Baigan Choka
This was much made by Nanee, who would often fill the house with the smell of roasting eggplant and tomatoes, much to the chagrin of the kids who were afraid of eating anything purple! But don’t worry, this lovely dish is delicious. Baigan means eggplant in Hindi, while choka refers to the method of roasting vegetables and blending them with spices. Eat with roti or bakes; or as a side dish to a meal.
Ingredients:
- 1 large eggplant (aubergine)
- 2 cloves garlic, halved
- 1 medium tomato, cut into 6 segments
- 1 small onion, quartered
- ½ tsp cumin
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 °F (220 °C/Gas 7).
Make two lengthwise slits in eggplant. Insert garlic, tomato, and onion into slits. Wrap in foil, place on baking sheet, and bake until eggplant is soft, about 40 minutes.
Carefully unwrap eggplant. Peel back skin and scoop out flesh with a fork. Place eggplant flesh in bowl with garlic, tomato, and onion. Add cumin, salt and pepper, and mash together until well blended. Serve hot.
coincidently i come into this site and guess what im cooking baigan choka while writing this
I remember my mom making this growing up! Instead of putting it in the oven though, she would wrap it up in foil and roast it over the stove. This way seems a lot easier however! Definetly going to try it!