Delightful bharta side dish: eggplant

Rahul Verma

When we say ‘bharta’, we immediately think of ‘baigan ka bharta’ — the eggplant mash cooked with tomatoes and onions that many of us in North India are greatly fond of. There are, however, many kinds of bhartas as I discovered when I heard about a bharta festival that was being organised some years back.

Bharta or bhorta, as it is known in some parts of India, is essentially a mash. I loved the aloo bharta that was prepared in my west UP home, and years later, enjoy the Bihari chokha, too. The taste of chokha, of course, is enhanced with green chillies, onions and mustard oil. But the bharta, as you would know, is not limited to select parts of India. It is prepared and eaten in some form or the other across the country. And outside, too, dishes such as mashed potatoes — prepared with a bit of milk or cream — can be seen as bharta.

But bhartas work especially well in India because of our climate. As summer approaches, you will find homemakers preparing a simple dish of mashed vegetables or dals. The red masoor, for instance, is a side dish that is eaten with rice in many parts of the country, often with a mashed boiled egg. The dal is boiled, pureed and then tempered with a dash of mustard oil.

If you like simple food, you could plan out a mashed dish every day of the week. Almost any vegetable — think of parwal (pointed gourd) or pumpkin — can be steamed or roasted and then mashed. Mashed pumpkin makes for a great side dish. I still remember a delicious dish of pork chops with pureed pumpkin on the side that had been prepared by Ritu Dalmia. The sweetness of the pumpkin complemented the taste of the chops. Parwal mash is another great dish that can be served with anything. For this, roast the parwal over an open fire. Mash the gourd and then add green chillies, chopped garlic, lemon juice, mustard oil and coriander leaves. Mix well — and serve with hot rice.

In Bengal and Bangladesh, bhorta or pora — which is another kind of mashed dish, where the main ingredient is not boiled but smoked — is quite a must-have. Fish or seafood is another popular mash. For this, the ingredient is steamed, mashed and tempered with salt and red chillies. Mustard oil is drizzled over it, and sometimes the taste is enhanced with a bit of lemon juice. Dried fish makes for a pungent dish, and there is one particular mash that many drool over — lau pataye laitta bhorta (mashed Bombay duck steamed in bottlegourd leaves).

Food historian and curator Pritha Sen, who was among those to have organised that incredible bhorta festival I mentioned, had once told me that a reference to this kind of food was found in an 8th century couplet. Mashes, she said, emerge from the use of uncultivated foods — and included everything from kalmi saag and stalks to other greens, taro, gourd greens, vegetables and vegetable peels. The eggplant or aubergine is especially good for bhartas. The North Indian version is delicious, and I can’t have enough of it (it makes for a great sandwich filling too!). In parts of East India, the eggplant is grilled, the skin is removed, and then the pulp is mashed with chopped onions, green chillies and mustard oil. Elsewhere, too, the eggplant gets to wear the sash and the tiara in mash contests. Madhur Jaffrey in her book, ‘Eastern Vegetarian Cooking’, mentions a creamed aubergine dish in which the aubergine is grilled, and the pulp is cooked with ginger, garlic, onion and tomato puree, and then mixed with cayenne, black pepper, cumin, some cream, and fresh coriander leaves. West Asia’s baba ganoush is a delightful side dish to be eaten with bread, or to be served as a dip.

Mashed food, indeed, is tasty, easy to rustle up and good for the teeth. Not surprisingly, I find myself developing quite a pash for the mash.

Ingredients
Round eggplants (medium) 2
Green pepper (chopped) 1
Tomato (chopped) 1
Onion (chopped) half
Garlic (minced) ½ tsp
Parsley (chopped) 2 tbsp
Mint leaves (chopped) 2 tbsp
Extra virgin olive oil 2 tbsp
Salt and sumac To taste
Pomegranate juice 1 tbsp
Juice of two limes

Method

Grill the eggplants over an open fire, turning them to ensure that all sides get evenly roasted. When done, let them cool. Remove the skin. Mash the pulp in a bowl. Add all ingredients to the eggplant, ending with the lime juice and pomegranate juice, which will give the dish a mildly sweet-and-sour taste.

Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.