RM2- Day 10- Baingan Bartha (Mashed Eggplant curry)

This is my post for RM2-Day 10. I made this today after three times of previously failed attempts.I have never had a good cooking experience with Eggplant (Brinjal/Bhaingan) as most of the times I have had improperly cooked version of the vegetable in all the dishes I made, except Sambar. Especially Baingan Bartha was always a mess. Recently I was experimenting with my oven broiler and making Baingan Bartha was never a problem after that.I had a perfectly charred Eggplant cooked evenly inside. I enjoyed mashing it with my electric masher. I also experimented mashing (10 sec microwaved) garlic, using a lemon squeezer. That was another trick I found useful :)


Let me share the recipe now:

Ingredients:

Brinjal cooked as whole with skin - 1 medium size
Onion sliced thin- 1 medium
Curry leaves- 2-3 leaves
Fennel powder- 1/2 teaspoon
Green chilli- 2 slit in middle
Green peas, carrots- 1/2 cup together
Garlic mashed - 3 medium cloves
Ginger powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Coriander powder, Red chilli powder- 1/2 teaspoon each
Tomato paste mixed with a little water to form a little thinner than the paste - 1 teaspoon
Asafoetida- pinch
Salt
Oil- 2 tablespoons
Garam masala - 1/2 teaspoon
Pepper powder- 1/2 teaspoon
Mint, coriander leaves chopped finely- for garnish

Method:

Peel the Eggplant after it is cooked. Mash it thoroughly with a masher.
In a frying pan on medium heat, add oil and splutter green chillies, curry leaves, and add asafoetida, fennel powder, and Onion and saute for 2 minutes, make sure the mixture doesn't go dry. Adjust the flame accordingly. Then add the mashed garlic and mix again. Lower the fire and add coriander powder, red chilli powder and a little bit of salt. Mix well, then add the green peas and carrots and mix well. Raise flame a little more than low flame. Cover the vessel and let the ingredients cook for 2 minutes. Then add tomato paste that is prepared as I told in the ingredient section. Mix well. Then add the mashed Eggplant and mix it well with the rest of the mixture, Adjust fire accordingly so that the mixturedoesn't dry up too much. Cover and let the Bartha cook for 2 minutes. Check for salt. Sprinkle Garam Masala, freshly ground pepper, finely chopped mint, and coriander leaves. Switch off flame, give a light stir and cover for a minute before serving. This can be served as a side dish with roti, naan, chapathi, and poori


My marathon buddies have cooked yum dishes in their blog too, so check their blogs :

1) Siri, 2) Srivalli, 3) Ranji, 4)PJ, 5) Curry Leaf, 6) Medha,

7) Priya, 8) Bhawna, 9) Raaji, 10) Ruchii, 11) Anu, 12) Kamala,

13) DK, 14) Divya Kudua, 15) Rekha, 16) Divya M, 17)Lakshmi,

18)Raaga , 19) Lakshmi Venkatesh , 20) Sripriya, 21) Viji,

22) Kamalika, 23)Pavani