Baigan Choka Roasted Eggplant Aubergine Recipes

BAIGAN CHOKA (ROASTED EGGPLANT (AUBERGINE)

Steps:

• Wash eggplant and make slits in it with a knife.
• Peel garlic cloves and stick into the slits made in the eggplant.
• Insert tomato wedges into the slits.
• Rub the eggplant with a teaspoon of oil.
• Roast over an open flame (for example, a gas cooker) until soft. Do not grill because the taste will not be the same. The open flame imparts a smokey flavour which gives this dish it's signature flavour.
• To make roasting more manageable. I usually cut the eggplant in half making sure that the garlic is wedged deep inside so that it doesn't fall out. I use a long cooking fork to turn the melongene and make sure it roasts evenly on all sides.
• When eggplant is soft, slit the charred skin lengthways with a knife and scrape out the soft somewhat stringy pulp. Discard skin.
• Mash the pulp, tomato,and roasted garlic in a bowl with a fork or pop it into your blender if you want a nice smooth texture.
• Add 1 tsp oil to a non-stick frying pan and cook 1/4 cup onion until fragrant but not translucent. (You want them to still have some crunch to them but not quite the sharp raw onion taste.) This is a personal preference some people prefer the raw onions.
• Add the barely cooked finely chopped onion, salt to taste, and scotch bonnet pepper to the eggplant pulp.
• Typically enjoyed as a side with curried meats and rice or in Sada Roti (Indian flatbread ).

BAIGAN CHOKA (ROASTED EGGPLANT DIP)

Steps:

• Preheat oven at 190C/400F or gas mark 5 and line a baking tray with parchment paper
• Make some small vertical slits about 4cm long all over the entire aubergine, be careful not to slice too deep.
• Place 2 garlic slices in each eggplant
• Rub the eggplants and scotch bonnet with 1tbsp of oil before placing on a lined baking tray and transfer to the oven.
• Roast the scotch bonnet until darkened for the first 4-5 minutes then remove, continue to roast the eggplant until it looks limp and thin in size (should take 25 minutes).
• In the mean time, prepare the onions, scotch bonnet in a bowl.
• Once the eggplants have been removed from the oven, allow to cool before slicing length ways Scoop out the flesh into the bowl with the scotch bonnet and some of the onions, pink salt and black pepper
• Mash them all other together until smooth.
• Do the chongkay method by heating up the olive oil in a miniature sized pan with the garlic and onion until golden brown, proceed to pour the hot oil over the pureed mix