Baingan Bharta (Roasted Eggplant Curry)

Overview
I got these fresh eggplants from my friends garden and wanted to try this baingan bharta. The word bharta means a dish in which the ingredients are roughly mashed. In this dish I have roasted the egg plant in the oven and then mashed it which is the key ingredient. You can roast the egg plant on open flame or even on a grill. The smokey flavor from roasting does adds a pleasant aroma to this dish.

Baingan Bharta

Ingredients
Eggplant 2 about a pound total
Finely chopped cherry tomatoes - 1 cup
Finely chopped red onions 3/4 cup
Finely chopped ginger 1 tablespoon
Finely chopped garlic 1 tablespoon
Mustard seeds 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder 1/2 teaspoon
Chilly powder 1 teaspoon
Chopped cilantro 1/4 cup
Salt to taste
Oil - 3 tablespoons

Ingredients: Roasted mashed eggplants, finely chopped tomatoes
finely chopped red onions, finely chopped ginger and garlic, finely chopped cilantro
mustard seeds, cumin seeds, turmeric powder and chilly powder

Steps
1. Wash the eggplants in water, pat it dry with a paper towel. Poke the eggplant with a fork and cover each eggplant airtight with aluminium foil and bake in a 350 Fahrenheit oven for about one hour . The egg plant should be fully cooked and easy to mash.
2. Let the roasted eggplant cool to room temperature and then peel skin  and roughly mash the flesh of the egg plant with a fork or spoon.
3. In pan heat oil. When the oil gets hot add the mustard seeds, once the seeds splutter add the cumin seeds and fry.
4. Add the finely chopped red onions, ginger and garlic to this and saute till the onions turn light brown. Add turmeric powder saute few minutes and then add the chilly powder to this. Saute few minutes and then add the finely chopped cherry tomatoes to this. Add salt mix well and cover the pan and cook on low flame.
5. Cook the tomatoes till they are cooked well and the oil begins to separate. And the roasted mashed eggplants to his add more salt as needed mix well and saute in medium heat till the eggplants are coated with all the ingredients and all the liquid has evaporated.
6. Turn off heat and add the finely chopped cilantro leaves.

Serve hot with Chapati or Naan