How to make eggplant curry with three ingredients and spices from the kitchen

When friends ask me my favorite vegetarian curry, my answer is always the same — it’s eggplant curry, known by South Asians as baingan or brinjal bharta.

Growing up in a Pakistani family, I can only describe it as being aggressively carnivorous. We ate a lot as a family. In fact, I remember the first and last time I tried to eat meat. Paya curry, also known as sheep’s trotters – which I was assured is a Pakistani delicacy.

Despite all this, my favourite comfort dish is still a simple, vegan curry made from eggplant. It’s called baingan or brinjal-bharta.

My mom’s recipe says that the simple dish requires only three ingredients and spices that you probably already have. You only need the following ingredients to make baingan bharta:

• 2 large eggplants.
• 3 medium-sized or 2 large tomatoes
• 1 large onion
• Sunflower oil can be found in large quantities.
• 1 teaspoon of red chill powder
• Add half a teaspoon salt.
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin.
• Fresh cilantro to garnish (optional).

Use generous quantities of sunflower oil until your pan is coated to a depth of approximately 2 centimeters. Cut the onion into quarters and then cut the eggplants in half.

Add a generous amount sunflower oil to the pan. It should be 2 cm deep. You might be worried about the oily appearance of your pan, but it will absorb into the vegetables later.

Once the oil is heating on medium heat, cut the onion. Make thick slices of the eggplants. Then, cut each slice into quarters until you have a bowl stuffed with wedges.

After the oil has been heated, add the eggplants and onion to the oil and stir. After heating the oil, add half a teaspoon salt and a teaspoon of chili.

After a while, the sunflower oil should be warm enough to heat up the chopped onion or eggplant.

The mixture should be stirred until all the vegetables have been coated with oil. Stir in a teaspoonfull of chili powder and half a teaspoon salt. Then, turn the heat down to low-medium. Cover the pan and let it sit for 15 minutes.

While the mixture is cooking, chop two to three tomatoes depending upon their size.

Use the 15 minutes it takes for the onion and eggplant to soak in oil, chili powder and salt, to cut half or three tomatoes. These halves should be cut into halves so that they look similar to the ones in the photos.

Stir the tomatoes into the baingan mixture.

After 15 minutes have passed, add the sliced tomatoes to the mixture. Stir until the tomatoes are completely submerged in the mixture.

Add a teaspoon of ground cumin powder to the pan and stir well before replacing the lid.

I’m often confused by how something so unpleasant can taste so good when I add one teaspoon of cumin to any recipe. It is definitely worth it.

Now all you need is the lid. You can now replace the lid on your pan and let your stovetop do its job.

I was serious when I said that it was an easy recipe. Once the cumin and tomatoes have been added, you can simply cover the pan and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes on low heat.

You want to let heat soften the eggplant so that it forms a dip-like consistency. This will taste amazing but requires very little effort.

You can now relax and claim credit for the cooking you have done. It’s a common saying that you don’t need to work very hard but work smart.

After about 15 to 20 more minutes of cooking, the eggplant should form a paste together with the remaining ingredients.

After the timer has gone off, stir the curry several times to ensure that everything is well combined. Then empty the contents of your pan into a bowl.

The first time I made my mom’s chickpea curry, chana masala (or chickpea curry), I realized that the dish should be served with a garnish of cilantro.

I tend to place cilantro in the center of a bowl and stir this in when adding a portion to people’s plates.

I’ve made baingan bharta for 10 people since learning how to cook it. It is what I serve to everyone when I have guests over. However, people don’t know that it’s my lazy cooking style.