Bharwa Baingan in Air Fryer

Baingan aka Brinjal in Indian English, is a good carrier for all kinds of flavors. From a the creamy, tangy masala of Baghaar-e-Baingan to the simple shallow fry of Baingan ki Kachri to yet another moreish recipe, the Kashmiri Khatte Baingan; there is almost nothing that this meaty vegetable cannot deliver. The Bharwa Baingan – stuffed eggplant – is yet another simple and adaptable recipe that yield chatpate baingan. Chapata is a compound flavor in Indian food – a mix of salty, sour, spicy and sometimes sweet that keeps the tastebuds hooked.

Air Fryer Baingan Sabzi

An air fryer is not really a “fryer”. It’s a compact oven that concentrates all the heat in a small compartment versus heating up a large oven. Ideal for small batch cooking and small households like ours. But equally good to do things quickly while trying to serve a crowd. These air fryer baingan can be ready within 20 minutes, prep included.

Typically a recipe like this would be make in a shallow frying pan. The air fryer is a great replacement for the frying pan – no more standing close and turning eggplants to cook them evenly. Season, place in the basket, close the lid, time it and return to find cooked bharwa baingan!

Tawa sabzi inspired baingan

Tawa sabzi is a common dish at Indian wedding buffets, especially in the north. A range of par cooked vegetables are arranged in a circle on the outer rim of a hot tawa with a prepared masala ready at hand to mix up a medley or just one vegetable on guests’ request. My mom loved these and we would make a bee line for the tawa sabzi in the never ending line up of food at an Indian wedding buffet. This bharwa baingan recipe is inspired by those stir fried, browned, often crisp vegetables.

The masala is key for chatpate bharwa baingan

Those tawa sabzi would often have a thick, tomato rich tangy masala. While I like a moist stuffed vegetable like the Baghaar-e-Baingan, I wanted minimal prep for this recipe. Hence, a dry spice rub. Don’t underestimate the ability of a spice mix to deliver flavor. If you are ever in doubt about the potency of these spices, head over to Sakshi’s recipe for a homemade Chaat Masala. That is what chatpata is!

Air Fryer Bharwa Baingan

You’ll need: An Air Fryer, tongs

Prep: 10 minutes, Cooking time: 10 – 12 minutes

Yields: 2-3 helpings

Ingredients for Bharwa Baingan

• Baingan/eggplants 6 to 8, baby eggplants
• Cooking spray – olive oil, canola or avocado
• Namak/Salt ~ 1/2 tsp
• Haldi/Turmeric ~ 1/2 tsp
• Mirchi/Red Chili ~ 1/2 to 1 tsp, adjust to taste or replace with paprika/kashmiri mirch for milder heat
• Amchoor/raw mango powder ~ 1 tsp
• Dhania/Coriander powder ~ 1 tsp
• Bhuna Jeera/Cumin powder ~ 1/2 tsp, optional
• Cheeni/Sugar ~ 1/2 tsp, optional
• Juice of half a lime for serving, optional

Let’s air fry some eggplants!

First, you’ll need Indian or baby eggplants, easily available at Indian grocery stores in the US. I highly recommend spending time looking for smaller/baby eggplants.

Wash and pat them dry. Next make four slits going all the way up to the stem keeping enough flesh intact so the stem doesn’t fall off.

Spice the baingan/eggplants

Measure all the spices in a bowl and mix them. I did not use cumin or sugar but both are great options to add more flavor, especially sugar to balance the sourness of amachoor. Start spicing the eggplants in between the slits. Pack in as much of the spice rub as you can until all of it is used up. You could also sprinkle any remaining spices on the eggplants once they are ready for the air fryer.

I cooked 6 eggplants and barely had any spice mix left. So measure up or down based on how many you plan to cook.

Prepare the Air Fryer

I place a piece of parchment paper at the bottom of the Instant Pot insert to catch any oil, spices or moisture from the food cooking in the air fryer basket. This works for the way an Air Fryer lid works with the Instant Pot. If you are using a different air fryer you may or not have the option of adding a layer of parchment paper.

Close the air fryer, set temp and time & walk away!

Spray cooking oil to coat the inside of the air fryer basket. Then place the spiced/marinated eggplants in the basket. I spray some cooking oil on the eggplants too. Close the air fryer or the lid in my case and set it to air fry for 10 minutes at 350 F. The Instant Pot Air Fryer lid prompts to turn food at the half way mark which was 5 minutes for this recipe. A quick turn of all eggplants and at the end of 10 minutes they were done. The skin crisp and the inside still juicy and well spiced. If you suspect the eggplants aren’t cooked – the fleshy inside should’ve changed color from bright white to opaque and pale, and close to mushy – cook them for another 5 minutes.

Enjoy air fryer Bharwa Baingan with a squeeze of lime for proper chatpata flavor!

I served bharwa baingan with palak dal, homemade dahi and bathua chapati with a little bit of unsalted butter. There is a recipe for each of these on the blog; adapt bathua paratha dough to make chapatis.

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