Cookin' With Abdul

Before I came to India, my biggest exposure to Indian food had been going to Indian buffet with Marilyn and Nader.  Since most of these buffet's don't really spend time on labeling the food accurately, nine times out of ten, I had no idea what I was eating.  Consequently, my entire experience of Indian food was a nameless but tasty assault on the senses, limited to the Walnut Creek and Concord Indian diaspora.  Adjusting to the onslaught of spices was surprisingly easy, with occasional re-sets of the palate at Sunday brunch.  I've come to love the food and I know I would miss it terribly and be crushed if I could replicate some of the dishes.  Consequently, I've asked Abdul, our cook, to teach me to make some of my favorites.  He loves an audience and has been very generous in sharing both his kitchen and his recipes.  Here's the first in what I hope will be a series -- Baigan Bharta, or as Aarif likes to call it "Megan Bharta."

****

Baigan Bharta

for 5 people

500 gm baigan (eggplant)

1 T chopped garlic

1 chopped onion

1 chopped in tomato

1 chopped green chili

1 T garlic-ginger paste (see separate instructions)

100 gm chopped fresh coriander leaves (cilantro)

100 gm curd (plain yogurt)

vegetable oil

"All Indian spices" = garam masala powder, tumeric powder, coriander powder, red chili powder, cumin powder, dry Fenugreek leaves, whole cumin

Salt to taste

Cut the eggplant in half and fry until cooked well, then blanch the skin, [peel] and finely chop the meat.  As an alternate to frying the eggplant, you can also cook or roast the eggplant in the oven, and then to proceed to peel and chop. Mix the plain yogurt into the chopped eggplant and set aside.

Take a pan and add 1 teaspoon whole cumin, chopped garlic, chopped green chili.  Sautee mixture in oil until brown.  Add the onion and sautee until brown.  Add ginger-garlic paste, sautee 2 minutes and add chopped tomato.  Cook well for 5 minutes and add the eggplant mixture.  Add all Indian spices [approximately 1/2 tsp each] and garnish with fresh chopped coriander.  Sautee 15 minutes until cooked very well.  

Notes:

This mixture can sit for some time after it's prepared.  I've seen Abdul strain it through a fine sieve to drain off excess oil before he serves it.  Although he doesn't mention it in the recipe, Abdul usually adds the same amount of salt as the other spices, so ~1/2 tsp.  This is generally a side dish, served with fresh chapati or roti.

****

Garlic Ginger Paste

200 gm fresh ginger

200 gm fresh garlic

Peel the ginger and garlic and cut both into small pieces.  Add a little bit of water and blend in a grinder or food processor.  The end result should be a thick paste, which can be kept in a covered dish in the refrigerator.