Many Indian recipes call for roasting or grilling veggies as the first step in preparation, so learn how to accomplish it before getting started. We’ll look at a handful of the most often roasted items’ preparation methods below.
Eggplants ( Baingan )
Yield: Approximately 1 1/2 cups of eggplant pulp per pound
Make sure you get young eggplants when you go to the store. These can be distinguished by their weight. Young eggplants often have skin that is silky smooth and free of indications of degradation, and they weigh less for their size. Additionally, for obvious reasons, smaller eggplants are considerably simpler to prepare than larger ones.
Today, placing eggplants directly over your gas burners is the fastest and most convenient way to roast them. Utilize a grill in addition to your stove if you don’t want to dirty it up. However, using coals and a grill, as the Indians have done for ages, is the ideal method.
Directions to Fire-Roast Eggplants:
- Rub each eggplant’s surface with your clean, dry hands after rinsing and drying them off. Next, puncture the skin a few times with a sharp kitchen knife. If possible, place the aubergine over hot grill coals or directly over a kitchen stove burner (cover the lower plate with aluminum foil). Roast, turning the aubergine with a kitchen tonga as the sides turn black, for five to seven minutes, or until the aubergine is very soft and the skin is thoroughly charred. Move to a container and give it time to cool.
2. Peel off and discard the burned skin after it has cooled enough to handle it. As you do this, you will need to repeatedly cleanse your fingers. Never rinse eggplants. Use a fork or your hands to mash the pulp until it is mostly smooth but slightly lumpy. Purées shouldn’t be completely smooth; some roughness is necessary. Any juices that may have accumulated in the jar should be strained and stirred in. Keep in the refrigerator for about five days or the freezer for about four months.
Directions to Oven-Roast Eggplants:
To bake eggplants, lightly oil them, prick the skin a few times with the point of a knife, and then bake them for 30 to 40 minutes in an oven that has been preheated to 400°F. Before baking, you can cover them with aluminum foil.
Directions to Broil Eggplants:
- Divide in half along its length and place, skin side up, on an aluminum foil-coated baking sheet.
2. Broil the eggplants 8 to 10 inches from the heat source until they become soft and have a charred appearance on the skin.
Bell Peppers / Shimla Mirch
Yield: Approximately ⅔ cup of pulp from each pound of pepper
In Indian cooking, bell peppers are a staple ingredient that tastes fantastic when roasted.
Directions to Fire-Roast Bell Peppers:
- If possible, place whole bell peppers over a hot grill or stovetop coals; cover the lower plate with aluminum foil. Roast, turning peppers with a kitchen tong as the sides turn dark, for two to three minutes, or until the skin is lightly charred. (The bell peppers don’t need to be oiled, have any holes pierced through them, or be entirely charred.)
- Transfer to a container, cover with tape or an airtight bag, and let set for about fifteen minutes. The peppers can sweat and cool off as a result, which makes them easy to peel. Attempt to remove as much of the peppers’ charred skin as you can when you peel them. Leave part of the slightly browned skin on for taste. Don’t use water to rinse them. Whenever necessary, wash your hands. Chop or purée the peppers after removing the stems and seeds; if any juice has gathered in the jar, drain it and stir it into the purée.
Directions to Oven-Roast Bell Peppers:
- Cut each bell pepper into half or halves by rinsing, drying, and cutting it lengthwise. Put the sliced side down on a baking pan. Place the sheet on the center rack of the oven, turn on the grill, and roast for eight to ten minutes, or until browned. Once turn around.
2. Use the majority of the browned liquid, which has been dissolved in 1/4 cup water, in soups, rice, bread, or vegetables.
Broil Bell Peppers
Cut the bell peppers into 1-inch or bigger pieces after rinsing, drying, and seeding them. placed on a baking pan with an aluminum foil coating. The chunks should be lightly scorched after 4 to 5 inches from the heat source and a few flips.
