Eggplant meets chickpeas in this legume-filled version of Baingan Bharta. Spicy, aromatic, and downright delicious!
Sometimes when a recipe is truly great, I find I have little to say other than “Make this.” So, if you like Indian food in general and Baingan Bharta in particular, make this. It’s as good as or better than what you’ll find in a restaurant but without a lot of oil or, possibly, butter and it’s certified delicious by my resident eggplant-hater.
Before you run off to the kitchen, let me admit that yes, I made baingan bharta and basically added chickpeas to it. Laziness is the reason, my usual desire to get vegetables and protein all into one dish so that I don’t have to make side dishes.
In this case, I could have used some sides because this dish was so mouth-watering, so appetite-inducing, and yet so light that we were all three still hungry after we’d polished off the 4 average-sized servings. So plan to either double the recipe or make some side dishes. I suggest Red Cabbage and Peas with Cumin and Mustardseed, Baked Spinach Kofta, Palak Tofu, Bhindi Masala, or any of my Indian recipes.
Finally (boy, I just can’t shut up), I really need to point out that you can get all of the essential ingredients at almost any supermarket, but if you have an Indian grocery store nearby, you’ll be able to find asafetida and ginger paste there. Neither is a necessity, but I find the ginger paste to be a big time-saver, as well as a recipe-saver when all my fresh ginger root seems to have become dried up, gnarled, and downright scary in my fridge.
You’ll also find fresher garam masala in an Indian store than you will in a supermarket, but not as fresh as if you make it yourself; see the end of the recipe for ingredients before you head out on your shopping trip.
Eggplant and Chickpea Curry
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant
- 1 medium onion , chopped
- 1/2 red bell pepper seeded and diced
- 1 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/8 teaspoon asafetida (or 1 clove garlic, pressed)
- 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes (fire-roasted preferred)
- 2 teaspoons ginger paste or minced ginger root
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne or other hot red pepper (less or more, to taste)
- 1 15-ounce can cooked chickpeas , rinsed and drained (or 1 1/2 cups)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup minced parsley or cilantro
- 1/4 teaspoon garam masala (start with less and add more to taste)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F. Prick eggplant with a fork several times and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until eggplant is sunken and soft all the way through. Remove from oven and set aside until cool enough to handle. Peel and chop the eggplant flesh.
- Heat a non-stick skillet. Add the onion and cook until it begins to turn golden. Add the bell pepper and cook for a few more minutes. Clear a spot in the center of the skillet and sprinkle the cumin seeds directly on the hot surface. Stir and toast them for about a minute, until they become fragrant. Stir them into the onions and peppers and add the coriander, turmeric, asafetida (or garlic), tomatoes, ginger paste, and red pepper.
- Add the eggplant and cook over medium heat, pressing eggplant with the back of a spoon to break up large pieces, for about 10 minutes. Add the chickpeas and enough water or chickpea cooking liquid to keep the mixture moist, cover tightly, and turn heat to low. Cook for at least 15 minutes, stirring periodically, until sauce has thickened and flavors have blended. (You can hold this dish on low for up to 45 minutes while you prepare the rest of your meal, but add additional liquid as needed and don’t forget to stir, scraping the bottom.)
- Just before serving, add parsley (or cilantro), garam masala, and salt to taste. Serve with rice or Indian bread.
Notes
Nutritional info is approximate.
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Mary (What's Cookin' with Mary)
I am totally in love with simple Indian food recipes. I just recently started making them at home after having my first taste at the WF’s hot bar. This seems pretty straight forward and I love that it’s an ‘all inclusive’ meal… no need to dirty up other pots n pans to make side dishes.
I haven’t had eggplant in ages! Must try this recipe out next week… Adding this to my meal plan for next week ASAP.
Thanks Susan!
-Mary
Carolyn @Eat Well. Live Well. Be Well.
Another great one. Thanks.
natalie
This looks delicious–and worthy of going with my Indian Auntie’s recipe for mint paratha. Can’t wait to try it out!
(And that bowl/dish set is gorgeous!)
Mrs. J @ Road Less Traveled
This sounds delicious! I love indian curries and chickpeas in particular. My husband likes eggplant a lot, so this is something we’ll have to try! Thank you for sharing!
Kathleen @ Kat's Health Corner
I love Indian Food!!!! It is the absolute BEST!!! Not only does it taste great, but it brings back memories of my mother traveling and visiting India. I can’t wait to try this and all of your other Indian dishes!!! 🙂
DeeDee
I Checked out your site thinking it was vegan. You have some very interesting recipes. Unfortunately, some recipes include eggs which would determine for me where I travel on the web in search of recipes. There is no evidence that humans require animals, their products or secretions in order to maintain a healthy body. The ongoing suffering that egg laying hens endure (including cage free) by having humans steal from their bodies cannot justify consumption of eggs, especially at a time in history where a variety of plant food is still readily available. Gifted vegan food authors like Susan show us how easy it is to create fresh, delicious, healthy meals and desserts minus the suffering of other sentient beings. The rest is up to us. Best wishes to you in your search for healthy eating.
Kathleen @ Kat's Health Corner
Even though I may choose to use eggs in some of my dishes, my dishes can be effortlessly modified to suit vegans. Along with my recipes, I provide substitutions for vegetarians and vegans (like flax/chia eggs and Ener G egg replacer), so I hope you will try some of my dishes with the modifications I provide. 🙂
moonwatcher
Susan,
This sounds absolutely fantastic! I LOVE garam masala, but have never made my own, so I might try that. And I loved the writing in the post, too–I am definitely putting this on my “make this” list!!
Thank you,
moonwatcher
Junia @ Mis Pensamientos
I love using tumeric and ginger in my curry recipes!
Marta
I love asian food! Its so easy to make since most of it is dairy/egg free! Thanks for this great recipe, we’ll definitely try it next week!
Patty
thanks for the eggplant recipe. I have discovered eggplant this year and cannot get enough of it. Thanks for the email and the recipe.
Sarah
Wow Susan, while the recipe looks great, I am in awe of the endless beautiful dished your food is always pictured in! You must have a gazillion! LOL
Anita
I don’t have cumin seeds. Would you have a suggestion for amounts of ground cumin, which I do already have? Likewise, no cinnamon sticks, but ground cinnamon, no cardamon seeds, but ground cardamon…
SusanV
Use about a teaspoon of ground cumin in the curry and about 3/4 tsp. in the garam masala. Instead of a stick of cinnamon, use a teaspoon of ground. You can use about the same amount of cardamom as cardamon seeds (1 tbsp.) It probably won’t have quite the same punch as from freshly ground seeds, but will still be good.
Kitchen Gardener
This sounds absolutely delish! Can’t wait to try it.
I adore your plate and bowl, as someone else has said you seem to have an endless supply of gorgeous plates and dishes. Thank you once again for another fab recipe!
pamela
If it tastes as good as it looks in that great photo it will be fab!
xxx
Veena
combining chickpeas with the eggplants is a good idea… i love the photo and the write up for this post!
Veena
http://www.tastefullyveggie.blogspot.com
DeeDee
Indian food is often the same basic food made amazing with the most flavorful spices and herbs. For instance, chick peas as hummus which practically everybody loves with crackers; made with Indian spices this little pea takes on other celestial dimensions. Susan, showcasing your recipe in such gorgeous china tempts me to go shopping – perhaps in India someday.
blepharisma
This looks great! I recently found a really great eggplant dish after years of trying awful baingan bharta recipes. Still working on my post for it, though – you managed to take lovely pics of a dish that is not especially attractive, haha! Love your dishes.
Sarah @ Flavoropolis
This looks and sounds heavenly. I still haven’t tried garam masala in many recipes yet, so this gives me some ideas. That bowl and plate are gorgeous as well!
ashley@quasichick
OMG that looks divine and your dishes are beautiful. I am a new reader! So glad Ifound your bloggie!
Jeanette
I love Indian food, and one dish meals are such a time saver, great idea!
rachel
love your work and just wondered if i could help out with the ginger situation. i used to keep mine in the fridge and have the same problem until i read a tip..sorry don’t remember where..but it’s as simple as keeping it in the freezer instead. it grates beautifully and now i never run out 🙂
as for the recipe..i too am an eggplant hater..however i keep buying it and trying it so i’ll definitely give this one a bash.
mihl
I am so glad I have all the ingredients on hand. I think this is going to be lunch or dinner. Thank you, Susan!
Maria
Hey, Susan!
Another great recipe I will be trying! BTW, I loaded the info into WW’s points calculator, according to the new PointsPlus® program, and it’s 5, which is not bad, just FYI.
Keep up the good cookin’!
SusanV
Thanks for doing that, Maria. I wonder why it’s so high. I thought WW was allowing unlimited vegetables now, and except for the chickpeas, this is pretty much all vegetables. I would have thought it would have fewer points than the old program, not more.
braelin
Hi Susan,
There’s not much sense in comparing the old to the new WW program in terms of the PointsPlus values of individual foods or dishes— the whole program is reworked, so we have higher targets too. I find, on a vegan diet at least, that it all amounts to about the same amount of food in the end as I was eating on the older plan– the values and the targets are just different. Hope that helps explain. This dish sounds delicious!
Helen
Will try making this one tomorrow for our weekly Curry Night! I always love your curries and spicy dishes so thanks Susan plus I am in a very chilly England so will enjoy something comforting to warm us up.
Tip for you regarding Root Ginger. I freeze chunks of fresh ginger which I then take out and grate with a microplane grater and it works a treat (often easier than when it is fresh). If you leave it to thaw it will be much softer and mushy so grate it when still frozen. Plus you don’t have to peel it either.
Laloofah
How perfect – and perfectly beautiful – are those gorgeous dishes for this dish?! They caught my eye even before the delectable-looking food did, which almost never happens! 🙂
This recipe’s going in my recipe box. I have been wanting to cook more Indian food. We love it, and don’t make it nearly enough! And after a traumatic experience once with an eggplant gone bad I haven’t made anything with eggplant since, not even my beloved baba ganouj. This recipe will help me get over it. Thank you for adding it to our repertoire!
Marinda Bush
Oh I am so excited. I ate at a fantastic Vegan Indian restaurant last night and after eating their wonderful food I really wanted to make more for myself. Thank you for making my wishes come true! I can’t wait to try it!
Michele
You are my hero! I had leftover eggplant from the Morrocan meat pies that I made this weekend for the carnivore in my house and was wondering what I was going to do with it. Can’t wait to make this tomorrow!
marla
I too am not a huge fan of eggplant, but I LOVE it in Baingan Bharta. I always order this when we go for Indian food, but I would much rather make my own…great recipe 🙂
Alicia
Unbelievably and addictingly delicious, as ususal, Susan. Thank you again!
Lynette
On points plus, this recipe is 5 points
Wendy (Healthy Girl's Kitchen)
I love eggplant! I love chick peas! I love Indian food!
I am so making this.
And your photos are a delight! Thank you!
Wendy
I forgot to mention–I keep fresh ginger root in a ziplock baggie in my freezer. It never goes bad before I can use it up, is as good as fresh ginger, is easy to microplane and I always have fresh ginger on hand!
SusanV
Thanks, Wendy! It sounds like freezing my ginger is definitely in my future!
veganlinda
Your pictures are better than ever, Susan! Beautiful!
I will have to make this dish when my husband comes home this weekend. He will be thrilled. We love Indian and Baingan Bharta is one of our favorites.
Julia
Wow this was fantastic! Theres nothing like a spicy bowl of chickpeas and eggplant curry to warm you up on a winter night. I will definitely be making this again! It was easy, quick, and inexpensive to make since I already had all the spices. For all of you who have not yet tried this, you must!
pb
Hi Susan,
This sounds like a great recipe. The flavour of roasted eggplant is unbeatable.
If you want to try a store bought garam masala from any Indian store, try the Sanjeev kapoor brand if you can get it. I have tried the garam masala from this brand and its really strong and flavourfull.
thanks,
pb
Jamie
Looks delicious! I love chickpea curry!
Meghann
Thank you for the recipe. My husband loves the baingan bharta at our local Indian restaurant, but I don’t like all the oil floating on top! I made this tonight and it was delicious 🙂