It’s one of the simplest and the yummiest side dishes to add to any Lunch/Dinner menu. (It usually is at every dinner at my house! :P). Goes with everything! BBQ, Pulao, any meat dish or just simply with bread. In summers, I often just make this raita and we eat it with bread for lunch..

Baingan Ka Raita

Serves about 3-4 people

Ingredients:

• 2 Medium Egg Plant (Baingan)
• 2 Cups Yogurt
• 2 Green Chilies (chopped)
• 2 tbsp. Coriander (chopped)
• 1 Clove Garlic (crushed)
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 1/4 tsp. Red Chili Powder
• 1/2 tsp. Chaat Masala
• 1/4 tsp. Crushed Red Chilies
• 1/2 tsp. Cumin Seeds (zeera)
• 2-3 Dried Red Chilies (whole)
• 2-3 tbsp. Oil

Directions:

1. Peel and boil the egg plant and then mash it. You can roast, bake or boil which ever you prefer. I used to roast it over the open flame with skin on before I switched to an electric stove. The roasting on flame gives it a nice smoked aroma. So since I can’t do that anymore, I normally give dhooni (smoke it with a small piece of charcoal) to the mashed baingan.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk the yogurt and add crushed garlic, chaat masala, salt, red chili powder, crushed red chilies, chopped coriander and green chilies.
3. Mix the mashed egg plant in the yogurt.  You can add a little bit of water if the consistency is too thick for you (I normally add around 1/4 cup of water.)
4. Fry the zeera and the dried whole red chilies in oil and pour over the raita.