Easy Baingan Bharta (Oven Roasted/Broiled Eggplant Curry)
This easy Baingan Bharta (Smoked Eggplant/Aubergine Curry) recipe uses your oven to achieve the smoky flavor of authentic Baingan Bharta. This recipe includes step-by-step pictures and a quick video tutorial. Tested to perfection!
Want to save this post?
Enter your email below and get it sent straight to your inbox. Plus, get recipes & tips every week!
“I have now made this dish 3 times in 2 weeks as my wife and kids absolutely love it. It’s so easy to make and so filling. I have to say it is one of my favourite dishes of all times.”
Muhib
Baingan Bharta – Smoky, Oven-Roasted Eggplant Curry
Baingan Bharta, translated to mashed eggplant, is a smoky eggplant (aubergine) curry popular in Indian and Pakistani (particularly Punjabi) cuisine.
Traditionally, our ancestors would roast eggplants over an open fire or in a tandoor to get the skin charred all around. But you don’t need an open fire or even a grill. You can achieve the same, smoky flavor using your oven! (Another great recipe that uses your oven is Chicken Kofta.)
Out of all the vegetarian curry recipes on my blog, this Baingan Bharta is my husband’s favorite. Yes, even more than Zucchini curry which is, you know, his recipe. (Another great egglant dish is Aloo Baingan (Eggplant and Potato Curry)).
A Few Notes on the Ingredients
- Eggplants – Select small to medium globe variety eggplants that weigh around 1000 g in total. Here’s a quick guide on choosing eggplants.
- Ghee and Oil – I love mixing both to get the fluidity of the oil and taste of ghee.
- Spices – Too many spices can clutter the remarkable smoky flavor, so I like to keep them to a minimum. Similar to Sarson Ka Saag, Baingan Bharta doesn’t need many spices.
- Green chili pepper – Adding the green chili pepper toward the end keeps its aroma and adds a little extra of heat. Both Thai green chili peppers or Serrano would work, though sometimes Serrano can be too strong and spicy to add at the end.
How to roast eggplant in the oven for Baingan Bharta
Not only does broiling deepen the flavor of the eggplants, but it’s the easiest and most hands-off way to achieve the smoky flavor of of this Roasted Aubergine Curry. Here’s how to do it:
- Set your oven rack so that your eggplants will be as close as possible to the heat source.
- Poke holes in multiple places to allow the steam to escape. I always thought pricking or poking holes in the eggplant was an unnecessary step until I had an eggplant explode on me (hard-won lesson).
- Preheat your oven’s broiler on High (550 degrees F/287 C). Roast the eggplants on a sheet pan for about 30 minutes, turning midway. Broiling the eggplant until it’s completely soft on the inside with burnt skin on the outside gives it the distinct, smoky, oomph factor of baingan bharta. Toward the end, there will be a smoky aroma coming from the oven.
How to peel the skin off broiled eggplant
The biggest tip is make sure to get as much eggplant flesh as possible close to the skin. (That golden brown char is precious.) Don’t worry if some of the bits of black skin remain in the eggplant. This process is a bit messy but very well worth it!
The eggplant will be easy to peel in some places, where the skin is more burnt and pulled away from the flesh. Where possible, peel the broiled skin from the eggplant rather than scoop.
How to make this Easy Baingan Bharta
- Once you’ve broiled and peeled the eggplants, use a food processor to mash them. Of course, you can also use a fork or potato masher to do this.
- Next, prepare a quick and simple onion and tomato masala base. Sauté the onions, then add the garlic, ginger, tomatoes, and spices.
- After that, add the mashed eggplants and green chili pepper. Stir-fry until the eggplant is fully incorporated and the oil starts to separate from the curry. Garnish and you’re done!
3 Essential Tips for Cooking Baingan Bharta
- After adding the mashed eggplant to the curry, sauté again to fully incorporate. This technique, known as bhunai, is essential to bring out the flavors. You’ll know it has finished cooking when you start to see the oil separate from the curried eggplant.
- Mashed eggplant absorbs a fair amount of oil. After sautéing, if you still don’t see the oil separating, add another 1-2 tablespoon of oil.
- Since the size and density of eggplants will vary, I’ve given the starting point for salt. If you feel that something is missing, try adding a bit more salt.
How to Serve Baingan Bharta
Since eggplant is a ‘warming’ food, it pairs really well with cooling sides. I almost always serve Baingan Bharta with yogurt on the side.
Also, curries with minimal gravy go well with bread. Since baingan bharta is a ‘dry’ curry with minimal curry, it’s typically served with naan, roti, or other bread.
More Vegetarian Curry Recipes to try
- Aloo Baingan (Eggplant & Potato Curry)
- Bhindi – Okra (Ladyfinger) Curry
- Chana Masala (Authentic Chickpea Curry)
- Easy Mixed Vegetable Curry
- Aloo Gobi (Potato & Cauliflower Curry)
Tried this recipe? If you have a minute, please consider leaving a comment telling me how it was! If you have a photo of your dish, please feel free to upload it and share with others. If you’re on Instagram, please tag me so I can see your creations. I truly love hearing from you. Thank you!
Easy Baingan Bharta (Oven Roasted/Broiled Eggplant Curry)
Watch the Video
Ingredients
- 2 (~1000 grams) small eggplants (globe variety)
- 3 tbsp ghee
- 2-3 tbsp neutral oil such as canola or grapeseed
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced or crushed in a mortar & pestle
- 1/2- inch piece ginger, minced or crushed in a mortar & pestle
- 2 small tomatoes, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp heaped salt, plus more to taste
- 1 tsp paprika powder, regular or smoked
- 1/2 red chili powder, or more to taste
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 small green chili pepper (such as Thai or Serrano), sliced or chopped
- 1 tbsp chopped cilantro
- 1/2 tsp juice of freshly squeezed lemon
- 1/4 tsp garam masala, optional
Instructions
To Roast the Eggplant in the Oven
- Set your oven rack so that your eggplants will be as close as possible to the heat source. Use a fork or knife to poke holes throughout the eggplant to prevent it from bursting in the oven.
- Preheat your broiler on High (550 degrees F/287 C). Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil for easy cleanup. Roast the eggplants for about 30 minutes, turning midway. The skin will blacken and the eggplant may burst a little.
- Once the eggplant cools down (you can place it in a bowl of water to speed this up) peel the blackened skin, remove the stem and coarsely mash its flesh. I like to do this using the "pulse" function of my food processor. Set aside.
To Make the Curry
- Heat ghee and oil in a skillet a little over medium heat and add the cumin seeds. They will start to sputter. Immediately add the onion and sauté for 5-8 minutes, or until slightly golden. Add the garlic and ginger and continue to sauté until the raw smell disappears, or about 20 seconds. Add the tomatoes and cook until they're soft and the oil starts to leave the sides, about 5 minutes. Add a bit of water (if needed so the spices don't get burnt) and add the salt, paprika, red chili, and turmeric.
- Add the mashed eggplant and green chili peppers and cook, stirring often, until it is well cooked and becomes mushy like a purée, about 8-10 minutes. Taste and add oil, salt or paprika (for more color) as needed.
- Turn off the heat. Stir in the chopped cilantro leaves. Sprinkle lemon juice and garam masala over it. Serve with naan, roti or other bread. I like to eat it with some yogurt on the side to add some coolness to the dish.
Notes
3 Essential Tips for Cooking Baingan Bharta
- After adding the mashed eggplant to the curry, sauté again to fully incorporate. This technique, known as bhunai, is essential to bring out the flavors. You’ll know it has finished cooking when you start to see the oil separate from the curried eggplant.
- Mashed eggplant absorbs a fair amount of oil. After sautéing, if you still don’t see the oil separating, add another 1-2 tablespoon of oil.
- Since the size and density of eggplants will vary, I’ve given the starting point for salt. If you feel that something is missing, try adding a bit more salt.
54 Comments on “Easy Baingan Bharta (Oven Roasted/Broiled Eggplant Curry)”
Salaam Izzah,
I have now made this dish 3 times in 2 weeks as my wife and kids absolutely love it. It’s so easy to make and so filling. I have to say it is one of my favourite dishes of all times. I too used smoked paprika but I also added a teaspoon of sumac.
Thank you for such an easy to follow recipe.
W.S. Muhib! How wonderful that it’s made it to your favorites. Thanks for sharing. I’ll have to try the sumac sometime!
I made this for the first time while I was fasting because I learned one of my iftaar guests couldn’t have meat. It came out so delicious! The instructions were so clear and precise I was able to make it without tasting it! Thank you so much for this yummy recipe!
Yay! I’m so glad you were able to make it while fasting. Thanks for sharing that!
This was amazing!!! My husband and I devoured and I also shared this with my parents who love the idea of having the smoked eggplant taste from the oven!
So glad to hear that, Adeeba! It’s one of our favorites too. Thanks for sharing your review!
This dish is amazing! Its simple, not complicated with loads of flavor!! My new favorite dish!
So glad you enjoyed it, Melinda. It’s one of my favorites from the blog too!
This was so good, Thank you for sharing this recipe. I used smoke paprika instead of regular and it made a big difference.
That’s a great tip. Thank you, Jigna!
Wow, one of the eggplants just exploded in the oven, bit of a mess. Next time I’m going to put a sliced hole in them before roasting. Otherwise this was really good.
You know – I had the same thing happen to me for the first time and now I know that the hole poking isn’t unnecessary! Thanks for the tip and for the review!
Are we supposed to cut the eggplant in half or do we put the whole eggplant in oven/ grill?
Zohra, you can just put the whole eggplant in the oven with a foil lined pan underneath.
I have tried so many baingan bhartha recipes since moving into a home with an electric stove top, grill and oven. The bhartha never came out right. It always felt like something was missing. Namely that smokiness that you get from putting aubergines under a grill with a flame.
I tried your recipe out today and it is absolutely fabulous. You have no idea how thankful I am (being a vegetarian). May God bless you greatly and abundantly for helping others with your knowledge.
I’m so glad to see this, Jashen! Thank you so much for trying and for taking the time to share your review and for the well wishes! I appreciate it so much.
I LOVED this dish so much! It is so delicious! I used smokey paprika because I had run out of regular paprika. It was very simple to make and super tasty. Will definitely make this dish again! Thank you!
This is one of my favorites too! The smoked paprika is a very befitting replacement. Thank you, Rebecca!
I have a smoked eggplant dip , Israeli style on my blog, and fell in love with it that way!! I made this today and it is delicious!! Love all the flavors and I plan on eating it with eggs and some cauli rice!! Thank you!
Tessa,
Yayy!! I’m SO happy you tried it and liked it! Thanks so much for letting me know. 🙂 Sounds like a great gluten-free combo. I make some buckwheat rotis which complement it well too! Can’t wait to check out your smoked eggplant dip!