EGGPLANT CURRY AND YELLOW LENTINS WITH RICE

(Baingan Bharta with Chana Dal and Rice)

What is chana dal?

Chana Dal is known as Bengal Gram. It is a yellow color lentil from the chickpea family. In India, it is well known as chana dal, cholar dal, or chole ki dal.

Bengal Gram is a plant-based source of protein that is rich in fiber, minerals, and iron. It is easy to store, and cook.

Many people confuse it with white Kabuli chana (chole/chickpeas). Both are different in color, taste, and texture.

Kabuli Chana cannot be used as a substitute for Bengal Gram and vice versa.

In Punjabi Cuisine, chana dal khichdi is one of the most popular comfort food recipes. In many households, this dal khichdi is commonly prepared for lunch regularly.

In my in-laws’ family or even in my family this Bengal gram is often made and also sometimes consumed with paranthas/ flat breads.

I like to eat it with cumin rice.

EGGPLANT CURRY ( BAINGAN BHARTA)

Baingan bharta (mashed eggplant) is an Indian dish prepared by mincing grilled eggplant (baingan) and mixing it with tomato, onion, herbs, and spices. Grilling the eggplant over charcoal or direct fire infuses the dish with a smoky flavour. Mashed eggplant is then mixed with cooked chopped tomato, browned onion, ginger, garlic, cumin, fresh cilantro (coriander leaves), chilli pepper or red paprika, and mustard oil or neutral vegetable oil. Traditionally, the dish is often eaten with flatbread (specifically roti or parantha) and is also served with rice or raita a yogurt salad. In Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, it is served hot with litti or baati.

In many Asian countries, this eggplant curry /baingan bharta is part of popular cuisine. It is made in various regional styles in India, with ingredients varying from one region to another.

If you ever ask an Indian how eggplant curry/ baingan bharta is made then you will find unlimited ways of its making that can surprise you. But the simplest version is mashing the grilled eggplant and mixing it with onions, garlic and ginger paste, and mushy tomatoes and dressing it with cilantro leaves 🍃 

Some people add curd to it and some roast the onions and garlic and tomatoes and then make it and some just grill the eggplant and add raw onions, garlic, and 🍋 lemon juice in it. so there are uncountable ways

When it comes to me, I don’t want its smoky flavor to die, and love it in this way.

Let’s get started with my version.

INGREDIENTS REQUIRED

(servings 4)

FOR EGGPLANT CURRY.

• Eggplant – one normal size 🍆
• Tomatoes -3
• Few garlic cloves
• Onions -2 medium size
• Ginger-small but shredded
• Green chillies 🌶 
• Spices – ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, 2 tbsp dry coriander powder, salt as per taste, 1tbsp amchur powder, 2 tbsp grinded red chilli, ½ teaspoon garam masala.

FOR BENGAL GRAM LENTINS 

• Bengal gram lentins – I cup
• Cloves-2
• Tajpatta-1
• Spices- ½teaspoon turmeric powder, salt as per taste, 1tbsp red chilli powder, ½ tbsp garam masala
• Curd- ½ cup
• Asafoetida – pinch

FOR CUMIN RICE

• Basmati rice – 1 cup
• Cumin- ½ tbsp
• Salt as per taste
• ½ tbsp garam masala

INSTRUCTIONS FOR RECIPE

EGGPLANT CURRY

1. Rinse the eggplant thoroughly under running water. Wipe dry with the kitchen towel/tissue. Make 5 partial slits on eggplant and check thoroughly for worms. Push inside 4-5 medium-size garlic cloves along with the 2 green chilli inside the slit of the eggplant. Make sure garlic and chilli’s go deep inside the eggplant so that they do not burn.

2. Now with the help of a tong, place the eggplant over direct flame or on red hot coal directly. Make sure the flame is at moderate, neither too low nor too high. You can also make it in an air fryer or the oven

3. When done, the skin of the eggplant is all charred. the whole eggplant becomes soft. Pierce a fork or anything you like inside to check whether completed cooked or not.

4. Finely chop or grind the eggplant removing its outer skin, with a fork or grinder, or masher. Also, chop grilled garlic and green chilies that were inside the eggplant. Remove the seeds of the eggplant if any.

5. Not take some oil/ ghee into the pan and bring and wait for it to heat. When oil becomes hot then add asafoetida, ginger ½ inch, and 3-4 garlic cloves. Saute them for 20-30 seconds.

6. Now add finely chopped onions and saute till golden brown. And then add tomato puree or finely chopped tomatoes to it. Sprinkle salt as per taste so that tomatoes can become soft and mushy.

7. When tomatoes start getting mushy then add all the spices mentioned above. Now give a good mix and cover the pan with the lid so that tomatoes start leaving the oil and get mixed well together. Add some hot water if tomatoes start getting stuck to the bottom of the pan and also avoid spices to get burned.

8. Now add this point and add the grilled garlic, chillies, and eggplant to the paste. Give it a good mix.

9. Mix and mash it with a spatula to blend everything well. Add garam masala or also you can avoid it.

10. Cook on a medium flame for 3-4 minutes by covering it with the lid. Once done remove the lid and give it a final mix. Now garnish with coriander leaves.

BENGAL GRAM CURRY

1. Give a thorough wash to the lentins and soak them for about 3-4 hours. Once soaked for the period, now put them in a pressure cooker and add ½ tbsp turmeric powder, salt as per taste, cloves and tejpatta.

2. Cook on high flame till 5-6 whistles and then later for 5more minutes on low flame so that lentins can become soft, not mushy.

3. Once cooked, heat unsalted butter or ghee in a pan, and then when ghee becomes hot add asafoetida and some cumin. when cumin sparkles then add all spices and whisked curd to it and bring it to cook for at least 3-4 minutes.

4. Add lentins to the gravy and let it cook on a medium flame for another 5-6 minutes.

5. add some garam masala on top and mix it and garnish it with coriander leaves 🍃 

CUMIN RICE

1. Rinse the rice (I used here INDIA GATE basmati rice) properly under running water so that all starch from the rice can be removed. And soak it for ½ hour at least.

2. Once the time of soaking is over, take a cooker and add some ghee(unsalted butter) in it to make it hot. Once the ghee is hot then add cumin and then add rice. Use double the water for the measurement of rice taken. Here I took 1 cup of rice, and add 2cups of water to it.

3. Add salt as per taste and garam masala to it and cover the lid and put it on high flame. Wait for the whistle to come. Once we have 1 whistle then close the flame.

4. The aroma of this rice is amazing when cooked.

Serve all the three items on the plate and enjoyyyyyyyy!

For the best result, follow my instructions and give your family a healthy and tasty lunch or dinner.

Did you make this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on INSTAGRAM with the hashtag #sweeetchillies 

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Deliciousness jumping into the mouth.