We love baingan at home in all its shapes and forms. One time I remember really, really wanting that last piece of begun bhaja and ending up promising to take my daughter to the movies in return for her claim. That one piece cost me 750 rupees.
This was part of a platter we ate a couple of days ago.
Ingredients:
- Baingan/Aubergine, small-medium sized long variety, sliced in half, lengthwise
- Chili powder + salt dry mixture (1:2)
- Lemon juice
- Oil
- Lemon zest (optional)
- Feta cheese (optional)
Method:
- Rub the aubergines with the chili salt mixture. Score them with a knife as in the picture. This looks pretty and helps cook it faster too.
- Heat your grill pan to almost smoking hot, brush it with a little oil. Place all the aubergines, scored side down on to the pan
- Reduce the heat and wait until the purple color has faded across at least half the height of the aubergine. Add a little more oil if it’s all gone. Don’t try to remove or shift the pieces. Press each one down gently.
- When each piece is faded all the way to the top, wait another couple of minutes and remove them from the pan.
- Serve hot after squeezing on some lemon juice.
Notes:
- You can use slices of round aubergine too. Remember to score.
- Sprinkle on some lemon zest and crumbled feta cheese if you want.
- With thicker slices of baingan, you can also sprinkle a little water from time to time and cover the pan to allow for the effects of the hot steam.
