Baingan Ka Bharta (Roasted Aubergine)

Right from my childhood I have heard my mum talk about a Bengali dish that is quite similar to the north Indian dish baingan ka bharta, this dish is called begoon pora in Bengali. Begoon pora or roasted aubergine (egg plant/brinjal) my mum used to say tasted best when roasted on a coal stove. The aubergine, onion and tomato are all roasted by directly placing them on the coal. The vegetables are peeled and then I am not too sure, but I have some vague memory of my mother saying that all the ingredients are mixed together with salt, turmeric powder and chillies. However, I am not too sure of the exact process of preparing that dish.


 My mum tried to make it by roasting the aubergine directly on the modern day gas stoves. The problem she faced was that all the juices dripping from the aubergine played havoc with the gas burner. Later she started using a kind of skillet that is usually used for roasting papads but it was too time consuming. One day she hit upon the idea of using the non-stick pan for roasting the aubergine. It was a breeze and I have been following suit, it makes the whole process quite simple.

Ingredients:

• One large aubergine
• One large onion
• One tomato
• Turmeric powder
• Chopped green chillies/ Kashmiri red chilli powder
• Salt to taste
• Oil

Method:
 
Cut the aubergine into pieces, cut it lengthwise.
Apply oil on the pieces. I used mustard oil; you may use any oil of your choice.
Place these pieces on the non-stick pan and roast them. Flip them over after one side is done.
Once the pieces have softened, remove from heat and peel the pieces. Mash the pieces as much as you would like to. I do not mash too much.
Now heat the required quantity of oil in a vessel and add chopped onion.
Fry the onion till slightly brown, add chopped tomato, fry for a little while and then add the aubergine.
Stir for while, add a little turmeric powder, chopped green  chillies and or red chilli powder. As I do not eat chillies I used my favourite ingredient Kashmiri red chilli powder.
Add salt to taste.
Add a little water, cook till the water evaporates and it is done. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.
Here is the video demonstration.