Baingan bhartar

Punjabi Baingan (Eggplant) bharta, my personal favorite to have with Phulkas. The best part of this recipe is the eggplant grilled over charcoal or direct fire. Smoky flavour in this a vegetarian recipe will reminds you tandoori starters. You can have this recipe with Phulkas, roti or paratha and also served with rice. 

Once you go through this recipe completely, you can realise this is very much similar to Kathrika (Eggplant) Kothsu recipe which is prepared in Tamil Nadu, India. I have made this Baingan bharta with phulkas.

Ingredients

For Baingan bhartar

• Eggplant - 1 no
• Finely Chopped Onions - 2 nos  
• Finely Chopped Tomato - 1 no
• Green Chillies Chopped  - 2 nos 
• Ginger chopped - 1 tsp 
• Garlic chopped - 1 tsp
• Coriander leaves - As needed 
• Oil - 2 tsp 
• Boiled Green Peas - 1/2 Cup 
• Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
• Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
• Red Chilly Powder - 1/2 tsp 
• Garam Masala -1/2 tsp 
• Coriander and cumin seed powder - 1 tsp
• Salt -  to taste
• Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp 

1. Make slits in the eggplant and on medium flame, put the eggplant on the stove directly and roast it. 
2. Brush little oil over the eggplant, and keep turning it slowly till everything is nicely roasted, and cooked.
3. Once its cooked, put the eggplant in a bowl and allow it cool down. 
   
4. Remove the burnt skin from eggplant and mash it well, if you like burnt smell leave a little of the burnt skin in the eggplant
5. In a pan, put oil, add cumin seeds and let it crackle
6. Add chopped ginger, garlic and green chillies and saute. 
7. Add onions and saute it till its cooked.  
8. Add tomatoes and mix everything well. After 2-3 minutes, add asafoetida, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, coriander and cumin seed powder, red chilly powder, salt and mix everything well.
   
9. Add the mashed egglant to the mixture 
10. Add the boiled green peas and coriander leaves and mix everything well. Cook for 5 minutes in low flame 
11. Add 1/2 cup water and salt so that everything cooks well. 
    

For Phulkas

• Wheat flour - 1 cup 
• Salt - 1/2 tsp 
• Lukewarm water - as required

1. Mix salt in the lukewarm water, to this add the flour and make the dough. (If needed apply oil in your hands to avoid stickiness) 
2. Set the dough aside to rest covered for 15 minutes.
3. Roll the dough into thin rotis (don't use oil for rolling the rotis, add flour and remove excess flour by flipping over your hand. 

There are two options to cook Phulkas : 

1. Directly place the phulkas on the stove, in low flame and after you see the bubbles, turn the flame to high. Cook well till the phulka puff up, and flip the other side and cook similarly.
2. Other method is, cook the phulkas in pan as we do for roti or chapati in low flame, then place the phulka on the stove, till it puff up