Eggplant Curry (Baingan Bharta) - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 medium eggplant
8 cloves garlic, peeled, or more to taste
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, or more as needed
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 teaspoon red chile powder
salt to taste
2 tablespoons plain yogurt, room temperature
2 Indian thin green chile peppers, sliced lenghwise
3 mint leaves, or to taste
salt to taste

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
Make slits in the eggplant using a knife; insert garlic cloves into slits. Place eggplant in a baking dish.
Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and cook until onion is softened, about 2 minutes more. Add chile powder and salt and cook until onions are completely soft, 3 to 5 minutes more.
Bake eggplant in the preheated oven until soft enough to peel and mash, 15 to 20 minutes. Peel eggplant and place in a bowl. Mash eggplant and garlic to a paste with no large lumps.
Add mashed eggplant to the skillet with the tomato mixture. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Add yogurt and mix well. Cover skillet and simmer 5 minutes more; excess oil should appear at the bottom.
Add green chiles and mint leaves to the skillet and increase heat to high. Cook until excess liquid has cooked off, 4 to 5 minutes.