Baigan choka is roasted eggplant mashed into a fragrant, creamy spread with tomatoes, peppers, and aromatics for a delicious side dish. Serve baigan choka with roti for a tasty and nutritious vegan breakfast or lunch.
Baigan Choka Guyanese Style
Baigan choka is my favorite type of choka. I love preparing over an open flame during the summer. Growing up in Guyana, my mother would make this in the morning before we woke up.
The smoky aroma of roasted balanjay (the name of eggplant in Guyana) would get me out of bed every time. Scooping up baigan choka with Guyanese oil roti or sada roti is my favorite way to eat it and I am so excited to share this recipe with you!
Why You’ll Love This Baigan Choka Recipe
- Super Simple: Roast the eggplant and tomato, sauté some garlic and onions, mash it all up, and then serve!
- Flavorful: You don’t need a bunch of ingredients to make this tasty Indian-inspired dish. Roasted tomatoes, garlic, and a sprinkle of salt make this eggplant spread taste amazing!
- Versatile: Make it spicy, or mild, and add whichever seasonings you prefer because this recipe is easy to customize. It also works as an appetizer, breakfast, or lunch.
What is Choka?
Choka is a cooking method that involves roasting vegetables to yield a smoky flavor. It is derived from Indian chokha (a veggie mash). To make a choka means to roast the main ingredient/s over an open flame.
What is Baigan Choka?
Baigan choka is a roasted and mashed eggplant dish influenced by India, that is popular across the Caribbean.
Ingredients for Baigan Choka
For this easy baigan choka recipe, you need just a few simple ingredients.
- Eggplants: I use two fairly large, ripe eggplants.
- Tomato: One large tomato will do. I love the mild sweetness and acidity it adds to the flavor.
- Garlic cloves: Fresh garlic makes all the difference here.
- Green onion: Scallions add a peppery flavor. You can choose not to cook the green onions and add them raw. It gives it a nice crunchy texture.
- Wiri wiri pepper: Add this if you want a kick of spice.
- Extra virgin olive oil: Use this for the saute.
- Salt: To enhance the overall taste.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Baigan Choka
Prep the Eggplant for Roasting
Wash the eggplant and tomatoes and set aside. Then make 2 inch slits (with a knife), lengthwise along the entire eggplant. Peel the garlic cloves and cut them in half.
Roast Eggplant
Place the eggplant, tomatoes, over an open flame to roast. You can also try roasting them on the grill or in the oven, but I prefer the flavor of roasting over an open flame.
Juices will leak from the eggplant and that can be very messy so be careful. Once one side of the eggplant becomes charred (roasted), turn on the other side and continue to roast. At home, you can place the tomato on a fork and roast it over an open flame as well.
Making Baigan Choka
Let the eggplant cool for about 5 to 10 minutes. You don’t want it too cold, but cool enough so you can work with it. Place the charged eggplant on a plate, then use a knife to make a slit down the center. Use the same knife to scrape the cooked eggplant and garlic from the charred skin and into a clean bowl.
Peel away any charred skin from the tomato and chop and crush the tomato then add to a clean plate.
Finely dice the scallions and a wiri wiri pepper (you can use 1/4 of a scotch bonnet or habanero pepper if you don’t have wiri wiri peppers). Saute in a small sauce pan with 2 tbsp oil, on medium heat. I used olive oil, which gives it a great flavor. Then pour the hot oil and scallions over the eggplant and crushed tomato.
Add salt to taste (about 1 tsp). Mix well with a fork ensuring that the tomato and eggplant are smooth and creamy.
Serve hot with your favorite type of roti.
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat it in the microwave.
Tips for the Best Baigan Choka
- Try to select an eggplant with fewer seeds. Look for eggplants that have a round dimpled bottom rather than an oval shape because they tend to have less seeds. They also tend to taste less bitter.
- Choose your tomato wisely. The tomato I used had a lot of water so it made my baigan choka a bit watery. It also had a sour/tangy taste which also affected the taste of the choka. Roma tomatoes or vine-ripened tomatoes might have been a better choice.
- Rotate the eggplant every 5 minutes so that it cooks evenly and does not burn.
- Cooking time may vary. The larger the eggplant, the longer the cooking time.
Variations
- Fried Baigan: Check out this recipe to prepare eggplant on the stovetop.
- Instant Pot Baigan Choka: If you have an electric stove and can’t cook eggplant on an open fire, this is a tasty compromise.
- Spicy: Don’t have wiri wiri peppers? Use habanero peppers instead. If you prefer your a nonspicy choka, simply omit the peppers. (I always leave them out when I’m making a batch for my kids.)
Frequently Asked Questions
In Guyana, eggplant is referred to as baigan or balanjay.
One serving of baigan choka is about 134 calories.
Baigan Choka or Roasted Eggplant
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplants
- 1 large tomato
- 4 cloves garlic
- 5 scallions
- 1 wiri wiri pepper
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Wash and dry the eggplants and tomato. Then using a paring knife, make 2 inch slits lengthwise along each eggplant.
- Peel the garlic cloves and cut them into halves. Stuff each half into a few of the slits along the eggplants.
- Add the eggplant to an medium open flame and roast for about 30 minutes or until the eggplants are completely charred and soft. Rotate the eggplants every 10 minutes so that all sides are roasted evenly.
- Roast tomato on an open flame until the skin is charred and easily removes from the flesh. You can do this by placing the tomato on a skewer or on a fork.
- When the eggplants are completely roasted, remove from the flame and rest for about 3-5 minutes so that it cools down a bit. Make a lengthwise slit down the charred eggplants and open them up so that you can see the flesh.
- Use the knife to scrape the flesh to the end of the eggplant then scoop the flesh out with a fork or spoon and place in a clean plate.
- When the tomato is ready, remove it from the flame and allow to cool for 3-5 minutes. Then remove any charged skin from the tomatoes. Finely chop or crush the tomato and add it to the plate with the cooked eggplant and garlic.
- Next, finely chop the green onions and pepper. Then add the oil to a small frying pan on medium heat. When the oil is hot add the green onions and peppers and sauté for about a minute.
- Pour the hot oil and scallions over the cooked eggplant, garlic and tomatoes. Then add the salt. Mix well, crushing the garlic and tomatoes into the eggplant to make a creamy choka.
- Serve warm with your favorite roti
Nutrition
The information listed in the recipe card is an estimate provided by an online nutrition tool. The tool evaluates ingredient names and amounts then makes calculations based on the number of servings listed for the recipe. It is provided as a general guideline and not as a precise calculation. For precise nutrition information please feel free to add the ingredients to your preferred nutrition calculator or consult a doctor or licensed nutritionist.
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