I am hard-pressed to remember how or when I found out about Baigan choka. But it was definitely love at first bite. Eggplant is a personal favorite, but I don’t care much for popular dishes like eggplant parmesan. Something about the delicate texture of eggplant enveloped in sauce and a layer of cheese just does not do it for me. Roasted, mashed, and seasoned, I can appreciate. And that is exactly what baigan choka is. Roasted eggplant mashed with other veggies and seasoned. Based on my own research, the baigan choka recipe below is a pretty representation, but I would not claim it to be authentic.
Baigan choka is especially popular in India, Trinidad, and Guyana.
Most recipes I’ve seen call for roasting the vegetables on a grill or over an open flame. I don’t care for the smoky flavor, so I opt for oven-roasted instead.
The eggplant is so tender that it melts on your tongue. Eggplant is bland enough that it takes on the flavor of whatever you add to it. For flavor, add tomatoes, roasted bell peppers, poblano peppers, garlic, onion, or other soft roasted vegetables. Add salt, hot pepper, and other seasonings to your taste. Serve Baigan Choka as a dip with pita chips or as a side dish with other foods and meats.
Equipment
- 1 bowl with lid
Ingredients
- 1 lb eggplant , medium-sized
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 lg bell pepper
- 1 large plum tomato
- ½ medium onion , sliced thin
- 1 TB coconut oil , optional
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- hot pepper , to taste
Instructions
- Place the eggplant, tomato, garlic, and bell pepper on a baking sheet and put them in the oven for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, remove the garlic and tomato. Return the eggplant and bell pepper to the oven for another 30 more minutes. In the meantime. In a glass bowl, slice the onion into very thin slices. Remove the skin from the tomato and garlic. Add to the bowl and crush with a fork or potato masher. There should be no chunks remaining. After the eggplant and bell pepper are cooked, remove theskin. Cut into smaller pieces and combine with remaining ingredients. Crushuntil the eggplant and pepper are reduced to small bits. *Serve as a dip with naan or another flatbread. *Serve with meat and other foods as a side dish.