You say aubergine, I say eggplant

With a serious shout-out to Mallika (and indirectly to her inspiration, Bhags), I have to say that this baingan bharta (which I personally call bagnan bartha) recipe is genius. And beginner friendly!!!

I haven't cooked anything really since April or so, and decided to whip up a couple of delicious Indian dishes tonight. I always think that channa masala is quick (it is, don't worry), but when you make bagnan bartha AND channa masala AND brown rice (whole grains, whole grains) AND burn the leftover cumin-scented white basmati from last week, it does take about two hours.

So beginners: Don't try to do too much. One dish. One rice (leftover does me just fine) (except when I burn it) (I don't have a microwave and have to heat it up stovetop-style). You're laughing.

EASY BAGNAN BARTHA RECIPE (From Bhags, via Mallika)

2 large eggplants
1 regular onion, chopped (I like it really fine)
2 really very ripe tomatoes (the extra-cheap-because-they-look-decrepit kind are particularly good)
2 T yogurt
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch ginger, minced (or the stuff in a jar, maybe 1 heaping t)
1/2 t mustard seeds
1/2 t cumin seeds
1/2 t fenugreek seeds (methi seeds)
2 green chillies, chopped (not the really really small kind, the medium kind) (you can deseed them if you want, but they're really not that hot)
1 t turmeric
1 t cayenne
a handful of coriander, chopped
salt (be generous)

OVEN (or microwave oven) at 400 degrees.

Poke some holes in the eggplant with a fork, and bake it in the oven for around an hour. You can also microwave it, and it's way faster, but since I don't have one, I can't really guess at how long it would take you. Basically, you want to cook them till they're collapsing in on themselves and gettting all squooshy. Then take them out and let them cool. If you slice them in half at that point, they'll cool faster (obviously).

Meanwhile, back at the farm...

Heat some oil (I used canola), around 2 T. Get things nice and hot and add the seeds. They should pop after a bit, but if they don't, add the onions, garlic and ginger anyway. Let it all cook away till it gets nice and soft looking.

Add the tomatoes, yogurt, and powdered spices (turmeric and cayenne), lower the heat and simmer for about 5 min or so.

Meanwhile, hopefully the eggplant has cooled down enough for you to wrench its delicate flesh from the skin. Discard the skin and add the eggplant to the skillet, crank up the heat to high(ish) and stir. I smushed everything up with a potato masher, but you might not find that step necessary, depending on your own texture issues.

Add salt, to taste (don't be afraid). Stir in your coriander.

Serve with rice or flatbread. A side of channa masala is a nice complement...but you might want to make that tomorrow.