Silky, Smoky Baigan Chokha Is the Best Way to Eat a Whole Eggplant in One Sitting
My family hails from the northeastern Indian state of Bihar, where baigan chokha—a dish of charred eggplant mashed with garlic, roasted tomatoes, lime juice, onions, and mustard oil— reigns supreme. It’s a side dish, a condiment, and the simplest, tastiest way to accidentally eat a whole eggplant in one sitting. For my family and me, there is no better way to prepare this summertime crop.
Biharis aren’t the only people who adore baigan chokha: The dish is beloved by many Indo-Caribbeans—members of the Indian diaspora who live in the Caribbean, including Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, and Barbados. (While Indians typically spell the dish “chokha,” Trinidadians often refer to it as “choka.”) Some Indo-Caribbean versions of baigan chokha may call for culantro instead of cilantro, spring onions instead of red onion, or scotch bonnet pepper instead of Thai chile. Because so many Indo-Caribbeans can trace their roots to the same northeastern region of India, there is a shared history and culture with those on the South Asian subcontinent. Today, many Indo-Caribbeans enjoy the same music, festivals, and foods—including baigan chokha—as their Indian brethren.
4 Tips for Making Delicious Baigan Chokha
Cut slits into the eggplant—then stuff them with garlic. Though you can roast garlic on the side and then incorporate it into the dish later, the easiest way to imbue eggplant with garlic’s sweet flavor is to cook the garlic within the eggplant.
Broil the eggplant until very tender. People often complain that eggplants are tannic when raw or only lightly cooked. But charring the eggplant—whether you’re using sweet, early-season Chinese eggplants or large, meaty globe eggplants—quells its bitterness and astringency. It also brings out the fruit’s natural sweet, savory flavors while softening its tough flesh. Err on the side of overcooked: The interior flesh should be tender, scoopable, and fall-apart tender, and the exterior should be charred and almost entirely burnt-looking all over.
Mash, don’t chop. For a smoother, more scoopable dip that resembles the texture of traditional baigan chokha, use a potato masher or your hands. It may be tempting to use a food processor, but it will blend the eggplant far too much, resulting in a purée, which is not what we’re going for.
To finish, reach for a bold olive oil. If you were to eat baigan chokha In India, you’d likely be hit with mustard oil’s pungent and nose-wrinkling heat. The ingredient is made from pressed mustard seeds and can be difficult to find in the US and Europe; if you can’t locate any mustard oil, do as I do and reach for the most assertive extra-virgin olive oil you have—the kind you’d enjoy raw, either as a drizzle or in a vinaigrette. While it’s not an exact replacement for mustard oil, its vegetal and mildly peppery notes are a closer approximation than any other oil. (Though if you have—or can find—mustard oil, this would be the place to use it.)
How to Serve Baigan Chokha
Scoop baigan chokha up with hot flatbread like roti or paratha, serve it as a zingy summer dip with assorted crackers, or enjoy it on its own. If you’re heating up the grill or broiler this summer and want a smoky, satisfying vegetarian side, baigan chokha is the answer. Enjoy it hot, room temperature, or—as I like to do when I have plenty of leftovers—cold from the fridge alongside fried eggs.
Preheat broiler and set oven rack to about 6 inches below broiler element. Using a sharp paring knife, poke six 1-inch deep and 1-inch long cuts into the eggplant. Stuff each slit with 1 garlic clove.
Place prepared eggplant on a rimmed baking sheet and broil on high until top of eggplant is wrinkly, tender, slightly charred, and beginning to smell toasty, 15 to 20 minutes. Using tongs, carefully flip eggplant. Add tomato to rimmed baking sheet and broil until eggplant is charred all over and fall-apart tender, about 15 more minutes. (To check tenderness of eggplant, gently prick with a knife or fork.) The tomato should also be charred, juicy, and soft.
Remove eggplant and tomato from oven and allow to cool briefly, about 5 minutes. Working on the baking sheet, use 2 forks to pull apart the eggplant and scrape and remove flesh into a medium bowl. (Make sure to scrape up against the skin for the toasty bits—that’s the good stuff—and to make sure each garlic clove is accounted for and makes it into the bowl.) All that should be left behind is the charred skin. Add the whole tomato to the bowl. Using forks, a potato masher, or your hands (if mixture is cool enough to handle), mash the tomatoes, garlic, and eggplant until it is the consistency of a chunky salsa, about 3 minutes.
Add chopped onion, chopped cilantro, chopped chili (if using), olive oil, lime, and salt. Mix until well combined and season with additional salt or lime juice to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature with roti, paratha, or pita chips.
Special Equipment
Broiler, paring knife, rimmed baking sheet, potato masher
