I grew up in a Pakistani household which could only be described as aggressively carnivorous. As a family, we ate a lot of meat, in fact, one of my most traumatic memories is the first (and last) time I unknowingly tried Paya curry, or sheep's trotters – which I was assured is a Pakistani delicacy.
Despite this, my favorite comfort dish has always been a very simple vegan curry made with eggplant, known as baingan or brinjal bharta.
According to my mom's recipe, the easy dish only uses three vegetables and spices you most likely own already. To make baingan bharta, all you need is:
- 2 large eggplants.
- 3 medium or 2 large tomatoes.
- 1 large onion.
- Generous amounts of sunflower oil.
- 1 teaspoon of red chili powder.
- Half a teaspoon of salt.
- 1 teaspoon of ground cumin powder.
- Fresh cilantro to garnish (optional).