Instant Pot Baingan Bharta Eggplant Dip
What insane person tries to make an Indian Baingan Bharta, a dish known for its distinctive smokiness, the delicate charring that comes from broiling, in an Instant Pot? Me. That’s who. I looked around for Instant Pot eggplant recipes and made this wonderful one for Baba Ghanoush which I was planning to make, but I’ve really wanted to do Instant Pot Baingan Bharta for a while. Traditionally when roasting eggplant for Baingan Bharta, you pierce a whole eggplant, you cover it in oil, and you broil it in an oven, flipping from side to side. I have clear instructions on how to make perfect roasted eggplant here that you should also check out. This takes a good 30-45 minutes. I like things simpler. So I used the principles of the Instant Pot Baba Ghanoush recipe but the ingredients of an eggplant Bharta. One of the immediate challenges of this Indian Baingan Bharta recipe was how to add enough water to the recipe without drowning it in water afterward. Ordinarily, I’d add onions and tomatoes after the eggplant was done, because you sort of want the fresh taste. But I knew if I put it into the Instant Pot the veggies would release their liquid and flavor the eggplant. So I figured I’d try it that way. Be forewarned this Baingan Bharta recipe will a) take more oil than you want since eggplant is an oil-sponge b) take 10-15 minutes charring the eggplant in the pot. But I wanted maximum char to replicate that smoky flavor. You want this to have very little water at the end, but be sure to scrape up any bits of char remaining once you open the pot. Also, go slow with that liquid smoke, tasting it and smelling it to make sure you’ve got enough. The end result was a wonderful slightly smoky mix that was done in less than half the time it would have taken me on the stove. It makes a wonderfully delicious main dish or side and I’m dying for you to try it!
How To Make Instant Pot Eggplant Bharta
Heat the Instant Pot pot, and when it’s hot, put in a few tablespoons of oil.Once the oil is hot, put in one layer of eggplant slices. This is the tough part now, do not mess with them until they are properly charred at the bottom. Without this char, you won’t get the smoky taste you need. Once these slices char, they will shrink a bit and you can put in some more eggplant slices. At this point, you may need to put in more oil. This thing sucks oil, so just embrace that. Use a spatula or spoon and scrape up the char from the bottom as needed. This took me about 10-15 minutes to get it all charred. Once the eggplant is charred and somewhat soft, add in onions, garlic, turmeric, salt and let these spices roast in the oil for a bit as you mix everything together.Add in the tomato and scrape up every last bit of the brown bits from the bottom.Add in the water, and close the pot immediately before you lose any liquid through evaporation.Cook at High Pressure for 3 minutes, and release steam immediately.Open the pot and turn on to Sauté to get rid of some of the water if needed. It will thicken as it cools.Add the liquid smoke and stir well, garnish with cilantro and serve with naan.If you have kids that are not fond of eggplant or spicy food, I’d suggest mixing in a little greek yogurt or sour cream to soften the taste and trying it that way.
What Does Baingan Bharta Mean?
The meaning of Baingan Bharta is pretty straight forward. “Baingan” is Hindi for eggplant and “bharta” is Hindi for puree or mash. So it quite literally translates to mashed or pureed eggplant. It’s a wonderfully delicious traditional Indian dish that’s bursting with smokey flavor and spices.
Other Easy Eggplant Recipes
Instant Pot Baba Ghanoush Lebanese Eggplant Dip - Quick, flameless, and tastes delicious!Malai Baingan - A creamy, spicy, hearty Indian Instant Pot recipe.Tomato Eggplant Soup - A great vegan soup recipe.Instant Pot Eggplant Pasta - One of the best pasta dishes I’ve ever had, and I don’t say that lightly.Roasted Ratatouille Recipe - All the flavor of a traditional ratatouille without all of the work!How To Make Roasted Eggplant – Whether you’re making it in the oven, on the stove, in the air fryer, or even the Instant Pot, this guide covers it all.
I have more Instant Pot Fast and Easy Recipes as well as Vegetarian Instant Pot Recipes in my cookbooks you might want to check out. Enjoy this Instant Pot Baingan Bharta and do let me know how it goes for you if you try it! Make sure to share this recipe with your friends on Pinterest and Facebook so they can enjoy it as well! Post originally published on April 6, 2017, at 2:29 PM.
