Why It Works
- Charring the whole eggplant under the broiler gives it a smoky flavor and makes its flesh spoon-tender.
- Stuffing whole cloves of garlic into slits cut in the eggplant perfumes the vegetable with the allium’s sweet, aromatic flavor, while the long cook time mellows the garlic’s bite.
- Finishing the dish with a drizzle of assertive extra-virgin olive oil brings a vegetal, peppery flavor.
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.
Serious Eats / Kanika and Jatin Sharma
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.)
Serious Eats / Kanika and Jatin Sharma
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.
