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Baingan Bharta | Indian Roasted Eggplant Curry | No Onion No Garlic Baingan Bharta

Posted on May 21, 2020 · Last Updated on April 26, 2022 · By Srividhya G · 37 Comments

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My take on the popular Punjabi dish baingan bharta without any onion and garlic. Easy baingan bharta recipe with oven-roasted eggplant! A delicious curry that pairs well with roti.

Eggplant/aubergine/brinjal is one popular vegetable that is quite widely used in all the cuisines worldwide. And it is my favorite vegetable too. You will find many eggplant recipes, including eggplant parmigiana and eggplant sandwich on my blog.

Now it’s the time for the famous North Indian curry – baingan ka bharta. Baingan means eggplant in Hindi, and bharta means roasted and mashed vegetables. Baingan ka bharta is roasted and mashed eggplant curry.

I tasted baingan bharta at a restaurant for the first time when I was in college. Amma usually does South Indian recipes with brinjals but not bharta. I had the homemade version at my friend’s place only after coming to the US.

It’s is usually prepared with onions and garlic, but here is my take on it without onion and garlic. (Check the recipe notes for the version with onion)

You might all be thinking if it’s even possible to make a curry without onion and garlic. Oh yeah, definitely. Trust me, folks, you won’t miss onion and garlic in this recipe. The roasted eggplant, along with tomatoes, takes care of everything. This is a pure homestyle baingan ka bharta recipe made with love.

PS – I have explained why I opt for recipes without onion and garlic in my Instant Pot veg pulav recipe. Also, I have an entire weekly planner with recipes without any onion and garlic.

For me, roasting the brinjal was difficult initially, but when I started using the oven, it became effortless, and this dish became one of the staple dishes in our house. Like I mentioned in the eggplant raita post, I broil it in the oven. But you can very well roast the eggplant on the direct flame as well.

Also, along with baingan, I add colored peppers and peas to make the dish more colorful and flavorful. The sweet from the peppers gives a lovely flavor and texture. The traditional or the authentic version doesn’t call for these two. But I always add them to my bharta.

Roasting the eggplant and letting it cool takes significant time. So plan accordingly. Once you have your eggplant roasted and mashed, you can prepare this dish quickly. I love it with both rice and roti. You can also serve it with other Indian flatbreads. I make this as a semi-dry curry but you can also make it like a gravy if you are planning to serve it with rice.

Now let’s see how to make this baingan bharta.

Baingan Bharta Recipe with step-by-step pictures-

Roasting the eggplant in the oven for baingan bharta-

Line a cookie tray or cake pan with aluminum foil. Apply the 1 tbsp of oil over the eggplant and place it in the tray.

Broil in the oven on high mode for 40 minutes, flipping it once in the middle.
When the broiling is complete, remove it from the oven and let it cool.

When the eggplant is easy to handle, remove the skin. It easily comes off. Remove the flesh and mash it thoroughly. I got about 1.5 cups of mashed eggplant.

Preparing the bharta masala-

Heat a pan or kadai over medium heat and add the remaining 2 tbsps of oil.
When the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds and asafoetida. Let it sizzle.

Next, add the chopped tomatoes, salt, and turmeric powder.

Cover and cook till the tomatoes become soft and mushy.

Add this stage, add the chopped peppers and peas and cook for 3 to 5 minutes.

Then add the spice powders – red chili powder and the coriander powder.

Mix them well and cook until the raw smell goes off or for about 3 to 4 minutes. Mix the masala for every minute or so.
Now add the mashed eggplant and about 2 to 3 tbsps of water and mix thoroughly.

Let it cook for about 4 to 5 minutes over medium-low heat.

Add the chopped cilantro and mix. Serve hot with rice or roti.

Recipe Notes-

If you prefer a gravy consistency or semi-solid, then add about ½ to 1 cup of water after adding the eggplant. I made it more like a dry curry as we prefer it that way.
As always, adjust the salt and spices according to your preference. I did not add any garam masala. You can add about ½ tsp of garam masala.
Skip asafoetida for a gluten-free version.
As I mentioned before, I made this as a no onion no garlic bharta; you can very well add onion and garlic. You can add 1 cup of chopped onion and 2 tsps of ginger-garlic paste for this recipe. If you are using onion, then add it after the cumin seed sizzles. Saute the onion and GG paste until the raw smell goes away. Then you can add the tomatoes and follow the same procedure as mentioned above.
Peas and bell peppers are optional.

PS: Follow me on Instagram or join my Facebook Group for more gardening and recipe updates. If you try this no onion no garlic baingan bharta recipe, please don’t forget to comment and rate this recipe. If you have any questions, please leave a comment, and I will get to it asap. Make sure to follow me on my Pinterest for more healthy and delicious ideas!

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If you like this baingan bharta, I am sure you will like these other Indian eggplant recipes as well,

Update Notes: This recipe was originally posted in 2014 but now updated with new pics and recipe cards.