Make a traditional Baingan Bharta or Eggplant Bharta easily in your Instant Pot. Follow this technique to get a wonderful smoky flavor without spending time to roast and char the eggplant.
Instant Pot Baingan Bharta Eggplant Dip
What insane person tries to make an Indian Baingan Bharta, a dish known for its distinctive smokiness, the delicate charring that comes from broiling, in an Instant Pot ? Me. That’s who.
I looked around for Instant Pot eggplant recipes and made this wonderful one for Baba Ghanoush which I was planning to make, but I’ve really wanted to do Instant Pot Baingan Bharta for a while.
Traditionally when roasting eggplant for Baingan Bharta, you pierce a whole eggplant, you cover it in oil, and you broil it in an oven, flipping from side to side.
I have clear instructions on how to make perfect roasted eggplant here that you should also check out.
This takes a good 30-45 minutes. I like things simpler. So I used the principles of the Instant Pot Baba Ghanoush recipe but the ingredients of an eggplant Bharta.
One of the immediate challenges of this Indian Baingan Bharta recipe was how to add enough water to the recipe without drowning it in water afterward. Ordinarily, I’d add onions and tomatoes after the eggplant was done, because you sort of want the fresh taste.
But I knew if I put it into the Instant Pot the veggies would release their liquid and flavor the eggplant. So I figured I’d try it that way.
Be forewarned this Baingan Bharta recipe will a) take more oil than you want since eggplant is an oil-sponge b) take 10-15 minutes charring the eggplant in the pot.
But I wanted maximum char to replicate that smoky flavor. You want this to have very little water at the end, but be sure to scrape up any bits of char remaining once you open the pot.
Also, go slow with that liquid smoke , tasting it and smelling it to make sure you’ve got enough.
The end result was a wonderful slightly smoky mix that was done in less than half the time it would have taken me on the stove. It makes a wonderfully delicious main dish or side and I’m dying for you to try it!
The short answer is no, as you want the peel intact to keep the juices in. As a matter of fact, you don’t even have to peel the eggplant after roasting if you don’t want to as the peel is entirely edible, but it can be a little tough with larger eggplants I tend to peel the eggplant after roasting as I typically mash the eggplant for most of my recipes.
You only need to salt the eggplant before roasting if you are cubing or slicing before roasting in order to get rid of some of the moisture. It’s very common for people to salt eggplant before roasting it, and it’s widely believed that salting before roasting can take away some of the bitterness in eggplant. In my experience, it doesn’t seem to have any bearing on removing bitterness. So if you’re cubing or slicing, salt away, but if you’re roasting it with the skin on you can put the salt away.
Eggplant actually has a myriad of health benefits . It’s chock full of nutrients like protein, fiber, potassium, vitamin K and vitamin C. It’s rich in antioxidants which could help prevent heart disease and cancer. Due to the high fiber content of roasted eggplant, it can help lower blood sugar by slowing the rate of digestion and absorption of sugar in the body. Eggplant is also quite low in carbs , with only 8 grams of carbs in a 1 cup serving of chopped, cooked eggplant.
How To Make Instant Pot Eggplant Bharta
- Heat the Instant Pot pot, and when it’s hot, put in a few tablespoons of oil.
- Once the oil is hot, put in one layer of eggplant slices. This is the tough part now, do not mess with them until they are properly charred at the bottom. Without this char, you won’t get the smoky taste you need. Once these slices char, they will shrink a bit and you can put in some more eggplant slices.
- At this point, you may need to put in more oil. This thing sucks oil, so just embrace that. Use a spatula or spoon and scrape up the char from the bottom as needed. This took me about 10-15 minutes to get it all charred.
- Once the eggplant is charred and somewhat soft, add in onions, garlic, turmeric, salt and let these spices roast in the oil for a bit as you mix everything together.
- Add in the tomato and scrape up every last bit of the brown bits from the bottom.
- Add in the water, and close the pot immediately before you lose any liquid through evaporation.
- Cook at High Pressure for 3 minutes, and release steam immediately.
- Open the pot and turn on to Sauté to get rid of some of the water if needed. It will thicken as it cools.
- Add the liquid smoke and stir well, garnish with cilantro and serve with naan.
- If you have kids that are not fond of eggplant or spicy food, I’d suggest mixing in a little greek yogurt or sour cream to soften the taste and trying it that way.
What Does Baingan Bharta Mean?
The meaning of Baingan Bharta is pretty straight forward. “Baingan” is Hindi for eggplant and “bharta” is Hindi for puree or mash. So it quite literally translates to mashed or pureed eggplant. It’s a wonderfully delicious traditional Indian dish that’s bursting with smokey flavor and spices.
Other Easy Eggplant Recipes
- Instant Pot Baba Ghanoush Lebanese Eggplant Dip - Quick, flameless, and tastes delicious!
- Malai Baingan - A creamy, spicy, hearty Indian Instant Pot recipe.
- Tomato Eggplant Soup - A great vegan soup recipe.
- Instant Pot Eggplant Pasta - One of the best pasta dishes I’ve ever had, and I don’t say that lightly.
- Roasted Ratatouille Recipe - All the flavor of a traditional ratatouille without all of the work!
- How To Make Roasted Eggplant – Whether you’re making it in the oven , on the stove , in the air fryer , or even the Instant Pot , this guide covers it all.
I have more Instant Pot Fast and Easy Recipes as well as Vegetarian Instant Pot Recipes in my cookbooks you might want to check out.
Eggplant Baingan Bharta
Ingredients
- ▢ 1 ( 1 ) Eggplant , peeled, cut in half, and then sliced lengthwise
- ▢ 1/3 cup ( 72.67 g ) Vegetable Oil
- ▢ 3 cloves ( 3 cloves ) Garlic , minced
- ▢ 1/2 ( 0.5 ) Onion , diced
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon ( 0.25 teaspoon ) Turmeric
- ▢ 1/8 teaspoon ( 0.13 teaspoon ) Cayenne Pepper
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon ( 0.5 teaspoon ) Kosher Salt , to taste
- ▢ 1/3 cup ( 49.67 g ) Tomatoes , diced
- ▢ 1/2 cup ( 125 g ) Water
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon ( 0.25 teaspoon ) Liquid Smoke
- ▢ 2 tablespoons ( 2 tablespoons ) Cilantro , chopped
Instructions
- Heat the Instant Pot pot, and when it’s hot, put in a few tablespoons of oil.
- Once the oil is hot, put in one layer of eggplant slices. This is the tough part now, do not mess with them until they are properly charred at the bottom. Without this char, you won’t get the smoky taste you need. Once these slices char, they will shrink a bit and you can put in some more eggplant slices. At this point, you may need to put in more oil. This thing sucks oil, so just embrace that. Use a spatula or spoon and scrape up the char from the bottom as needed. This took me about 10-15 minutes to get it all charred.
- Once the eggplant is charred and somewhat soft, add in onions, garlic, turmeric, salt and let these spices roast in the oil for a bit as you mix everything together.
- Add in the tomato and scrape up every last bit of the brown bits from the bottom.
- Add in the water, and close the pot immediately before you lose any liquid through evaporation.
- Cook at High Pressure for 3 minutes, and release steam immediately.
- Open the pot and turn on to Sauté to get rid of some of the water if needed. It will thicken as it cools.
- Add the liquid smoke and stir well, garnish with cilantro and serve with naan.
- If you have kids that are not fond of eggplant or spicy food, I’d suggest mixing in a little greek yogurt or sour cream to soften the taste, and trying it that way.
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Post originally published on April 6, 2017, at 2:29 PM.
Make a traditional Baingan Bharta or Eggplant Bharta easily in your Instant Pot. Follow this technique to get a wonderful smoky flavor without spending time to roast and char the eggplant.
Instant Pot Baingan Bharta Eggplant Dip
What insane person tries to make an Indian Baingan Bharta, a dish known for its distinctive smokiness, the delicate charring that comes from broiling, in an Instant Pot ? Me. That’s who.
I looked around for Instant Pot eggplant recipes and made this wonderful one for Baba Ghanoush which I was planning to make, but I’ve really wanted to do Instant Pot Baingan Bharta for a while.
Traditionally when roasting eggplant for Baingan Bharta, you pierce a whole eggplant, you cover it in oil, and you broil it in an oven, flipping from side to side.
I have clear instructions on how to make perfect roasted eggplant here that you should also check out.
This takes a good 30-45 minutes. I like things simpler. So I used the principles of the Instant Pot Baba Ghanoush recipe but the ingredients of an eggplant Bharta.
One of the immediate challenges of this Indian Baingan Bharta recipe was how to add enough water to the recipe without drowning it in water afterward. Ordinarily, I’d add onions and tomatoes after the eggplant was done, because you sort of want the fresh taste.
But I knew if I put it into the Instant Pot the veggies would release their liquid and flavor the eggplant. So I figured I’d try it that way.
Be forewarned this Baingan Bharta recipe will a) take more oil than you want since eggplant is an oil-sponge b) take 10-15 minutes charring the eggplant in the pot.
But I wanted maximum char to replicate that smoky flavor. You want this to have very little water at the end, but be sure to scrape up any bits of char remaining once you open the pot.
Also, go slow with that liquid smoke , tasting it and smelling it to make sure you’ve got enough.
The end result was a wonderful slightly smoky mix that was done in less than half the time it would have taken me on the stove. It makes a wonderfully delicious main dish or side and I’m dying for you to try it!
The short answer is no, as you want the peel intact to keep the juices in. As a matter of fact, you don’t even have to peel the eggplant after roasting if you don’t want to as the peel is entirely edible, but it can be a little tough with larger eggplants I tend to peel the eggplant after roasting as I typically mash the eggplant for most of my recipes.
You only need to salt the eggplant before roasting if you are cubing or slicing before roasting in order to get rid of some of the moisture. It’s very common for people to salt eggplant before roasting it, and it’s widely believed that salting before roasting can take away some of the bitterness in eggplant. In my experience, it doesn’t seem to have any bearing on removing bitterness. So if you’re cubing or slicing, salt away, but if you’re roasting it with the skin on you can put the salt away.
Eggplant actually has a myriad of health benefits . It’s chock full of nutrients like protein, fiber, potassium, vitamin K and vitamin C. It’s rich in antioxidants which could help prevent heart disease and cancer. Due to the high fiber content of roasted eggplant, it can help lower blood sugar by slowing the rate of digestion and absorption of sugar in the body. Eggplant is also quite low in carbs , with only 8 grams of carbs in a 1 cup serving of chopped, cooked eggplant.
How To Make Instant Pot Eggplant Bharta
- Heat the Instant Pot pot, and when it’s hot, put in a few tablespoons of oil.
- Once the oil is hot, put in one layer of eggplant slices. This is the tough part now, do not mess with them until they are properly charred at the bottom. Without this char, you won’t get the smoky taste you need. Once these slices char, they will shrink a bit and you can put in some more eggplant slices.
- At this point, you may need to put in more oil. This thing sucks oil, so just embrace that. Use a spatula or spoon and scrape up the char from the bottom as needed. This took me about 10-15 minutes to get it all charred.
- Once the eggplant is charred and somewhat soft, add in onions, garlic, turmeric, salt and let these spices roast in the oil for a bit as you mix everything together.
- Add in the tomato and scrape up every last bit of the brown bits from the bottom.
- Add in the water, and close the pot immediately before you lose any liquid through evaporation.
- Cook at High Pressure for 3 minutes, and release steam immediately.
- Open the pot and turn on to Sauté to get rid of some of the water if needed. It will thicken as it cools.
- Add the liquid smoke and stir well, garnish with cilantro and serve with naan.
- If you have kids that are not fond of eggplant or spicy food, I’d suggest mixing in a little greek yogurt or sour cream to soften the taste and trying it that way.
What Does Baingan Bharta Mean?
The meaning of Baingan Bharta is pretty straight forward. “Baingan” is Hindi for eggplant and “bharta” is Hindi for puree or mash. So it quite literally translates to mashed or pureed eggplant. It’s a wonderfully delicious traditional Indian dish that’s bursting with smokey flavor and spices.
Other Easy Eggplant Recipes
- Instant Pot Baba Ghanoush Lebanese Eggplant Dip - Quick, flameless, and tastes delicious!
- Malai Baingan - A creamy, spicy, hearty Indian Instant Pot recipe.
- Tomato Eggplant Soup - A great vegan soup recipe.
- Instant Pot Eggplant Pasta - One of the best pasta dishes I’ve ever had, and I don’t say that lightly.
- Roasted Ratatouille Recipe - All the flavor of a traditional ratatouille without all of the work!
- How To Make Roasted Eggplant – Whether you’re making it in the oven , on the stove , in the air fryer , or even the Instant Pot , this guide covers it all.
I have more Instant Pot Fast and Easy Recipes as well as Vegetarian Instant Pot Recipes in my cookbooks you might want to check out.
Eggplant Baingan Bharta
Ingredients
- ▢ 1 ( 1 ) Eggplant , peeled, cut in half, and then sliced lengthwise
- ▢ 1/3 cup ( 72.67 g ) Vegetable Oil
- ▢ 3 cloves ( 3 cloves ) Garlic , minced
- ▢ 1/2 ( 0.5 ) Onion , diced
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon ( 0.25 teaspoon ) Turmeric
- ▢ 1/8 teaspoon ( 0.13 teaspoon ) Cayenne Pepper
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon ( 0.5 teaspoon ) Kosher Salt , to taste
- ▢ 1/3 cup ( 49.67 g ) Tomatoes , diced
- ▢ 1/2 cup ( 125 g ) Water
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon ( 0.25 teaspoon ) Liquid Smoke
- ▢ 2 tablespoons ( 2 tablespoons ) Cilantro , chopped
Instructions
- Heat the Instant Pot pot, and when it’s hot, put in a few tablespoons of oil.
- Once the oil is hot, put in one layer of eggplant slices. This is the tough part now, do not mess with them until they are properly charred at the bottom. Without this char, you won’t get the smoky taste you need. Once these slices char, they will shrink a bit and you can put in some more eggplant slices. At this point, you may need to put in more oil. This thing sucks oil, so just embrace that. Use a spatula or spoon and scrape up the char from the bottom as needed. This took me about 10-15 minutes to get it all charred.
- Once the eggplant is charred and somewhat soft, add in onions, garlic, turmeric, salt and let these spices roast in the oil for a bit as you mix everything together.
- Add in the tomato and scrape up every last bit of the brown bits from the bottom.
- Add in the water, and close the pot immediately before you lose any liquid through evaporation.
- Cook at High Pressure for 3 minutes, and release steam immediately.
- Open the pot and turn on to Sauté to get rid of some of the water if needed. It will thicken as it cools.
- Add the liquid smoke and stir well, garnish with cilantro and serve with naan.
- If you have kids that are not fond of eggplant or spicy food, I’d suggest mixing in a little greek yogurt or sour cream to soften the taste, and trying it that way.
Get support & connect with our community on Facebook!
Nutrition
Post originally published on April 6, 2017, at 2:29 PM.
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Eggplant Baingan Bharta
Ingredients
- 1 Eggplant peeled, cut in half, and then sliced lengthwise
- 1/3 cup Vegetable Oil
- 3 cloves Garlic minced
- 1/2 Onion diced
- 1/4 teaspoon Turmeric
- 1/8 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt to taste
- 1/3 cup Tomatoes diced
- 1/2 cup Water
- 1/4 teaspoon Liquid Smoke
- 2 tablespoons Cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Heat the Instant Pot pot, and when it’s hot, put in a few tablespoons of oil.
- Once the oil is hot, put in one layer of eggplant slices. This is the tough part now, do not mess with them until they are properly charred at the bottom. Without this char, you won’t get the smoky taste you need. Once these slices char, they will shrink a bit and you can put in some more eggplant slices. At this point, you may need to put in more oil. This thing sucks oil, so just embrace that. Use a spatula or spoon and scrape up the char from the bottom as needed. This took me about 10-15 minutes to get it all charred.
- Once the eggplant is charred and somewhat soft, add in onions, garlic, turmeric, salt and let these spices roast in the oil for a bit as you mix everything together.
- Add in the tomato and scrape up every last bit of the brown bits from the bottom.
- Add in the water, and close the pot immediately before you lose any liquid through evaporation.
- Cook at High Pressure for 3 minutes, and release steam immediately.
- Open the pot and turn on to Sauté to get rid of some of the water if needed. It will thicken as it cools.
- Add the liquid smoke and stir well, garnish with cilantro and serve with naan.
- If you have kids that are not fond of eggplant or spicy food, I’d suggest mixing in a little greek yogurt or sour cream to soften the taste, and trying it that way.
Eggplant Baingan Bharta https://twosleevers.com/eggplant-baingan-bharta/
Brew homemade lemongrass tea with ginger and enjoy a cold, refreshing drink for the summer. Making iced tea in your Instant Pot or pressure cooker has never been easier, or more delicious.
What Makes Keto Tea So Great
- Lemongrass . If you’ve been growing lemongrass in your backyard, or if you have been eying it in the grocery store wondering how to use lemongrass, it’s time to learn how to make some delicious lemongrass tea in your Instant Pot . This might very well be the best combination of ginger and lemongrass out there.
- Simple. So unlike my other beverage recipes where I’m super precise about ingredients to help you out, this one is a very forgiving recipe. There really isn’t any need to measure out the lemongrass plant or ginger exactly. Just 5 simple ingredients and you’ve got some delicious and refreshing tea.
- Quick. You can have this simple and delicious low carb drink done in less than 30 minutes .
Where To Buy Lemongrass
Many grocery stores sell lemongrass to use in this Lemongrass Tea and many other delicious dishes. It is generally found with fresh produce, but you may also have luck finding it in the frozen food section.
If you’re having trouble finding lemongrass at your local grocery store, you may have better luck checking an Asian market.
How to Make Lemongrass Tea
- Pick. I went out to my yard and picked some lemongrass leaves. Like about so many.
- Slice. Then, I sliced a few slices of fresh ginger..
- Cook. I put all this into an Instant Pot , added about 6 cups of water, 4 teaspoons Truvia , and then I cooked it at high pressure for 2 minutes.
- Cool. When it was done, I let it cool, and then added lemon juice to taste. I prefer to add this to cold tea so as to not “cook” the lemon juice, which changes its flavor.
- Serve. I served it over ice.
Why Make Lemongrass Tea In The Instant Pot?
I have spoken about the benefits of making Iced Tea in your Instant Pot . In a nutshell, the benefits of brewing tea in your pressure cooker are:
- Less bitter, but more robust flavor since the water gets “superheated” under pressure.
- Very little babysitting required.
- No worrying about the tea boiling over.
- Ability to make a tea concentrate, and then dilute as you go. Takes up less space in the fridge.
How To Use Lemongrass
You are probably more familiar with lemongrass stalks, which are often sold in the grocery store. We typically use lemongrass stalks to make Thai-style curries .
Lemongrass leaves are used in many parts of the world to make a hot tea that is considered very beneficial and very cooling during warm summer months.
What Does Lemon Grass Taste Like?
It’s an herby, citrusy, lemony, aromatic, smooth flavor that I just absolutely love. It’s honestly just like sunshine in a cup.
What Is Lemongrass Tea Good For?
You can find a lot of articles online talking about the health benefits of Lemongrass. I personally do not cite studies unless they are double-blind, controlled, longitudinal studies with random or near-random assignment (occupational hazard after getting a doctorate in experimental psychology, but still best practice).
So I don’t know if it does indeed help with anxiety, weight loss, blood pressure and all those magical things.
I just know it tastes good, and that’s good enough for me!
What Is The Best Time To Drink Lemongrass Tea?
Lemongrass Tea is great for helping with digestion. For this reason, I find it to have the most health benefit when drinking right after a meal.
However, this Keto tea is so delicious, you may find yourself reaching for it more often because of how cool and refreshing it is.
Tips and Tricks for Making Iced Lemongrass Tea
- Don’t be afraid to use approximations for the amount of lemongrass, the amount of ginger, and the sweetener. Taste, taste, taste and adjust as needed.
- Allow the tea to cool before adding lemon juice so as to not “cook” the lemon juice.
- You can drink this tea hot as well. In this case of course, you will add the lemon juice to hot tea.
- Do NOT add fresh lemons or oranges into the pot to brew. I’ve tried that and it is sooo bitter you will end up wasting an entire pot of good tea.
- You can use honey to sweeten this tea for a different flavor.
- Try throwing in a bag or two of green tea into the pot for a change.
- I do not know how this will work with lemongrass stalks. If you try that, be sure to come into my Twosleevers Facebook group and let us know how it worked for you!
- When you’re ready to serve the tea, fill an 8 oz glass with ice. Pour the chilled tea over it and serve.
More Instant Pot Drink Recipes
- Indian Lassi Recipe - A delicious traditional Indian beverage that you’re sure to love!
- Mulled Apple Cider - A delicious cider you can make in just 30 minutes.
- Masala Chai - An authentic Chai recipe you can make in your Instant Pot.
- Instant Pot Iced Tea - a super easy, hands-off method that makes the smoothest tea you’ve ever had.
- Hibiscus Tea - A perfect drink for Summer!
- Instant Horchata - A fantastically simple Horchata recipe you can make at home!
- 5 Refreshing Summer Drinks - 5 wonderful beverages you can make in your pressure cooker.
- Panha - a delicious mango chiller.
Instant Pot Iced Lemongrass Tea with Ginger
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- ▢ 6 cups Water
- ▢ 2-3 cups lemongrass leaves , loosely packed, cut into 3-4 inch pieces
- ▢ 4-5 coins Ginger
- ▢ 4 teaspoons Truvia , or 6 teaspoons sugar, add to taste
- ▢ 2 tablespoons Lemon Juice
Instructions
- Put water, lemongrass leaves, ginger, and Truvia into your electric pressure cooker or Instant Pot .
- Set the Instant pot on High Pressure for 2 minutes.
- Allow the pot to release pressure naturally for 15 minutes and then release any remaining pressure.
- Chill the tea. Once the tea is cold, add lemon juice and stir.
- Fill an 8 oz glass with ice. Pour in the chilled tea and serve.
Tips and Tricks for Making Iced Lemongrass Tea
- Don’t be afraid to use approximations for the amount of lemongrass, the amount of ginger, and the sweetener. Taste, taste, taste and adjust as needed.
- Allow the tea to cool before adding lemon juice so as to not “cook” the lemon juice.
- You can drink this tea hot as well. In this case, of course, you will add the lemon juice to hot tea.
- Do NOT add fresh lemons or oranges into the pot to brew. I’ve tried that and it is sooo bitter you will end up wasting an entire pot of good tea.
- You can use honey to sweeten this tea for a different flavor.
- Try throwing in a bag or two of green tea into the pot for a change.
- I do not know how this will work with lemongrass stalks. If you try that, be sure to come into my Twosleevers Facebook group and let us know how it worked for you!
- When you’re ready to serve the tea, fill an 8 oz glass with ice. Pour the chilled tea over it and serve.
- I don’t trust the nutritional value for this recipe, as all the carbs are in the lemongrass, which you will not be consuming.
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Nutrition
Don’t forget to check out my otherBest-selling Instant Pot Cookbooks!
Indian Instant Pot , Keto Instant Pot, Instant Pot Fast and Easy , Healthy Instant Pot & Vegetarian Instant Pot .
