Sharing Plate – Your Cooking Coach |

This is another dish that is native to North India. I guess you can call this the Indian version of a babaghanoush. I grew up with it- the eggplants are roasted either under the broiler or right on the stove over the open flame. I didn’t like it too much as a kid but now absolutely love it. Somehow this dish in restaurants does not taste the same- the smokiness from roasting the eggplants does not come through as well as it does at home.

Every household has their own version of this dish. In ours as usual, the dish is not cooked to death- the vegetables are soft but still retain their goodness. 

I seldom make this dish at home- not sure why- it’s not on my ‘regular things to make’ list. My husband is not a huge eggplant fan and it is a little messy to prepare the eggplant.

Since my Mom is here, I asked her to make it for a get together. I roasted the eggplants under a high broiler- an outside grill is also great to use for this purpose. Once the skin is nicely charred and soft, it is easy to take the pulp out. The dish is simply cooked with white and green onions and my garden tomatoes. It is finished with lots of cilantro and a bit of dill- the herbs give the dish a very vibrant and fresh flavor. The smokiness of the eggplant tasted wonderful with the sweet onions and the sweet herbs.

It was really nice to eat bhurta after so long. It is a great side dish with any meat or fish or even a dip with some pita. I would pair it with a light red wine- enjoy!

• 2 small eggplants
• 1 teaspoon olive oil

Spread the olive oil all over the eggplants and place under a high broiler. Roast until the eggplants are soft and skin is charred and dark brown. Take out and peel the skin off. Take the pulp out, break it apart with a fork and keep aside.

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1/3 cup green onion, chopped
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Salt
• ½ cup cilantro, chopped
• ¼ cup dill, chopped

In a medium saucepan heat the olive oil. Add the white and green onions. Saute on medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, eggplant pulp, peas and mix well. Cook on medium heat for 10- 15 minutes. Add the garam masala, salt, cayenne pepper. Taste for seasonings. Garnish with cilantro and dill.