Baingan Bharta

1. Rinse the aubergine and pat it dry. Rub it all over with a little oil and roast it over an open flame for the best smoky flavour (grilling or oven-roasting works too, but you'll lose some of the smoke), turning it every 2 to 3 minutes so it cooks evenly. You can push a few garlic cloves into it before roasting.
2. Roast until it's completely tender, with a knife sliding in without resistance, then take it off the heat and submerge it in a bowl of water until cool.
3. For an extra layer of smoke (optional), use the dhungar method: heat a small piece of natural charcoal over a flame until red-hot, make a few cuts in the aubergine, set the hot charcoal on the same plate, add a few drops of oil to it, and as it starts to smoke, cover the whole plate tightly with a large bowl for 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Peel the skin off the roasted aubergine, then finely chop or mash the flesh.
5. Heat the oil in a kadai or pan and add the finely chopped onion and garlic, cooking until translucent but not browned.
6. Stir in the chopped green chilli and cook for a minute, then add the chopped tomatoes.
7. Cook until the oil begins to separate from the mixture, then stir in the red chilli powder.
8. Add the chopped aubergine and mix it thoroughly into the onion and tomato masala.
9. Season with salt and cook for a further 4 to 5 minutes.
10. Stir in or scatter over the coriander leaves and serve with phulkas, rotis, chapatis, bread, or plain or jeera rice.

Tips from the ZestyPlate Kitchen

• Roast the aubergine right over a flame until the skin blackens and the flesh turns meltingly soft; that smoke is everything.
• Drop the charred aubergine into water for a few minutes and the skin slips off easily.
• Cook the onion, tomato and spices until you see the oil separate out. That's your signal the masala is ready.
• No flame? Try the dhungar method instead: a piece of hot charcoal and a few drops of oil bring back the smoke.