Baingan ka Raita (Eggplant Salad)

Few vegetables inspire such diametrically opposite emotions as eggplant. People either love them or hate them. It is the same in our house. The husband doesn't like eggplant (he will eat it, but at every bite remind everyone how he doesn't like it) while I love eggplant.

But with this baingan ka raita, it is an entirely different story. Love and sharing be damned, we are very likely to fight over who'll have the last spoon! Try it, the most ardent of eggplant haters will take second and third helpings of this one.



Baingan ka raita

Ingredients

Eggplant - 2 (preferably the long thin ones)
Yoghurt - 250 gms
Rock salt
Sugar
Oil for deep frying, plus some more for tempering
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Garlic - 2 cloves, thinly sliced
Curry leaves - 7
Hing/Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
Red chillies - 2

Method:

Cut the eggplant into thin round slices - think wafers. Deep fry till crisp and set aside.

Add salt and sugar to the yoghurt - this has to be on the sweeter side and whisk it together. Just before serving, place the fried eggplant on top of the yoghurt.

Heat oil reserved for the tempering - I use about one and half tbsp. Add the garlic to the oil and cook till the garlic is nicely browned. Next add the mustard seeds, followed by the curry leaves, red chillies and finally, the asafoetida. Pour the tempering on top of the fried eggplant. Squeeze lemon juice on top, mix and serve.

While you can fry the eggplants in advance and mix the yoghurt with salt and sugar ahead of time, do ensure that you place the eggplants on the yoghurt and make the tempering just before serving - else the eggplants will go all soft and mushy - the crispy eggplants with the cold yoghurt is the essence of this raita.

And now lets talk about the deep frying bit - I've done all possible things with the eggplant for this one - roasted on a pan, grilled them, shallow fried them. All of these are fine and don't affect the taste too much. But if presentation is what you are seeking, especially when entertaining, then deep fried is the way to go.


This is a very versatile raita and goes very well with just about anything. I love to have this as a side when I make rajma or chhole or biryani.