Naan and Baingan Bharta

I always have enjoyed baingan bharta.  It is the dish I used to order whenever we went for Indian food at our favorite restaurant in Mbale (which, unfortunately, closed).

I found a recipe for baingan bharta in a cooking magazine (I don't know which one) a long time ago and kept it in my recipe file.  When I was shopping in the supermarket here and saw ghee for sale, I remembered this recipe and thought it would be fun to try it, since all the ingredients are available in Soroti.  I had also never used ghee before.

It is a rather labor intensive recipe, but it makes a lot.  Here is my version of the recipe.

Baingan Bharta:

8 Tbs. ghee

4 medium eggplants, cubed

4 small onions, minced

5 medium tomatoes, chopped

8 cloves garlic, minced

4 tsp. sugar

1 1/2 Tbs. garam masala

1 tsp. salt

The recipe said to char the eggplant over a flame until it got soft.  I tried that once, but decided that it wasn't really worth it.  I tried a different technique the second time, which I will recommend here.  First cook the onions in the ghee until browned, then add the cumin seeds and garlic.  Cook for a few more minutes, then add the tomatoes, sugar, and cubed eggplant.  Cover the saucepan and let everything cook for about ten minutes.  Then, start checking on the eggplant to see if it is soft enough to mash.  Keep cooking, covered, until it is that soft.  At that point, mash the eggplant, add the garam masala and salt, and cook for a few more minutes before serving.

To go with the meal, we made some really tasty naan.
Naan:
4 c. flour
1 Tbs. + 1 tsp. baking powder
1 Tbs. sugar
1 Tbs. salt
2 Tbs. oil
1/3 c. plain yogurt
1 1/4 c. water
1 egg

Knead the ingredients together and let the dough sit for about 15 minutes.  Then divide it into 8-10 balls.  Roll them out and cook on a hot skillet until bubbles form.

Then flip the naan and cook the other side.