nostalgia and baingan (eggplant) bharta
Are you nostalgic? Does a waft of a bubbling pot of something transport you to a particular kitchen table? A song throttle you back in time to a very real teenage moment? That feeling that runs through your whole body, warming your heart and, as a reflex, puts a smile on your face? I’m incredibly nostalgic. But not in the way of living in the past. I don’t hang onto moments but instead carry them carefully through my life, forever making room for more.
Food makes me particularly nostalgic. Food, as you know, is so central to my life and has been for my larger extended family. Growing up, my family took a trip to Chicago every summer to visit my mum’s aunt and uncle. The eight-hour drive was particularly easy for me as I fall asleep with the slightest bit of movement in a vehicle. It also felt easy because we were always awaited by a warm welcome party, and incredible (I mean world class) food. The smells of delicately prepared sabzi (vegetables) filled the air, the perfectly vacuumed carpets were comforting, and the frenzy of family activity took over. We quickly gathered around the kitchen table for post-drive snack and eventually made our way to the dining room for a feast of a lunch.
It was a family affair, everyone helping set the table, as dishes were plated they were brought to the table, all while my aunt prepared fresh rotis. I can still hear the sound of the wooden beaded curtain between the kitchen and dining room as we swiftly moved in and out. Finally seated, we would take a moment to take in the beauty and then ferociously dig in. There were so many meals we ate at that table (that has now made its way to Northern California) and a many food coma experienced.
There is one dish in particular that I remember from these meals- Baingan Bharta. It’s perfectly smoky and spicy, but subtle and full all at the same time. My aunt would roast the eggplants on her gas stove (which is the dream) and then effortlessly fold it in with lightly sautéed onions and tomatoes. It is a recipe I have started making in my own home, using her recipe of course. It’s one of Doug’s favourites. To this day, the smell of the eggplants coming off the BBQ (we don’t have a gas stove sadly) still brings me back to that dining table, beaded curtain jingling in the background.
Baingain (Eggplant) Bharta
Finding the right eggplants are essential for this dish. As my aunt said when I texted her for the recipe ‘pick an eggplant that does not feel too heavy.’ You want it to feel light in weight, but firm to touch.
Ingredients
2 eggplants
1.5 medium onions, thinly sliced
2 tomatoes diced
1 red chili pepper, chopped
Olive Oil
1 tsp Salt
Method
Lightly coat the eggplant in a little bit of oil and roast on the bbq for 30 odd minutes on max heat. You really want the eggplants to be charred, almost dead looking.
Once off the heat, allow to cool for a few minutes and then peel the skin off the eggplants.
Carefully rinse the ‘meat’ and set aside. You want to drain as much of the water as you can so you can set in a strainer to allow the water to release.
While the eggplant is resting, sauté your onions in 1 tbsp of oil on medium-high heat. You want to achieve a beautiful golden brown here but careful the onions don’t turn too dark and burn- this should take about 8 minutes.
Add the chili pepper and diced tomatoes, cover and cook for approximately 5 minutes on medium heat until softened.
As tomatoes are cooking, roughly chop the eggplant.
Gently fold in the eggplant and salt. You don’t want to over-stir this so it looks like a chutney.
To serve, sprinkle some chopped cilantro on top. I love Bharta with naan or roti, but you can also serve it with rice.
