This is my another favorite Maharshtrian dish, specially from khandesh(Northern Maharashtra).
Ingredients:
2 Eggplant (In India at my place I used to buy green eggplant which is specially used to make bharit which tastes very nice, but in USA I get purple eggplant which is little sweet in taste. )
1 big Onion chopped
4-5 Garlic cloves
1 inch Ginger
5-6 Green chillies or as per taste
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
3-4 tbs oil(you can decrease the amount of oil if you are health conscious)
1/4 Cup peanuts roasted and grounded coarsely
1 Cup Coriander finely chopped
1/2 tsp Turneric
1/2 tsp Asafoetida
salt as per taste
Method:
In India we used to roast eggplant direct on flame by which we were getting nice smoky flavour, but in US we usually gets coil for stove, We can roast into oven also but hence it takes long time so I found one trick by which we can cook the eggplant by getting the smoky flavour. so here is my trick…… wash and dry the eggplant , rub some oil on it and place the eggplants direct on the coil.
Roast till it gets marks and little black, keep turning the sides (we are not cooking it totally), when it done by all sides , place it into bowl/dish and microwave for 7 min. Let it cool, you will see some juice at the bottom of the bowl but keep it and peel off the skin of eggplant, mash.
Make the ginger garlic and chilli paste into mortar and pestle (as I like coarsely grounded paste), you can use mixer if you dont have mortar and pestle. Now heat the oil in a pan , add cumin when it will be golden brown add chopped onions and cook till it gets light golden color, now add the Ginger Garlic Chilli paste and cook till its raw smell goes and it gets very little golden color. add turmeric, asafoetida mix well, now add mashed eggplant with its juice, add salt mix well and cover it with lid on medium low/ low flame. cook till oil gets separated(check eventually). now add the coarsely grounded roasted peanuts which gives little crunchiness. cook for 5 min and off the flame, now add the chopped coriander.
Serve with Bajarichi bhakari/millet roti / chapati and Udid papad.
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