Green Baingan Bharta (Herby Eggplant Dish)

Green baingan bharta is a herbaceous eggplant dish made with roasted eggplant garlic and fresh herbs. Vegan & Gluten free.

This herby and smoky roasted baingan bharta will convert non-eggplant lovers! It comes together in a few easy steps and has a pronounced flavor of mustard oil and green herbs along with a robust flavor of garlic & ginger. Sharing this loved family recipe in this post that we serve on makar sankranti with urad dal khichdi.

Though my grandmother made it mostly on Sankranti, I make it all year round whenever I find good quality eggplants. Tastes amazing with a doughy flatbreads like naan or pita.

About My Recipe

This green bainga bharta recipe is a little different from the traditional punjabi baingan bharta in terms of ingredients and taste. There is not a lot of cooking involved and the fresher the eggplant, the better the taste!

I have changed the recipe a bit from how it used to be to fit our tastes and convenience. When my grandmother used to make it, she would grind the green herb mixture on sil batta (stone grinder). But I use food processor. Secondly, in original recipe, finely chopped raw ginger and garlic were used, but I first fry them slightly in hot mustard oil before mixing in.

The taste of mustard oil could get pretty strong especially if you are not used to it. Warming it up helps in talking away the pungent taste of the mustard oil.

This is a very easy recipe and you can chop the onions and grind herbs while the eggplant is roasting. There is a ton of texture and heat from ginger, garlic and fresh green chilies. Its super fresh and very light, like I mentioned.

Mustard oil is a very prominent flavor here, however if you don't want to consume it, use olive oil. The taste will be different if you use other oils.

More Baingan Recipes

How To Make

1. Wash the eggplant very well and dry with a paper towl. Slit the eggplant in a few places without cutting into pieces.
2. Place the eggplant on direct flame and roast until its skin is charred and the inside is soft and fleshy. You can grill on outdoor grill. Oven roasting has a muted smoky flavor but you can certainly use it for cooking eggplant.

3. Using tongs place the baingan on a plate and let cool down.
4. Cut off the stem part and peel off the charred skin. Little bits of chareed skin is okay. Add the peeled eggplant to a bowl and mash it using a fork or your hands.

5. While the eggplant is roasting, add all the fresh herbs and 2 garlic cloves to a food processor and pulse 6-7 times to make a coarse herb mixture. 

6. Add the herb mixture to the mashed eggplant along with salt, lime juice and 1 teaspoon raw mustard oil. 
7. In a small pan, warm up mustard oil for about one minute. Remove from heat and immediately add chopped ginger & garlic, green chilies and cumin seeds. Let sizzle for 6-8 seconds taking care not to burn or brown too much.We don't want to cook ginger garlic and green chillies.
8. Immediately add on top of eggplant and mix well until everything is combined. Taste and adjust the salt. 

9. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

1. Adjust the amount of green chillies in this recipe as per your taste. 
2. If you like a mild garlic or ginger taste, reduce the quantity. 
3. If you dont want to use mustard oil, use olive oil. 
4. This bharta is best eaten fresh with 4-5 hours. We finish it one go. After storing, the taste is not that fresh.