Baigan Choka
Much like the tomatoes choka dish that I made last time, baigan choka is made with eggplant that is roasted either over an open flame, or in the oven. If you are eggplant lover, this dish is a must for you.
It is a similar dish to baba ghanoush, in that they are both roasted eggplant dishes, however the way they are seasoned is where the similarity stops. Whereas with baba ghanoush one would use tahini paste and parsley for its beautiful, distinct flavours, our Caribbean dish uses hot oil, peppers and onions to give it its wonderfully unique flavours.
Recipe
1 large eggplant
1 clove of garlic(peeled)
1 small onion (peeled)
2 tablespoons canola oil
hot pepper to taste
salt to taste.
Method
You can either roast your eggplant on a (gas) stove top or in the oven. Firstly however, you are going to make a slit in your eggplant and place your clove of garlic snugly inside it, so that the garlic is no longer visible.
Stove Top Method
1. Cut a piece of foil, (roughly 14 inches), fold it in half and place it on your stove top.
2. Place the eggplant on it and turn your stove on the highest setting.
3. Starting at one end, let the eggplant roast for about 5 minutes before shifting the eggplant ever so slightly to the next uncooked part. Be careful not to burn yourself. You may want to turn the stove off during shifting.
4. Repeat the process for each uncooked part until the entire side is cooked.
5. CAREFULLY flip the eggplant over, so that the other side can be roasted as well, using the same technique as described above.
Oven Method
1. Set your oven to broil – 500 degrees fahrenheit.
2. Place the eggplant on a roasting tray.
3. Place the tray in the oven.
4. Broil until the eggplant is tender.
5. Remove from the oven and turn the eggplant over.
6. Place the tray back into the oven and continue broiling until the entire eggplant is tender/fully cooked. You can use a fork to test this.
Now that your eggplant is roasted:
1. Cut the eggplant open, scoop out all of the flesh and the garlic and discard the skin.
2. Add salt to taste and set aside.
3. Using a fork, mash the eggplant and the garlic together and set aside.
4. Thinly slice the onion and hot pepper.
5. In a pan, place the onion, pepper and oil.
6. Turn your stove on a low heat setting and place the pan over the it.
7. Cook until the onions are translucent and have lost their harsh bite.
8. Add all of the contents of the pan, including the oil, carefully to the eggplant, while it is still hot.
9. Mix all the ingredients together and enjoy!
