Here is a super healthy Eggplant recipe that will have you craving for more. Simple is the perfect way to describe this no-frills dish made with just roasting eggplant and throwing very few ingredients that we always have on hand! What we love most about this recipe is that the simplicity of the dish allows the Eggplant to shine and it’s not overpowered by too many spices. If you love Eggplants, this one should not be missed. This recipe was shared with us by Minal and we just love it. Thankyou, Minal!
Prep time: 1 hr
Cook time: 10 min
Serves: 3-4
Ingredients:
Eggplant/Brinjal/Aubergine/Baingan – 1 lb (approx 500gm)
Oil – 1 tbsp
Asafoetida – 1/8th tsp (optional)
Onion – 1/2 large/1/2 lb (approx 250gm)
Garlic – 3-4 large cloves /1 tbsp
Green Chillies – to taste, finely chopped
Turmeric Powder – 1/4 tsp
Salt – to taste
Lime/ Lemon Juice – to taste
Cilantro – 10 sprigs, finely chopped
Method:
1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F (approx 200 degrees C).
2. Line the baking pan with foil.
3. Coat the Eggplant with a little Oil and bake it for 1 hour.
4. Once out of the oven, allow it to cool down and trim off the stem portion.
5. Peel the skin off and transfer the flesh/meat to another bowl.
6. Roughly chop so that there it is not fibrous.
7. In a pan, heat Oil.
8. Add in Asafoetida(optional) and right after that add in the Onions, Garlic, Green Chillies and Turmeric Powder.
9. Add in some Salt, mix well and allow them it to cook till the Onions get a little translucent.
10. Add in the Eggplant and allow it to heat up all the way through.
11. Add in Lemon/Lime Juice and Cilantro. Mix well.
12. Serve hot with Chapatis or Parathas.
Good Morning Ladies,
Here it is, October 30th and I still have eggplants hanging from the bush I planted in my flowerbed.I have been wondering how I was going to use them up. This is a great and simple recipe.
By the way, Happy Diwali!
Thanx, Rich
Hi… I just tried this recepie…it was great..very simple n healthy..I have changed the recepie a little bit(coz of less time) I burn the skin on the stove top which has given a smoky falover to my dish.
.rest is the same..
Nd my hubby liked it too:)
Hi Umu,
Yes, roasting on the stove is also a great way to make this dish. We’re glad you and your husband enjoyed it.
Hello girls
I love your all recipes. I tried some of them and it turned out great. Thank you for your all recipes. I just request you to show how to make stuffed baingan.
thak you so much.
love to try this recipe, just a qstn ,how do decide baking time for smaller brinjals?
Hi Lakshmi,
We have never roasted the smaller variety but surely it will take less time (30 mins should be enough).
thanks a lot, will try
Many times, the flavor is in the simplicity and I love the way you ladies have preserved that in this recipe. I stuff the garlic pods in the slits before baking, and this gives a wonderful aroma to the preparation.
Hi Gita,
Interesting idea! Do you stuff the garlic pods in the eggplant? Does it not ooze out all of the juices if you make slits?
Yes, I stuff pods of garlic into the slits made in the eggplant before baking. In fact, the roasted garlic gives a nice flavor to the baked eggplant.
Enjoy your website and even have my college kids hooked on it too. They are very happy with the results and have received many compliments with your tried and tested collection of recipes.
Thank you Hetal and Anuja.
Thanks for the support Gita!
Hi Anuja/Hetal,
I’d love to make stuffed eggplants using the scouped out centers and mince for the filling. How would I prepare the eggplant shells — bake them? for how long? Thanks.
Hi Lydia,
That is a great dish and you can do wonders and let your imagination run wild for the stuffing. The oven needs to be at 350 degrees F and the eggplant needs to be cooked for Indian eggplant – 30 min, the bigger Italian ones – 45 to 50 min. The key is to make sure you leave enough meat on the inside (and not scoop out every little bit) so the eggplant does not fall flat in the baking.
Enjoy 🙂
Hello Lydia, Anuja and Hetal,
Try using the purple, I suppose “Italian” eggplant, the usual egg-shaped variety found all year long in any American grocery store, for stuffing. I halve them the long way, brush with olive oils, salt and pepper the cut sides and microwaver them, face down, for around 10 minutes, or until just soft to the touch.
I then scoop out around half the center from each half leaving at least one inch meat all around.While all of this is going on I brown a half pound lean ground beef with onions and choice of seasoning. Then I mix in enough marinara sauce and parmasan cheese to keep moist. All of this is divided and packed into the waiting half shells, ending by rounding off the tops and sprinkeling with mozzarela. Pop it back into the 350 degree oven for 15 or so minutes. Let cool a bit and serve.
Hope this helps out. It is good and easy to do. Rich
I neglected to mention; the part that I scooped out of the halves was added into the meat/tomato mix so it won’t go to waste.
🙂 Rich
Hi Rich!
That sounds like an awesome recipe! Thanks for sharing it.
Ladies, I do not see any dishes made of Yam[suran in Hindi], green bananas, snake gourd[padaval in Hindi] or spinach!!. These are highly nutricious and are versatile, could you please give us some recipes.And also that delicious Gujerati dish calle3d Dhal dhokrie, the spicy one?And some Maharashtrian preparations as well.Thank you. Venkat Iyer
Hi Venkat,
Thanks for your feedback. We have a few coming up soon and will film some more in the future 🙂
Hey Hetal and Anuja,
Love your recipes. Tried some and they turned out WOW!
Am very new to cooking….initially thought it to be very boring, but to my surprise am really enjoying it…its fun and I like to experiment and try out new stuff.
This is just a suggestion, coming from an inexperienced cook…in your cooking videos,you can probably give a time frame as well,as in once you add in the veggies, it would be great if you can suggest the time the veggies take to cook. I guess this will really help folks like me who are new to cooking…I have burned the veggies more often then not…and sometimes undercooked and over cooked them as well…..
Thanks for the awesome recipes…
Hi Shalini,
Cooking time is very relative to the stove you have, the type of pan you’re using, etc. We always try to tell the viewers what they should look for in terms of the “look” of the vegetables (golden brown, translucent, should not be mushy, keep stirring, etc). Don’t worry, as time goes by, you too will be able to judge by the “look”.
What if I don’t have an hour to bake the eggplant in the oven for an hour. Can I use a microwave, and if yes for how long should I cook it for in the microwave? Will the taste be the same if I put the eggplant in the microwave?
Hi Priti,
We have never tried it, but the eggplant may explode in the microwave. What I do is bake the eggplant when I have the time, scoop out the flesh and freeze it until I’m ready to use it. It’s a great time saver. You can even keep it in the fridge for a few days if you don’t want to freeze it. This is also a great tip when eggplant are on sale…roast a whole pan of them and freeze.
Hi Priti,
One more thing…you can cook the eggplant in the microwave if you cut into big pieces and then cook it. The flavor of roasted eggplant will not be there, but it’s an alternative.
I just got done making the Roasted Eggplant Subzi. My Boyfriend said he would not eat it because he hates Eggplant. I have never cooked eggplant and did not know if I would like it either. I made him try it and He loved it as did I:D! Its very easy to make!
Thanks for this Awesome Recipe,
Jessalee
Nice recipe..
you can cook the eggplant in microwave also. Wash the eggplant, drizzle a drop or two of oil. poke in 2-3 palces in the eggplant with the knife.This will help cook eggplant faster and also the steam of the juice in eggplant can come out easily. Then keep it in a microwave safe bowl. and cook on 100% power for 3-4 minutes. once done, turn the eggplant and cook the other side repeating the same procedure. Depending upon the size of your eggplant, it should be cooked completely in 10 minutes !! now if you want that roasted aroma, hold the microwave cooked eggplant in roti making chimta and roast it on direct flame for 2-3 minutes. I personally love the flavour that is there in the skin of the eggplant. so i neither roast it on flame or peel the skin. and then you can always make roasted eggplant subzi aur bharta according to your taste 🙂
Thanks, I will try, As i don’t have oven.
I just made this again. Second time was the charm! Much better. What was different? Well, this time I cooked the eggplant in the oven, not on the grill.
Thanks,
Steve
No tomatoes?? I add lots in my baigan ka bharta, it comes out very nice. I will try yours too sometime.
Baingan Bhurta has tomatoes, but this one is different and no tomatoes, very simple recipe that has an amazing taste.
i like your kadai, from which store did you buy it?
We got our wok-style pan from Bed Bath & Beyond.
nice recipe
v love eggplant, i sure wil try this recipe asap.
thanks
It is really delicious. I couldn’t get green chillies so I added a very small amount of red chilli powder and the result is very good. Really a great recipe!
i also make this dish, one of my favorite to.
for variation add some peanuts in tadka and sprinkle some green onion. hope u guys will like it.
is that kadhai u are talking abt dishwasher safe??
It is recommended to hand wash hard anodized cookware, but we have put our’s into a dishwasher and nothing bad has happened.
Hi,
This is exactly how my mom makes it. From the baking to the cooking, everything is the same except instead of roughly chopping the baked eggplant, she chops/purees it in a food prosessor so it’s less chunky. After it’s cooked, my mom garnishes with garam masala powder, cilantro and drizzles little bit of oil on top.
Thanks Minal, this dish is indeed very delicious and many times people who doesn’t like eggplant won’t even know they’re eating it and enjoy it. 😉