Baingan Bharta

Wash your hands with soap and water. Rinse the eggplant, tomatoes, ginger and cilantro under running water, then dry; remove any damaged areas. Dice the onion and tomatoes, mince the garlic, grate the peeled ginger and chop the cilantro. Position an oven rack so the tops of the eggplants will sit about 6 inches below the broiler element, and preheat the broiler to high.

Pierce each whole eggplant several times with a fork and place on the broiler-safe pan without oil. Broil for 35–50 minutes, turning with tongs every 8–10 minutes, until the skin is charred on all sides and the eggplants have slumped. A knife inserted into the thickest part should slide through the flesh without resistance. If the skin chars before the center softens, lower the rack one position and continue broiling until fully tender.

While the eggplant broils, heat the vegetable oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 10–12 minutes, stirring frequently, until soft and golden around the edges. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the cumin, coriander, turmeric, paprika and cayenne, and stir for 30 seconds.

Add the tomatoes and salt to the skillet. Cook over medium heat for 12–15 minutes, stirring frequently and crushing the tomatoes with the spoon, until they form a thick mixture with no watery liquid pooling around the edges. Remove the skillet from the heat if the eggplant is not ready.

Remove from the heat and stir the entire 1/4 cup cilantro into the finished dish. Serve hot.