Baingan Bharta

Some vegetables are tricky to eat raw. Heating and cooking changes their texture and sometimes, you need a little heat to enhance the flavors. The dehydrator is perfect for helping spices to marinate and soften vegetables without stripping them of the nutrients that are too often cooked out of food. Take eggplant for instance. Not something most people consider good for a raw meal, but we have already proven that it’s perfect given a little time in the dehydrator with our Eggplant Carpaccio Caprese and our Babaganoush Dip . Craving Bharta, I figured I’d give it a whirl.

Back in Los Angeles there is a fantastic restaurant called Akbar. Best Indian food I’ve ever had (no I haven’t been to India, but I have had Indian food in London). I was a regular at this family owned restaurant and Bharta was my favorite dish. Well I don’t live there anymore, so my once or twice a month excursion to fill my belly with this aromatic and tasty dish is no more. So I set out to recreate it the best I can within the confines of raw and vegan with the only knowledge that it contains eggplant, cardamom and peas.

I tried looking up recipes, but everything I made fell short. They tasted like ratatouille or, even worse, like nothing. Most of the recipes lacked spice or the creaminess that Akbar’s Bharta had. I guess I could have called and I’m pretty confident they would have just given me the recipe, but instead I tried to figure it out on my own. You know… the usual fallback position.

As I mentioned, the internet was no help and one recipe was so bad I wondered if they ever tasted it before posting. My Indian friends said they would grab a recipe from their mom or aunts but that never happened either. So my quest to start a traditional recipe from scratch relied on my taste memory and my desire to have access to one of my favorite dishes of all time.

RAW VEGAN RECIPE: Baingan Bharta

Preparing the Eggplant

1 medium eggplant, peeled and cut into small cubes

3 large cloves garlic, crushed or minced

1 large shallot, diced small

1/4 tsp cumin

1/8 cup olive oil (you might need more, keep coating to keep it moist)

In a large microwave/dishwasher safe bowl, toss ingredients together coating it well. Place in dehydrator at 115 degrees for 10-12 hours, tossing ingredients and making sure the eggplant stays coated.

Preparing the Tomatoes

3 medium tomatoes, halved

1 shallot

2 garlic cloves (crushed)

1/8 tsp chili powder

1/2″ fresh ginger (grated)

1/8 tsp thyme

2 cardamom pods (crush with back of spoon)

1/8 tsp ground cardamom

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1 pinch salt

pinch pepper

1/8 cup olive oil

Toss all ingredients, coating the tomatoes well. Spread out on dehydrator sheets and place in dehydrator at 115 degrees for 5 hours. Brush or toss the tomatoes in the mixture every hour or so. When done remove the skin, it should come off very easily. Also remove the cardamom pods before mixing, they don’t get as soft as they would when cooked so it’s best to take them out.

Making the Bharta

Prepared eggplant

Prepared tomatoes

1/2 cup defrosted or fresh peas (you can use frozen, but don’t use canned)

1/4 cup almond milk

a couple of leaves of cilantro

Pulse the eggplant, scraping the oil and seasoning into the processor. Add the tomatoes with oil and seasoning along with the almond milk and blend. It should be a little lumpy. Stir in the peas right before serving. Garnish with cilantro.

Serve with our delicious Indian Poppadoms with Mango and Mint Chutneys or veggies.