This weekend we are having some guests over for dinner, so I was going over the menu with my husband. And when I got to the part about eggplants, he laughed. I always serve eggplant at our parties, he joked. Not the same recipe at each party of course, but he’s right – I have a thing for these awesome aubergines.
Back when our first child was born, and I was still at the hospital, my husband brought us a similar dish from a nearby restaurant. Since then, I’ve tried recreating that recipe several times, and I think I’ve finally figured it out.
My oldest tried it and declared it was tasty – which led me to tell her the story about the day on which she was born. Eggplants might not trigger any milestone incidents in your life, but this recipe could be the start of a new dinner party staple for you.
This is how I make Baigan Bartha
1.Place a large eggplant on a flame, and char on all sides. 
2. Put the charred eggplant in a dish, and cook it in the microwave for 8 minutes. Alternatively, bake it in the oven for 30 minutes.
3. Heat 3 tbsp oil in a skillet, add in ½ cup chopped onions. Cook it down for 10 minutes.
4. Add one peeled and chopped tomato, two slit green chilies, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1/2 tbsp minced ginger, and 1 tbsp tomato paste. Cook for 4-5 minutes, on a medium flame.
5. Check on your eggplant – allow it to cool for a couple of minutes. Peel and scoop out the flesh.
6. Add in the scooped eggplant to the tomato onion mixture. Add ½ tsp salt, and cook for 5 minutes.
7. Make a well in the center of the skillet, add 2 tbsp butter and 1 heaped tbsp of tandoori masala. Stir well. Lower flame, cover and cook for 5 minutes.
8. Squirt the juice of half a lemon, garnish with cilantro, and serve.
