Spicy Baked Aubergine (Baingan Bharta)
This simple dish is very popular across India. I used the recipe here
With a few variations:
Take 3 medium size (long purple) aubergines. Wash and dry with a kitchen towel. Coat them with vegetable oil and make 4-5 lengthwise skin deep cuts on each aubergine. This makes it easy to remove the skin after it is baked.
Place in a pre-heated oven for 40 minutes at 200 deg C until they become soft.
When the baked aubergines are cool enough, peel off the skin by hand and remove the stalk. Mash the flesh of the aubergine coarsely with a potato masher or a spoon.
Heat 4 tbsp of oil in a thick bottomed vessel. Flavour the oil with cumin & mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, a pinch of asafotedia and 3 chopped green chilies. Add one medium sized finely sliced onion and fry on medium heat until translucent. Add finely chopped ginger and garlic and fry for 2 min. Add 1 tsp chili powder, 1 tbsp garam masala (curry powder), 1 tbsp Sambar powder and fry for 2 min. Add 1/2 cup stirred plain yogurt and mix well. Fry & mix until the sauce regains it's colour. Add the mashed baked aubergine & salt and mix. Cook on low heat for 30 min. Serve with chapati.
The traditional way of making this dish is by roasting the aubergines over an open flame (of a gas hob) instead of baking it. This gives it a wonderful smoked flavour that is really the signature of this dish. But it's always easier to bake it in an oven.