The dark side of the eggplant and a recipe for baingan bharta

Although I love eggplants to this day, a decade ago when I was a vegetarian, I craved eggplants almost all the time.

Italian eggplant parmigiana, Middle Eastern baba ghanouj, Chinese "yu-xiang qie-zi" (literally "fish-fragrant eggplant," but usually translated as "eggplant in garlic sauce") and Indian baingan bharta were my favorite restaurant dishes. I was impressed by the versatility of this purple (or green or white) relative of the tomato, of how it soaked up the flavors of everything around it. It seemed almost magical.

Looking back on my aubergine obsession, I now believe what I really craved was not the flavor of eggplant, which after all is quite bland, but the mouth feel.

[vegetarians continue reading at your own risk...I advise skipping ahead to the recipe on the next page]

Mushrooms, it has often been said, are the closest that the plant kingdom comes to replicating the taste and feel of a piece of meat. In the mouth, the fungi are juicy, chewy, somewhat funky, not unlike a hunk of well-aged beef. Look at the portobello. Is it a surprise that in America this overgrown brown mushroom has become the vegetarian alternative to the hamburger on practically every lunch menu?

I'd like to posit, then, that eggplants are the vegetal version of animal fat. The feel of a piece of cooked eggplant in your mouth is reminiscent of that luscious piece of fat on your pork chop or rib-eye, the one you know you should really cut away, but, oh, it's just a small piece, just this once, nobody's really looking anyway, and you'll make sure you exercise tomorrow. Eggplant is the pork belly, the foie gras, the marrow, the toro of the plant kingdom.

When I was a vegetarian, perhaps my aubergine urges were my unconscious attempt to fulfill some ancient, deep-seated, primeval, buried-in-the-shadows-of-the-genetic-code lust for that velvety, gelatinous, mushy feel of fat rolling around on my tongue?

Something to pursue with my therapist.

Until then, here's my favorite recipe for the Punjabi eggplant delicacy baingan bharta, which was part of N's and my vegetarian Indian party and cooking lesson over the weekend.

After trying out countless recipes for the dish, I found the perfect version in Neela Paniz's cookbook (one of the best Indian cookbooks on the market)  The Bombay Cafe, which is also the name of her brilliant restaurant in Los Angeles. She calls it "smoked eggplant purée." I've adapted it here to my taste.

The key to the success of this recipe is roasting the eggplants over an open flame, either on a grill or over a gas flame on your stove. As you can see from the photo, you really want to blacken them all over to achieve maximum smokiness.

I use the beautiful lavender and white rossa bianca eggplants that are available locally, but the more commonly available blackish purple globe eggplants will work just as well. It's best to make this dish when eggplants are in season, which in our area is right now. Buy firm, shiny eggplants and try to use them the same day that you purchase them. As eggplants age and when they are subject to cold refrigerator temperatures, they develop bitterness.

Also, for reasons explained vividly elsewhere, I opted to not include a photo of the finished product. Suffice it to say, bharta is not about appearance, but about flavor. Oh, and that mysterious eggplant texture.

Baingan Bharta

(serves 4)

2-3 medium eggplants
1 t vegetable oil
3 T ghee (clarified butter)
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 serrano chiles, minced
1-inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
2 medium tomatoes, peeled and diced
1 t Kosher salt
1/4 c cilantro, chopped

Rub the eggplants with the teaspoon of oil and grill (whole) over an open fire, either hot charcoal or the flames of a gas burner on your stove, turning occasionally, until tender. Place cooked eggplants in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap until cool to the touch. Peel and cut the pulp into 1-inch pieces.

Cook onions in ghee over medium heat, stirring constantly until golden, about 10 minutes. Add ginger and chiles and cook 2 or 3 minutes longer, until onions are golden brown.

Add tomatoes and cook for a few minutes. Add eggplant pulp and salt, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. The texture of the final product should, as Ms. Paniz says, "resemble mashed potatoes." To achieve this, you may need to remove the cover and increase the heat for a few minutes to evaporate excess moisture.

Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve.

Comments

[Melissa]

Hmmm, I used to crave eggplant as a vegetarian as well, but now that I eat meat I still crave them. In fact, I often crave them more than meat. Maybe meat satisfies our craving for eggplant?? Anyhow, I ESPECIALLY love them in Indian food. Thanks for the recipe!

[Brett]

Yes! I love that idea. Maybe I'm only eating that pork belly and toro to satisfy that part of me that really just wants a velvety spoonful of baingan bharta. I think you're onto something there, Melissa.

[Nupur]

That looks SO good! Its a bummer that I have an electric range and have to bake my baingans in the oven for bharta. It works fine but just does not have that fire-roasted taste. As a variation, folding some yogurt into bharta and serving this as a relish/dip also works well.

[rachel]

hey there, as I am totally new to site I did not see your other links to The Spanish Table, but good to know you're so well informed ;)
Anyhow, just wanted to say that another reason people might crave eggplants is that since they belong to the nightshade family (along with tobacco, tomatoes and peppers, etc.,) they naturally have nicotine in them. Much less than the tobacco plant of course, but I know several ex-smokers who think that's the reason for their craving...

[Brett]

Nupur, thanks for the tip on adding yogurt. I recently discovered thick, rich water buffalo milk yogurt made in Woodstock, NY, that tastes just like the yogurt made in India. This would be the perfect yogurt to use.

rachel, wow, nicotine in eggplant and tomatoes! I had no idea! Maybe that's why the bharta tastes so good when it's flavored by the smoke of roasting???

[Barbara]

Eggplant is my favorite vegetable. Paired with garlic, there is no greater flavor/texture combination in the world. I love it.

I am not sure about the nicotene aspect of the equation, but it is possible. I just think eggplant is divine, and Brett--your favorite eggplant dishes are my own. The only other dish I would add is imam bayildi--that is simply one of the most delectable dishes in the entire universe.

[Brett]

Barbara, although I've never had imam bayildi, I just recently read about the legendary Turkish dish for the first time. It's supposedly so delicious that it caused the imam (Muslim prayer leader) who tasted it to swoon and faint, which is what the name of the dish means. If you (or anyone) can lead me to a recipe, I just might faint with gratitude!

[Venkatesh Iyer]

Thanks for your recipe. We usually have baingan for sambar. I will definately try this one.

[shri]

it's amazing how informed you are about all these unique foods from around the world. i will be a regular visitor to your blog.

[shri]

i found you while i was searching for cardoon recipies. i like your style of writting very much but i will not be making my cardoons with chopped hard boiled eggs( just the thought of it turns me off), i think i will make a frittata instead. will let you know how it turned out. thank you for the details on how to prepare cardoons.

[Novelismo]

Actually, just setting the record straight ... isn't it actually more likely that the imam bayildi caused said personage to swoon and fart ... since swooning and fainting are more or less the same thing?