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Eggplant from heaven
By Ann | September 30, 2008
Do you believe in fate, mes amis? How else can I explain the marvelous confluence of forces — dare I call it synergy? — that led to this delicious Indian baingan bharta.
With my chili-loving friend Arthur coming over for dinner, I knew I had to bring the spice. After some quick googling (I typed in the words aloo gobi) I turned up what is possibly my best website discovery EVER: Quick Indian Cooking. Created by Mallika, an Indian woman living in London, this is quite simply a treasure trove of tried and true Indian recipes that are (relatively) fast and (unlike so much Indian food) not swimming in oil. Here’s a direct quote from the site: Why don’t your recipes use more oil? Because I don’t want to get fat. Mallika, you’re a girl after our own heart.
I decided to try Mallika’s “burning baingan bharta,” which she describes as “a roasted aubergine mash with a smoky, spicy flavour for when you fancy setting something on fire.” First, you roast the eggplants, to the point of being charred. Mallika does this over her gas range. But — here’s the synergy, folks — I decided to use Mark Bittman’s clever dry-pan eggplant method (remember my post from a few weeks ago?)… and it is possible that I have never made a better decision in my life! The eggplants were cooked in a snap, with any need for constant monitoring – much faster than the oven and cleaner than the gas hob (and I don’t have a gas hob, anyway).
While you’re roasting the eggplant, you can prepare the other ingredients. Mince some garlic, ginger and chilies. Chop a couple onions and some cilantro. Quarter the tomatoes. After the aubergine flesh has collapsed and you’ve peeled away the burnt skin, start sizzling the onion, garlic and ginger until fragrant and golden. Add the tomatoes, cilantro, and chilies. Then the aubergine, mashing until smooth and luscious. (I urge you to check out Mallika’s site (link above) for specific quantities and instructions.) The result is a complex dish; it’s smoky from the eggplant, spicy with chilies and ginger, slightly sweet from the onions and garlic, slight tangy from the tomatoes… it is quite simply heaven!
Topics: Cooking the Books |
One Response to “Eggplant from heaven”
Comments
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September 30th, 2008 at 8:25 am
So you DID try it! And I’m so glad you liked it too. This Mark Bittman sounds like a genius though. Need-to-google-search-him-Now!