Baingan Ka Shahi Bharta (Indian creamy mashed eggplant with peas) is one of my favorite Indian recipes, and is in regular rotation at my house. The luscious texture comes from roasting the eggplant whole. It’s simple to pull together for a weeknight, and I made a triple-batch yesterday for a potluck. I tend to make it on the spicier side, but the recipe has a sliding scale for the chilies.
The recipe comes from Neelam Matra’s cookbook 1,000 Indian Recipes. It was considered to be the best recipe in the cookbook by Food and Wine. I made a few textural adjustments. Instead of chopping the onions, I puree the onions in a food processor with the garlic and chilies to make a smooth paste before sautéing. Making a paste with the aromatics in this way is a common technique with other Indian recipes, and it allows you to focus on the texture of the soft eggplant, without pieces of onion getting in the way. I also puree the tomatoes as well.
Ingredients
- 1 large oval-shaped eggplant (about 1 pound)
- 1 large onion
- 1 large garlic clove
- 1-3 fresh green chilies
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
- 1 large tomato, or the equivalent of canned tomatoes
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1/4 cup heavy or light cream (half-and-half)
