Baingan Raita
Baingan raita is roasted aubergine layered with lightly sweetened, salted yoghurt and a coarse sprinkle of cumin, pepper and chilli. It tastes creamy and smoky with a gentle warmth.
Spices for sprinkling
4.8 gScattered over the first half of the yoghurt (step 7)Everything else
Method
- Heat the oven to 200°C fan (425°F/gas 7).
- Line a baking tray and arrange 300 g aubergine slices on it in a single layer.
- Brush every aubergine slice with 67.5 g vegetable oil.
- Roast the aubergine for 30 minutes, until tender and browned.
- Grind 2.1 g cumin seed and 1.4 g black peppercorn in a pestle and mortar to a coarse powder; set 1.3 g kashmiri chilli powder beside it.
- Stir 160 g greek yoghurt with about 3 tbsp water, 0.3 g granulated sugar and salt to taste in a mixing bowl.
- Put the roasted aubergine in a serving bowl and spoon half the yoghurt over it.
- Scatter the spices for sprinkling (the masala) over the yoghurt.
- Spoon the remaining yoghurt on top.
- Finish with coriander to taste.
Don't have something?
Baby aubergineUse the same weight; halve or quarter and cook 2–3 minutes longer. They hold their shape better in the sauce.
Small aubergineUse the same weight; slice or cube to the recipe's size. Similar flesh, slightly firmer.
Round aubergineUse the same weight; cube and salt for 10 minutes if the recipe does. It absorbs oil a little more.
Peanut oilUse 1:1 by weight. Handles high-heat frying identically and introduces a very subtle, pleasant nuttiness.
GheeUse 1:1 by weight. Yields a much richer, authentic aroma and a glossy, heavier mouthfeel.
Mustard oilUse 1:1 by weight. Heat until smoking, then cool slightly before cooking to temper its intensely pungent, sharp mustard kick.
Ground cuminUse 70% of the weight; add with ground spices or sauce bases rather than hot oil tempering, where it scorches quickly and turns bitter.
Black cumin seedsUse equal weight for oil tempering. Delivers an earthy profile with an additional musky, smoky, and slightly bitter edge.
Fennel seedUse 60% of the weight for tempering; offers comparable warm aroma, but leans sweet and liquorice-like rather than savoury and earthy.
Coarsely ground black pepperUse 75% of the weight. Add midway through simmering; spreads heat evenly through the dish instead of delivering isolated bursts.
Ground black pepperUse 50% of the weight. Stir in near the end of cooking; significantly darkens light gravies and provides an immediate, sharp bite.
Hung natural yoghurtUse the same weight and whisk smooth; same thick consistency.
Full-fat natural yoghurtUse 1.25 times the weight and strain through muslin for 30 minutes; looser if not strained.
Hung yogurtUse the same weight; virtually identical.
JaggeryUse equal weight; grate or shave finely so it dissolves rapidly, giving a warm, caramel-like sweetness and slightly darker sauce.
Dried kashmiri chilliGrind deseeded dried pods to an equal weight of powder; gives identical vivid red colour and gentle warmth.
Red chilli powderUse 25% of the weight mixed with sweet paprika for colour; straight red chilli powder is substantially hotter and will make the dish fiery.
Chilli powderUse one-third of the weight; the sauce will be less intensely red and notably sharper in heat.
Coriander leafUse equal weight, chopped fresh and stirred in off the heat or used as garnish. Matches the citrus-herbal profile identically.
MintUse 40% to 50% of the weight; chop finely and add at the very end. Adds fresh herbal brightness, but shifts the aroma toward cool menthol.
Similar dishes
- Same: Kashmiri Dahi Baingan shares roasted aubergine, Greek yoghurt, vegetable oil, salt, sugar, Kashmiri chilli powder and coriander with this dish.
- Different: Kashmiri Dahi Baingan adds ground fennel, ground ginger, asafoetida and green cardamom, uses more aubergine and yoghurt, and lacks this dish's cumin seed and black peppercorn; it makes a smooth yoghurt gravy rather than layered yoghurt with a coarse spice sprinkle.
- Same: Baingan Raita shares aubergine, yogurt, cumin seed, chilli powder, coriander, salt and vegetable oil with this dish.
- Different: Baingan Raita uses more yogurt and less aubergine and oil, lacks Greek yoghurt, sugar and black peppercorn, and adds black mustard seed, dried red chilli, curry leaf and turmeric in a fried aubergine tempering rather than roasted layered aubergine.
- Same: Mattha/Chaas shares Greek yoghurt, cumin seed, salt and coriander with this dish.
- Different: Mattha/Chaas adds water, green bird's-eye chilli and fresh ginger, and it lacks aubergine, vegetable oil, black peppercorn, sugar and Kashmiri chilli powder; it is whisked as a drink rather than roasted aubergine layered with yoghurt.
- Same: Goan Brinjal Pickle shares aubergine, vegetable oil, kashmiri chilli powder, cumin seed and salt with this dish.
- Different: Goan Brinjal Pickle adds garlic, curry leaf, jaggery, dried kashmiri chilli, malt vinegar, black mustard seed and turmeric, and it lacks this dish's greek yoghurt and sugar; it is a matured pickle rather than a roasted aubergine raita layered with yoghurt.