Baigan Bharta Lasagna
Posted: October 14, 2012 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: eggplant, pasta 2 Comments »
So, we decided to experiment a little with dinner tonight. We had some lasagna noodles that we wanted to use, and were thinking we could figure out some sort of undiscovered lasagna dish that would revolutionize tiered pasta. This did not happen.
We decided to go for a baigan bharta lasagna, cooking the eggplant first in veggie broth, some tomato paste, garlic, ginger, coriander, and cumin. Once it was soft, we layered it with the pasta and shredded cheese we got at the produce market (labeled simply “Trinidad Cheese”) and baked it covered for 20 minutes and then uncovered for about 40. It came out looking pretty good.
Unfortunately, the eggplant released a lot of water, so beneath the crusty top it lacked the structural integrity you want in a lasagna. Also, the Indian spices weren’t really bold enough to overcome the pasta, tomato, and cheese combination. In the end it was tasty, but if you didn’t know what was in it, you would have just thought it was slightly-different, slightly-wet lasagna.
I still think the Indian lasagna idea has legs though – maybe with aloo matar gobi instead.
I think this would work if you purge the eggplant at the beginning. It will add about 30 minutes (of inactive time) to the whole process, but it gets the water out (and the weird, bitter eggplant nastiness that plagues eggplant dishes)…
Eggplant lasagne is great, but not with boiled eggplant! Slice longways about 1/4″ think, sprinkle with salt and leave for about 1/2 an hour. Pat with paper towels to get rid of the excess moisture and most of the salt, then grill/broil until golden. Use as pasta with whatever other ingredients you like. We usually make an italian style with tomato sauce, cheese and other vegetables, but your Indian style sounds good, too. You could make an Indian spiced tomato sauce while the eggplant is salting.