Tuesday: Baingan Chole

Baingan chole - Punjabi-style eggplant and chickpea. We got this recipe from a blog we've mentioned before - the lovely Mahanandi.

Eggplant and chickpea is a classic combination; there are also similar Moroccan-style tagines which are just spiced differently. If you think you don't like eggplant, then you might want to try buying some fresh from a farmer's market. Eggplant gets bitter quickly when stored, and the big dark purple grocery store varietal just really isn't the best one, so it doesn't really compare with all of the interesting types you can find now in the market. They range from tiny to huge, from round to long, and come in colors including white, light purple, dark purple, green, and even bright orange.

Fun fact: the varietal of eggplant which was originally popular was a small, oblong, white type that looked much like an egg - thus the name.