Bhook On A Budget: Have You Ever Had Baingan Ki Borani? Now Is The Time

Picture this: it's a hot, humid summers day in Pakistan. The last thing you wanna eat is a spicy fiery curry, because why add heat to heat? If ice cubes were delicious and/or filling, you would be eating those, but since they're not, and since we're making sure you never have to think too hard about what to make and eat, no one is going to be eating ice cubes for dinner. Not on our watch. Enter Baingan ki Borani. Or as it's known in Persian: Banjan Borani.

In its essence, baingan ki borani is simple, featuring three main components. You have the fried eggplants, a mint yogurt sauce and tomato sauce. And from there, it's all about layering until you get a wonderfully flavorful, but cool dish that will definitely impress everyone.

Ingredients:

• 3 big eggplants sliced evenly


• 400g yogurt


• 3-4 tablespoons dried mint


• 2 teaspoon turmeric powder


• 1 tablespoon red chili powder


• 2 tablespoons crushed garlic


• 5-6 tomatoes, chopped


• 1 medium onion, diced

Method: 

Cut your eggplant in even round slices, and soak them in salted water. Next, drain them and pat them dry. Heat up some oil in a frying pan or skillet, and fry all the slices till nice and golden brown. Remove and set aside. In a separate pan, heat some more oil and add the minced garlic, and once it gets golden, add in chopped tomatoes and chopped green chilies, as well as the turmeric, red chili powder and salt. Let it simmer, and then add a little water and two tablespoons of dried mint. Next, whisk your yogurt so that it is free of lumps and add a tablespoon of the minced garlic, and the remaining dried mint. It is now time to layer: in a serving dish, spread a little bit of the tomato sauce, then layer the eggplant slices without having them overlap. Then add a layer of tomato sauce, and a layer of the yogurt sauce, and repeat. You're basically building an eggplant lasagna of sorts. The final layer should be yogurt, and then just sprinkle some more dried mint, and paprika if you want some color. Chill in the fridge for an hour and you're done! Enjoy.