoroughly.⏱ 10sResultMashed aubergine and masala base |
| 36 | — | | Simmer the mixture over medium heat, stirring regularly, for about 5–6 minutes until the aubergine is deeply flavoured and the whole dish has thickened to a rough, cohesive purée.⏱ 5 min 30sResultBaingan bharta |
| 37 | 1 tbsp | | Squeeze the lemon juice over the pan and stir it through.⏱ 10sResultBaingan bharta and lemon juice |
| Total Time | 49 min | ||
| Nutrient | Per serving |
|---|---|
| 152kcal | |
| 4g | |
| 8g | |
| 0.9g | |
| 21g | |
| 10g | |
| 9g | |
| 611mg |
Baingan bharta is a dish of grill-charred aubergine mashed and folded into a spiced masala of onion, tomato, garlic, ginger, and green chilli, cooked in mustard oil and finished with lemon juice and fresh coriander. Smoky, soft, and deeply savoury, it sits somewhere between a thick curry and a rough-textured purée — substantial and comforting.
What you’ll doYou will begin by charring whole aubergines under a very hot grill until their skins blacken and the flesh collapses, then drain and mash the smoky flesh while a cumin-tempered onion masala builds in the pan. Once the tomatoes have broken down and the oil begins to separate, the mashed aubergine is folded in and simmered until the whole dish thickens and coheres. The work runs in two parallel streams — grill and pan — so timing the drain-and-peel against the masala is the main thing to manage.
