For August’s edition of #RPLRecipeClub, indulge in the smoky and spicy flavors of Baingan Bharta. Every bite of this beloved Indian eggplant dish that will leave you wanting more!
Table of Contents
1. What is the RPL Recipe Club?
2. Last Month’s Winner
3. August 2023 Recipe
4. August 2023 Prize
5. Details and FAQ
What is the RPL Recipe Club?
Each month, I’ll choose one Rainbow Plant Life recipe that anyone in the RPL community can choose to make.
You can make it just for fun OR you can enter to win an amazing prize each month! This month’s prize is listed below.
How to participate:
Participating couldn’t be easier! Just follow these steps:
- Sign up for the Rainbow Plant Life newsletter (only newsletter subscribers are eligible to win the monthly prize, though you can of course still participate without being signed up).
- Make this month’s recipe, take a picture of it, and email it to me at contest@rainbowplantlife.com with the subject line “Recipe Club” by 11:59pm on the last day of the month. By sending your picture in via email, you’ll be entered to win a prize.
At the end of each month, we will randomly select a winner and share our favorite photos here!
Not signed up for my newsletter yet? Sign up here:
Last Month’s Winner
The winner of the July 2023 RPL Recipe Club is Alicja from Australia!
Congratulations, Alicja, and thank you to everyone who entered July’s contest. I had so much fun seeing all of your entries and I’m already looking forward to this month’s contest.
August 2023 Recipe: Baingan Bharta!
What better way to savor the eggplant season than indulging in my delightful Baingan Bharta?! This dish boasts a silky and jammy texture, accompanied by a tantalizing smoky aroma and brimming with the rich and pungent flavors of Indian spices.
In this dish, a whole eggplant gets roasted over an open flame until the skin blackens and chars, which infuses the entire eggplant with a smoky aroma and taste. It then gets added to a delightful mixture of tomatoes and aromatics like onions, ginger, garlic, and green chiles in a bit of oil, along with a few spices like coriander and red chile powder.
It requires relatively few ingredients and is naturally vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, and soy-free, so it’s allergen-friendly. Serve it as a main course with some homemade vegan naan and gobi manchurian or serve it as as a side dish with some dal tadka or vegan palak paneer!
The blog post has full written instructions, tips for making the recipe, and ingredient substitutions, so be sure to check it out!
Baingan Bharta
August 2023 Prize:
This month, we’re delighted to give away a Vitamix Immersion Blender!
Experience the trusty performance of the Vitamix Immersion Blender, ensuring perfect textures from whole-food ingredients such as greens and frozen fruits, all while enjoying the convenience of blending in your preferred container. This immersion blender works just like a regular blender in its applications, and its true versatility shines when used to blend soups directly in the pot – my personal favorite way to use this mighty kitchen tool!
Equipped with a powerful 625-watt motor and offering 5 different speed settings, you can be confident that you’ll achieve the perfect blend, without fail, every single time!
A note for international readers: Due to the exorbitant cost of international shipping, we can only ship the above prize within the 48 contiguous United States. However, you can still enter to win if you live elsewhere. If your entry is selected as the winner, we’ll send you a payment of $150 in lieu of the prize. Payment will be sent via PayPal.
Other important details and FAQ
Absolutely! But your entry won’t count if you use any kind of animal product – Rainbow Plant Life is a vegan blog, after all!
You must be at least 18 years old to participate.
Yes! You can still enter the monthly contest, with a caveat.
Due to the exorbitant cost of shipping, we can only ship the above prize within the 48 contiguous United States. However, you can still enter to win if you live elsewhere. If your entry is selected as the winner, we’ll send you a payment of $150 in lieu of the prize. Payment will be sent via PayPal.
We’ll choose the winner at random (based on email entries). The quality of your photography is not a factor but we encourage you to try to make your photos look nice anyways!
I’m looking forward to seeing this month’s entries!
Hugs,
Nisha
This recipe was delicious and surprisingly easy! I grilled the eggplant since I don’t have a gas stove.
Thanks for the lovely comment, Terri!
Yum! I ended up roasting the eggplant in the oven by broiling and turning it. This would be great as a dip too!
Hi Emily, it’s great to hear you had success with the recipe. Thanks for the review!
I I am a relatively new vegan who, up to now, was very frustrated trying to come up with meals I could tolerate. I am gluten-free, have diabetes, am gluten-free, and have Gastroparesis. I was about to give up on eating all together !
Then I found a video on YouTube featuring Nisha and I was hooked! I have learned how to use a bouquet garni, to layer my seasonings and aromas, and every recipe I’ve tried has come out so great!
Thank you, Nisha, because I have become quite a fan of yours! I love eggplant and my two favorite ways to eat it were parmigiana and in a stew with small chunks of pork! As a vegan, neither way was an option for me. This recipe made me a lover of eggplant once more. Thank you, Nisha!
Hi Chris,
Thank you for such a lovely review! It makes us happy to know that the RPL recipes and videos have helped you level up your cooking and eat better :) We appreciate the feedback!
This eggplant dish was easy to make and came together quickly. It is tasty and perfectly seasoned as are all of Nisha’s recipes that I have tried to date.
Instructions included a fry pan option for those of us who do not have a grill or gas stove. With instructions provided I got some caramelization and a nice jammy finish :).
I served with basmati rice. Both my husband and I were satisfied with the meal. My husband also gave it a thumbs up for flavor. I did use two eggplants which provided me with leftovers for my lunch the next day. It was just as good if not better the next day! A recipe I will definitely make again.
We’re so happy that the baingan bharta turned out well for you, Lynn. Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment and for trying out the recipe!
Yes I have made this recipe before when you first sent it out. I’m not a big fan of heat but my Philippino wife just loves this dish. I have also made your Sweet Potato Garbanzo Curry dish. However do to on hand ingredients not being readily available I’ve never really made your exact recipe. I used Tom Yum paste in lew of lemon grass, ginger and curry. Church and friends beg me to make it for them. Thank you!
Thanks for sharing your experience with us, Duane. We’re glad you and your wife enjoy the recipes :)