Roasted Eggplant

Name: Roasted Eggplant (Bhantaa Saandheko)
Cuisine: Nepali
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; Salt to taste; ½ teaspoon jimbu (Nepali aromatic herb); ⅛ teaspoon fenugreek seeds; 1½ tablespoons fresh lemon or lime juice; ½ cup finely chopped cilantro; 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder or to taste; 1½ tablespoons fresh lemon or lime juice; ½ teaspoon ground turmeric; 1 tablespoon peeled and finely julienned fresh ginger; 2 fresh hot or mild green chilies, julienned; ½ teaspoon jimbu (Nepali aromatic herb); 4 medium cloves garlic, thinly sliced; 2 fresh hot or mild green chilies, julienned; ¼ cup sesame seeds; 1 large or 2 medium eggplants (about 2½ pounds total)

Bhantaa Saandheko

Preparation info

Makes
4 to 6
servings

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Food and Flavours from Nepal

By Jyoti Pathak

Published 2023

About

This delicious Nepali eggplant dish, also called bhanta ko chokhaa, will compliment any Nepali meal. Choose a variety of eggplant with a lot of pulp, rather than the slim Asian variety, making sure that they are plump, firm, and glossy.

Ingredients

¼ cup sesame seeds
1 large or 2 medium eggplants (about 2½

Asia
Nepal
Side dish
Gluten-free
Vegan

Method

Heat a small cast-iron skillet over medium heat and toast the sesame seeds, stirring constantly to prevent the seeds from flying all over, until they give off a pleasant aroma and darken, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour the sesame seeds into a bowl to halt the toasting and let them cool. Once cool, transfer the seeds to a spice grinder, grind to a fine powder, and set aside.

Preheat a charcoal or